Doug Lindner

SOLON– It’s close.
Oh, so close.
The Hoover Trail link between Solon and Ely will be mostly filled in yet this year, with only the Ely Road underpass to construct in 2020.
A gravel, at-grade crossing is in place at the underpass site north of 140th Street providing access to the entire trail, according to Brad Friedhof, program manager for the Johnson County Conservation Board.
But there are still small stretches of concrete to pour between Polk Avenue and Ely Road along Highway 382 near Solon.

SOLON– Getting bicyclists safely downtown quickly jumped to the top of the list.
The Solon City Council revisited its capital improvement program (CIP) at a Sept. 4 meeting, and extending the Hoover Trail from its head at the Solon Recreation and Nature Area (SRNA) to Main Street dominated the conversation.
The CIP is a list of ranked projects, with estimated costs and projected scheduling used to help plan for short- and long-term municipal upgrades.

SOLON– It was a little bit of movie magic.
Customers at Sam’s Main Street Market shared the aisles with movie cameras, sound equipment, actors and technicians from the production crew of “East of Middle West,” on the afternoon of Aug. 28.
For about seven hours, scenes were filmed throughout the grocery store, including at the front register as rush hour was starting for owner Sam Lensing and his staff.
“I was kind of worried it might hinder the flow,” Lensing said. “It went pretty smooth.”
Lensing said the film’s director wanted a lot of bodies moving around in the background.

SOLON– There was a lot to like in those two losses for Solon Head Volleyball Coach Sarah Ferin.
“I was very happy with the team, we communicated well, moved the ball around, served well,” Ferin said. “Just a couple hiccups would have made a difference, all of our mistakes are fixable.”
The varsity Lady Spartans opened the season Aug. 29 hosting a quad meet with No. 1 (3A) Mount Vernon, No. 8 (4A) Clear Creek Amana (CCA) and unranked Center Point Urbana (CPU).
Solon dropped 2-1 decisions to CCA and CPU.

SOLON– There will be a lot of shoes to fill for the Solon varsity volleyball team.
The squad graduated nine seniors, five of them starters in the varsity rotation.
Gone are seniors Taylor Moore, Raysa Garbes, Kate Benzing, Rachael Nelson, Hannah Kramer, Abby Smith, Taylor Noonan, Elli Becicka and Vanessa Milliman, as well as Lauren Schrock, the team’s leader in kills last year.
But third-year Solon Head Coach Sarah Ferin is looking forward to a good season.
“The seniors are ready to contribute after waiting behind a four-year starting class that graduated last year,” Ferin noted.