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Elyria Pride
Sir
Winston Churchill said many things well. One appropriate to our
time and place is:
“ We shape our buildings and thereafter
they shape us.”
As part of the Grace Administration’s effort to keep and
attract quality people and quality companies, Architectural Design
Review was instituted. This enables the community to require
buildings to be built of a quality and character that are respectful
of the people who patronize them and who call Elyria home.
Four years ago, Mayor Grace reached out to members of the community
with a new idea for Elyria. The community responded with tens
of thousands of dollars in donations, and now each spring and
summer, the city showcases its beauty with flower baskets to
our own delight and envy of our visitors.
Mayor Grace recognized that perhaps the most beautiful site
in the city was largely unknown and inaccessible to most people
in Elyria. That site was the East Falls. Within the first few
weeks of taking office Mayor Grace negotiated the purchase of
the property that comprises what today has become known as the
East Falls Riverwalk. After purchasing the land, Mayor Grace
made a successful appeal to the Lorain County Board of Commissioners
to attain a recycling grant of $200,000 to match a $400,000 federal
grant which provided the funds necessary to construct the riverwalk.
To the delight of thousands of Elyrians it opened in April of
2003.
In an effort to establish a greater sense of community pride
and joy, measures have been taken to rid Elyria of many eyesores,
like overgrown lots and abandoned vehicles. Additionally, the
city has partnered with many organizations these past few years
to make improvements to the city.
- These partnerships include:
- Sunrise Rotary to welcome visitors to our community with
the Elyria bushes at Gateway;
- State of Ohio to plant trees along Route 57;
- Veterans’ organizations
to adorn our streets with American Flags;
- Noon Rotary Club
to build observation decks in Cascade Park;
- Local correction
facilities to put prisoners to work to the extent of over
8,000 hours picking up litter.
- Sunrise Rotary is lighting the
East Falls at the Riverwalk on October 16th
Now,
at the conclusion of Mayor Grace’s first term, it
is widely believed that Elyrian’s feel better about their
city and are more proud to call Elyria their home.
“…the recently opened East Falls river walk, a Grace
vision that reintroduced Elyrians to one of Lorain County’s
most beautiful views.” – The Chronicle
Telegram, April 27, 2003
“Pride in Elyria has been enhanced during Grace's term
by making the city more attractive. That includes more-efficient
grass cutting on city property. Decorative flower baskets supported
by donations. And especially the stunning new East Falls River
Walk that's sure to attract residents and visitors downtown many
times over for the beautiful view of the falls on the Black River.
Grace leveraged $400,000 in federal block grant money into $600,000
by winning an additional $200,000 grant from the county's Solid
Waste District for using recycled materials to build the River
Walk. And, the River Walk is the kind of destination attraction
that can be a catalyst to help other good things happen in the
downtown area.” – The Morning Journal, April
22, 2003
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