Big start for Drug Mart at new location

NORWALK — Uptown Norwalk got a lot busier this week. Discount Drug Mart opened Monday morning in the old Giant Eagle building on Whittlesey Avenue — and it brought a lot of people with it. "That is exceptionally good for downtown," Norwalk Mayor Dave Light said. "(Safety Service Director) Mike White and I walked through it the other day. They have added a lot of things and the parking lot is full all of the time. "They have added a lot and it is in a great location. The traffic light we turned back on helps people get in and out of the parking lot." That is the good news. The bad news is there is now an empty store where the old Drug Mart was on Cline Street. "Not a thing," Light said when asked about any new stores coming in. He did say Casa Bravos, located next to the old Drug Mart, is progressing with its expansion plans. "They are going to take a wall out and almost double in size," he said. "The date got pushed back until November when the Green Circle Grower workers are coming." The target date is still November for the migrant workers from Green Circle to move into their new living quarters on Cline Street. "Things are going pretty good," Light said. "I see Corso's has been working on their buildings. It was a timing issue with their (Green Circle) workers ... to keep their workers in sync it will be better for their workers to come in November. There will always be somebody there. Some will come and some will go. "There will be people there 12 months out of the year," he added. "It may not be a full crew ... they definitely overlap. It depends on the growing and packing seasons." Light is still waiting on an opening date for the new Chipotle restaurant on Milan Avenue. "All I am seeing is Sept. 7," he said. How about the light in front of Bob Evans? "The blacktop is done and we are just waiting on the parts," he said. "They did a real nice job with the turn lane going into Bob Evans and the urgent care. They did a great job with that. "It's been a real learning experience for me with (the parts backup). I understand these things take time and it is learning experience waiting on something. I would have thought you would have a pile of those somewhere, but that is not the case." Light said there are four openings at the police department. Two officers left for jobs with the Erie County Sheriff's Department, and one dispatcher who left for Erie County and one part-time record's clerk. "Two officers left to go to Erie County for Monday through Friday jobs and both of those officers were from Erie County," Light said. "They went to greener pastures ... it means a lot not having to work on weekends. "The dispatcher who left is from Erie County and she is making more money with the sheriff's office. She will be missed because we have a lot of training to her with certifications. Tacy Bond helped her get a lot of her certifications. Her goal is to be a dispatch supervisor sometime down the road. We do not have that position in Norwalk with just six dispatchers. More opportunity for her over there. "The records clerk was working part-time," Light said. "She was on maternity leave and when she came back she wanted to cut back her hours. Out part-timers do not earn vacation time or sick time and that is something we have to look at. She decided she didn't want to come back." Light and White are working with police chief Dave Smith, who was at odds with his staff. Complaints about Smith's treatment of personnel from the NPD's labor union, the Ohio Patrolmen's Benevolent Association, drove the city to lengthen Smith's six-month probationary period, Light said. The probation, which was expected to expire July 18, will be extended for at least five more months. During those months, Light said, the chief will undergo advanced leadership training through PRADCO, the Chagrin Falls company the city uses for leadership training across its many departments. "The chief's probationary period has been extended," the mayor confirmed, adding the program will be designed to mentor Smith. "You have to take steps to correct any problems on issues before you do anything else," Light said. "We are just getting off the ground. He was off two weeks on vacation. "There are four openings now at the police department and he is putting a lot of time into that," he added. "He's just starting his mentor program through PRATCO. That will be quite a long process. He is going along with the process and he is doing everything we are asking of him. We're working with Smitty, and he is working with us." The new electric car chargers have been installed in town — one behind city hall and one in the Berry's parking lot. "They are in there," White said. "We have to do the price structure (with city council) before turning them on. That hard part is over." A ribbon-cutting is set for 10 a.m. Monday for the new bathrooms at Suhr Family Park.