The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Amid growth, officials want to remain village
Improvements to downtown district on tap
Officials have been promoting the village and have increased efforts through its latest project: Envision Grafton.
The Village of Grafton is growing and is slated for major improvements in the upcoming years.
Officials have been promoting the village for five years successfully and have increased their efforts through its latest project: Envision Grafton, according to Village Administrator Joe Price.
“All things positive in Grafton,” Price said.
A subdivision in the village owned by Shamrock Development Co. called Fox Run steadily is adding houses as are other builders in the area, he said.
“Shamrock has created attractive commercial and residential properties in the Grafton and Wellington areas,” according to the company’s website.
With the new housing construction in mind, village officials currently aren’t allowing the municipality’s population growth to exceed the limitations of keeping the area a village, Price said.
“People like the quaint feel … it’s the home-town feeling that everyone wants in life here locally,” he said.
Price joined the village as administrator about six years ago after working exclusively in the private sector.
As part of Envision Grafton, the village sent out a survey asking residents for their input on a number of issues such as land use, park system, annexation and many others as part of the updating of its comprehensive master plan.
The master plan is slated to be completed by the end of the year, said Price and Special Projects Coordinator Linda Bales.
Approximately 200 residents responded to the survey to be included in the planning of their community, Bales said.
She has been with the village for more than 30 years, first serving as clerk treasurer.
She now works part time in her new position.
The survey included questions such as where crosswalks are needed and whether there should be a road added between Reservoir Park and state Route 83, according to the document.
The majority of the residents who answered indicated they don’t want an additional roadway in the village, the document also states.
Nearly all of the surveyed residents said they want Main Street improved, according to the document.
The village is slated to get a facelift downtown as funding was secured jointly through the Ohio Department of Transportation as well as the village, Price said.
The first part of the project will include repaving state Route 57, which runs downtown and also is called Main Street, he said.
The repaving project will go from the intersection of Erie Street to Mechanic Street, according to information provided by the village.
Not only will the road be repaved, the curbsides will be improved as well as the sidewalks “with a designated curb cut placement for safety and traffic calming,” the information also stated.
The Ohio Department of Transportation studied the area and determined the village could do away with its only stop-light in town, so it will be removed, Price said.
Additionally, the Parsons Road intersection will be realigned with sidewalks, curbs and gutters, he said.
New “wayfinding” signage will be erected, the information stated.
The angle of the downtown parking spaces is being reversed from Railroad Street to Mechanic Street, according to the planning documents.
Price said two “Rapid Flash Beacons” will be installed at popular pedestrian crossings as part of the improvement project.
Officials have held two public meetings so far regarding land use and economic development, Bales said.
Meetings in August and September will discuss the downtown district and the parks and recreation in the village, she said.
“Material generated from this meeting will be fundamental to the Village’s Comprehensive Plan,” stated a document being circulated inviting residents to attend the meetings.
“All results will be carefully recorded and used to formulate the development of goals and action steps to plan for the Village of Grafton’s future.”
In another part of the village, the “Solar Farm” or solar generation facility that powers the village, is in the beginning stages of expansion, Price said.
Since the facility was completed in 2019, village residents saved a total of $198,000 and are projected to save an additional $331,000 this year, he said.
The facility was built on land owned by the village, Price said.
There are an additional 800 acres to build on adjoining the solar facility, he said.
“It gives us great options,” Price said.
Behind Village Hall, an electric vehicle charging station is being planned, he said.
The charging station will include two separate stations that will provide residents with electric cars the option “to power up at no charge,” Price said.
In addition to promoting the village’s success, Price said the village works closely with neighboring townships to help the entire area.
“We try to promote the area, not just the village,” Price said.