Today is March 20, 2024.

• Happy spring! Yep, winter’s over, but it won’t feel like it today. It’s going to be brisk and chilly with times of clouds and sun, with a high of 39 degrees and tonight’s low dropping to 22. Spring will make its presence felt when we top out at 62 degrees Monday and 57 on Tuesday. Next stop: Summer.
  

• Welcome to our special Wednesday edition! This is to accommodate the March Primary Election, which you’ll see local coverage of below. Next week we return to our regular publishing schedule, so look for the next edition of The Spotlight in your inbox on Thursday, March 28.
  

• In case you missed it, Bow Wow Beach dog park opened for the season March 15. Bow Wow Beach, located inside Silver Springs Park at 5027 Stow Rd., is open from 8 a.m. to sunset daily. The 2024 season runs through Dec. 1, weather permitting. Go here for more information.
  

• The Joshua Stow National Society of Daughters of the American Revolution is holding a food drive to help stock the local food pantry in Stow, Lydia’s Pantry, which is located inside St. Stephen Lutheran Church at 3725 Kent Rd. You can drop off food donations at the church from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday, April 13; pull under the overhang on the west side of the church and your items will be unloaded for you. The pantry is in need of non-perishable foods, personal care items and paper products. Expired food donations cannot be accepted. If you have any questions, contact Heather McClinsey at (330) 524-6041or [email protected].
  

• The Open Arms Adoptions agency of Kent is currently holding a shoe drive and has two drop-off locations in Stow. You can drop off new or gently used shoes of all types and sizes for adults and children at Stow City Hall (3760 Darrow Rd.) and Advanced Chiropractic & Wellness Center (3274 Kent Rd.). The shoe drive raises money to help offset the costs of adopting children and provides shoes for people in need in other countries.
  

• If you just subscribed or missed something in an earlier newsletter, don’t fret: Subscribers have access to every edition of The Spotlight at www.stowmunroefalls.com. Check out back issues to catch up on everything that’s going on in our communities — you never know what you might have missed!

⭐ Several stories in this issue are only available to premium subscribers: Pickleball courts are open, free concert, Easter events, Earth Fest, eclipse info and more. Full access is $2.99/month.

Sponsored by Brandon Heating and Air Conditioning

2024 March Primary Election

Republican shakeup: McIntire unseats Rodgers in Summit County Council District 3, will face Licate in November

For the first time in 15 years, the Republican Party has a new nominee for the Summit County Council District 3 seat. Jeremy McIntire, who currently serves as an at-large member of Stow City Council, defeated incumbent Gloria Rodgers in Tuesday’s March Primary Election, garnering 58.98% of the vote to Rodgers’ 41.02%.

Rodgers had held the District 3 seat since 2009. District 3 encompasses Stow, Silver Lake, Hudson and parts of Cuyahoga Falls.

McIntire will face former Stow City Council At-Large Member Dave Licate for the District 3 seat in the 2024 November General Election. Licate ran unopposed in District 3 on the Democrat side in the primary, as did fellow Democrat John Schmidt in District 2, which is made up of Munroe Falls, parts of the city of Akron (east Akron, Goodyear Heights and North Hill) and most of Cuyahoga Falls.

Here’s a look at the final vote tallies from Tuesday’s primary, according to the Summit County Board of Elections’ unofficial election results:

• Republican District 3: Jeremy McIntire 3,685, Gloria Rodgers 2,563.

• Democrat District 3: Dave Licate (unopposed), 3,932.

• Democrat District 2: John Schmidt (unopposed), 4,192.

The 2024 General Election is Tuesday, Nov. 5.

SPOTLIGHT ON THE CHAMBER

Sponsored by the Stow-Munroe Falls Chamber of Commerce

Stow’s Pribonic, Munroe Falls’ Mavrides deliver mayoral addresses at the Chamber’s State of the Cities Luncheon

By Julie McLain, Executive Director

The Stow-Munroe Falls Chamber of Commerce hosted the 2024 State of the Cities Luncheon on March 19 at Silver Lake Country Club. John Pribonic, the mayor of Stow, and Alan Mavrides, the mayor of Munroe Falls, offered insight into their communities and an in-depth look into the heartbeat of our local community, addressing the most pertinent issues and opportunities that shape our cities’ identities. The cities are unique in our shared resources and work hard to collaborate and help each other as necessary. Although each city is unique and has its own challenges, both cities are operating in the black and have significant projects which are moving forward.

In Stow:

• The purchase of the new senior center is front and center. Renovations are underway which will significantly increase the opportunities for area seniors. The new 8,000-square-foot building on Fishcreek Road will replace the much smaller senior center located on Darrow Road.

• The city is also working on a set of “tools” to help businesses come to Stow, and is putting together specific funding and development mechanisms such as special interest districts to help certain areas of the community in their redevelopment efforts to attract new businesses.

• The Route 91 project starts in 2025 and will have a big impact on businesses during that time, so the city is already planning to look at how to support businesses during construction.

• The Stow-Munroe Falls Public Library, SKiP Playground and Fox Den Golf Course are thriving and are key assets in attracting business and families to Stow.

In Munroe Falls:

• The city is in the process of revising a plan to improve the town center as a focal point of the community.

• Improvements to Guise Park are ongoing with updated tennis and pickleball courts.

• Three new businesses will be opening in the city within the next few months.

• The city is also preparing for construction on Route 91, which is slated to take place after Stow’s project is completed sometime in late 2027.

• City officials are also looking at establishing convenient detours for traffic during bridge work slated for later this year over the Cuyahoga River.

• Mayor Mavrides, a longtime resident of Munroe Falls, said: “Although Munroe Falls is a pass-through city for thousands each day, we are blessed to have many small businesses and restaurants. In addition, our fire, EMS, service and police departments are top-notch in keeping our community running safely. I’m very proud of that.” Mayor Mavrides and the staff at City Hall pride themselves in their open-door policy to businesses and community in Munroe Falls.

Businesses can join the Chamber and build their business through purposeful programming to connect, use members-only resources to save money in their business, and improve themselves with professional development opportunities throughout the year. Our next Local Business Roundtable, featuring health and wellness businesses, is TODAY and will take place at the Stow-Munroe Falls Public Library. This event begins at 9 a.m. and is free to attend.

The Stow-Munroe Falls Chamber of Commerce will also be hosting The Elite Business Awards on May 15 at the Kent State University Hotel and Conference Center. The awards program is a celebration of business and community in both Stow and Munroe Falls. Nominations are now being accepted for each of the award categories, which can be found on the Chamber website at www.smfcc.com. Sponsorships and tickets are on sale now.

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