Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Plans to redevelop the Solar Center include a new, free-standing Giant Eagle, a GetGo gas station and other changes.
The long-awaited redevelopment of Solon's Solar Center will include a new, free-standing Giant Eagle grocery store and a GetGo gas station. The development, which has been in limbo for years, has received new life after Echo Development agreed to purchase and development the aging shopping plaza at SOM Center and Aurora roads. The only possible catch is the time frame: Echo has until April 15 to gain city council approval, because that's when the company's purchase option expires, said Rob Frankland, Solon's planning director. Frankland, who showed site plans to city council Tuesday night, said that the Giant Eagle will be about 92,000 square feet, and be built on the southern edge of the property. A GetGo gas station will also be built …
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Stanek, who oversaw a number of departments and was with the city for more than three decades, retired suddenly earlier this month.
Public Works Commissioner Jim Stanek, who has led some of Solon's largest projects and been with the city for decades, retired abruptly at the beginning of the year. Vice Mayor Ed Kraus said that city officials were surprised by Stanek's decision, but that he is grateful for Stanek's years of service. Kraus said he believes Stanek retired because he simply had enough, and had accomplished everything he set out to do. "Few people get to go out on top where they’ve accomplished everything and done a great job, and left the city in a lot better place than when they came there," Kraus said. "You can't replace Jim." Kraus said Mayor Susan Drucker will have an important decision to make in replacing Stanek, who oversaw the service, engineering …
Monday, January 9, 2012
Mayor Susan Drucker and Solon City Council visited Nestle Monday morning to see new designs for the R&D building the company wants to build in Solon.
Solon officials were treated to breakfast and a glimpse at new designs for the global research and design center Nestle wants to build in Solon. The global company, which is one of Solon's largest employers, wants to build the center off of Cannon Road to support its frozen food businesses. The visit to Nestle's decked-out culinary center on Bainbridge Road comes after Solon voters overwhelmingly approved a rezoning in November that will make construction of the facility possible. Vice Mayor Ed Kraus said he didn't want to come to Nestle only to be thanked for supporting the rezoning effort, and he feels company officials have worked hard since the vote. For starters, Kraus said he believes Nestle "has zeroed in" on Solon, and the fact …
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Missed our coverage of Sally Deitrick's lawsuit against the city and the mayor? Here's links to our coverage.
The big story of the week was the revelation that former secretary in the mayor's office Sally Deitrick has filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against the city and Mayor Susan Drucker. Deitrick alleges in the complaint that Drucker fired her because she was old, and that Drucker had something against the city's older employers. Drucker countered that Deitrick was unreliable, untrustworthy and bad at her job. If you missed any of our coverage of this story, then here is a roundup of all the important parts. The Basics: Deitrick's Side of the Story: Her Lawsuit: Drucker's Side of the Story: Her Letter: Why the city hired a law firm to handle the case:
Friday, December 9, 2011
Solon City Council decided to hire Thompson Hine to handle Sally Deitrick's wrongful termination lawsuit against the city and Mayor Susan Drucker.
Solon Vice Mayor Ed Kraus said the city decided to hire an outside law firm to handle a wrongful termination lawsuit against the city because of potential conflicts of interest and the firm's expertise in dealing with these kinds of cases. It's unclear how much the city is going to be paying Thompson Hine, a national law firm with an office in Cleveland, to handle the case. City officials said payment deals were still being worked out. But Kraus, who represents Ward 6 and is an attorney himself, said the city had good reasons to bring in outside legal help rather than rely on the city's Law Director Tom Lobe. "Sometimes when it involves an internal employee situation and matter, sometimes it's best to hire outside because of any potential …
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
City officials decided to keep the status quo and appointed council members to the same committee positions for the next two years.
Meet the new vice mayor, same as the old vice mayor. Mayor Susan Drucker and the Solon City Council decided to keep the status quo, appointing the same people to the same positions and committee seats for the next two years. Ward 6 Councilman Ed Kraus will remain as Vice Mayor, with Ward 7 Councilman Bill Russo serving as alternate. The Safety and Public Properties Committee will be chaired again by Russo with Kraus and Ward 1 Councilman Rick Bell serving on it. The Public Works Committee will again be run by Ward 2 Councilman Bob Pelunis and include Ward 4 Councilman Bill Mooney and Bell. The Finance Committee will be guided by Mooney with Russo and Ward 5 Councilwoman Nancy Meany serving with him. And city council again appointed Ward …
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
MRI Software Inc. will move its operations from Highland Hills to a building on Fountain Parkway
MRI Software Inc. plans to move to Solon and bring more than 230 jobs with it. The company, which will lease a building on Fountain Parkway, will be moving from Highland Hills. The city council recently approved a Job Creation Grant with the company, in which grants will be paid best on the company's performance on job creation and other benchmarks. According to the agreement, the company plans to bring 230 jobs with it when it opens for business in Solon in May 2012. MRI is expected, per the agreement, to add more jobs over the next several years, reaching 295 by 2016. The company will invest $900,000 and reach an annual payroll of more than $21 million. Councilman and Vice Mayor Ed Kraus said the move shows that Solon remains a regional …
Monday, September 19, 2011
The Solon City Council voted 5-2 to approve a comprehensive deer management plan that includes both lethal and nonlethal methods
The Solon City Council approved a comprehensive deer management plan by 5-2 vote Monday, though the controversial hunting options in the plan are on hold until Election Day. Council members Bill Russo, Bill Mooney, Rick Bell, Nancy Meany and Toni Richmond voted for the plan. Council members Ed Kraus and Bob Pelunis voted against. The comprehensive plan includes a host of options Solon can use to get its growing deer population under control. While there are nonlethal options available, including planting recommendations and public education efforts, officials admit that the only way to reduce the herd to a manageable level is through hunting. But voters will decide on Nov. 8 whether hunting will be allowed in the city when they vote on the…
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
The website for Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel now includes a salary database for public employees in Ohio, including state workers, teachers and professors and some local employees
A new online database allows Ohio taxpayers to see how much they are paying government workers across Ohio, from the governor and university presidents down to the teachers at your local elementary school. The data was made available as part of a transparency project by Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel. It includes the most recent salary information for state employees, as well as historical salary info for teachers, higher-education workers, federal employees and some local employees. Much of the data from the database was already made available by The Buckeye Institute. While Solon residents can see how much their child's teacher at Solon City Schools makes, salary information for Solon's city government workers is not available right now. …
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Residents say drivers don't stop for horse riders, cyclists and walkers trying to cross SOM Center Road at the Metro Park's South Chagrin Reservation entrance
Residents on the north side of Solon are concerned about a horse path across SOM Center Road near the Metro Parks they believe is too dangerous for riders and walkers alike. A number of residents attended Wednesday's Safety Committee meeting in hopes the city can help find a solution. They say that drivers don't stop and that the speeding traffic often spooks horses, which could lead to a tragedy. "They won't stop for anyone," resident Tess McCarihan said of the drivers. "It's not a matter of if there's going to be an accident, it's when." Solon Traffic Engineer Kevin Westbrooks said he has met with the residents and is trying to come up with a solution. The difficulty is that traditional options either can't be done or may not solve the …
Toni
8:11 am on Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Wow, I cannot believe the this council is so ignorant. After all the deer bow hunting mishaps and accidents in nearby communities, don't they get it? or is it a matter of "I got the last word in?" Some of them really need to go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! more ›