North Ridgeville, Ohio A familiar face will be leading North Ridgeville High School as current assistant principal, Meghan Hignite, was recently appointed as the school’s new principal, effective with the 2025-2026 school year. She has been serving as assistant principal for the past two years and will step into her new leadership role with a ‘deep commitment to fostering student success and strengthening school-community connections’, according to the press release. “I am incredibly honored and excited to take on this role,” said Hignite in a press release. “Over the past two years, I’ve had the privilege of building meaningful relationships with our students, staff, and families. As principal, I look forward to continuing our Ranger Strong initiative and ensuring every learner has the support and resources they need to thrive. Together, we will build on our strong foundation and create an environment where all students feel empowered to design their preferred futures.” Before joining the North Ridgeville City Schools, Hignite served 10 years at Fairview Park High School as a Social Studies teacher. She holds a bachelor of arts degree in history from Mercyhurst University, a master’s of education degree from John Carroll University, and a principal licensure from Cleveland State University. After five decades in education, current high school principal, Joseph Mueller, is retiring at the end of the current school year. Mueller was hired as the interim principal at the school in 2022 and has served the school ever since. Historic home tours: In addition to the coffee hour tours of the historic Wilbur Cahoon House Museum, 2940 Stoney Ridge Road, the house is now open for tours from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesdays; and from 1 to 3 p.m. on Sundays now through Nov. 30. The tours are free. For more information, call 440-937-4461. Dick’s opening: Celebrate the grand opening of the new Dick’s Sporting Goods store, 35521 Chester Road, April 11-13. Highlights during the opening weekend celebration include visits from Cleveland Cavaliers players. Meet Darius Garland from noon to 1:30 p.m. April 12; and Evan Mobley from 5 to 6:30 p.m. April 13. Times and appearances are subject to change. Wristbands are required and will be distributed on a first come, first served basis beginning at store opening on the day of the event only. Guests must have a wristband and be in the Special Appearance Line prior to the start of the appearance to receive an autograph. Players will only sign a player card provided by Dick’s. No outside items will be permitted for signatures. For more information, go to dicks.com/avon. Egg hunt: If you are still looking for Easter activities for the kids, come out from 10 a.m. to noon April 12 at the Woods on French Creek, 37845 Colorado Ave., for an Easter Egg Hunt (bring your own basket). Also included are pictures with the Easter Bunny, prizes and other activities. Schwartz Road resurfacing project update: Milling will begin the week of April 14, and the project is scheduled to be completed by July 3, weather permitting. Construction will include resurfacing of Schwartz Road from Jaycox to Nagel roads. Some partial repairs will be made on Riegelsberger Road from Center to Jaycox roads; in addition, sidewalk improvements and roadway realignment will be done on Nagel Road near Streamview Drive. Work will be performed from 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Two-way traffic will be maintained on Schwartz, Nagel and Riegelsberger roads at all times, however, drivers should use caution and expect delays when they are driving in these areas. Please be patient and don’t be in a hurry. New light poles: You may have noticed several new light poles going up on Detroit Road in the French Creek District. According to city officials, the plan is to put them down Detroit Road from Stoney Ridge to State Route 83, on the south side only. The lights were purchased with a NOPEC grant. The reason they were installed was to improve the streetscape along Detroit Road. Garden Club meeting: The Avon Garden Club will meet April 22 in the Orchid Room at Miller Nature Preserve, 2739 Center Road. Willoway Nurseries marketing director, Danny Gouge, will present “Hydrangeas.” Doors open at 6:30 pm with the free program starting at 7 p.m. The public is welcome to attend. For more information on the club, go to avonohiogardenclub.org. Drop-off location: Help those in need in our community by donating to the Blessing boxes located in the city. One is behind the fire station on Detroit Road, and the other is behind the Senior Center on Detroit Road. A new food donation drop-off location is now at City Hall, 36080 Chester Road. Donations can be placed in the designated bin inside the main entrance during business hours. Blessing Box founders are still seeking families or businesses interested in sponsoring a Blessing Box, and there are more ways to contribute, including the Amazon Wish List. For more information, follow on Facebook or email BlessingBoxesRJCP@gmail.com. Shout-out: Thank you to everyone who ordered from Jersey Mike’s Subs during the March Month of Giving and on the Day of Giving (March 26). Your generosity helped to raise $496,463 for the Prayers from Maria Foundation. What’s under the hood?: Teens (ages 15-17) can learn car skills including how to replace wiper fluid, check tire pressure, and how to jump a battery during a special workshop from 11 a.m. to noon April 12 at the Avon Lake Public Library, 32649 Electric Blvd. To register, go to alpl.org/programs. Bigby Coffee coming: It didn’t take long for the former Rio Coffee Brewery space, 33388 Walker Road, to have a new occupant. The beloved coffee shop closed on Dec. 28 after 23 years in business. A sign was recently spotted in front of the location announcing that Bigby Coffee is coming soon. An opening date has not been announced, but it is expected to be sometime this summer. Pipeline project: Columbia Gas and its contractor Miller Pipeline are set to begin a pipeline replacement project in the city. Crews will be installing approximately 6,900 feet of new plastic pipe serving roughly 116 properties on Belmar Boulevard, Curtis Drive, Artsdale Drive, Moreland Drive, and portions of Electric Boulevard, Redwood Boulevard, and Canterbury Road. The project will retire old bare steel and cast-iron pipe. Preconstruction work is underway. During this phase, residents may notice markers and flags appearing in yards to mark the locations of underground facilities. Residents should keep the markers and flags in place until work is complete. Construction is scheduled to begin at the end of this week, weather permitting, and is expected to take three-four months to complete. Once the mainline is in and put into service, crews will follow-up with service line replacements for individual homes. These take two-four hours per property and include a brief service disconnection. Indoor meters will be relocated outside as well. Miller Pipeline personnel will reach out to schedule an appointment with each property owner for the shutoff, relight and meter relocation (if necessary). Some traffic congestion is expected in the work zone, but flaggers will be out and crews will not block residents in their driveways. As for restoration, crews will temporarily restore all property to ensure safety and accessibility and then follow-up with the permanent grade restoration as the project nears completion. NORTH RIDGEVILLE New school resource officer: Welcome Officer George Panagiotou who will serve as the new school resource officer at North Ridgeville High School for the 2025-2026 school year after Officer Calvin Cross retires. Panagiotou served in the U.S. Marine Corps and as a police officer in Euclid. He is also the director of coaching for the North Ridgeville Amateur Soccer League, and a varsity soccer coach at the high school. New ambulances: The Fire Department received two brand new ambulances, replacing two currently in service. These much-anticipated vehicles have been on order for nearly three years, and their arrival marks a significant upgrade to the city’s emergency response fleet. Burgers coming to Century Tavern: Last month I wrote about the reopening of the historic Century Tavern, 33312 Center Ridge Road. Business has been great and the owners have been busy working with contractors to install a new patio bar. A new pull-tab partnership with the North Ridgeville Rangers Athletic Boosters has machines installed in the bar. Another new addition recently announced is a Smalley’s Smash Burger tent is coming onsite. Smalley’s Smash Burger owners will be serving patrons from Thursday - Sunday (weather permitting) beginning at 11 a.m. April 17. Additional hours will be posted soon. Patrons of Century Tavern will be able to order lunch and dinner via a QR code inside the tavern. Patrons of Smalley’s Smash Burger will come directly to the tent to place a take-out order. The burger owners will not be taking call ahead orders or participating in DoorDash yet, but will eventually. Smalley’s Smash Burger is owned by North Ridgeville residents Justin and Carla Smalley. “My husband has been making smash burgers for years for our family, friends and for work events,” said Carla. “Everyone kept telling us how good they were and how we should start a business with them. In 2023 we did a free event in our community and gave away 200 orders for free in exchange for feedback. We received such great feedback so we decided to open up a food tent. We will be permanently at Century Tavern and will be serving their patrons and our own.” For more information, follow Smalley’s Smash Burger on Facebook. Groundbreaking ceremony: The North Ridgeville City Schools and city officials celebrated a construction milestone April 1 as a groundbreaking ceremony took place at the site for the new school’s new Maintenance and Transportation Facility. In the coming months you will see plenty of progress on the facility which is located just north of the Academic Center on Ranger Way. The facility will be 17,700-square-feet, with four bays and a bus wash bay. At any given time, there will be room for five buses indoors, plus the ability to store eight trucks/vans. The district bus fleet is currently at 65. Another groundbreaking ceremony will take place Aug. 15 for the new high school. Palm Sunday breakfasts: Fields United Methodist Church, 34077 Lorain Road, is hosting a Palm Sunday Breakfast from 10 to 11 a.m. April 13 to benefit the Ignite Youth Mission trip this summer. Free will donations will be accepted. The Knights of Columbus Palm Sunday Pancake Breakfast will be held from 9 a.m. to noon April 13 in the St. Peter Catholic Church gym, 35777 Center Ridge Road. The breakfast includes pancakes, scrambled eggs, sausage, fruit cups, coffee, and juice. Cost is $12 for adults, and $6 for children ages 4-12. NOPEC enrollment letters: Eligible residents and small business owners will be receiving a natural gas enrollment letter for the community’s natural gas aggregation program through the Northeast Ohio Public Energy Council (NOPEC). Letters will begin mailing next week for enrollment into the NOPEC natural gas program for the period beginning with customers’ June 2025 meter read dates. NOPEC is required by the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) to send enrollment letters to eligible natural gas customers every two years. If you want to enroll in NOPEC’s Standard Program Price, you don’t need to take any action when you receive your enrollment letter. You will automatically be enrolled. Additional information and rate options including fixed term and monthly variable pricing can be viewed online at nopec.org/gas or by calling NOPEC’s 24/7 Customer Care Center at 855-667-3201. If you don’t want to enroll in the natural gas aggregation, opt out instructions are included in your enrollment letter. For more information, go to nopec.org. Senior transportation expands: The Senior Center recently received a new Chrysler minivan, which can seat five passengers, or accommodate two wheelchairs and two chaperones. In September 2023, Senior Center Administrator Emily Lockshine submitted a grant proposal to the Ohio Department of Transportation’s Special Transportation Program (5310) for the minivan. Thanks to her efforts, North Ridgeville was awarded funding to purchase a second vehicle to better serve the community. The Senior Center is now able to provide more transportation options for residents ages 60 and older who are medically unable to drive. The service helps them get to medical appointments, grocery stores, and banks. To qualify, senior residents must contact Case Manager, Kitty Wawszkiewicz at 440-490-2056. All rides must be scheduled at least 48 hours in advance. Cross Walk: The churches in North Ridgeville will be gathering on Good Friday, April 18 at noon at the Gazebo in South Central Park, 7565 Avon Belden Road, for a Holy Cross Walk. The community is invited to join as guests walk the cross from South Central Park, to the corner of State Route 83 and Center Ridge Road. Parks and recreation program registration, updates: A host of programs are available for children, adults and families to enjoy this spring and summer. Registration opens April 7. Residents may already notice upgrades happening throughout the city’s park. New playground equipment is being installed at South Central Park including the North Ridgeville Rotary Sky Adventure zip line. Additionally, waterline and electrical upgrades are coming to South Central Park that will support future events and improvements, thanks to the support of the Rotary Club of North Ridgeville and the Kiwanis Club of North Ridgeville for their generous sponsorships supporting this project. Major improvements are also taking place at Root Road Park, thanks to $500,000 in state funding through House Bill 2. The funds will be used to expand and pave the parking lot and enhance stormwater management to improve park usability. At Frontier Park, a new pedestrian bridge will be constructed and installed this year improving accessibility and connectivity. Additionally, the park will also undergo field drainage upgrades to enhance playability and park usability. This year the Parks and Recreation Department will launch a new 10-year master plan. The plan will serve as a comprehensive vision designed to shape the future of the community’s recreational programming and green spaces, according to Mayor Kevin Corcoran. For more information, go to northridgeville.recdesk.com. Shout-out: Members of the city’s fire, police and public works departments recently presented a check for $1,300 to the school district. The donation was the result of a friendly, ongoing tradition where the departments face off in games of football or basketball, with proceeds going to a charity of the winning team’s choice. In the latest basketball matchup, the Public Works team claimed victory and chose to direct the funds toward paying off outstanding student lunch balances in the schools. Thank you! If you have news/information or a story idea you’d like to share or a ‘shout-out’, please send an email to jshortavon@aol.com. Read Short Takes online at cleveland.com/avon. Follow me on X (Twitter) @jshortavon. Read more from the Sun Sentinel.