Chardon Square Association to Hold Scarecrow Contest

September 16, 2022 by Amy Patterson

Grab your straw, your old shirts and a pair of mucky boots. The nights are getting longer, apple cider is wafting through the air and it’s just about time to make scarecrows.

The Chardon Square Association agrees and asked Chardon City Council for permission to host a scarecrow contest on the square between the city’s Fall Fest Oct. 1 and Halloween festivities.

At council’s regular meeting Sept. 8, CSA Vice President Ed Slusarski asked for permission to display the scarecrows on the square.

One part of the contest would involve businesses decorating scarecrows to display outside of their premises on the square, he said, adding another would be for various groups, including possibly local schools and other organizations, to show off their scarecrow creations.

Council member Dave Lelko asked whether the scarecrows would be geared toward Halloween or just a fall activity.

“Fall activity,” Slusarski said. “As my wife said — no slashers, no body parts or anything like that.”

Council member Andy Blackley said there is a scarecrow building activity planned for Fall Fest, so it would make sense if people wanted to take home their creations and bring them back to the square when the contest opens after the festival.

Chardon Schools Superintendent Michael Hanlon and Treasurer Deb Armbruster presented council with the “State of the Schools” update.

Chardon completed $3.3 million in capital improvements over the summer, including new visiting bleachers at Chardon Memorial Field, as well as new roofs and windows at multiple buildings, Hanlon said, adding future plans include safety vestibules at the high school and middle school.

Students are enjoying a return to normalcy after the upheaval of the COVID-19 pandemic, he said.

“Our students are enjoying the benefits of having as normal a school year as possible,” Hanlon said.

The district is working on its strategic plan, and has been fortunate to have members of city administration involved and working on various subcommittees, he said.

“(Chardon Police Chief Scott Niehus) has been very active in our safety and security component and we certainly appreciate his efforts in that regard,” Hanlon said.

Chardon is ranked 32 out of 608 districts in Ohio, he added.

“We’re not satisfied,” Hanlon said. “And that’s why we’re working on our district success plan until we see our district move up to the top school district in Ohio.”

His report also touched on areas in which the district is looking to improve, including communication strategies.

During public comments, Todd Albright, a member of the Chardon Schools Board of Education, approached council in a “fact-finding endeavor” related to the district’s ongoing work to improve the safety of a crosswalk on Maple Avenue — which is between the high school and a gravel parking lot next to the Chardon Early Learning Center.

Albright’s comments were made after the departure of Hanlon, Armbruster and board members Karen Blankenship and Keith Brewster.

Albright said he sits on a district safety committee and came to council to seek clarity regarding the district’s relationship with the city.

“There was a student hit in a crosswalk last year, struck by a student leaving the school parking lot there. And that kind of prompted us on our journey to figure out if that was the best way for students to cross, what could be done or should be done, and I hear a bunch of things,” he said.

City Manager Randy Sharpe said Chardon has worked directly with the schools to secure funding for improving the crosswalk, but was once again turned down for a grant — filed jointly by the city and schools — to address the issue.

The city received a new quote for improvements to the crosswalk, Sharpe said, adding it was forwarded to the schools, putting the ball in the district’s court on whether to move forward.

Albright said he wished to find the best “relationship builder” between the city and the schools. “Because the general talk in the committees is that … generally, there’s kind of like this odd, not really congenial relationship,” he said.

Council member Dave Lelko pushed back on that assessment.

“I can assure you that even if the school board and the council doesn’t interact a lot together, the staffs of the two organizations work hand in hand, continually,” he said. “They just do it because that’s the way business works. That’s the way this community works, is together. And it’s always been that way.”

Niehus said he is on the phone with Hanlon sometimes multiple times a day during the beginning of the school year, especially regarding the traffic situation.

“So our relationship, to answer that question, is, I think, very good. He’s got me on speed dial. I’ve got him on speed dial,” Niehus said.

Lelko added, “Even though … as a school board member, you might not see a lot of interaction with us, that doesn’t mean it’s not going on,” Lelko said. “I can assure you that.”