Part 1: Top 10 Stories Of 2019

2019 was a year full of new businesses, positive changes in the Ellwood City area, and plenty more twists and turns.

EllwoodCity.org has been right there, keeping members of our community updated with the best information possible. Following previous years, we’ve compiled a list of the Top 10 stories from 2019. This is part one of our 2 part series, and we’d like to thank everyone who keeps hitting the refresh button and viewing our site, with your help we’ve reached over one million page views.

Be sure to check back Tuesday for Part 2.

Ellwood City School District Armed Security and Lunch Debt
Every new school year brings new updates to a school district, these changes range from a large impact to something small that the students hardly know anything was changed. For one of the two local schools, the school board decided that this school year there would be some serious changes. Back in May of 2019, the Ellwood City School District announced that for the upcoming 2019-2020 school year, the school will house two armed school police officers after receiving a grant of $156,400 from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency. This funding will help keep the police officers hired for two years. As an additional effort to help make the school more secure, the school board also voted to improve security vestibules at North Side, Hartman, and Perry Lower Intermediate back in August. Along with safety updated, the Ellwood City School decided to tackle their school lunch debt. The school had been presented a $22,000 check from Baierl Toyota of Mars, Pa back in August to cover school lunch debt.  Superintendent Joseph Mancini encourages parents within the district to fill out the online application for free and reduced lunches, stating that more than 50% of the students enrolled in the Ellwood City Schools are on free or reduced meal programs and he is seeing indications that the number could grow.

Kaitlyn “Kait” Francis
Back in January, Ellwood City mourned the death of 17-year-old Kaitlyn “Kait” Francis after her long battle with cancer. To honor Francis, both Riverside and Ellwood City schools came together to hold a fundraiser to show support for the family by making and selling t-shirts that both schools wore on the night of the Riv-Ell basketball game. Before the game started, both student sections held candles and preformed a moment of silence in her honor. After the moment of silence, both schools erupted in the chant “Kait’s our hero” while the two basketball teams joined their respective players in a huddle.

Parking Meters
It seems that the only reason anyone keeps coin money on them anymore is to pay the pesky parking meters that line the streets of Ellwood City. The idea was put to a vote in October. While it didn’t get passed at the time, points were made and the motioned ended up tabled due to a more detailed report of the meters revenue and expense of the meters and their upkeep. George Celli stated that “any revenue at this point (in October) is necessary to help as the borough will soon be forced to balance the budget”. Don’t get rid of your coins too soon, we may be dealing with the meters for a few more months.

Bridge Mania
In 2019, we watched the old Koppel Bridge be torn down and remade in a slow process, but it’s finally up and running again. Construction on the new bridge began all the way back in 2017. In April of 2019, Penndot confirmed that the $27.58 million dollar Koppel Bridge replacement project is progressing well and in July, the final closure was announced. Within a few short months, the new bridge was up and running. However, it wasn’t the only bridge going through a facelift. When October came around, the announcement that the Wampum Bridge will also be going under construction. The bridge’s closure dates were announced early in November.

The Year of New Restaurants
This year, Ellwood City gained three new restaurants. Kicking off the new restaurant craze, Dog Gone Bar and Resturant opened its doors back in March. Dog Gone was opened by local pet lover Tim “T.O” O’Brien after he acquired the property over on 125 First Street when he decided he wanted to give Ellwood City a “different aspect to the bar/restaurant scene”, wanting to make it a place where people don’t just go to “get plastered”.  Since its initial opening, O’Brien hasn’t stopped adding aspects to the restaurant. Following in suit, Big Shot Bobs came to town back in June. This “House Of Wings” held their opening at the beginning of June and had over 100 orders and a 90-minute long wait, it was only after their phone lines became unavailable people began to flood into their 2nd Street location, quickly becoming a town favorite. The Ellwood location is only one of 20 locations offered in the Pittsburgh and surrounding areas. In August, new owner Mike Ward opened his doors to Mike’s Main Street Bar and Grill which was previously known as Main Street Bar and Grill. Ward had purchased the restaurant from previous owner Greg Ottaviani earlier in 2019. All three businesses have been holding their own in this town and we wish them the best in the new decade.