Today’s Blog: City Reaches Agreement With Four Unions – Including Pay Freezes

The City of Elyria has reached agreements with the four collective bargaining units that have expiring contract deadlines this year.   “I am so very pleased to say that all of our employee groups understand the financial challenges the City is facing and are working collaboratively with the City administration to reach practical agreements that allow us to offer the best possible services with limited resources,” said Mayor Holly Brinda.   “The pay freeze offered by firefighters coupled with the willingness by police to make concessions related to employee contributions to health care and to continue the conversation regarding eliminating or limiting longevity are among many important steps we are taking towards both  short-term and long-term cost-containment. “       

The City of Elyria and the Elyria Firefighters Local #474 of the International Association of Fire Fighters reached agreement for a one-year pay freeze, agreeing to extend the terms of the current contract through June 30, 2014. The parties have agreed to re-open negotiations in the first quarter of 2014. 

The Elyria Police Patrolman’s Association has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the City of Elyria to defer and then resume Fact-Finding in late 2013 to further explore remaining wage and longevity issues.  Agreement has already been reached on 21 other issues in the current contract.     
 
Significant developments with the EPPA thus far include: 

Today’s Blog: Road Resurfacing Begins, East Falls Repair Begins, Autumn Activities Continue…

If you’ve noticed more orange barrels than usual coloring the Autumn landscape, its because the City of Elyria has begun $796,049.00 in road resurfacing projects thanks largely to an infusion of temporary cash from a demutualization insurance settlement received by the City earlier in the year.  Elyria City Council wanted to make sure that the residents saw the benefits of some of this temporary infusion of cash and so many long-awaited road repaving projects that the city would not otherwise be able to complete due to financial constraints are being completed.  As information regarding temporary road closings and detours become available, we will be posting the information here and on the City’s Cable Channel 12.       

2013 Street Resurfacing Program:

$796,049.00
 

Work has begun:

• Lake Avenue from Erie Street to Oak Street – Work has begun

Elyria Apple Festival

Dear Elyria Residents, Friends and Visitors,

We would like invite you to join us  for the 33rd annual Apple Festival, starting Friday, September 20^th and running through Sunday, September 22^nd.  Please come to downtown Elyria for a wonderful weekend of all American food, fun and entertainment in and around Elyria’s historic Ely Square.  Whether your passion is craft shopping or concession grazing, apple bobbing or apple pie eating, marching bands or one-man bands, the classic car show or Princess Pageant – or just enjoying one of Ohio’s premiere festivals on a crisp autumn day – you’ll find something of interest for everyone in your family!          

It just wouldn’t be autumn without this time-honored event, and what a great way for us to celebrate as a community.  Despite trying economic times, through the hard work of many, Elyria is on the rise.  Take a few moments while downtown to enjoy the waterfalls.  Stroll down to Cascade Park and experience the nature trails and see the $1 million of park improvements being made by your City through grants, with even more improvements coming in 2015 with our new partnership with the Lorain County MetroParks.

A few blocks down on Middle Avenue visit our new $70 million Elyria High School and the newly recognized historic site of the Easter Seal Society.  Next year, there will be even more downtown improvements with the replacement of Middle Avenue, new pop-up businesses, and several major commercial projects on Broad Street – not to mention the $28 million Midway Mall area 49^th Street Bridge/State Route 57 reconfiguration project that will remedy a high crash zone, improve access and stimulate jobs and further development.          

As you can see, there is much to celebrate and members of Elyria City Council and I would like to express our sincere appreciation to each and every individual and organization that is helping the City of Elyria make important steps forward.  This includes community leaders and the hundreds of volunteers, sponsors, vendors, participants and patrons, of the Apple Festival.  Organizing an event of this magnitude is no easy task and we are so very proud of our caring community.  Special thanks are extended to organizer Linda Brown, Century Club contributors and many City of Elyria employees.  Working together, we are all making Elyria, Ohio’s Community of Opportunity!

Sincerely,

Holly C. Brinda
Mayor
City of Elyria                

ELYRIA GETS FINAL APPROVAL ON MALL AREA PROJECT; TWO NEW BUSINESSES OPEN; 9/11 REMEMBRANCE WEDNESDAY

The City of Elyria received fantastic news this afternoon!  The Ohio Turnpike Commission gave the final approval to Elyria’s Route 57/49^th St. Bridge Reconfiguration project slated to begin in 2014 and be completed in 2016.  The $28 million infrastructure project will remedy a high crash zone by modifying the existing I-90/SR 57 interchange, incorporating a diamond interchange with traffic signals at ramp intersections that will move 620 feet north, removing the 49^th Street Bridge overpass by Midway Mall and the ramps to Griswold Road and Midway Mall Boulevard. It will also widen SR 57 to six lanes between the Ohio Turnpike and I-90, widen Midway Mall Boulevard to four lanes and a left turn lane, bring Griswold Road to current design standards and add sidewalks and relocate the existing frontage roads.  Moreover, there are a number of anticipated job creation and long-term economic benefits to the project as well.  Here are the details:

Project Cost/City Investment:

• Total anticipated cost: $28 million
• City of Elyria’s investment: $1,880,369

Vital to Safety and Helpful to Our Economic Future

• Improvements to safety to remedy high crash zone
• Improved access/barrier removal between I-90 and the Turnpike
• Improved access to Midway Mall, local hotels, restaurants and strip retail areas
• Improved access to industrial park
• Improves the appears and function of a commercially viable area as demonstrated by new or improved businesses in the past three years: McDonald’s, Olive Garden, Verizon, Chipolte, Hampton Inn and others
• Aesthetic improvement to City and Mall entrance will retain and expand retail and other development
• Opens the westside of Elyria to future development of 140 acres
• Local and regional employment opportunities in construction trades
• Sales increases to local and in-region construction firms
• Increase in City of Elyria tax base from construction
• Serves as a catalyst for the Mall area Redevelopment Plan