What do you think of Ravenna?

[GoodDog2]

There is nothing wrong with Ravenna water. It is exceptionally good quality. It exceeds all EPA mandated drinking water quality standards (which are more stringent than bottled water). Thing is; it is derived from a surface water source (lake Hodgson). Drinking water derived from a surface water source can be impacted by tastes imparted by algae that are naturally occurring in the lake. Ravenna spends a lot of money to combat that problem quite successfully. Unfortunately, many years ago the taste problem wasn't controlled very well, which is why their water may not have a great reputation. The other issue is that surface water tastes very different than ground water. So people that are accustomed to drinking water from a ground water source (wells, like Kent's water) will immediately taste a difference and find it objectionable. Ground water and good tasting water in general, really has no taste, which is what people favor. Unfortunately, communities that have small lakes and reservoirs often battle with an objectionable taste problem. However, it is only aesthetic and not something harmful.

Ravenna's water source; Lake Hodgson is a glacial lake that was built-up with an earthen dam (essentially to make it deeper) back at the turn of the century for the Cleveland Worsted Mills. It is over 60 feet deep at the deepest point. The water was pumped into town (Ravenna) to be used in the wool making process at their original facility on Lake Street (near Prospect/Rt 44).

[chapingirl]

worth thinking about

[Heidi60]

Originally Posted by Jmayer53

I do not live in Ravenna or even in Portage County, but have worked in Ravenna for ten years. I was told the first day at work "don't drink the water". We have bottled water and everyone drinks that. Other than that, I can say I have enjoyed working with the people for that area. There are some nice little neighborhoods downtown and if you want a country feel you only have to go a couple miles out of town. People are pretty happy with the schools and the new high school is really nice. For several decades Ravenna and most of Portage county was economically depressed but folks have adjusted and it seems to be doing ok. It has a very hometown feel and I think one would feel at home there. I may be biased, but Robinson Memorial Hospital is a great community hospital where you will receive friendly, personalized care, not feel like a "number".

Back in the '60's I did a lot of volunteer work at Robinson Memorial! Glad to know it is still a place to be proud of.

Today, when I think about Ohio, I think it has not only become a toxic dump but also a drug dump for way too many citizens. Sadly many of our small towns are in the same situation. There are many town in Idaho, Washington, and Oregon that are used to pass Canadian oil on from Canada to China. Words cannot say how much this makes my heart ache for the U.S..

[GoodDog2]

Originally Posted by Heidi60

Back in the '60's I did a lot of volunteer work at Robinson Memorial! Glad to know it is still a place to be proud of.

Today, when I think about Ohio, I think it has not only become a toxic dump but also a drug dump for way too many citizens. Sadly many of our small towns are in the same situation. There are many town in Idaho, Washington, and Oregon that are used to pass Canadian oil on from Canada to China. Words cannot say how much this makes my heart ache for the U.S..

It isn't fair to classify the entire state based upon a stereotype (i.e. drugs and toxic waste). The state of Ohio isn't much different than most other states in that it has some extremely depressed communities. Of course, it was a heavily industrialized state that left behind many skeletons in the closet. That is the price for progress. Northern Ohio has become very progressive in contrast to the southern part of Ohio. That is not to say that a lot of good things aren't happening there too. There are a lot of great environmental groups that work vigilantly on cleaning-up storm water and revitalizing/maintaining the rivers and their ecosystems. You won't find a more progressive place than the Cleveland/Akron metropolitan area. Some of the dams in the Cuyahoga River have been removed and the fish populations are booming (Bass & Northern Pike). Lake Erie off of Cleveland has become a hot spot for Salmon and Walleye. The Metro Parks System is second to none across the country. You could spend the entire summer exploring this great park system that spans multiple counties. It really is amazing! So I would say that your thoughts about Ohio are outdated and somewhat inaccurate.

[Heidi60]

My Dad was a school teacher/vice principal in the Parma school district, Grandma supported her four children after becoming a widow at an early age by working for Bobby Brooks in downtown Cleveland. I miss the European ethnic foods of my childhood and neighborhood feelings from Portage Lakes, Kent, Ravenna, Parma, Euclid, and Chagrin Falls. The Cleveland Clinic provided four generations of care to my family but even they have changed. I spent many a happy hour at the Cleveland Zoo and in the Metro Parks System but as an adult I grew to feel less secure about the area, especially the brutal winters. It would be unrealistic to say that there are no environmental problems, remember the Cuyahoga River burning? However, in my opinion it is the political machine that is to blame for wanting to sell our resources to China.