Author

Barbara Bachtell

Barbara Bachtell is a 25-year resident of Cleveland Heights and lived in Cleveland before that for almost as long. She is a visual artist with a studio in Cleveland’s Twist Drill Building, and was the executive director for 28 years of the Broadway School of Music & the Arts in Cleveland’s Slavic Village neighborhood, where her Bohemian ancestors were among the earliest residents. She is passionate about connecting people and communities through the arts.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree (visual art and creative writing) from Wesleyan University (CT), and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in painting from Cleveland Institute of Art.

She is a graduate of The Land’s Community Journalism Program.

Barbara's Latest Articles

5 years in: Cleveland Heights’ first community orchard is thriving

By Barbara Bachtell

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Sustainability

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January 9, 2026

A little more than five years ago, what’s now Delmore Orchard was one of nine vacant lots on Delmore Road in Cleveland Heights’ Noble neighborhood. It boasted a buried asphalt driveway, remnants of a house foundation and hard clay soil.