Grace 2.0 Administration Priorities

Striving for optimal use of City resources is how my administration was able to accomplish so much when I previously served as Elyria Mayor.  I had a very talented team around me that wisely and frugally provided City services.  We were extremely successful at acquiring grants and we reigned in Fire Department spending.  We will use the same approach to address the following priorities:

Cascade Park*

Cascade Park needs much more attention from City government than it’s getting.  With the Lorain County Metro Parks, we need to make plans for Park expansion and improvements.

  • open the north end to vehicles
  • expand access to the West Falls
  • replace the Two Falls Connector Bridge
  • rebuild the Two Falls Trail to connect the East Falls to the West Falls and into the main area of Cascade Park;

When Elyria was in its prime, Cascade Park and Downtown were the two most special parts of Elyria.  The former Two Falls Auto Trail connected the two in a vital way that made the sum greater than the parts.  Rebuilding this pathway as a recreational trail will have a transformative quality-of-life impact on all of Elyria.

5G Fiberoptic High-Speed Internet Municipal Utility*

Among our priorities is a 5G fiberoptic high-speed Internet municipal utility, today’s economic development equivalent to the railroad and Turnpike.  If we wait for the private market to get to us, we’ll get an inferior service, we’ll be one of the last to get it, and we’ll pay more for it.  If we, as a city, take the initiative and own the infrastructure we can maximize service quality and minimize cost.  This investment has the potential to be Elyria’s most valuable economic development tool.

Boys and Girls Basketball Program

Elyria’s children, particularly those who are at-risk, need all the support we can provide them.  For this, one of my highest priorities will be to launch our Boys and Girls Basketball program.  Among the goals is to implement a year-round, after school, evenings, and weekends program.  We will provide a nurturing, and character-building environment for all of Elyria’s children.  The program will promote mentoring, teamwork, responsibility, group study, tutoring, nutritious food, and physical fitness.

JFK Veterans Memorial Parkway

Elyria’s Next Park, as I call it, a prominent way to honor our veterans and give visitors a great first impression of Elyria is JFK Veterans Memorial Parkway, Route 57.
The recent federal transportation budget provides plentiful funding for projects like this.  Features will include recreational paths that will make Elyria more accessible to pedestrians and bicyclists; shade trees, shelters, and restrooms for comfort; and flags on the light poles to show our patriotism.  This new parkway has the potential to be one of Elyria’s favorite features.

Sanitation Department

Fix the Sanitation Department that has been mismanaged for at least the past several years.  The goal is to save the department from either a very large rate increase or privatizing the service resulting in less service and less community accountability

Public Transportation*

Elyria needs comprehensive public transportation to be its best.  The County Commissioners, through Lorain County Transit, provide a nice basic fixed-route service in Elyria.  My proposal is to work closely with the Commissioners while providing additional financial resources to formulate and deliver a much-enhanced service in Elyria.  The proposal is to provide five transit routes using the Downtown Lorain County Transportation & Community Center as the hub.

 

The first transit loop is likely to pay for itself with ridership fees.  It will circulate every 30 minutes between Downtown Elyria and Hopkins Airport.  At the top and bottom of every hour, riders will be able to board a shuttle at both locations and 30 minutes later, arrive at the other location.  Besides the obvious access to air travel, Hopkins also provides access to GCRTA and all its destinations, including Downtown Cleveland.  Think of the convenience that will provide when attending professional sporting events.

 

The second transit loop will continuously circulate in the Downtown and connect major Downtown destinations with major parking areas.

 

The other three loops will link Elyria’s schools, major neighborhood parks, Cascade Park, LCCC, and Midway Mall to Downtown.

Midway Mall*

I think it’s terrific that the County Commissioners acquired Midway Mall, but we should provide assistance. 

In addition to the main mall area, a much-underutilized space is the former Walmart and OfficeMax area.  I believe a better use to Elyria would be to create a high-end residential neighborhood that takes advantage of being next door to the Lorain County Metro Parks.

*This initiative may, in part or in whole, require funding from the extension of Issue 6.

Read about the New Economy Initiative logistics, including the process, timeline, community engagement, and proposed management & oversight.