North Ridgeville, Ohio
A lot of dirt is being moved around the North Ridgeville Academic Center (NRAC) and high school campuses.
Many people are still wondering what is being built on Ranger Way on the northwest side of the NRAC. The area will house the district’s new maintenance and transportation facility.
The district and city leaders held an official ground-breaking ceremony on April 1, and construction crews have been working on the new structure ever since. The facility is expected to open early next year.
The facility will be 17,700 square feet and include four bays and a bus wash bay. There will be enough indoor space for five buses at any given time, as well as eight trucks/vans to store. The district’s bus fleet is currently at 65.
Construction on the new high school will start this summer. However, progress inevitably brings about temporary disruption. The construction site will take up the entire main parking lot in front of the current high school building at 34600 Bainbridge Road, affecting parking and traffic flow during the 2025-2026 school year.
To address this, new lots will be created, as well as designated parking areas for students and visitors when school resumes in the fall. These arrangements will be closely monitored and adjusted as necessary to ensure that daily operations run as smoothly as possible, according to district officials.
As construction progresses throughout the summer, more updates and detailed parking information will be shared.
Families are encouraged to save the date for the Ranger Rally on August 15 from 4 to 6:30 p.m. at the NRAC, 34620 Bainbridge Road. The event will feature food trucks, bounce houses, community vendors, and back-to-school signs.
This year’s celebration will also include the high school’s Groundbreaking Ceremony (6 p.m.) and the opening of the 2000 Wilcox Elementary Time Capsule (5:30 p.m.).
It will be a day to commemorate the district’s history, present, and future.
In other district news. The North Ridgeville City Schools Board of Education meeting set for July 22 has been rescheduled.
The meeting will now be held at 6 p.m. on July 15 in the NRAC Community Room, 34620 Bainbridge Road.
The Board will also hold two public hearings on July 1 at 6 p.m. in the NRAC’s Community Room. One is about Lynn Pritt, a recently retired (effective June 1) high school Social Studies teacher. Following her retirement, she hopes to find work with the district in the same position.
Paul Hieronymus, the district’s Director of Technology and Integration, is looking for a job in the same position after retiring on July 31.
AVON
Republican club meeting: The Avon-Avon Lake Republican Club will meet on July 10 at 5 p.m. in Ragan Hall, 1783 Moore Road.
Mike Doran, Lorain County Recorder, will speak about the types of records maintained, the services provided by the Recorder’s office, and how the available and free ‘AlertMe’ software protects property ownership.
KC Zuber, an at-large member of the Avon Lake City Council, will also speak, providing an update on the Avon Lake lakefront redevelopment plan as well as current Lorain County activities. Refreshments will be available. Guests cost $5.
Restaurant opening: Honeygrow Restaurant will open on July 25 at Nagel Crossing, 1485 Nagel Road.
Honeygrow, a Philadelphia-based fast-casual restaurant and catering chain, opened its first Ohio location in Strongsville last fall at 17830 Royalton Road. A second location in North Canton soon followed.
Cleveland Clinic expands hours: The hospital system recently extended outpatient specialty appointments, as well as elective surgeries and procedures, to most evenings and Saturdays at select Northeast Ohio locations, including the Cleveland Clinic Avon Hospital/Richard E. Jacobs Family Health Center.
In addition, the Avon Hospital will be extending the hours of its surgical services, offering certain outpatient surgeries and procedures on Saturdays in August. Surgical services will include urology, digestive disease, orthopaedics, and gynecology, among others.
For more information, go to clevelandclinic.org.
Garden club meeting: The Avon Garden Club will meet July 15 in the Orchid Room at Miller Nature Preserve, 2739 Center Road. Cuyahoga County master gardeners will present, “Shade Gardening.” Doors open at 6:30 p.m. with the free program starting at 7 p.m.
The public is welcome to attend. For more information, go to avonohiogardenclub.org.
Seniors lunch & learn: Representatives from the Avon Utilities Department will give a free presentation on Avon’s water and sewer systems to seniors at noon July 31 at the Senior Center, 36786 Detroit Road.
Seniors will learn how these essential services operate, what impacts utility bills, and practical tips for water conservation at home.
The deadline to RSVP is July 17, call 440-934-2417.
Habitat helpers: Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC demonstrated its long-standing commitment to hands-on community service on June 18 with the largest Habitat for Humanity framing event ever.
Over 200 employees participated in the event, which involved constructing the walls of two houses for needy families. The framing event was held in collaboration with Greater Cleveland Habitat for Humanity and CrossRoads Missions’ Help Build Hope program, which brings homebuilding into communities through volunteer-led events, according to the press release.
Bendix employees built 140 wall frames, approximately 70 per house, and signed each one with personal messages of encouragement before delivering them to a Cleveland-area neighborhood where the homes will be finished.
Shout-outs: Ava Furiga, a recent Avon High School graduate, was awarded a $10,000 college scholarship by the Northern Ohio PGA Section Foundation. Furiga earned a 4.423 GPA and graduated in the top 5% of her class. She was a three-year varsity golfer who served as team captain her senior year, participated in Ohio Girls Golf Foundation events, and now works at The Renaissance.
She plans to study biology at The Ohio State University in preparation for a career in medicine.
Local author and retired civil trial attorney David Miraldi’s book, “The Edge of Guilt,” has been named a finalist in the Legal Thrillers category of the 2025 American Fiction Awards.
AVON LAKE
Italian restaurant coming: Agostino’s Bistro & Pub will take over the former Rico’s Tacos & Tequila location at 33493 Lake Road later this summer.
Locations will also be opening soon in Little Italy and Parma Heights.
According to the restaurant’s website, Chef Antonio Gallo founded Agostino’s in Calabria, Italy. In the early 1950s, he brought his talents to Cleveland. Antonio and his son Joe opened Agostino’s Ristorante in the 1980s, and it remained Cleveland’s “Top Italian Restaurant” for the next 23 years.
The original Agostino’s Ristorante was located on Ridge Road in Brooklyn for nearly 40 years before being sold in 2016.
For more information, visit agostinosbistroandpub.com.
Fun with friends: Denise Zarrella, a veteran reporter, realtor, and proud mother of two, has created a social hour for families with special needs children called “Fun with Friends.” The first meeting took place a few weeks ago at the Avon Lake United Church of Christ, 32801 Electric Blvd. Zarrella’s 15-year-old daughter, Gianna, has Down syndrome.
“For years we went to a special needs dance class on Thursdays at the church led by Vickie Fritzman,” Zarrella told me. “Unfortunately, Vickie died a few years ago, so that Thursday night gathering that we had always looked forward to was no longer possible. I adored the children, adults, families, and caregivers in that group and tried for years to find a way to bring us all back together on a regular basis.
Every second Tuesday of the month, the group meets from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Avon Lake United Church of Christ. The next meeting is on July 8 and will feature Kitrael Chin of “Hearts for Music,” who will give children and adults with special needs the opportunity to play an instrument similar to those used in his special needs orchestra.
Shout-outs: Congratulations to Avon Lake City Schools Assistant Superintendent Jack Dibee, who was recently named Rotarian of the Year by the North Coast Rotary.
—- Cleveland Clinic Avon Hospital employees recently collected 1,200 pounds of cereal for Avon/Avon Lake Community Resource Services (CRS). The Nursing Institute won the hospital’s departmental competition.
Cereal is one of the most frequently requested items at the CRS food pantry.
When CRS received the donation, students from Learwood Middle School spent the day sorting and dating all of the cereal boxes. Congratulations to all.
NORTH RIDGEVILLE
Drama club showcase: The North Ridgeville School Drama Club presents “Alice in Wonderland Jr.”, brought to life by the talented students in the Summer Intensive Workshop, at 6 p.m. (doors open at 5:30). June 27 and 28 at the North Ridgeville Academic Center, 34620 Bainbridge Road.
Informative walk: Another opportunity to learn about city projects and updates is the Walk With the Mayor event on June 26 at 6 p.m. in South Central Park. Meet at Pavilion 1 to walk the trail with the mayor, friends, and neighbors.
