4 minute read
Small Town Charm
By Ken McEntee
A town that once was known for its farmland and vineyards, Avon is a growing community that balances parks and recreational areas with modern conveniences, Mayor Bryan Jensen said. “We’re very fortunate to have so many amenities here, from plentiful shopping to fun activities for everybody from young children to seniors,” he said. “Avon has convenient shopping like Meijer and Heinen’s supermarkets, and stores like Costco and Target, plus a lot of small, family-owned businesses that continue to contribute to the city’s small-town charm. We have virtually everything you need right here in town, so you never have to leave if you don’t want to. But if you want to go to the big city, Downtown Cleveland is conveniently just 20 miles away.”
Bustling retail regions, a flourishing industrial zone and abundant health and medical facilities are balanced by Avon’s quiet parks and green spaces, which offer residents a tranquil respite into nature. “The city recently bought two more pieces of property that we’re preserving for parks, including one that we’re planning to build into an arboretum,” Jensen said. “That’s 30-some acres of property along the French Creek that is kind of unique to Avon. The city is mostly flat and this is an area where you can walk down into a little bit of the French Creek valley and get a chance to get away from city life. It’s a peaceful, quiet area with a lot of wildlife.” The city plans to start to add walking paths by summer, the mayor said.
Jensen said the city is also in the process of acquiring another 30-acre wooded property between Stony Ridge and Case Roads near the Camelot Estates subdivision and Veterans Memorial Park. The property is expected to include walking trails.
Meanwhile, the Miller Nature Preserve, operated by the Lorain County Metro Parks, features a variety of activities, including a 5,000-square-foot conservatory, a butterfly house and hiking trails. The conservatory displays plant specimens from all over the world.
Lake Erie Crushers stadium, at the I-90/Route 611 interchange, offers additional local recreation. The stadium is the home of the independent Frontier League Lake Erie Crushers minor league baseball team. Just north of the stadium, the French Creek Family YMCA offers a variety of programs.
Major expansions over the past couple of years have opened more activities and educational opportunities for children. In the fall of 2022, a $9 million renovation project doubled the size and increased the offerings at the Avon Branch of the Lorain Public Library System. The expansion, which included a 16,000-square-foot addition that featured a reading garden, a drive-up window, expanded meeting rooms, technology upgrades and a dedicated space for children and youth programming. These complement other recent developments at or near the library, such as Storybook Trail and Every Child’s Playground, an inclusive project that provides access to children and adults of all abilities, including wheelchair restricted people.
Commercial development also is continuing to expand as well for a Dick’s Sporting Goods store on Chester Road as an example. Topgolf and Cooper Hawk Winery and Restaurant are two other projects that are expected to open soon in that area, he said.
“A lot of things are happening on Chester Road near the Bendix [Commercial Vehicle Systems] headquarters,” he said.
Jensen said the opening of the Bendix facility has provided a major benefit to the city. “The one thing we counted on was that Bendix would be a partner within not only our community but to surrounding communities in terms of helping people in need and doing work in the community and they certainly have done that,” he said. “They also do a great job on education projects, particularly with a focus on engineering. They reach out to schools in Avon and the outlying areas to try to get kids involved in the engineering part of what they do.”
Jensen noted that health care is also prominent in Avon. “Residents of Avon and surrounding communities have convenient access to leading health care providers, including a Mercy Health Primary and Specialty Care office as well as several University Hospitals affiliated practices, such as UH Avon Health Center, which houses the UH Seidman Cancer Center, and UH Avon Rehabilitation Hospital,” he said. “Cleveland Clinic, with the Cleveland Clinic Avon Hospital and the Richard E. Jacobs Health Center, is among our largest employers. Our healthcare facilities are a big factor for people moving here.”
