The communities of Northfield Village, Northfield Center Township and the city of Macedonia took part in the annual State of the Communities, sponsored by the Nordonia Hills Chamber of Commerce on Sept. 9.
Northfield Village Mayor Jesse Nehez, Helen Humphrys, Village Administrator of Northfield Center Township and Nick Molnar, Mayor of Macedonia, each gave a rundown of past projects and future undertakings.
“I like bragging on my community,” said. Nehez. “It’s one of my favorite things to do.”
During the Covid-19 pandemic, the village made several cutbacks utilized to save the village. Nehez said the cuts kept the village alive.
“We followed every guideline we could to keep our employees and residents safe,” Nehez said.
Nehez said one major hit to the village coffers was the cutting of staff at MGM which is one of the villages’ largest employers. “They went from 600 employees to 300 employees,” Nehez said of MGM. “And to our budget, that was a major hit.”
Nehez said things are slowly getting back to normal. By the end of the year MGM should be holding shows again, which will add $250,000 to $300,000 to village revenue.
As Covid-19 raged in the Village, administrators were able to make several improvements and form plans for more.
Some improvements include park beautification and storm sewer projects.
The village also recently installed a new storm warning siren.
“And we just replaced our 1935 air raid siren,” Nehez said. “We are very happy about that.
The Village also purchased a self-cleaning ambulance, Nehez said. New police and fire departments are still being planned.
“We are not sure which we will start first,” Nehez said. “It all depends on the funding.”
Life is getting back to normal in the village, according to the mayor. “We are very excited about the future,” Nehez said.
Humphrys has been on the job less than a year.
“I’m still driving around reading street signs”, Humphrys said, laughing. “So, when people call, I know what they are talking about.”
Humphrys finds the entire Nordonia Hills area to be charming, she said.
According to the last census there was about 5,200 to 5,300.
Township safety services are contracted through the Summit County Sheriff’s Office and the Macedonia Fire Department.
“I am available with the One-Talk system that answers calls 24/7, she said.
There are some exciting future Township projects, she added.
- Meijer’s is coming with an anticipated opening in 2023.
- Panda Express has been approved and will occupy the former Golden Corral Buffet site.
- The new Northfield Center Township Safety / Administration building is underway on the campus at 8484 Olde Eight Road and should be completed by fall of 2022. NCT will then vacate the old Fire District# 3 building, which is for sale and with offers already coming in for the property.
“We have several properties for sale zoned commercial and historic commercial that would be of benefit for new business construction,” according to Humphrys.
Few businesses have been turned down. However, there was one the trustees did not want any part of – a marijuana distribution business, she said.
“The trustees just didn’t want any part of that, yet” added.
Macedonia Mayor Nick Molnar promised he did not stack the room, which was filled with city staffers.
We’ve done a lot of beautifications,” Molnar said.
The city added two new employees and revamped the park facilities to include touchless soap, lights, hand driers and sinks.
“That all comes at a cost, but at the time it made a heck of a lot of sense.” Molnar said.
As the senior center closed during the pandemic, there was a need for seniors to get their meals.
More than 7,000 meals were delivered in a 12-month period to seniors, according to the mayor.
“That was really huge,” he said. “We were pretty proud to do that.”
The city also received the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act grant for $628,506 and will receive the same amount in 2022, Molnar said.
The grant money from both years will be put into the Local Fiscal Recovery Fund created to track the receipt and spending of the grant money and used for a new service center.
Currently the city uses five buildings, including one with a dirt floor.
Macedonia also received $1.5 million through the sale of the former Bedford Anodizing plant.
The proceeds from the sale will also be used for the new service department building.
“We will not go to the voters for one penny,” Molnar said.
Several projects are in the works, according to Molnar.
Projects include:
- Cleanland Car Wash opened a facility on South Freeway Drive near the northbound entrance to I-271 in March 2021.
- Raisin Canes Chicken Fingers renovated the former location of Steak N Shake on East Aurora Road opening in June of 2021.
- Peak Nano opened the first of its’ kind optic foundry creating lenses for military, medical, and commercial applications.
- Chick-fil-A, located in the crossings at Golden Link, is undergoing an interior renovation including a kitchen expansion and reconstruction of the drive-thru lanes and canopy and hopefully open by the end of the month.
- Wayback Burgers has improved a space in the Macedonia Marketplace Plaza on East Aurora Road and is scheduled to open in early fall.
- Dominion Energy Ohio received approval and is in the process of completing a replacement and reconstruction of the natural gas terminal located on East Aurora Road.
“A big, big deal [with the police] is that the 800 MHz radios are up and running,” the mayor said. “There is a huge difference.”
The Flock system is up and running.
“It only tags a car with issues and allows our officers to go after the bad guys,” he said.
The Highland Road and Valley View intersection will have turning lanes installed on all four sections in 2025.
Macedonia has been successful in applying for several grants for additional road and building projects.
For a complete report visit:
https://mycommunityfocus.app/programs/stateofcommunities2021-1f10c9?categoryId=71684
