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.
Finance & Appropriations:
A-36: An ordinance authorizing the director of public service to enter into a contract or contracts, without competitive bidding, with The Cope Salt Company for bulk salt used in the water treatment process. Russ Kring, Water Superintendent, gave the presentation on this legislation, by telling the committee that a natural gas well owned by Parks and Recreation began malfunctioning in February of this year and it was discovered it had somehow infringed into the same ground cavity as one of the brine wells that the city uses to create salt for our water treatment process. As a result, use of the brine well has been temporarily suspended. The city is working with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and the gas well will more than likely be capped and then they will check the integrity of the brine well before returning it to service. This legislation is capped at $150k, and the salt will be purchased as needed to keep the water department operating until the brine well is operational again. The committee voted to bring this out for a vote before city council next Monday.
Public Affairs:
A-37: A resolution declaring the month of March as Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month in the City of Cuyahoga Falls. Summit County DD Superintendent Lisa Kamolowsky began by thanking the administration on behalf of the 5,100 families her agency serves in Summit County. Disabilities Awareness Month is a national celebration every March and she wanted to let the city know their agency strives to be an open door to the community since moving here two years ago. The committee voted to bring this resolution out for a vote before city council next Monday.
A-38: An ordinance amending the Traffic Control File by reducing the speed limit on Bailey Road from Erie to Front Street. This measure was discussed and voted on by the traffic committee and is now before council for approval. Mayor Walters started the discussion by saying that all traffic control devices, signs, traffic signals, marked lanes, etc. must comply with the State Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices. He went on to state that a 35 mph speed is permitted when the road is over one mile long uninterrupted, and that is Bailey Road up to Erie Street. From the stop sign at Erie Street to Front Street there is a nursing home, several businesses, and a huge curve. With Bailey Road no longer crossing Front Street and the river, the 35 mph speed limit was no longer justified. Ward 6 Councilman Gary DeRemer commented that when he was knocking on doors last November the number one concern voiced by residents on that stretch of Bailey was speed. He felt compelled to correct it. The committee voted to bring this out for a vote before city council next Monday.
Community Development:
A-39: An ordinance approving and authorizing the mayor to execute a Community Development Block Grant Agreement with Polymerics, Inc. for an economic development project. The presentation was started by the city Community Block Development Grant Administrator Peggy Szalay who gave a quick history of Polymerics that has been in the city since 1979 and has 53 employees. Michael Syroid, President of Polymerics stepped up next and explained what the company does and what the proposed grant will enable his company to do. Worth noting that the grant requires that it will be used to create four new jobs and he has actually hired 9, with plans to hire a total of 30. The company premixes compounds for the rubber industry and is located at 2828 Second Street. The committee voted to bring this out for a vote before city council next Monday.
