Amherst School Board tours HealthPlex for possible preschool site

AMHERST — The Lorain County Metro Parks’ HealthPlex could soon be home to Amherst’s littlest Comets.

The Amherst School Board toured the HealthPlex, 47160 Hollstein Dr., March 7 during a special meeting, looking at the second-floor space to potentially house its preschool program.

The roughly 10,000-square-foot space was left vacant when Mercy Health moved out at the end of January. The hospital system chose not to renew its lease after a decade in space, instead moving its occupational and physical therapy to its Cooper Foster Park Road facility.

Superintendent Mike Molnar said the district’s preschool enrollment has been growing the past couple of years, sparking a search for a new home.

Currently, Amherst’s four preschool classrooms are at Powers Elementary School. The program has about 109 kids, and this year had to expand to a fourth classroom, Assistant Superintendent Sarah Walker and Special Education and

Preschool Coordinator Corrie Roark said. Walker said the former Mercy Health space could comfortably house the district’s current preschool program, with room to grow. But it may require staff to think outside the box, Molnar said.

The space on the HealthPlex’s second floor was once used for doctors’ offices and occupational therapy — leaving behind a large open footprint with oddly shaped offices scattered throughout the space.

Those larger rooms could be split up into preschool rooms, and the smaller offices used for storage, breakout spaces or other learning centers, Walker said.

The existing entrance off the elevators and stairwell would remain the same, and staff would accompany students from parent or bus drop-off outside up onto the second floor either via the stairs or elevator.

The office area would be open, but access to the preschool classrooms would be locked from the public, she said.

The meeting was a preliminary look at the space, allowing the board and some preschool staff to visualize what the space could be, Molnar said. The

MACKRELL

FROM A1 wearing an earth-tone camouflage jacket and baseball cap, green gloves, black pants, a green backpack, an American flag print neck gaiter covering his mouth and nose and walking with a dark-colored cane nearby.

Citing court records, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said Michael Mackrell was caught on video in the upper west plaza of the U.S. Capitol at approximately 2:28 p.m. Jan. 6, 2021, “wrapping his arm around the neck of an officer with the Metropolitan Police Department and throwing the officer to the ground,” federal prosecutors said in the news release.

Additional footage caught Michael Mackrell near the Southwest Plaza stage about to push a second Metropolitan police officer. Bodyworn camera footage from other officers and the victim officer allegedly shows Michael Mackrell assaulting the officer.

Michael Mackrell then allegedly tackled a third police officer near the Southwest Plaza of the Capitol, and at approximately 2:31 p.m. “rushed and tackled a fourth officer,” a Metropolitan police sergeant on the West Plaza of the Capitol. Finally, more body-worn camera footage shows Michael Mackrell, three minutes later, tackling a fifth police officer near the Southwest Plaza. Screen captures showing the assaults also were released to the media.

Agents from the FBI Cleveland Joint Terrorism Task Force arrested Clifford Mackrell at his home on March 17, 2021. Michael Mackrell “was present during the arrest, at which time, agents were introduced to” him, according to the FBI statement of facts.

“These agents also had conversations with (Michael Mackrell) regarding his son’s arrest. These agents were present during the arrest and have since identified (Michael Mackrell) as district is able to continue operations in Powers Elementary next year, he said, but wants to be proactive to fill its community’s growing need. the same person depicted in some of the images herein which were taken of (Michael Mackrell) while he was present on the U.S. Capitol ground on January 6, 2021,” an FBI agent wrote.

Walker said they’ve seen an increase of about 20 to 30 kids in preschool each school year — necessitating the addition of a fourth classroom for the 2022-23 session.

Lorain County Metro Parks Executive Director Jim Ziemnik said the parks system and Amherst Schools had previously looked at partnering on the HealthPlex in 2010-11 to house the district’s athletics facilities. But after a levy failed, the Metro Parks entered into an agreement with Mercy Health.

He said the internal walls of the space are easily changed, and the Metro Parks had already planned to update some of its playground equipment outside.

The area has an outdoor, adaptive playground that was originally used for Murray Ridge students, as well as a splash pad.

Costs for the district to move into the HealthPlex space were not immediately available — with Ziemnik and Molnar noting the partnership must make sense for both entities if they are to move forward.

The FBI’s Cleveland and Washington D.C. field offices, the U.S. Capitol Police and the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Police Department are and were involved in the investigation into Michael Mackrell.

The Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section is prosecuting Michael Mackrell along with Washington D.C.-based federal prosecutors with assistance from federal prosecutors in the Northern District of Ohio.

The investigation remains ongoing, and the FBI is accepting tips at (800) CALLFBI or online at tips.fbi.gov.

Other than several misdemeanor traffic violations in the past decade, Michael Mackrell has no prior criminal record in Lorain County, according to a search of common pleas and municipal court records.

Clifford Mackrell case

Clifford Mackrell recently got permission from a federal judge in Washington to let him off an ankle monitor he has been wearing for two years while awaiting trial on charges related to his alleged participation in the Capitol insurrection.

U.S. District Judge Col- leen Kollar-Kotelly, sitting in Washington, granted Clifford Mackrell’s request in an order dated March 1, according to federal court records.

Clifford Mackrell has pleaded not guilty to charges including physical violence on the Capitol grounds, assaulting a police officer, civil disorder, entering and remaining in a restricted federal building and engaging in disorderly and disruptive conduct. He allowed a plea deal offered by federal prosecutors to expire in August.

Clifford Mackrell’s trial is scheduled for May 10, according to federal court records.

The FBI previously said Clifford Mackrell was identified as one of the Jan. 6 insurrectionists when someone recognized him as a member of the Wellington High School class of 2018.

Clifford Mackrell was allegedly seen repeatedly hitting a Capitol police officer, pulling the officer’s face mask off and trying to expose him to chemical spray, authorities said.

Federal authorities said more than 999 people have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. That includes more than 320 who have been charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

Commissioners OK Sandstone development

The Lorain County Board of Commissioners approved several documents on March 10 as plans for the proposed Sandstone housing and commercial development in Amherst Township take shape.

The board approved amendments and tax increment financing agreements with developer Amherst Consolidated Properties LLC for Sandstone, a 264acre development south of the Ohio Turnpike, between state Route 58 and Oberlin Road and north of Route 113.

Commissioners voted last month to create two tax increment financing districts within Amherst Township. A TIF exempts the value of private property improvements from taxes, and property owners make payments in lieu to fund infrastructure.

The county already has installed sewers in the area and a connector road is being built to link Oberlin Road and Route 58, opening the area to future development. Commissioners also approved a plat dedicating land for public streets or roads.

Township zoning officials gave the go-ahead in August for construction to begin this year.

In other business, the board gave the county Community Development Department permission to apply for a $204,000 U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Business Development Grant.

Kelly Grospitch, an economic development specialist with the county, and Reese Dunton, county economic development coordinator, said the plan is to offer townships and villages the chance to use the money for feasibility studies on proposed land development. Several already have expressed interest, Dunton said. At the March 7 meeting, Commissioner David Moore also said the board is considering getting an appraisal on the former Lorain County Visitors Bureau building in Amherst Township, and putting it up for sale.

Oberlin College, LCCC launch food studies collaborative

OBERLIN — Oberlin

College received a $1 million grant from the Mellon Foundation to launch a food studies program with Lorain County Community College.

The new program will connect students from both campuses with local nonprofits to “tackle urgent questions related to food justice,” according to a news release. Those questions include addressing historical and current barriers to high-quality food in Lorain County.

The grant will fund Oberlin College’s integrated concentration in food studies through summer 2026.

For Lorain County Community College, the partnership will strengthen its sustainable agriculture program, which allows students to contribute to