Mid-Summer in Kirtland is marked with plenty of news and events to recap and report on. The Kirtland Kiwanis Strawberry Festival was once again an extraordinary success. Saturday, the Festival kicked off with the second annual Heritage 5k Run and later that day, the festival saw record attendance, and the crowning of the new 2023 Miss Kirtland. Congratulations to Emily Rupert for taking home the award and to all the Miss Kirtland contestants for their efforts and participation. Thanks to Kiwanis and the supporting businesses and organizations that make the festival an event we can all be proud of.
Expanding our community partnerships, June brought the start of the Friends of the Library summer concert series as well as one week of free attendance to Holden for all Kirtland residents. And speaking of working together, thank you to Lake Metroparks for opening the trail head near the entrance to the Silver Fox neighborhood. This new access point is the result of a single phone call to Metroparks Director, Paul Palagyi, after I was contacted by a local resident with the great idea.
Kirtland Safety Forces also had much to celebrate in June. On June 20th, I was humbled to perform the Oath for four new promotions within the Kirtland Fire Department. Thanks to Chief Hutton’s leadership and fair promotional process, Matt Killeen was elevated to Captain, and the trio of Brian Horvath, Aaron Madden and Corey Eisenberg earned the distinction of Lieutenant.
On July 5th, I had the honor of swearing in our newest full-time Kirtland Police officer, Jake Scott. Hiring Officer Scott has rounded out several full-time hires over the last few years. By reinvesting savings from outsourcing Dispatch to Willoughby, KPD no longer wrestles with the revolving door of part-time help. Like Kirtland Fire, KPD is poised for the future and will continue to make Kirtland one of the safest communities around.
Additionally, throughout the remainder of Summer and likely into Fall, road rehabilitation work will continue throughout Kirtland streets and neighborhoods. Soon, paving work will begin on Blueberry Hill, portions of Crestwood and Fox Hill Dr., while areas of Regency Woods Dr., Hobart, Crary, Farbar, Hillcrest and Highland will see repairs to some of the most critical areas. The 2023 road program will consist of about $1.1 million dollars and will complete four years of spending that totals over $4 million dollars on our local roads without an increase of city tax rates.
Throughout the year, we will continue to monitor our income tax receipts, evaluate funding sources, work with local, state, and federal officials, and project revenue from future economic development. This continuous assessment and good budgeting will advance our ability to project and fund road repairs as well as pay for needed equipment for the Service, Police and Fire departments.
We have been working hard to engage local investors and are now considering potential commercial development both downtown and at the Rt. 6 intersection. As we discern the possible projects and what they mean for our city, we will be evaluating the amount of new revenue any development might bring to our city, balance our residents’ input and recommendations, all while maintaining the idea that we keep Kirtland Kirtland.
Thank you,
Mayor Potter