Willoughby continues to enhance through events, long-awaited projects - The News-Herald
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is one in a series looking at what Lake County communities, agencies and school districts experienced in 2024 and what is facing them in 2025.
Willoughby Mayor Robert Fiala said that 2024 proved to be an exciting year for the city with groundbreaking ceremonies for three, long-awaited projects.
The first was the groundbreaking ceremony for the Union High School adaptive reuse project, which will consist of the historic building being converted into market-rate apartments and adjacent for-sale townhomes.
Fiala said this project is an essential book end to the city’s historic downtown and was made possible by grants from the Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credit program and the Oho Brownfield Remediation program through the Ohio Department of Development. Additionally, Lake County commissioners assisted with Lake County ARPA funds.
The renovation project is expected to be completed near the end of 2025.
A second groundbreaking was held for phase one of the city’s Osborne Park shoreline protection project, which will include repairs to the city’s damaged, 1,400-foot shoreline and the creation of small sand and cobble beaches. The project will also feature the restoration of the slope to its natural habitat. It was funded primarily by local ARPA funds, grants received from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and a one-time transformational project grant sponsored by State Sen. Jerry Cirino and supported by Rep. Dan Troy.
The contract for this project is being awarded to Mark Haynes Construction, and work is expected to be begin as soon as permits are released, Fiala said.
A final groundbreaking occurred for the city’s Chagrin River floodplain restoration and trail connection project, and a design-build team was selected to complete the final design documents and begin construction.
The contract was awarded to a team that includes Biohabits the SmithGroup. Work includes restoring more than 100 acres of property along the Chagrin River, formerly owned by the Andrews Osborne Academy, a walking trail and access to this environmentally protected property.
A federal NOAA grant provided funding for the acquisition of this site, and other funding sources included local ARPA funds, Lake County ARPA funds, Ohio Department of Natural Resources grants and a significant grant from Congressman Dave Joyce, Fiala said.
Some work will commence in 2025, including the decommissioning of the former nursery and removal of invasive species as the permit documents are prepared for the remaining work.
Read the rest of the article here!