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Volume 6, No. 7
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Friday, November 1, 2019
Councilman Challenges Davidson for Mayor By Cassandra Shofar
for the past 13 years, has 21 years of military service in the Ohio Army National Guard and in Iraq, On Nov. 5, Kirtland voters will and is a member of the American determine whether the city has a Legion Post 609, Kirtland Hornet new leader at its helm. Booster Club board and is a youth Kirtland City Council sports coach in wrestling President Kevin Potter is and football. competing against current Potter, 42, who has Mayor Doug Davidson for served on city council for his seat. the past four years — two Davidson, 51, who has as its president — gradu10 years of elected experiated from Kirtland High ence — four years as a KirtSchool and attended Lakeland councilman, two years Davidson land Community College. as councilman-at-large and He is a sales manager at four years as mayor — graduated GearTec Inc. and is also involved from Kirtland High School and with the Kirtland Kiwanis, Imaginaearned a Bachelor of Business Ad- tion Library of Kirtland and Divine ministration degree in transporta- Word Parish. tion and logistics management from Kent State University. The ‘Why’ He has been a dock operations Davidson said he is rerunning for manager for LafargeHolcim Corp. mayor because under his leadership, cassandra@geaugamapleleaf.com
Wade Dissects School District Report Card By Magdalene Pesch news@kirtlandchronicle.com At the Sept. 30 Kirtland Schools Board of Education meeting, Superintendent Bill Wade touched on the feedback this year’s State Report Card results gave administrators. Kirtland’s overall grade this year was a B — which factored in the following six components: • Achievement: B (Kirtland had a B last year); • Graduation rate: A (Kirtland had an A last year); • Progress: C (Kirtland had a B last year); • Improving at-risk K-3 readers: NR (Like last year, too few students were identified as “not on track” for the district to be rated); • Gap Closing: A (Kirtland also had an A last year); • Prepared for Success: C (Kirtland also had a C last year). “The overall grade and specifically, the grade in the ‘Achievement’ See Schools • Page 4
the city has accomplished a “great deal” in the last four years and he wants to continue the success. “In staffing, we have a new highly-qualified police chief, finance director, service administrator and economic development manager,” he said. “We structured the police department to have two sergeants and a future lieutenant. We supported the finance director with an assistant while we transition to an updated govern- Potter ment software package. We utilized shared services for economic development. We trimmed service personnel while appointing an experienced administrator. We captured hundreds of thousands of dollars in public project grants from county, state and federal sources. We controlled cost, shared services
and addressed aesthetics. “There is still more work to be done and I’m here to do it,” he added. Potter, however, believes Davidson’s “business as usual” approach to running the city has to stop. “Our residents expect the mayor to be a skillful leader who will generate solutions to problems and help build our future,” he said. “By engaging our residents and inviting thoughtful dialogue among council and department heads, I know we can accomplish that change. I will lead by being an engaged listener who will rise above the fray to collaboratively and flexibly seek common ground for the benefit of the community as a whole. Kirtland deserves nothing less.” See Challenge • Page 8
Sports Season Ends Strong By Steve Hare OhioVarsity.com The fall sports season is nearing its end but several Kirtland High School teams remain in the hunt for some hardware. With a 45-0 win at Hawken on Oct. 25, the Hornets improved to 9-0 overall, clinched another Chagrin Valley Conference Valley Division title and locked up the No. 1 seed in the Division V, Region 17 playoffs. The Hornets will host a Week 11 game for the 10th straight season. “Finishing top four in the region for 10 straight years means that we have great youth coaches and a great youth program, and also really good middle school coaches, and I have had the same staff for most of those 10 years,” Kirtland coach Tiger LaVerde said. “Consistency with our weight room is also a huge factor.” Kirtland closes out the regular season at Berkshire on Nov. 1.
Soccer
For the second straight season, Kirtland’s boys’ and girls’ soccer teams won district titles.
STEVE HARE/OHIOVARSITY.COM
Vikram Sundararajan for the Kirtland boys soccer team that again won a Division III district. The Kirtland football team supported the team in the district semi-final win over Cornerstone Christian in the game seen above.
The boys’ squad avenged a regular season loss to Andrews-Osborne Academy with a 3-2 win over the Phoenix in the Division III Gates Mills District championship game on Saturday, Oct. 26. “Winning a second straight dis-
trict title is a great testament to the boys and their families,” Kirtland coach John Valentic said. “Without their dedication and commitment to the game, success would be elusive. See Fall Sports • Page 12
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Friday, November 1, 2019
Speeding, Old Town Sewers Dominate Council Discussions By Magdalene Pesch news@kirtlandchronicle.com
As Kirtland elections boil toward a conclusion, it’s Robert’s Rules of Order inside city chambers. At the Oct. 7 Kirtland City Council meeting, Mayor Doug Davidson said he and City Engineer Phil Kiefer had a conference call with Michael Guastella, deputy director of government and community relations for the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, and Kurt Princic, district chief of the Ohio EPA Northeast District, concerning the city’s “Old Town” district and how to deal with E. coli in the septic systems of some properties there. “A couple of main points that we took away from that call, and one question I wanted to ask specifically: ‘Would the repair of individual systems have been an option?’” said Davidson. “They replied that, because of the lot sizes, they would really not have considered the repair of individual systems as an option.” The EPA will work with the city on an “extended three-phase schedule,” he added. “Finally, they recommended the gravity system as opposed to the ‘forced main’ system that would pump back uphill from Elm Street,” said Davidson. “This aligns with our desire to keep the cost, insulation and design cost as low as possible.” On Oct. 21, Police Chief Lance Nosse said he continues to receive “plenty of communications” regarding drivers speeding on Kirtland-Chardon Road. “One resident in particular is an excellent communicator and he’s right,” Davidson added. “There’s probably not enough police cars in the county to maintain speed on every car on Kirtland-Chardon Road, but if each of us, individually, maintain that speed limit, and if you can deal with someone being a little bit close to your back bumper until they settle
Coffee with Council
The next Coffee with Council is Nov. 23, 9-10 a.m., at Kirtland City Hall. For more information, contact Kevin Potter at kpotter@kirtlandohio.com.
back a little bit, we can help maintain the speed on Kirtland-Chardon, (state Route 6), (state Route) 306, through the school zone. A lot of those are two-lane roads and if you’re maintaining the speed limit, we can make a difference and it doesn’t always have to be a sign or technology to overcome it.” The city finance department also had updates for October. “I met last month with Cornerstone (IT company) and a few of the (city) department heads as well as the administrative assistant concerning the technological needs for the city,” said Finance Director Mary Kovalchik during the Oct. 7 meeting. “They were more than open to preparing the outlook for the city, as well as the capital budget forecasted out for five years as I requested. Currently, we’re looking at the immediate needs of a new firewall and adding additional security to email and email attachments — both of those very necessary.” On Oct. 21, Assistant Finance Director Louis Slapnicker added, “The finance department has submitted the 2020 senior levy application. These funds originate from Lake County’s (0.8-mill property tax) and are paid directly to the county. The city seeks application and, after approval, we look for reimbursement as costs are incurred over the year.” Slapnicker said the funds help operate the senior center and its programs. “Typically, the last couple of years, we’ve been awarded $75,000,” said Slapnicker. “This year’s (amount) is to be determined. I checked with the county this morning. We usually hear back (by the) end of November.”
Garden Club of Kirtland Nov. 7 at 6:30 p.m.: Kirtland Public Library. Bring your favorite gardening books, magazines or catalogs to share. Nov. 25: Decorate Kirtland City Hall Nov. 26: Make holiday swags to decorate the street and welcome signs For more information, call Marilyn at 216-313-0416. The next meeting is Feb. 6 at in the Kirtland Public Library community room. Everyone welcome.
November Students of the Month Submitted The Kirtland Kiwanis “Students of the Month” for November 2019 are Katherine Bradshaw, of Kirtland Elementary School, Robert Mackinley, of Kirtland Middle School, and Sam Sydenstricker, of Kirtland High School. The Kiwanis sponsors the “Students of the Month.” The principal and staff chose one student from each school to be recognized. Each student has their picture taken, receives a certificate and a T-shirt that says “Student of the Month.”
From left, “Students of the Month” Katherine Bradshaw, of KES, Robert Mackinley, of KMS, and Sam Sydenstricker, of KHS.
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are the two (scores) that we like to focus on the most,” Wade said. “I think that when you look at (the Progress category), I think that also provides us a little bit of an insight. Progress for us is the piece that kind of looks at the growth — in the state of Ohio, it says that if your students are growing (for the value of one academic) year, that gets a ‘C’ grade. If your students are growing more than a year, which is more than expected growth, you have a higher grade than that.” Wade said the district has identified specific curriculum areas to focus on — particularly fourth-grade English Language Arts, sixthgrade ELA, sixth-grade math, seventh-grade math, eighth-grade ELA, high school algebra 1 and geometry. Wade said Bryan Drost, of the Lake County Educational Service Center, has been helping district educators more effectively design and implement math curriculum. Unfortunately, Drost’s schedule will not allow him to continue doing so, Wade said, however, the district is currently working to secure another math curriculum specialist for the remainder of the school year. Tricia Ebner, the district’s gifted coordinator and an ELA expert, will do the same with ELA teachers. Wade added the content experts will also work with the elementary teachers. Wade said ACT preparation will continue to be a focus under high school Principal Scott Amstutz. “We are teaching beyond the state test to make sure that our students are performing better on that,” Wade said. “We’re going to evaluate the longitudinal data, which is data that we share with our teachers that they hadn’t seen before, (which) is very eye-opening and they’re every appreciative of.”
He also said school administrators will be talking about how to best adjust the district’s curriculum, instruction and assessments to help students understand the curriculum better. “So they will perform better on these assessments and our assessments that we’re writing, because these assessments are just points in time,” he said. “We need to continue our work on performance-based assessments to challenge our students to think deeper, because if our kids are thinking deeper, that open their ability to be challenged more, which will help with our value-added and our progress scores and challenging our gifted kids. “When you have those open-ended questions and those tasks that are relevant and at higher-level thinking, it helps all of our kids achieve at a higher level. It really helps them personalize their learning,” he continued. “We’ll continue to work on the personalized learning to meet the needs of all of our students. We need to use better benchmarking assessments to assess and monitor where our kids are throughout the year so that we can stretch them if they are meeting our expectations, or provide remediation or intervention if they’re not.” “We’re the top school in Lake County, according to these test results, correct?” School board member Shannon Green asked. “Yes, ma’am,” replied Wade. Wade also confirmed Green’s statement Kirtland is in the top 100 of over 600 schools in Ohio. “So, I see there’s always room for improvement, but also, we didn’t do too shabby,” she said. “I would agree,” Wade replied. “We did very well. There’s areas of focus and growth. We get a little bit of preliminary data in the summer and we hit the ground running.” To view more details about the school report card, visit https://reportcard.education.ohio.gov.
Kiwanis Korner Each December at the Kiwanis Christmas Senior Dinner, we try to honor Kirtland couples who have celebrated their 50th anniversary in the past year. We would like to invite all those Kirtland residents and anyone celebrating it in 2018-19 who has not already been recognized by Kiwanis. Please contact Phil Johnson at 256-3616 or philjohn@earthlink.net. Kiwanis annually recognizes the Citizen
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of the Year and is requesting nominations from the community for the 2019 award. Nominees must reside or dedicate their service activities in the area of Kirtland Schools. Successful nominees have shared their time and talents with the Kirtland community, demonstrated honesty and integrity, and served as inspirational role models. If you know a friend, neighbor or relative who should be considered for this honor, please submit a letter of nomination. Include reasons why the nominee should be considered, your name and contact information. This can be mailed to: Kiwanis, 7965 Gildersleeve Dr., Kirtland,OH 44094, or emailed to Kirtlandkiwanis@gmail.com. Saint Anselm Women’s Guild
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Challenge from page 1
What Sets You Apart
Potter said time and time again, he has seen the Kirtland community rally around residents and causes with an unmatched spirit of giving and thoughtfulness. “I am so grateful for the opportunity to have served on city council and as … city council president. For these reasons, I will work tirelessly to find answers to how we best fund and fix our roads, all the while keeping our neighborhoods and residents safe,” he said. “Kirtland residents deserve a leader that engages in thoughtful and unemotional dialogue, and one who always seeks to preserve the rights of others to offer their independent thoughts and ideas.” Davidson said he has demonstrated success as a mayor, business owner, veteran and investor in Kirtland. “This journey is rooted in service to others, whether they are citizens, customers, taxpayers or residents,” Davidson said. “I understand Kirtland has both mobile homes and mansions and I respect all the individuals who live here and make it great. I recognize the economic challenges we face and already took action with (Community Reinvestment Act) legislation and negotiation to start building a business presence that can ease the burden on homeowners. I connect with the personnel that secure our people and property and the taxpayers who invest in this community with their homes and businesses.”
Short-Term & Long-Term Plans
Davidson said his short-term plans as mayor are “tactical plans” to help the city
survive this year’s budget and next year’s budget, while providing quality services. “Tactical planning is adjusting spending for the immediate budget — rebuilding instead of replacing plow trucks for instance — sharing equipment with other departments to save cost and reviewing organizational structures to right size for the mission,” Davidson said. “I commissioned the Fiscal Review Task Force to see where we are at now and listen to resident suggestions for the near term.” He said his strategic long-term plan will be to complete the city’s 10-year Comprehensive Plan 2022 and its future updates with the help of people serving on the city’s various boards and planning commission members who interpret Kirtland’s zoning laws and review the charter. “When we move efficiently and cooperatively through the tactical, we can then focus on the strategic plan,” he said. “Sustaining services to residents on tight budgets is the continuing challenge of government.” Potter said his short- and long-term goals are delivering essential services to Kirtland’s citizens and being responsible to taxpayers. “We will chart our course with the completion and implementation of our community strategic plan, a document that can serve as the lens through which we view all of our challenges and opportunities,” he said. “I also look forward to creating an Economic Development Roundtable. By tapping into the deep wellspring of willing and talented residents in our community, we can quickly spur new business activity and responsibly grow our commercial tax base, while always keeping our small-town appeal in mind. “In 2020, we need to focus on how we spend our taxpayers’ money by first stopping the “business as usual” approach. We cannot
Friday, November 1, 2019
keep telling our residents we need more of their money if we have not first done our part as leaders to have meaningful conversations about the implementation of cost efficiencies.”
ber as it is designed to work for the public and to accomplish the business of the city in the open, the first and third Mondays (of the month).”
Community Engagement
When asked how the city should balance the need to improve roads, infrastructure and safety forces with the need to respond to local taxpayer burden, Davidson said fellow taxpayers are the final word on what their local taxes will be. “The city must by law operate a balanced budget. If voters decide not to fund the budget or if a quorum of council decides to not give voters the option to vote on renewals, replacements or new money issues, then the budget will be cut correspondingly,” Davidson said. “The Fiscal Review Task Force recognized both raising funds and cutting expenses in their 20 recommendations. Kirtland is consistently among the safest cities in Ohio and we are not among the heaviest taxed communities in Lake County for property or income tax. I am willing to pay reasonable rates for delivery of the excellent services that we get.” Davidson said the city raised the design standard for new roads by ordinance to reduce future issues and used state programs to reduce borrowing rates. “We put resources in place to keep development opportunities moving forward. We captured grant money to make us more energy efficient,” he said. “We contracted a cell tower to raise revenue from our public property. We partner with agencies like Chagrin River Watershed Partners and surrounding communities to participate in projects at a reduced cost. I believe residents understand See Mayor • Page 9
Potter said with the help of Ward 3 Councilman Joe Smolic, he initiated “Coffee with Council.” “Likewise, I will regularly schedule, ‘Mayor’s hours,’ where residents can visit me at city hall to ask their questions and share their views,” Potter said. “By ensuring that residents know their concerns and ideas are valued, I believe we can create a better atmosphere of engagement and respect for the community from the mayor. “Additionally, by opening lines of communication and building trust with city council members, collectively we will deliver better solutions to the residents that elected us.” Davidson said society lives in an age of “instantaneous communication,” where social media posts precede the complete facts and distance insulates people from each other. “Social media tries to substitute for the interpersonal communication and presentational information that can help us resolve issues and respect each other in the process,” he said. “I am grateful for the column space the ‘(Kirtland) Chronicle’ has granted over the last several years to represent the administration positions. I value the council workroom discussions where we have a 5-foot conversation instead of a 20-foot conversation. We have added a municipal Facebook page for digital communication, refurbished our city website to also take issues and feedback, and most of all, I respect the council cham-
The Balancing Act
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Mayor
from page 8 the necessity of taxes and have the expectation that good stewardship of the funds will be demonstrated.” Potter said the city needs to provide residents with quality roads, infrastructure and safety forces while respecting the burden on its taxpayers. “As needs arise, our first response should never be to ask our taxpayers for more, especially when overall city revenues are up by nearly $800,000 primarily due to an 18-percent growth in income tax collections. We have to think creatively and certainly should not be repeating the same failed road levy strategy,” Potter said. “While we develop the appropriate solution for our roads, we also need to be examining how we can be more efficient with our daily government operations. We need to pursue a performance audit by the State of Ohio Auditor’s Office that can offer recommendations for efficiencies in government.” Potter said taxpayers are entitled to expect every dollar is spent as wisely as possible. “Finding ‘best in class’ solutions implemented by other cities to address their fiscal challenges should be explored,” he said. “We should aggressively follow the lead of our schools to find potential ‘shared service’ opportunities with other communities. No stone should be left unturned as we relentlessly seek to build a sustainable financial future for Kirtland. No more ‘business as usual.’”
Road Maintenance
Potter said currently, there is no road maintenance plan and the city has been “bouncing along from year to year, making it up as we go.” “It has not turned out well,” he said. “We need to develop a comprehensive and realistic long-term road plan. Our roads are in deplorable condition and Kirtland residents deserve better. Developing a comprehensive road plan starts with a complete understanding of the subsurface conditions beneath our roads. Planning for the last road levy clearly failed in this regard, leading to the spending of nearly double the annual road levy revenue on only one street.” Potter said once completed and communicated, the comprehensive road plan must be something residents can rely on. “Funding of the road plan must never be as simple as asking the taxpayers to reach deeper into their pockets for more,” he said. “We need to look carefully and realistically at long-term revenue forecasts and our community’s borrowing and capacity. Most importantly, we need to look at the cost savings achievable by conducting all of our activities more efficiently.” He added the development of a reliable road plan, coupled with a funding plan that considers all of the above factors is the “only way we can expect to restore our residents’ faith in the community’s ability to solve our road issues.”
Davidson said he had proposed to council the renewal of the existing 2-mill, five-year levy — which yields approximately $460,000 annually — to which the city would add $180,000 in gas tax money from the state. “The $640,000 is a step toward the need of over $1 million per year. Council was also provided with the first-year proposed road plan from the city’s engineering firm,” Davidson said. “(In) executing the road plan, (the) estimated cost was $1,193,000 for the first year. By ordinance, the plan and condition are to be updated each year and council must provide a funding plan if they reject the admin plan. More debt in the form of a bond is not a good option for roads. Street Construction Maintenance and Repair Funds are not a real option, as they have historically been used to fund personnel in our service department. The personnel provide the plowing, drainage work, roadwork that we must have to respond to resident requests and keep the roads safe.”
Road Levy Promises
When asked whether the city achieved the goals and plans it promised voters if they passed the 2014 road levy, Davidson conceded it did not. “In the simplest measure, which is miles of road resurfaced, the city did not meet the residents’ expectations,” he said. “Still, using the levy passed by the previous administration and all types of available aid and funding, we paved and/or reconstructed over 12 miles (five with levy funds) of road of our 66 miles of road this term.” He added, “By council not giving the voters a chance to vote on a road levy renewal, we will eventually be forced to reconstruct more roads at higher cost instead of resurfacing and maintaining at a lower cost. Council was aware in 2014 that the levy was smaller than needed, however, two larger levies had previously failed and the reality was the general fund at that time was not sufficient for any significant paving.” Potter concurred voters did not get what they were promised. “The taxpayers were promised 30 miles of road paving and got only five,” he said. “The failure to have an understanding of subsurface conditions led to a gross underestimation of the cost to pave our roads. Initially utilizing our own service department to pave the roads instead of outsourcing to professional paving companies (like virtually every other community in Northeast Ohio) has contributed to the problem as well, especially when you consider the levy funds were used to purchase paving equipment instead of paving more roads.” He added, “Unfortunately, we cannot undo the past. But we must learn from it. Renewing a road levy strategy that failed miserably would demonstrate that we’ve learned nothing at all.”
Police Levy Needs
Potter said the police department has been primarily funded by the city’s general fund on a consistent basis for many years. See Council • Page 11
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“Furthermore, city council has fully funded the mayor’s requests for our safety forces each year that I have been on city council,” he said. “The mayor-sponsored 2018 and 2019 police levies were really road levies dressed in police uniforms. The administration knew that passage of a road levy renewal was unlikely given the failed promises from five years ago and disingenuously proposed ‘easier to sell’ police levies to city council. For this and many other reasons, I voted ‘no’ on both attempts.” Davidson, however, believes the city needs to secure the general fund. “Council was given several options on methods to help accomplish that task, but the quorum chose not to dig into the results of the fiscal review or offer their own plan to fund roads and services,” Davidson said. “In 2018, Kirtland was red in the auditor of state’s financial health indicators 2, 5, 8, 9, 11 and 14. Items including reserves in the general fund, condition of capital assets and unassigned funds versus daily expenditures among others. Police funding should be secured through a replacement levy, or a revenue source that council proposes.”
Understanding of the Job
Davidson said he knows, from his experience, how much time is required for mayoral duties. “I am aware of resident engagement, the official and unofficial duties, appearances, meetings, negotiations, emails, texts, document review, phone calls and check signing,” he said. “It’s a burden on the family, the individual and frankly, the employer, but it’s a worthwhile burden to work on significant projects for the community, securing the best organization of our forces, improving safety for our residents with a crosswalk, and working with our economic development manager and developers to help us grow within our collective idea of good growth.” Davidson said some of his management style as a mayor goes back to his service as a headquarters company commander with over 300 soldiers in his company.
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“It is the leaders within the company and the city who run their sections and departments with the knowledge that I support them and will work with them to address challenges — budgetary, personnel, equipment and any mission — which arise. We have strong department heads, commission members, board members that work effectively and serve their community, as I do in working with them.” Potter said he has built great relationships with the city Planning and Zoning Commission and economic development manager, recognizing the importance of staying engaged with the issues and opportunities that come before them. “Open dialogue and inclusion of council members in conversations on issues relating to economic development and zoning is critical because council members are the direct conduit to the residents, making their input key to all issues related to Kirtland’s future,” Potter said. “Through my adamant persistence, our community reinvestment areas were tailored to become a tool for commercial tax growth. I worked hard to garner support from other council members to shape this legislation in a manner that would benefit the city without negatively affecting the city and the schools by giving away unnecessary residential property tax abatements.”
Ideal Relationship with Council
Potter’s idea of an ideal relationship between mayor and council is that both are treated co-equal branches in the city’s government. “Cooperation, collaboration and information-sharing are critical to efficiency and productivity,” he said. “I will respectfully listen to all council members’ ideas and concerns, valuing and appreciating each and every perspective. We will work together for the betterment of Kirtland.” Davidson said until the last two years, it was typical for discussions between council members and the mayor to take place in the small conference room during a work session “with periodic contacts between meetings if there were issues of contention or individual discussion.” “And I still believe that is a good way to operate,” he said. “Mutual respect for the residents and each other is the expectation.
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Fall Sports from page 1
With this recent success, we have set a standard and expectation that future players will hopefully strive to meet, keeping the program respectable and competitive for years to come.” Kirtland (15-4) played Kidron Central Christian in a regional semifinal at Streetsboro High School on Oct. 30 in a game played after deadline. Peter Vukovic leads the Hornets with 39 points (16 goals, 7 assists). Marko Cubela has scored 11 times and assisted on 10 other goals and Nico Podojil-Schlesinger rounds out the top three with 11 goals and five assists. Kirtland’s girls’ team won its third straight district with a 1-0 win over Berkshire on Oct. 24. The 15-4 Hornets will play Doylestown Chippewa at Medina High School on Oct. 29. “Winning our third straight district title is a credit to this group of amazing young women and all of the players that have come before them,” Kirtland coach Ed Bradac said. “I am so proud of what our players, parents, and coaches have built here at Kirtland. Our players continue to strive to be the best athletes, students, and women both on and off of the field.” Sophomore Erika Zschuppe followed up an impressive freshman season with another solid year to date. She leads the team with 32 goals and also has contributed with 11 assists. Maya Zovko has posted a team-high 21 assists and also has scored eight goals. Aria Evans-Roskos is third on the team in points scored with nine goals and 13 assists.
Volleyball
Kirtland’s volleyball team saw its season end with a 3-0 setback to second-seeded Beachwood in the Division III Burton District semifinals. The Hornets closed out the
year 18-5 overall and earned a share of the CVC Valley Division title. “This is absolutely amazing,” Kirtland firstyear coach Arlayna Newcomer said of winning a share of the conference title. “I’m actually a little speechless right now. We went into the season and the girls had to face some extreme adversity with a whole new program and coaching staff so it’s amazing and I’m really happy for the girls. They earned every bit of this.” Stella DeJohn led the Hornets with 208 kills and 72 solo blocks. Abby Ruckel posted teamhighs in assists (370) and service aces (70) and Ava Golem finished with a team-best 396 digs. Natalie Glowe was second in kills (172), digs (205), service aces (58) and blocks (40).
Cross Country
Kirtland’s cross country team had two runners qualify for the Division III regional meet. Julie Namciu placed 71st with a time of 22:27 and Reilly Greenlee qualified but did not run. The Hornets had several runners earn All-CVC honors. John Sayle led the boys’ team to a thirdplace finish on his way to earning first team All-CVC. Ian McGreal was named second team while Josh Wolfe and Jonny Jackson both earned honorable mention. Greenlee and Namciu both finished among the top eight in the girls’ race to earn firstteam honors. Mateja Mrva and Aimee Baldrey both were named honorable mention. With the exception of Sayle, the Hornets return intact next season. “We made tremendous strides both as a team and many athletes individually,” Kirtland coach JP Moran said. “We return everyone except John Sayle. He will be very hard to replace but we have a great group of juniors and some young talent, especially on the girls’ side and hopefully add some runners from the middle school.”
Friday, November 1, 2019
Kirtland Chronicle
A Note from the Mayor Dear Kirtland Residents, Library, Director Jane Carle and the library There is much to be grateful for as we board who met with the city to discuss the come into November 2019 in the City of Kirt- use of property behind the library for an adland. ditional youth athletic field. The partnership The Kirtland Veterinary Hospital is in full between the youth leagues, the library, and operation in their new facility across from the city are a great example of a low-cost Febo’s Marathon downtown. You can now get achievable solution to provide more space your dog get fixed at the clinic while for our community’s youth sports your car gets fixed at Febo’s. activities. I understand both owners are Veterans Day is Nov. 11 and all taking new customers. I sincerely are cordially invited to the Kirtland hope the investment made by the Veterans’ Memorial at 11 a.m. for veterinary clinic is rewarded with a short ceremony of remembrance your patronage along with visits to with American Legion Barber-Wilall of our stores and businesses at liams Post 609. At noon, a lunch both ends of town. Thank you to the will be served at the senior center. Willoughby Western Lake County Mayor Doug Please call ahead there for details if Chamber of Commerce President/ Davidson you wish to attend. CEO Karen Tercek for hosting a ribI am grateful that the community held bon cutting at the hospital. services honoring the passing of Kirtland The Verizon Cell Tower construction beicon, Dr. Murray G. Winchell, who was a genhind city hall has been scheduled to start in eral practitioner in our town for 43 years. He Q2 of 2020. It will provide some improved was also a fixture on the sideline for decades coverage for residents and some small reveof Kirtland football and his presence will be nue for the operation of the city. Our police missed. and safety forces will also benefit from antenHave a wonderful Thanksgiving, we have na locations on the tower, which were agreed much to be thankful for. to in the negotiation. Warm Regards from City Hall, I am also grateful for the ideas, plans and cooperation between the Kirtland Public Mayor Davidson
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Accepting new pAtients Have a Happy Thanksgiving!
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Kirtland Chronicle
Friday, November 1, 2019
Kirtland Public Library The Kirtland Public Library is located at 9267 Chillicothe Road. The library will be open Sundays from 12-4 p.m. starting Sept. 9. For more information about any of these programs, please call the library at 440-256-7323 or visit www.kirtland.lib.oh.us.
November Book Club Schedule
If you are interested in attending, pick up the current book at the library. Nov. 25 Read and discuss “Grocery: The Buying and Selling of Food in America,” by Michael Ruhlman. (Spoiler alert: The author is originally from Cleveland and discusses Heinen’s in the book.) Dec. 30 Read and discuss “Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine,” by Gail Honeyman. Jan. 27, 2020 “The Truth According to Us,” by Annie Barrows.
Local Author to Speak
Nov. 20 • 7 p.m. Father Donald Cozzens will be at the library to talk about his mystery novel, “Under Pain of Mortal Sin.” Fr. Cozzens is a retired priest who was a professor at Borromeo Seminary and John Carroll University. He has written several nonfiction books and two mysteries. Under Pain of Mortal Sin is his second mystery featuring Bishop Bryn Martin. His first book is titled “Master of Ceremonies.” In the second book, Bishop Martin must solve the mystery of why two female Catholic priests have been killed and an attempt has been made on the life of a third. The Catholic religion allows only men to be ordained as priests, however, women have been ordained in recent years. Dagmar Celeste, the wife of former Ohio Gov. Dick Celeste, was ordained in 2002 and there are several women serving in the Cleveland area currently. The book deals with real issues facing the church. This program is free, but you need a ticket to enter. Reserve your ticket at the library.
The Friends of the Kirtland Pubic Library is sponsoring this program.
LEGO Club
Nov. 2 • 2 p.m. For children up through sixth grade. Create with the library’s LEGO bricks and afterwards they will be displayed in the library.
Meet the Ice Breakers
Nov. 7 • 6:30 p.m. Members of the Mentor Ice Breakers professional hockey team will read stories, talk about what it takes to play hockey and answer questions. For families who are interested in stories and hockey. Please register for this event.
Board Game Night
Nov. 13 • 3:30 p.m. Bring yourself, bring your friends, and have a blast playing board games and eating snacks. For those in grades sixth through 12th. Please register for this event.
Sandra Boynton Party
Nov. 15 • 11 a.m. Books by Sandra Boynton are a favorite in storytime, so we’re throwing a party just about her stories. Hear stories like “Moo Baa La La La,” “Blue Hat Green Hat” and “Fifteen Animals.” Blow bubbles while listening to “Snuggle Puppy.” Play games based on her books, create crafts, have a snack. For families with children age 5 and under who enjoy silliness. Please register for this event.
‘Smile’ and ‘Sisters’
Nov. 21 • 3:30 p.m. Have you read the popular books by Raina Telgemeier? Come to our “Smile and Sisters” party. Enjoy crafts, games and snacks all about the books. For anyone who has read “Smile” and/or “Sisters.” Please register for this event.
Do Re Me and You Dance Party
Nov. 22 • 11 a.m. A dance party for families with children up through age 5. Spend a fantastic half hour dancing with your child. Please register for this event.
Make an Apple Pie
Nov. 25 • 6:30 p.m. Our popular annual pie making event is back. Kids in grades K-12, bring your favorite adult, a rolling pin and a pastry cloth (or clean pillow case). Create an 8-inch apple pie to bring home to either bake immediately or freeze to bake at a later date. Please register for this event.
Storytime
Tuesdays • 10 a.m. Enjoy books, rhymes, fingerplays, songs, and surprises with new friends. This storytime is geared for families.
Lapsit
Tuesdays • 10:45 a.m. A short storytime for families with our youngest book lovers. Tickles, rhymes, a story, scarves, shakers and a big finish with bubbles. Lapsit is designed for families with children under the age of 3.
Kirtland Chronicle
Friday, November 1, 2019
Help Wanted
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Firewood – 4 feet x 8 feet x 16 inches, $100 cut/split/seasoned, free delivery, call 440-352-7372. Cafe/Pub table with 2 high-top chairs, solid wood and wrought iron, protective glass table top included, table is 42” tall, $175, call/text 440-336-5844.
GARAGE/ESTATE SALES
Chautauqua Lake: Reserve Summer 2019 now! Lakefront, 3br/2ba, sleeps 8, furnished, sunroom, deck, boat dock, all amenities 440-953-8687 www.maplebaygetaway.com for Pictures/Reservations.
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Kirtland Chronicle Geauga County Maple Leaf
Page 16 XX, 2019 Thursday,
Friday, November 1,Page 2019 1
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