Charleston Village Society, Inc.

Settlers' Watch report
Loraine Ritchey, CVSI

Front and back cover of Commemorative Booklet-

There is, as with any project, a timeline as to the whys and wherefores. Ours started in 2006 when, due to the “great blackout of the northeast,” utility companies across the United States implemented a mandatory clear cutting policy under transmission lines – which meant that 19 beautiful trees on 2nd Street had to come down. The loss of these trees changed both the ambiance and the face of Lorain’s oldest neighborhood.

The story of the area, though, started centuries earlier. In the 1800s, this area was known as “The Bluffs,” as Lorain’s earliest settlers built their homes close to the harbor from whence they made their living as ship builders, fishermen and merchant mariners. Meanwhile, the women who worked and waited for their men folk to come home from the inland seas would leave a lamp burning in the windows – a light to shine through the darkness to show safe harbor in the face of the gathering storm.

So it’s especially fitting that, when this area received news of another “storm of destruction,” residents began to creatively brainstorm ways to weather this particular storm – and to find a way to somehow preserve those trees. First, a group of representatives met with First Energy and the City of Lorain; then, Council Representative at Large Tony Krasienko began spearheading the drive to carve 17 stumps into a reflection of Lorain’s glorious maritime history.

The oldest homes on this street silently watched as the citizens of Lorain came together, once again, this time to persevere and complete phase one of the 2nd Street project. The journey to make this dream into a reality has been long, fraught with obstacles and challenges – and the tragic loss of one of Lorain’s finest young men, Eric Barnes, in a storm of war – but it is a journey that has indeed taken us to this milestone moment.

There are so many people to thank, who have been there every step of the way , but first we want to express our gratitude to the people who have been there from that very first meeting in 2006: Anthony Krasienko, Mayor, City of Lorain; Mr. Don Romancak, City of Lorain Community Development; Mr. J Faga, First Energy Corporation; Mr. Corey Timko, City of Lorain Utilities Department; Mr. Ken Shawver, who was President of Council; Mr. Chuck Camera, City of Lorain Street Department; and Renee Dore, Portside Chair of Charleston Village Society.

We would be remiss in not recognizing the talent of Bud Emerson, whose creativity, patience and expertise made all of this possible. Finally, we wish to acknowledge the generosity of the sponsors of the carvings: Century Tel: Eric Barnes Eagle; City of Lorain: Portside Sign and Anchor; C T Consultants: Ship Captain; Lakeland Healthcare Corporation/Port of Lorain Foundation: Lorain Lighthouse; and Oster Homes: Heron.

Charleston Village Society Executive Board

Here is an overview of the project:
CVSI Approx report on 2nd street project April 2007 to July 24th 2009- Phase One

Approximately 90 volunteers donated time and expertise from the start of the project 2007 to date – nearly 3,000 volunteer hours accumulated

Grants – CVSI (501C3) $12,000 approximately

Individual cash donations for plants – $1,75.00 (exactly)

Sponsorship Monies (including preservative Raffle) – $15,478.00 (exactly)

Donated services i.e., site plan, printing, plants etc. Approximately $6,000 -still incoming

Number of Corporations and Civic Sponsors involved = 23

Grants and Donations etc. come to approximately $40,000 in 3 years. For Phase One of 2nd street project as distributed by CVSI

and if you take the minimum wage figure of $6.75 cents per hour for the approximate 3,000 hours in the three years that would equal $20,250.00 …..

Other monies etc. came from credits for landscaping ( First Energy due to loss of 6 trees on that site) . Contractual obligations due to the sewer project.

List of all volunteers are available upon request