Bicentennial Talk on Sarah Louise Howard - June 29th!

The Elyria YWCA, Lorain County Historical Society, and the Elyria Bicentennial Commission will host a presentation on one of our founding women, Sarah Louise Howard, and the other illustrious founding women of the Lorain County Historical Society. The meeting will take place at the Miller Home - YWCA Resident - 318 West Avenue and Thursday, June 29th from 6:00-7:30pm.  More information is below!


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Elyria Bicentennial Church Open House - July 30, 2017!

The City of Elyria's rich and diverse Faith community are embracing our great City's 200th Birthday as well!  On Sunday, July 30th, from 1:00-3:00pm, churches throughout the City of Elyria will hold a City-wide open house, welcoming any and all visitors to take in the sights, sounds, and history of our churches.  From elaborate stained-glass windows and through the gamut of architectural styles, our churches bring beauty, hope, pride and faith to our community, and July 30th will be a great day to take it all in.  All activities are 100% FREE, family-friendly, and open to the public!  Please join us!


More information (and a complete list of participating churches) can be found by clicking here, or by contact Mr. Dave Sprague, chairman of the Faith Based Bicentennial Subcommittee at 440-365-6270 or ksprag1a@gmail.com. 

City of Elyria Fireworks - BICENTENNIAL EDITION - Monday, July 3rd @ West Park!

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Join us in West Park for the Bicentennial Edition of the Great American Picnic and Fireworks Show on Monday, July 3rd, 2017!  We're going to have the biggest pyrotechnic show we've had yet, and we'll be joined by live bands, entertainers, and food from local favorites, food trucks, and traditional carnival fare!  Events kick off at 5:00pm with a showing of the Documentary "Elyria: Making History, Then and Now!" inside West Recreation Center, and will be followed by live music, balloon and juggling performances, and bubble stations throughout West Park! 

Click the picture above for full details!

So Far, 152 Elyria “LITTLES” Have Graduated From Safety Town This Year… There’s Still Time To Register!

This morning reminded me about why I love to be Mayor.  I had an opportunity to congratulate 72 of the “Littles” graduating from Elyria Safety Town.  It was an inspirational morning made possible by the City of Elyria, the Elyria Kiwanis Club, and many sponsors and volunteers. 

If you have a child preparing to enter Kindergarten this year, I would highly recommend enrolling in this wonderful program.  Please see the explanation below.  There are still slots available for the last session that begins June 26.  You can register on the city’s website at www.cityofelyria.org under the Parks and Recreation Department.  We hope to see you there!   

Best wishes for a safe and enjoyable summer.  And please, mark your calendars and plan to attend both the Bicentennial Edition of the Great American Picnic and Fireworks Show on July 3 at West Park (rain date July 7), and the Bicentennial Parade on August 5. 

Holly C. Brinda, Mayor

What is Safety Town?

Safety Town is a realistic, child-sized town designed to provide a complete hands-on safety education for children entering kindergarten in the fall. Safety Town consists of a child sized town which has working traffic signals, miniature buildings, cross walks, complete with personal traffic provided by the children on tractors. We at Safety Town wish to give the children a hands-on experience to take with them.
Safety Town is a one-week course that focuses on teaching children safe practices both at school and at home. The children are instructed on when, where, and how to cross the street. They are taught bike safety, pedestrian safety, school bus safety, fire safety, seat belt safety, 911 emergency calls, stranger danger and what to do if they find a gun. This program is also geared towards getting children to be comfortable around Law Enforcement and many other important agencies and what the many different uniforms and cars look like.


Safety Town is held at Northwood Junior High School, 700 Gulf Road, Elyria, Ohio.  Registration can be completed online at  https://elyria.recdesk.com/Community/Home


Safety Town is $10 per child for all citizens of Elyria and surrounding areas through the cooperation of the Elyria Police Department, the Elyria Kiwanis Club, and other generous donors. The class are filled on a first come, first serve basis. Parents are welcome to stay during the classes.


Safety Town would like to pay thanks to all the supporters and sponsors of Safety Town. Thanks to these businesses, public and private agencies civic organizations for helping make Safety Town the “Safest Place In Town!”

Goals for Safety Town?

• Our goal here at Safety Town, is to ensure the safety of our children. The volunteers at Safety Town dedicate their time to teaching the children proper street safety. These are some eye opening statistics on road safety.
• Children suffer a higher risk of disability or death through preventable injury than all childhood diseases combined.
• 70% of all fire ending in a childhood death are started by children.Bicycle and Pedestrian accidents are the leading cause of non-fatal injuries to children.

Safety Town Schedule
Safety Town consists of three (3) one-week sessions:

• June 12
• June 19
• June 26

Monday through Thursday 9:00am to 11:30am
Special graduation ceremony on Friday at 9:00am


Parents are asked to have their little ones there by 9:00am for roll call and other special events prior to class starting. A light breakfast will be provided in the cafeteria from 08:30-09:00. Breakfast is provided by Elyria City Schools.


Safety Town is open for children entering Kindergarten.

• Registration can be completed online at  https://elyria.recdesk.com/Community/Home
• For all other inquiries please contact, Annette Solet  at 440-326-1503.
• Now accepting applications for Safety Town Instructors. Candidates must have completed at least the 5th grade by the end of this school year. Please click here to download an instructor application 2017 INSTRUCTOR APPLICATION 

Bicentennial Plates Are Available!

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As many of you know, the City of Elyria is celebrating its 200th Birthday this year, and to commemorate that, the Bicentennial Committee has commissioned official City of Elyria Bicentennial Plates!  Each beautiful, historical, ceramic plate shows buildings that illustrate that rich history of our City, from Elyria High School (including the Washington Building), to Monteith Hall, The Hickories, and more!  They truly are beautiful and have to be seen in person to be appreciated...but pictures are posted below anyway!  Each plate costs $25.00 and can be purchased from the Mayor's Office, located at 131 Court Street, Suite 301.  All proceeds from the plate go to the Ely Square Bicentennial Fountain Fund.  Contact the Mayor's Office at 440-326-1402 with any questions.

As a bonus, while supplies still last, anyone who would like an official Sesquicentennial Ice Cream bowl from the last celebration is welcome to one free with the purchase of a Bicentennial plate!

 

 

 

 

Concerts on Kerstetter and Farmer's Market by Invest Elyria

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A summer of family-friendly fun is underway in Downtown Elyria!  Invest Elyria is working with the City of Elyria to bring some excitement downtown.  Starting this Saturday, the first of several Summer Concerts on Kerstetter Way kicks off at 7:00pm this Saturday, June 24th at the East Falls Riverwalk on Kerstetter Way.  The concert is 100% FREE.


Music will be provided by the band Firelight, and they have at least one food truck and some craft vendors on site.  Bring your friends and your family down for a fun night!


And don't forget, running all summer long is the Farmer's Market in Pioneer Plaza! Invest Elyria kicked off their the season on June 17, 2017 at the newly-adorned Pioneer Plaza on Broad Street (next to the Elyria Arts Council at 336 Broad St.)  Mayor Brinda was there with her iPhone to capture a few memories, and the footage is below.  Please join them every Saturday throughout the rest of the summer!

Lorain County General Health District July Vaccination Calendar

The Lorain County General Health District has finalized their vaccination calendar for July.  See below for more information, or contact them online (www.loraincountyhealth.com), in person (9880 South Murray Ridge Road in Elyria) or by phone (440-322-6367).  Click image below to embiggen!

CITY OF ELYRIA ANNOUNCES NEW HERITAGE HOME PROGRAM

Free technical advice and low interest loans now available to Historic District residents

The City of Elyria is pleased to announce a new partnership with the Cleveland Restoration Society Heritage Home Program^sm and Northwest Bank.  This new partnership will make available FREE technical assistance and low interest loans to owners of homes 50 years or older in the West By The River Historic District.  Interested parties are invited to an informational meeting to learn more about the program set for June 27 at 6:00pm in Council Chambers, on the second floor of Elyria City Hall – 131 Court Street.  

 

The most important feature of the Heritage Home Program^sm is that it offers FREE Technical Assistance and advice to the owners of houses that are over 50 years old.  An employee of Cleveland Restoration Society (CRS) will come out and visit your house and evaluate the types of repairs that are necessary and appropriate for the house.  The CRS employee will help identify the proper materials to be used for repairs and replacements that will be consistent with the architecture and style of the home. 

The free Technical Assistance and advice offered by the Heritage Home Program^sm is completely impartial and independent.  Among some of the other Free services include:

•  Site visits to answer home repair, improvement and maintenance questions
• Advice about increasing energy efficiency
• Access to information on qualified local contractors
• Evaluation of contractor bids and estimates

CRS does not have any products or services that it sells to the homeowners and does not charge the homeowner for the advice.  Sometimes CRS may advise the homeowner that replacement products being recommended by salesmen or contractors are not necessary and that simple repairs are all that are needed.  CRS can also provide a homeowner with a list of contractors that do the type of work that the homeowner needs.  CRS will even review contractor bids and advise the homeowner on the bids. Under this Program, CRS has provided technical advice and assistance to over 12,000 homeowners in Cleveland and Northeast Ohio on projects having a value of over $257 Million. 

Another feature of the Heritage Home Program^sm is its low-interest equity loan program.  These loans are made by Northwest Bank to homeowners that are improving their houses as certified by CRS.  The interest rate on these loans is a fixed rate of 2.375%/3.065% APR for up to 10 years.  Heritage Home Program^sm loans can be for interior as well as exterior repairs, maintenance, additions and modernization projects.  Kitchen and bath remodels are two popular uses of Heritage Home Program^sm loans.  The only things that cannot be done with a Heritage Home Program^sm loan are luxury items such as swimming pools or hot tubs, and vinyl siding or windows. 

The Heritage Home Loan is based on equity in the house.  An After-Rehabilitation Loan product is also available.  There are no income guidelines, but homeowners must meet Northwest Bank’s standard credit evaluation to obtain a loan.  There are no out-of-pocket costs for the loan, no closing costs and no points.  The interest from the loan is also tax deductible.  Additional information can be mailed directly to residents’ homes, upon request, by the Heritage Home Program or can be found online at www.heritagehomeprogram.org. 

For more information about the program or to schedule a FREE personal appointment with a Heritage Home Program representative please call (216) 426-3116 or visit the Heritage Home website at www.heritagehomeprogram.org.  You can also email them at hhp@heritagehomeprogram.org.  

The City of Elyria Mayor’s Office would like to express our sincere appreciation to the Cleveland Restoration Society and Northwest Bank for helping to make this program possible. 

PLEASE HELP PROTECT ELYRIA FROM FURTHER FINANCIAL LOSSES

Dear Elyria and Area Constituents,

Out of concern for the City of Elyria’s ability to deliver quality services, I am asking for your assistance in urging members of the Ohio Senate, including Senator Gayle Manning, to REMOVE three changes in the current Senate budget that will have a negative impact on the financial health of local communities - including the City of Elyria.  The Senate will make one last round of changes before it passes the bill next week and it is important that we mobilize and communicate our concerns this week.  A full explanation of the changes and the negative impacts follow, so please call Senator Manning office to express your concerns at (614) 644-7613.

Here are the issues that will have a negative impact on

Elyria’s budget and ability to deliver services…

 

Even with the Local Government Fund (LGF) not being cut this time around, Ohio’s local communities could still lose revenue under the current budget proposal. Below are the three specific changes in the proposed budget that will result in revenue losses for Ohio’s cities.

 

1. Local Government Fund (LGF): The percentage hasn’t been cut again, but funding for cities will still be about $90m less.

• While we appreciate that the legislature has not made further reductions to the 1.66 percentage rate of the Local Government Fund (LGF), cities will still see less LGF because of a lower overall state budget.
• For local communities, this means that the total LGF disbursement will be about $90 million less in this budget than it was in the 2016-17 budget.
• The Senate version also redirects $35 million meant for cities to opioid treatment funding, which further erodes this revenue sharing program. The budget proposal also diverts an additional $24 million out of LGF intended for cities and villages to townships. 

2. Throwback: This change will cost cities and could create complications for businesses.

• By eliminating the Throwback rule - which allows cities to tax the sale of a good that is shipped to another location where a sales tax is not applied - many Ohio cities will see an immediate financial loss.
• Losing the application of this tax could also create complications for businesses in tracking how to apply a sales tax. It will cost some cites as much as a full-time police officer. Akron estimates that it will cost nearly $2 million in local revenue. For others like Grove City, it will cost nearly $850. This provision should not be eliminated, but if it is it should be done over several years to give communities time to adjust.

3. Centralized Collection: Giving businesses the option to file one return should not come at the

expense of Ohio’s cities and local communities.

• The modified centralized collection proposal gives businesses the option to file one return through the state’s Ohio Business Gateway. However, the state will be collecting the revenue and distributing it back to the cities monthly.
• The state will also charge cities a 1% fee for administering this new program. For cities that don’t use a third-party administrator, which is most of the larger cities, this will be a net revenue reduction.

SUMMARY
Ohio’s local communities are on the front lines of Ohio’s greatest challenges and biggest

opportunities.  After years of funding reductions, additional revenue losses to local communities – no matter how big or small – will have an impact.

• Ohio’s local leaders are asking state policy makers to avoid implementing all of these changes all at once. The revenue impacts and the timing of these revenue losses for cities will have a negative impact on the financial health of local communities.