The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Mayor and council members reflect on 2017; see a future of more progress
Eastlake Mayor Dennis Morley, Ward 1 City Councilman Michael Zuren and Councilman at-large Kimberly Evers all agree that the city has come together and achieved a lot as they look back on the city’s successes in 2017.
“Starting with the Miracle League Playground and the actual ballpark that is going in right now, they are an anchor of what is going on in the city,” Zuren said.
Morley feels the Miracle League Playground is a huge draw, especially when it comes to families.
“The weekend the playground opened, both special-needs kids and kids that don’t have special needs were down there interacting, that is a draw for us,” he said.
Zuren also attributes the leadership of the mayor and the support of council as contributing factors to bringing multiple new businesses into the city.
According to Morley, it took four years to get the city to where it is now with bringing in the businesses.
“It’s not like it used to be, “Hey, I’m not going to Eastlake, they are too hard to deal with and their Building Department is too hard to deal with,” Morley said. “Now I meet with businesses all the time.”
The mayor said the Stonehill Hotel on Curtis Boulevard, formerly the Radisson, is doing a multimillion-dollar renovation, and the Willoughby-Eastlake Board of Education will move its offices into a building across from Classic Park.
“We just keep getting more manufacturing and the plaza has the furniture store that is going to be opening, Moldmasters is going to be opening, other businesses have made their corporate headquarters here,” Morley said. “That is what I’m looking forward to for next year. I’m going to try to get some more developments in here and I’m trying to work with the county on a few things.”
Zuren believes the city has made a lot of strides and is going to be making even more in the future as they work on the Vine Street Corridor, which involves working with Willowick and Willoughby to make over Vine street in all three cities.
“Because we are starting to work together more and more, there is going to be a lot of success in the next couple of years and a lot of it is going to because of the leadership of the city now that we have the right people in place,” Zuren said.
Morley says the housing market has turned around in the city as indicated by the condos which sold out almost immediately, and about 10-15 houses under construction in Eastlake.
“People are building here and people are moving here,” Morley said. “It’s not just business moving in, we have two new schools being built.”
The city is currently working with the schools to try to get something going with a new skatepark.
“It’s just moving,” Morley said. “I think people want to be here now.”
According to Evers the last four years were difficult for the city financially.
“We stayed right here (Evers indicates with a hand to his neck) with our heads just above water financially. Now, we are here,” Evers said as he put his hand in front of his chest. “Next year, we are going to be doing the backstroke, we are in good shape. For the first time in years, we passed a tax levy.”
Evers noted that there will be a lot of activity going on in Eastlake within the next two years, including Moldmasters — a maker of tooling and wax patterns for the aerospace industry — bringing an $8.5 million payroll with them.
Morley addressed the medical marijuana facility beginning construction in Eastlake as a positive.
“Whether you are for it or not, it is going to be good for the city,” he said. The city profits from the sale of the property and the ability to finally collect property taxes on land that sat vacant for 20 years.”
Evers said he feels that families and businesses are moving to Eastlake because Eastlake is on the move. There is still some work to do yet, but he believes the city is on top of it.
“I believe other cities are watching what we are doing because I believe some of them are going to find themselves in the same boat we are,” he said.
Zuren believes the atmosphere in Eastlake changed.
“We actually started connecting with residents, we put a foundation in place and we have a leadership that is going to work together,” he said. “I believe that is going to start now. The atmosphere has changed, it’s more welcoming and it’s really gone to help us in the next couple of years.”
Morley sees Eastlake as being on the move, while Zuren believes Eastlake has turned a corner many did not think they could and Evers sees Eastlake as moving forward. For 2018, Morley just wants the city to keep moving forward.