Lorain Better Block returns to reimagine Broadway

LORAIN — After a six-year hiatus, Lorain Better Block will again offer a glimpse of what is possible. The event from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Aug. 9 will temporarily allow residents to reimagine a portion of Broadway ahead of upgrades to the corridor slated for next year. In 2018, the Lorain Better Block event saw Broadway — prior to the completion of the streetscape — trade roadway footage for bicycle lanes and vendor spaces. In 2019, the event moved to Washington Avenue, where attendees experienced temporary bike lanes ahead of the shared painted lanes and road narrowing implemented a few years later. This year, the event will stretch from about West 10th to West 16th, with Broadway condensed from four to two lanes, one in each direction. Parking for the vendors and other activities will be at the Lorain County Health and Dentistry Building, 1205 Broadway; and the Lorain County Transit trolley will take attendees from the Better Block event at West 13th to the Lorain Palace Theatre for Main Street Lorain's Second Saturday festivities throughout the afternoon. "Lorain Better Block is reimagining how our built-in environment works with us as a society and community," said Better Block Marketing and Communications and Volunteer Coordinator Monica Morell. "... We're really highlighting an area within the city that's typically underused and shining a light on what it could be." Eric Newsome, Better Block co-organizer, said the temporary changes will maintain vehicle traffic via one lane in each direction for the event. The other road space will see a two-way, separate bicycle lane on the east side of the road and "parklets" for vendors on the west side. Lorain Civil Engineer Veronica Newsome, Eric's wife, said the city received two grants with no local match requirements to improve safety and access in the corridor. Lorain received $1.5 million in carbon reduction funds from the Northeast Ohio Area Coordinating Agency to improve cyclist connectivity to the lakefront, and $2 million from the Ohio Department of Transportation to pilot safety improvements on Broadway from East 28th Street to West 10th Street — with the culmination of the two funding sources coined the Broadway Corridor project. The Broadway Corridor project is still in its design stage, she said, so the Better Block event will present attendees with options to choose from, or things they would like to see addressed in the area, such as improved sidewalks, crosswalks, or bicycle lanes. "The point, from the engineering department and city's view, is to talk about the projects coming up and engage the public in a meaningful manner," Veronica Newsome said, noting oftentimes City Council committee hearings or other public meetings are held during business hours or on weekdays, which could limit public participation. "We want to make sure we have meaningful input from residents," she said. Alongside the temporary road diet, a design strategy that reduces the lanes of vehicle traffic, the event hopes to bring people to the nearby Black River Warf Boat Launch off West 14th Street and Broadway. The launch is owned by the Lorain Port and Finance Authority and managed by Oasis Marinas. Free boat rides are available with prior registration to take attendees out to the lighthouse, Morrell said, and the Lorain Police Marine Patrol will host demonstrations and provide information on its services. The Better Block event is free and open to the public. It is still accepting vendor and volunteer applications via links on the Facebook event page @Lorain Better Block. The event is sponsored by Terminal Ready-Mix, Italian American Veterans Post 1, American Legion Posts 30, Coldwater Consulting, K.E. McCartney and Associates, and the Lakeland Community Foundation. Contact Carissa Woytach at (440) 329-7245 or cwoytach@chroniclet.com.