NEWS RELEASE

 

For Immediate
ReleaseFor Further Information 

Contact: Mayor Holly Brinda at (440) 371-2285
Or: Bruce Shade at: (440) 387-9684
January 24, 2014 

 CITY OF ELYRIA AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS

SPONSOR WARMING CENTER AND OVERNIGHT SHELTER BEGINNING SUNDAY EVENING
 

Due to the anticipated extremely cold temperatures, starting at 7:00pm on Sunday January 26, 2014, the City of Elyria and its community partners will be operating a warming center and overnight shelter at St. Mary Parish, 320 Middle Avenue – Parish Hall (off St. Mary’s Way – between 3^rd and 4^th street). The shelter will continue operating as long as needed which is projected to be at least 8:00 am Wednesday January 29, 2014.

This community collaboration, staffed by the City of Elyria and other participating organizations and volunteers, will offer safe, secure, comfortable shelter and food and beverages to the area’s homeless, those living in conditions with low or no heat, or individuals and families that may have broken furnaces or water pipes.  The shelter will be under the supervision of the Mayor’s Office with support from the Elyria Police Department.  Support services will also be provided by the Elyria Public Health Department and the Elyria Fire Department.

Police officers, fire department personnel and public health professionals will be making people aware of the shelter through direct interaction and outreach activities, checking believed locations of homeless persons, distribution of flyers in public gathering places and businesses, and through the local media throughout the 4-day period.  The faith-based community, led by Reverend Charles Diedrick of St. Mary Parish, will be sharing information, providing volunteers and taking up a collection to help fund the shelter effort. 

The American Red Cross is providing cots, blankets and sheets; Lorain County Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency is assisting in communications and coordination of the warming center and overnight shelter; and University Hospitals Elyria Medical Center is providing blankets, food as needed and volunteer personnel.  Area restaurants will be asked to donate food.  During the last extreme cold spell Olive Garden, Panera Bread, Burger King, Dunkin Donuts, McDonalds, Sam’s Club, Marcos Pizza and Wolfys Bistro and Pub provided food and beverage to the shelter.

Individuals who come to the shelter may bring their domestic animals only if they are caged.  Persons can call the city’s hot line phone number 440-323-3302 (Elyria Police Dispatch) or 211 for additional information.  “On behalf of the City and those we serve, I would like to extend our most sincere appreciation to everyone who is working so very hard to keep all of our residents safe and warm during this very difficult winter,” said Mayor Holly Brinda. 

Sincerely,

 

Holly C. Brinda, MPA
Mayor

MAYOR SAYS THANK YOU FOR SHELTER HELP

Image courtesy of The Chronicle-Telegram  

On behalf of the City of Elyria and those we serve, I would like to extend our most sincere appreciation to everyone who helped provide emergency shelter services during our recent polar vortex.  As a very willing and proactive partner, St. Mary Church and Reverend Charles Diedrick stepped up to provide the centrally located downtown shelter site and volunteers to assist city personnel. 

In all, our caring community provided the temporary warming shelter that served 21 individuals over two of the coldest days in our history.  Thanks to the Elyria police and fire departments, several homeless individuals were coaxed out of the cold and into the warm and safe environment staffed by police, Elyria Health Department nurses, the Mayor’s staff and other city employees.  Other citizens who had no heat due to broken furnaces or other circumstances were also helped.  We even had a traveler passing through Elyria who missed her bus connection stay with us for a night. 

The American Red Cross provided cots and blankets, LifeCare Ambulance offered to transport equipment and people, and Lorain County Emergency Management helped link services to the community.  Food was plentiful thanks to generous donations from Olive Garden, Panera Bread, Burger King, McDonalds, Wolfys Bistro and Pub, Marcos, Dunkin Donuts, Sam’s Club and several individuals.    

The citizens of Elyria can be proud for pulling together and taking care of each other during this very trying time.  Your warm hearts and caring hands wrapped themselves around those most vulnerable and we are so very grateful. 

Holly Brinda

Mayor

City of Elyria Parking Bans In Effect

Due to current and expected snowfall of over 4-8” over the next few days, the City of Elyria is executing parking bans on the following 16 streets as of noon on Thursday, January 2, 2014. Residents are reminded to remove vehicles as soon as possible.  Vehicles not removed from streets with posted parking ban signs will be subject to ticketing as of 8:00am on Friday, January 3, 2014.  All residents are encouraged to remove their cars from the street regardless of restrictions to allow for safe and thorough plowing. We appreciate your patience as we plow main streets and thoroughfares first and secondary streets afterwards. For current information regarding snow parking bans, please view the City of Elyria website at www.cityofelyria.org, cable channel 12, your Nixel emergency alert system, or check our local radio stations and newspapers. If you are not signed up for Nixel text-message and email emergency alerts, please go to www.cityofelyria.org and click on the “SIGN UP” button on the right-hand side of the page.  

• 2^nd St. between East Ave. and West Ave.
• East Ave. & Broad St.
• East Ave. between 4^th and 16^th St. – Northbound lane, east side of roadway  
• East River St. between Eastern Heights Blvd. and Lincoln St.
• Garford Ave. between Colgate and Eastern Heights Blvd.
• Kerstetter Way between Broad and West Ave.
• Middle Ave. between 3^rd and 16^th St.
• Oakdale Circle between Defiance Ave. and South Abbe Rd.
• Ohio St. between Washington Ave. and Gulf Rd.
• Park Ave. between Michigan Ave. and Oxford Ave.
• Ridge St. between East River St. and E. Bridge St.
• University Avenue between E. River St. and South Abbe Rd.
• Washington Ave. between Broad and Ohio St.
• West Ave. between 4^th St. and Oberlin Rd.
• Whitman Blvd. between N. Abbe Rd. and Gulf Rd.
• Winckles St. between Taylor and Clark St.