THE FIBER OF OUR COMMUNITY.

Project into their lessons. “I’ve created sort of an outline where I could lead these kind of groups,” he said. “I have an outline of what I would do for say a fourth or fifth grade level class, a middle school level class and a high school level class.”

North Court Redevelopment

Along with Medina’s new exploration into outer space, the city’s development on the ground also has been stellar, said Kimberly Marshall, the city’s economic development director. “We’re continuing to see investment in the North Court [Street] corridor,” she said, noting that a proposed 160,000 square foot Meijer store on the site of the shuttered Kmart is expected to spur additional retail development in the area. The store could create as many as 300 full- and part-time jobs, Marshall said. “This is a significant accomplishment because the Kmart building has been vacant for almost 12 years,” she said. “The number one question that people have asked me is what’s going on with the Kmart building, so it’s nice to see something positive happening there.”

With an anchor tenant in place, Marshall said she expects other vacancies in the plaza to fill up. “When you drive down the North Court corridor, almost everything is new now,” she said. “We have a new Chick-fil-A, First Watch [restaurant], a new addition to the Medina Shopping Plaza and a new Aldi store. Taco Bell and Wendy’s put up brand new buildings to replace their older ones.” Further south, Mayor Dennis Hanwell said, an Acme supermarket has been proposed.

The recent North Court widening project is a key to the redevelopment of the area, he said. “Most of the

$21 million cost was paid by the [Ohio Department of Transportation], then the city paid extra for the center decorative islands and lights, then we added a multimodal path,” he said. “Since we’ve done that project, we’ve seen nearly $52 million in investments, which demonstrates that if the city invests, then the commercial and industrial businesses will invest as well.”

Destination City

Medina has long been recognized as an ideal community in which to live, run a business and raise a family. But Hanwell said it’s also a compelling place to visit. “We’re working very hard with Main Street Medina and the Chamber of Commerce to make Medina more like a destination,” he said.

Perhaps the town’s most notable attraction, the iconic Public Square is surrounded by Victorian style buildings, projecting the ambiance of a

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