In honor of Bay Village’s two hundredth anniversary, the Bay Village Historical Society is offering prints of the historic Community House created by noted watercolor artist Thomas William Jones.

295 signed and numbered prints are available from the society through October 10, 2010, for $85. Originally a barn built by the Cahoon family in 1882, the painting shows the cupola atop the Community House as it appeared when the original structure was constructed. In the 1930s the barn was struck by lightning, destroying the cupola.

As part of the 2010 celebration commemorating the 200th Anniversary of Bay Village, the Historical Society will be restoring the cupola during the summer. Proceeds from the sale of the watercolor print will be used to fund the restoration.

Westlake expects excellence in every aspect of community life, but today the public school buildings are in dire need of updating. From outside the walls of the schools may look fine, but within and behind the walls they are inadequate in terms of safety and space. The problems are well documented:

• 93% of building systems (electrical, roofs, windows, HVAC, security, etc.) were assessed inadequate.
• $66 million is needed just to repair those deficiencies and bring the schools up to standard by fixing leaking roofs, decaying walls and windows, antiquated heating and circulation systems and other structural problems.
• The schools are seriously overcrowded with students taught in trailers and converted bathrooms, hallways and closets not conducive to a quality, 21st-century education.

On Tuesday, March 16, 2010, the Westlake/North Olmsted Chapter of the League of Women Voters Cuyahoga Area will hold an informational meeting for the public on the Westlake City Schools proposed bond issue and the North Olmsted Schools proposed tax levy. 

It is set for 10:00 a.m. to noon at Westlake Porter Public Library, 27333 Center Ridge Road in Westlake. These tax issues will appear on each city’s May 4 primary election ballot. The public is encouraged to attend.

The Westlake City Schools’ proposal is an $84 million bond issue for constructing, renovating buildings and facilities, with information provided by Cathy Axcell, President, Westlake Council of PTAs or Dr. Daniel Keenan Jr., Superintendent. 

A quiet revolution is taking place in several suburbs surrounding Cleveland. Residents are being encouraged to put pen to paper, fingertips to keyboard to let their individual and collective voices be heard. The vehicle which is responsible for promoting community-written newspapers is called the Observer. Residents in Lakewood, Parma, University/Cleveland Heights and Collinwood are publishing their papers under the Observer name.

Resident-written newspapers have been in existence since our country's beginning. Small towns still publish newspapers written by local journalists and reporters, however, those living near cities such as Cleveland must rely on daily papers for the written news.

We are being given a unique opportunity to report local news, share thoughts and opinions, and voice that pride we so often feel as residents of Westlake and Bay Village. As the trend toward regional government gains ground, I believe it is important to preserve the connectedness and vitality shared by those who live, work and are being educated in our community.

Huntington Playhouse will be offering their Youth Theatre Classes beginning June 14, 2010. There will be two sessions during the summer.

Judith Mazur will be the lead instructor for both sessions. Ms. Mazur will be available to answer any questions on June 12, from 3 to 5 p.m., at the theatre. 

Session 1 is designed for students in grades 1 through 3 and will start June 14 and conclude June 26. The two-week class will focus on creative drama and stage craft skills; with the second week consisting of rehearsal and show preparation for a non-musical presentation on June 26. Cost for this session is $125 and sessions will be held from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., Mondays through Fridays.

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) attacks the nerves and interrupts the flow of information from the brain to the body. It’s an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system, with symptoms ranging from pain, numbness and tingling to blindness and paralysis.

Most people are diagnosed with it between the ages of 20 and 50, with more than twice as many women than men having it. As best we know, it affects over 400,000 in this country and 2.1 million people in the world.

Over the many years I’ve been a volunteer with the Ohio Buckeye Chapter of the National MS Society – helping to get the word out on this terrible disease and advocating for funds for research from state and federal officials – I’ve often been asked what led to my involvement with it.

[Editor's note: Due to an error, the date of the shredding day in the print edition of the Observer was incorrect. The correct date is Saturday, April 10, 2010.]

Dispose of old financial statements, tax forms, bills, medical records and other clean paper without worrying about identity theft or the effect of dumping paper into the environment. Lake Erie Nature & Science Center is teaming up with the Shredding Network again to bring a powerful mobile shredding truck back to Bay Village on Saturday, April 10. The high-tech equipment will provide quick, confidential destruction and recycling of up to five boxes or bags of old paper per household.  

The mobile shredder will be set up across from Lake Erie Nature & Science Center in the Wolf Picnic area parking lot from 9 a.m. to noon. For a complete list of items that can and can’t be shredded, visit www.lensc.org (click on Featured Events) or pick up a flyer at the Center during regular hours.

We see them every day along the street or at the mall, at church or at the market – older citizens with unknown heroic histories. Many of them have stories we should know and honor, for they served our country in World War II. But these heroes walk past us and, more often than not, we don't even know who they are or what they have done.

And they are leaving us at an alarming rate.

Sitting next to me most Sundays during Mass at Saint Raphael in Bay Village is my friend, Eleanor Michalowski, a longtime resident of Bay Village. One morning over a cup of coffee she told me of her sister, Florence Shutsy-Reynolds, known as "Shutsy" to her friends, who was one of 1,102 women to serve as pilots in the United States Army during WWII.

They were the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) and their duties included ferrying everything from small trainers and artillery spotters to B-29 super fortresses between military posts all over the United States, towing targets, instructing cadets, and many other duties too numerous to list. It was hazardous work.

Bay Village Branch Library’s 7th and 8th grade Show Your Colors juried art show officially opened with a public reception on March 6 at 3 p.m. This year the show was judged by three Cuyahoga County area residents who are very active in the art community.

Jim McNamara, Art Protector for the Cleveland Art Museum; Brian Jones, owner of Brian Jones Gallery in Little Italy; and Joleen Arthur, watercolor artist and teacher at Bethany Lutheran School, all donated their time to judge the students' art. Parents, teachers and students mingled with the student artists and judges during the reception.

St. Patrick's Day isn't just for the Irish! 

On Wednesday, March 17, from 7-8:45 p.m., those of Central and Eastern European descent will have an opportunity to learn more about their cultural roots and heritage. Robert Jerin, of the Croatian Heritage Museum, will speak at the March meeting of the Cuyahoga West Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society, at Westlake Porter Public Library, 27333 Center Ridge Road.

Tuesday, March 2 (7:30 p.m.) and Tuesday, March 30 (7:30 p.m.) FYI:OPERA – Join the Westlake Westshore Arts council and Alan Montgomery for a presentation of "Candide" on March 2. The March 30 program features a discussion of “Opera Scenes” by David Bamberger from the Cleveland Institute of Music.

Wednesday, March 3 (10:30-11 a.m.), Wednesday, March 10 (7-7:30 p.m.), Friday, March 19 (10:30-11 a.m.) and Thursday, March 25 (3:30-4 p.m.) LET'S SING AND DANCE! – Join us for a fun session of singing  and dancing. For children ages 2-6 with a caregiver. No registration required.

Wednesdays, March 3, 10, 17, 24 and 31 (4-6 p.m.) OPEN PLAY WII – Teens: Come play Wii! We’ll feature different games every week!

Wednesday, March 3 (7 p.m.) WESTLAKE WESTSHORE ARTS COUNCIL 2010 SYMPOSIUM – Carla Blackmon, owner of Design Interface, will discuss industrial design.

Wednesday, March 3 (7-7:30 p.m.) DR. SEUSS BIRTHDAY READ-ALOUD PARTY – Come share some of the coolest, wackiest children’s books around as we celebrate Dr. Seuss’ birthday. We’ll read your favorites!

Would you like to sharpen your mind, join in a good discussion and have fun doing it? Case Western Reserve University’s Office of Continuing Education is sponsoring a course called “Springboard to History” at the Bay Village Library. The eight-week class will be held Mondays at 10 a.m. beginning March 15.

This promises to be a provocative, historic overview of mankind which will start at the beginning and finish with today, journeying from the Stone Age to Bill Gates. The text used for the class is “The Human Story,” by J. C. Davis. The teacher/leader will be Dick Michel.

ADULT DEPARTMENT

Tuesday, March 9 (7 p.m.) STARTING YOUR OWN BUSINESS – Speak with experts about financing your business and learn how to apply for financing.

Saturday, March 13 (2 p.m.) BIT O' THE IRISH – Join us as the Irish Band “Turn the Corner” celebrates St Patrick’s Day with Celtic Music.

TEEN DEPARTMENT

Thursday, March 11 (3:30 p.m.) SPEAK UP ABOUT BOOKS – Do you have something to say about a book you read and liked? Record podcasts of your favorite books that will be posted on our website for others looking for a good read. We’ll help you create and record your review. Don’t forget the signed permission form so you can participate. Ages 11-18.

For the past two years, I have had the opportunity to get a first hand look at how a big event, like the Bay Village Relay for Life, is pulled off. Relay for Life is an annual event put on by the American Cancer Society to raise money for cancer patients.

My eighth grade year I got involved as a team member, then team captain, and eventually my junior and senior years I have been on the Relay Committee.         

The Relay Committee works hard for many months to plan the event.  Besides simply planning the logistics, the Relay Committee encouraged promotion of the event.  Also, the Relay encourages Team Captains to sign up and build their teams.

Fairview Park Councilwoman Peggy Cleary announced her candidacy for the Ohio State Representative 16th District – an area representing Bay Village, Fairview Park, North Olmsted, Rocky River and Westlake.

Cleary, 54, is a life-long resident of Lakewood and Fairview Park. She has served on the Fairview Park City Council since 2005, where she is a member of all three standing city council committees, and currently serves as the Chair of the Finance Committee, responsible for the oversight of a $23 million dollar municipal budget. 

She has sponsored and supported legislation that reduced city expenses; supported focused economic development; and facilitated municipal collaboration and consolidation within the West Shore District. 

Can you believe that spring is only two weeks away or can it not get here fast enough? Well the Westlake Recreation Center has programs to keep you busy and your mind off the winter weather. Venture on up to the Rec Center or check us out online to see the programs that we have to offer. Here are some programs and events that will start up here in the near future. Don't miss out on the fun. Sign up before they start.

Give yourself a break and get a chance to work out and not have to worry about finding a sitter for the kids. We can help you out. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday starting the week of March 15 at 10 a.m., Mom and Munchkin will allow moms to bring their child to the Rec Center and work out. An instructor will teach an exercise class while your child is being looked after in the gym.

Students attending Bassett Elementary School's after-school program, Project LINK, recently received prizes for completing the Cleveland Cavaliers Read to Achieve program last fall.

Under the direction of Kelly Pyros, all students enrolled in the Bassett LINK program were given reading logs to chart their reading times. Each day for 30 days students had a Reading Time Out where they read alone or with a neighbor, or they listened to a story read by an older student or LINK teacher. Before and after reading sessions, students joined in a huddle to celebrate their victories in reading. 

Last semester, Elizabeth Noren’s Westlake High School government students wrote essays pertaining to some aspect of the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution. Students had the option of submitting the essays to the George S. and Stella M. Knight Essay Contest promoted by the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution and the Western Reserve Historical Society.

Turns out three of those essays captured the top three prizes and one will go on to the state level competition.

Senior Brenna Goodwin won first place and a $100 cash prize for her essay, “Separation of Church and State.” Her essay was entered into the state contest.

Bay Village and Rocky River students joined forces to collect more than $25,000 and thousands of food items for the Cleveland Food Bank.

Bay High students sold t-shirts, with profits going to the cause, and they made sure there would be a "sea of blue" at the Hoops for Hunger event corresponding with the Bay High vs. Rocky River High basketball game on Friday, February 19. The game and event were televised by SportsTime Ohio, a cable television station whose president is Bay High alumnus Jim Liberatore.

Here in Cuyahoga County, many residents of the 16th House District have been affected by the recent energy rate change for all-electric homes by FirstEnergy Corp. I have received countless phone calls, emails and letters about this issue, and I would like to take this opportunity to discuss the issue and the steps that have been taken to mitigate the problem.

For the past 30 years, customers who owned all-electric homes were offered significant discounts on their energy bills. The discount was first implemented when FirstEnergy sought to lower the cost of electricity during the energy crisis of the 1970s.  

Bay High senior Nikki Craft ended her high school diving career with a third Division II state title at the Ohio High School Diving Championships on Thursday, February 25, at Canton’s C. T. Natatorium.

Nikki scored a total 449.90 points. Second-place Natalie Ritter of Gahanna Columbus Academy earned 414.30 points, and Sarah Pyles of Cincinnati Hills Christian came in third at 385.35.

Winning the Division II championship in both 2008 and 2009, Nikki also holds the state record of 509.75 points. She finished third place at state as a freshman.

Fairview Park Councilwoman Peggy Cleary was sworn in as an officer of the Northeast Ohio City Council Association (NOCCA) at its February dinner meeting at the Embassy Suites in Independence. 

Cleary, a candidate for State Representative for the 16th District (includes Bay Village, Fairview Park, North Olmsted, Rocky River and Westlake) has been an At-Large member of the NOCCA Board since 2008. She will serve as Secretary to the eleven-member board through February 2011.