Just a short five years ago, in January 2011 the Royalton Recorder celebrated its seventieth year of publication. Here we are five years later still bringing you the best of North Royalton.
Cuyahoga County Library North Royalton Branch has just been bursting at the seams. Like a butterfly out of a chrysalis the new 30,000 square foot library will be located on Wallings Road just east of State Road.
Ohio Public Employee Unions come out in force against Senate Bill 5. The bill would have prohibited collective bargaining for salaries and working conditions for any public employees union such as police, fire, and teachers.
Mary Kay Manning Dance studios celebrated its 28th year of encouraging the love of dance in young students.
The North Royalton Stadium Foundation raised funds through pledges and fund raisers to provide the NR School District a competition level stadium with artificial turf, eight competition track lanes, a new press box, grandstands that seat over 5,000 that have ADA compliant seating and restrooms for both the home team and visitors’ side. The old stadium hosted about ten events each year. It is hoped the new stadium could host additional competitions and other events. The use could potentially rise to nearly 300 events for the year.
May 6 was a red letter day; those letters were YMCA! The City of North Royalton, Parma Hospital and the YMCA broke ground on the former Avalon Event Center Site, to build the YMCA with adjacent Parma Hospital therapy pool, doctors’ offices and treatment rooms. The long-awaited recreation area will house about 45,000 square feet of fun and fitness. As of the June 2 Recorder, the confirmation was received that the new Y will house an eight-lane pool and have a raised indoor track. These features were still on the drawing board when ground was broken on May 6.
Specialist Nathan Wagner and Sgt. Rachel Garcowski were welcomed home with a special message on the City Green as reported on July 21. Wagner and Garcowski spent a year in Afghanistan with the Ohio Army National Guard.
August 25 was Donor and Trustee appreciation night at the new Serpentini Football Stadium at Gibson Field. NR Schools superintendent, Ed Vittardi, enthusiastically thanked and congratulated the crowd of supporters, donors, Stadium Foundation members and everyone who made the beautiful stadium possible. The stadium was open for the very first game of the year with the Royalton Rowdies dressed in construction gear and wearing ‘hard hats’ to thank the crews that readied the stadium for the Bears’ victory over Revere Minutemen. The Stadium was also used for all Schools’ observance of Patriot Day 9/11.
On September 24 North Royalton and Strongsville held a joint CERT exercise to be prepared for any emergency. The Citizens Emergency Response Team or CERT was formed after a 2003 directive from Pres. George W. Bush to provide “a consistent nationwide template to enable all government, private-sector and non-governmental organizations to work together during domestic incidents. CERT is an all volunteer organization and is always welcoming people willing to help insure the safety of our community.
The voters expressed confidence in Mayor Bob Stefanik and elected him to a second term in the November election. Senate Bill 5 was voted down by Ohioans in favor of Public Employee Unions that can use collective bargaining for working conditions and salaries.
The year ended with a little information about a Christmas pickle. Good Luck is sure to stay with the one who is first to discover the Christmas pickle ornament hidden on the Christmas tree. Good Luck to all the pickle seekers 2011.
Police and Fire welcome two new chiefs in January 2012. Lieutenant John A. Elek began serving as NR Police Chief, and Lieutenant Robert J. Chegan, Jr. started his tenure as Fire Chief.
The NR High School Boys and Girls Swim Teams stroke their way to victory as they have their sights set on state finals. Soon they will be doing their swimming at the new North Royalton YMCA pool.
A tragic fire on January 30 claims the life of eighty-year-old Eloise Evans of Royalwood Road. Neighbor Wally Ohler commented, “She was an exceptional lady with a heart of gold. She was the kind of resident who reached out and impacted many lives.” A 57-year-old male was found in the home’s attached garage. He was rescued and taken to MetroHealth Medical Center where he was in stable condition. He was believed to be the son of 80-year-old Mrs. Evans.
Bennett Road was closed to all but the most necessary traffic for a facelift. A few residents of Bennett Road were inconvenienced with the replacement of water lines and paving. The work was well worth the wait in March when Bennett was reopened.
The Disney Magic Kingdom Electric Light Parade at Walt Disney World Orlando had the electrifying addition of the North Royalton High School Marching Band. The Band performed on April 12. It was the culmination of a lot of hard work and fund-raising by the band and band boosters. NRHS Marching Band is one of the championship programs in the NR schools.
The Community gathers for the National Day of Prayer on May 3. Residents, congregation leaders, and community leaders gathered at noon in observance of the National Day of Prayer. The City Green observed prayers for our education system, police, firefighters, the military, religious leaders and the churches, our nation, and its leaders.
The Y is up and running. Next on the list is the new North Royalton Branch of the Cuyahoga County Library that scheduled to break ground on July 18 at 10 a.m. The groundbreaking takes place on Wallings Road just east of State, but the refreshments will still take place at the Library on State Road.
The City Green saw the 7th successful Pet Carnival held on Sunday, August 5. Metroparks Sgt. Bob Pofok, and Rocky, a Metroparks K-9 ranger, demonstrated how the K-9 unit is trained to help apprehend fleeing suspects and detect illegal drugs. The annual Pet Carnival is sponsored by Dr. Adam Hechko and the North Royalton Animal Hospital.
Community Gardeners had Blue Ribbons wrapped around their green thumbs as they won prizes at the Cuyahoga County Fair. The Community Garden took First Place in the Community Garden Display category. They won bragging rights and $100 for the garden.
The Shoe came back to North Royalton. The North Royalton High School Bears football team beat the Brecksville Bees 54 – 42 at the 44th annual High School Football Charity Game played at Brown’s Stadium. The “Golden Shoe” is a 76-year tradition between the two schools. In 2012, the Bears brought The Shoe back home.
Calling it quits. The home on West Wallings Road had been spooking visitors for the past 26 years. Bev and Rob Futo decorated their yard for the last Halloween spooktacular. “It takes a lot of energy to put all this up and take it down,” said Bev. “We are going to hand down some of the decorations to our grandkids, and we will find good homes for the rest of the decorations. We’re sorry we can’t do it anymore, but we wish everyone a Happy Halloween.”
It hit everyone! It knocked down trees and knocked the gold dome off Christ the Saviour American Orthodox Church on State Road. Roofs leaked, yards became swamps, and across Cuyahoga County over 200,000 residents had no power. Superstorm Sandy whipped across 20+ states and Northern Ohio bringing wind and rain all the way from the Atlantic Coast. The perfect combination of a Noreaster and a Hurricane soaked the area. The Hundred year flood took several days, the clean-up happened much later.
When thinking of the holidays, think of someone in need. Donate to the North Royalton Food Bank so that families in need within our city may receive groceries to create a holiday meal.
“Testing, Testing, one, two, three testing.” We’ve all heard it. The North Royalton Schools, along with all the other schools in Ohio, have to live with it. The mandated testing had prompted the School District, along with districts from Minnesota to Georgia to allow students to BYOD (Bring Your Own Devise); electronic devises IPods, Kindles, Tablets and Laptops to connect with the schools internet. The 2013 move was prompted by computer testing mandated by the State of Ohio.
The 2012-2013 edition of the North Royalton High School Show Choir, Royal Harmony, puts North Royalton on the map for their acclaimed performance in the Cuyahoga County Classic Show Choir Invitational demonstrations. The show choir is another facet in the jewel of NRHS music education programs.
Firefighters, in complete gear, competed against other teams as they climbed to the highest step in the Terminal Tower (Forest City Tower) on March 2. The competitive climb was to increase awareness of the air we breathe. Firefighters, police and civilians gather teams of five to make the climb to the top of the tower. The yearly competition of fitness and aerobics is sponsored by the Ohio Lung Association.
True to his word; the May 23 Recorder reported that Albion School physical fitness teacher, Aaron Wheeler, kissed a possum named Libby when his students raised more than $5,000 dollars for the American Heart Association during their Jump Rope for Heart Campaign.
A larger library adds a new chapter in the many amenities available in North Royalton. The new North Royalton Branch of the Cuyahoga County Public Library opened on Saturday, August 3, with 2,500 residents attending the grand opening. The new library is more than double the space of the previous library with up-to-the-minute technology available to the public.
St. Albert the Great Parish added a preschool to its k-8 school program. The nearly 50 three, four, and five year olds attended the very first day of preschool on Tuesday, September 3, that began with an official blessing by the pastor, Fr. Edward Estok. The preschoolers join the 715 kindergarten through eighth graders that attend the fifty-seven year old parish school.
As the season turns to fall, the leaves turn brown, the same color as the deer that browse the tips of branches and still blooming flowers in the garden. “Fewer daylight hours, combined with mating and hunting season increases the deer movement and increases the risk of car vs. deer collisions,” warned Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) Director, Jerry Wray. Nearly half of the collisions occur between 5 p.m. and midnight. Be more wary when you drive through North Royalton and all areas frequented by our white tailed wonders.
Parishioners of St. Albert the Great mourn the passing of Pastor Emeritus Fr. John Viall. Fr. Viall was pastor of St. Albert the Great for thirty-three years, shepherding the parish through the period of rapid growth in North Royalton. Fr. Viall retired in 2009. He was 81.
‘Tis the season to be wary. The US Bank, 7951 State Road was robbed on Thursday, November 21. NR Police Detective Dave Loeding said the robber got away with about $500 in cash. He escaped into the wooded area behind the bank. The bank teller did exactly as she had been trained to do. Everyone at the bank was safe. As of the December 5 issue of the Recorder, no arrests were made.
A Christmas wish was granted to Harrison Chmura. Harrison, who was four in 2013, was born with Down Syndrome and Autism Spectrum Disorder, in addition to multiple medical complications requiring multiple surgeries. Harrison will be receiving a service dog from 4 Paws for Ability. The service dog will be trained specifically to assist Harrison’s multiple needs. The Chmura family met the $13,000 fund raising goal to purchase the dog through the efforts of family, friends and the many people in North Royalton that helped. “Any additional money that is donated in Harrison’s name will go to help another child in need that has been struggling with fund-raising. Sometimes, it takes a family years to meet its fund-raising goal,” said Tera, Harrison’s mom. The Chmuras are very happy to be getting their new family member sometime around Christmas.

By LINDA KWARCIANY
Contributing Writer