Representatives from Macedonia, Northfield Center Township, and Sagamore Hills Township were invited on September 21 to expound on highlights of individual updates of each community.
The annual event was sponsored by the Nordonia Hills Chamber of Commerce.
Macedonia
Mayor Nicholas Molnar represented Macedonia. According to Molnar several businesses will make Macedonia home. Some of the businesses include Crumbl Cookies, T.J. Maxx, Panda Express, Sephora, and Nordstrom Rack.
“Another thing that’s pretty important has happened recently,” Molnar said. “The Key Inn Hotel [311 Highland Road] has ceased operations due to safety reasons. “ I don’t see them coming back in the foreseeable future and that’s about all I can say about it.” The hotel has been a topic of discussion in the community for a while, he added. A variety of crimes were alleged to have happened at or near the former hotel.
Molnar said the city puts safety at a high priority, but sometimes legal matters take time to resolve. And while a hotel closed the city hopes to bring in several mom-and-pop type shops near Park Avenue. The city purchased the land this year and could purchase more in the future.
“We always have people asking for the mom-and-pop businesses and that’s kind of what we are going to gear that toward,” he said. “And if we own the property we can kind of control that.”
Several city streets are smoother thanks to the city engineer department which has overseen the pavement of 12 roads and utilized a variety of state grants.
“Since 2015 we have paved 94 roads. That’s a lot,” Molnar said. Macedonia has entered a variety of tax increment financing agreements, has moved toward a paperless department, and has a five-year capital plan that continued to provide a municipal direction, he added.
The safety forces were also at the forefront of departmental improvements. The fire department has a “new and exciting thing “ in the community bus, Molnar added.
“It’s not a senior bus. It’s not a parks and recreation bus,” Molnar, who drove the first one, said. “I’m proud to have that.” The bus was used to transport community members to a variety of locations including Hartville Kitchen.
“It was fun and the seniors had a really good time,” Molnar said. “We’ve been asking for that for as long as I’ve been a Councilor and the mayor. The community bus is up and running.”
The fire department also received two ambulances which were originally ordered in 2021. “We just got them [the ambulances] this year,” according to the mayor. “You can tell how hard it is to get things. That’s why the five-year plan will help.” The city is in the process of trying to decide if things should be ordered for three to five years in advance, he added.
“Because if we are going to have those types of delays, the safety forces are going to need their equipment,” Molnar said. The fire department also received a new engine fire truck which was ordered in 2022. The city has also formed a drone safety team composed of several licensed operators, Molnar said.
“It’s a program that’s very, very useful and I know it will be more robust in the future,” Molnar added. “It’s an amazing, amazing tool to keep us safe.”
The city has also added additional security cameras, upgraded door control systems, and a variety of other network systems.
The city added a new police chief, restructured the administration, and looks to fill two sergeant positions, patrol positions and hire a communications supervisor. The department also wants to add two school resource officers, he added.
“That’s a really big deal,” Molnar said of the SROs. “The partnership we have with our schools is amazing. Safety is key and it’s high on our priorities.”
The police department also added 14 new patrol vehicles this year. Macedonia police officers will also be better trained in the future, Molnar said. Police Chief Vince Yakopovich has expanded the police training program, added new training equipment, and in-house instructors to train on use-of-force, de-escalation, defensive driving, and a variety of other topics.
“We are one of the safest cities in Ohio,” Molnar said. “It has a lot to do with our safety forces. So thank you to our safety forces for what you do because you got those numbers to be what they are to be in that realm.” Not only is Macedonia safe, but it’s clean and well-lit.
The service department has completed nine driveway culverts, and 30 ditch cleanouts and completely overhauled the brush drop-off area at 9000 Valley View Road.
Seventy street lights were repaired under a new zero-tolerance rule. Molnar asked that if residents see a street light out call city hall instead of just posting on social media.
The service department also repaired more than 100 potholes, purchased a new backhoe, ordered two new snow trucks and two new leaf machines.
Christmas lights along the park will also be expanded and work continues on a new service building.
“We acquired the building at 9150 Valley View Road,” according to Molnar. “It’s going to be a huge help to us servicing the community.”
The recreation department was awarded the NRPA Gold Medal Finalist Award for excellence in parks and recreation management. “This is very key and I want everyone to hear this very clearly,” Molnar said. “Top four in the country for a class size of 30,000 or less. That’s huge.” According to Molnar, the city has about 12,000 to 13,000 residents.
Molnar credited Director of Parks and Recreation Jason Chadock and his staff for the ranking and all the work, even during the pandemic. “Thank you so much for that,” Molnar said. “I’m very, very proud of that and you should be too.”
The recreation team also added multipurpose fields, a new camp shed, a new lake fountain, and a new dock. The city has also added a park cruise and food truck on Thursdays.
Molnar ended his discussion with what has become his mantra. “Please don’t drive distracted,” he implored. “Put the phones down and drive your car.”
