A noteworthy enhancement is expected to be finished later this year at Lakefront Lodge, a lakefront park in Willowick.
Willowick officials have worked to set a completion date for the Gold Star Families Memorial project, spearheaded by Owen Engle, an Eastlake North High School student.
According to Mayor Michael Vanni, the date of Sept. 27 has been set to have the memorial finished and to be dedicated at the park, at 30525 Lakeshore Blvd., The News-Herald’s Marah Morrison reported.
“We are moving along with the parking lot and feel we can go to bid next month,” Vanni said. “We wanted to be realistic and think that the lot should be done by then. It will be very exciting.”
Vanni said the new agreement with Lake Metroparks at the Lakefront Lodge will ensure the continued partnership with Lake Metroparks in managing the park and solidifies a shared commitment to preserving and enhancing the community space for residents and visitors.
Under the terms of the agreement, Lake Metroparks will continue to use and oversee the maintenance of Lakefront Lodge, as well as constructing a 30-by-44-foot picnic shelter, a flush restroom, renovation of the deck at the lodge and paved walking path improvements.
The additional paved parking lot included in the agreement is to be completed by the city. The agreement calls for the parking lot to be finished this year and the improvements to be made by Lake Metroparks wrapped up in 2027.
Vanni said the memorial will go where a house was torn down in the park, as there is plenty of room and no erosion problems there.
“It does also provide some level of privacy away from the pavilion,” he said. “When the house was torn down, we couldn’t really do anything in that spot, so it worked out well. Metroparks will put some barriers there as well, as part of the agreement.”
As part of the memorial project, some of the trees will come down.
After learning of his father’s hometown having a Gold Star Families Memorial Monument, Engle made a visit there in Wapakoneta, Ohio. After the visit, he was inspired to bring a similar monument to Willowick.
A Gold Star Family is one that has lost an immediate family member in the line of duty of military service.
Engle has since met with city officials and has led the charge in bringing the monument.
In Willowick, there are four Gold Star Families.
“We were able to locate one of the Willowick Gold Star Family members,” Engle said. “We do have two other families from the surrounding area — Willoughby and Wickliffe. The foundation requires that on our committee, we need to have at least one. We’ll have two, so that is great for us.”
The News-Herald salutes Engle for being a catalyst in the creation of a Gold Star Families monument in Willowick. This memorial will be a nice feature at Lakefront Lodge.