Cuyahoga Falls City Council holds regular meetings on the second and fourth Mondays of each month. Council committee meetings are held on the first and third Mondays in order to allow councilmembers to publicly discuss pending legislation that will be voted on at regular meetings. The public is free to comment on pending legislation during the allowed time set aside as part of committee meetings.
Legislation Scheduled for Discussion
Public & Industrial Improvements:
B-14: An ordinance authorizing the director of public service to enter into a contract or contracts, according to law, for the Riverloop, Riverfront Parkway Enhancements and Boardwalk Rehabilitation, and the improvements to the Portage Trail Bridge Lighting.
B-15: An ordinance authorizing the director of public service to enter into a third modification of contract No. 8807 with Environmental Design Group.
Both pieces were discussed together as they are companion pieces of legislation. The discussion started with comments from Mayor Walters who reminded council that when the area was slated for redevelopment, it was broken down into three parts: the initial project was to re-open the street; second would continue the improvements further down south Front Street, with it slated to begin this spring; the third component is the Riverloop component. The presentation went to City Engineer Mackenzie Kaser who gave a history of the project and a brief presentation. The presentation can be found online at https://www.cityofcf.com/riverloop.
After an evaluation, what started as a plan to replace the steps and trim the area fell short, finding that the footings and foundations of many parts of the boardwalk were no longer safe, increasing the bill for the design aspect from $102k to almost $500k. There is $7.1 million budgeted for the project that will begin this spring and finish in the fall of 2026. CBDG funds will be used to make the new space accessible for all, and the area will have wider and safer sidewalks on both the upper and lower level. Kaser pointed out landscaping will change along the banks as part of the project, with many of the evasive plants currently there replaced with plants that are native to the area. Council asked several questions about the project and gave praise over many of the features. Mayor Walters said this project itself has been in the works since before Covid-19 and it’s nice to see it finally coming to fruition. The public & industrial improvements committee voted to bring both pieces of legislation out for a vote before all of council next Monday, February 24.
