Cuyahoga Falls City council meets on the second and fourth Mondays of each month and council committee meetings are held on the first and third Monday to publicly discuss pending legislation that will be voted on by council as a whole during its regular scheduled meetings. The public is free to comment on pending legislation during the allowed time on the night of committee meetings.
On Monday November 15th, Cuyahoga Falls City Council had scheduled to have the planning and zoning committee meet to discuss B-102, concerning the construction of a car wash on Hudson Drive; however, the administration requested the legislation be held, with discussion resuming when the committee meets on December 6th.
Public and Industrial Improvements
B-103: Authorizes the Director of Public Service to purchase and install CO2 fire suppression systems for electric generators. Joseph Crtalia, foreman of city substations, spoke on behalf of the city on this legislation. He stated that this will cover five of the six generators at the Bailey Rd. site that are old and outdated, and that the sixth one was just upgraded last year. The committee voted to bring this out for a vote by full council when they meet November 22nd.
Public Affairs
B-104: Authorizes the Parks and Recreation Board to apply for and accept a grant from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Parks and Watercraft. Parks Superintendent Sara Kline explained that, if received, the grant would be used to start a watercraft and kayak safety program. The grant would have to serve disadvantaged or under-served members of our community. The parks and recreation staff reached out to the police department and would like to use this program as an incentive for those in the youth deferment program; upon successful completion of their program, they would become eligible to take kayak classes through the parks and recreation department. She thanked those in her department for reaching out to Chief Davis and putting this plan together. The committee voted to bring this out for a vote by full council on November 22nd.
Next, discussion continued on B-91, the city’s budget for 2022.
This week’s discussion centered around the city’s 5-year projection and the capital budget fund. Finance Director Bryan Hoffman gave an overview and department heads added other information and answered questions and comments from members of City Council.
Hoffman pointed out that we are very heavy on infrastructure with $3 million each year on street resurfacing and another $500,000 on concrete street repair. He also mentioned that we have been very successful in receiving grant money for many of the projects on our list.
The police department plans to purchase a state-of-the-art virtual reality training system that will allow police officers to train in scenarios either alone or with other officers in real time and the ability to have the training officer control and alter the training scenarios on the fly. Chief Davis said this system would be a great addition to the police department’s new shooting range and training center. He also would like to purchase a new SWAT van that could also be used as a rescue vehicle since it would be armor-plated.
According to Hoffman, the fire department plans on replacing Station 4 and including a training center in their long-term plan. Chief Martin shared with council that his research has established that there is a genuine need in the area for a fire training center, and it could be used by other departments in the same manner that our police training center is being used. The current street department building on the property would be replaced as part of this move and it will also improve the appearance of this intersection in Ward 8.
Parks and Recreation has the Boardwalk Transformation Project, rebuilding and upgrading the boardwalk along Riverfront Parkway, while Community Development will be preparing and administering the art grant they recently receive with matching funds from the federal government for riverfront art.
Tech Services has both traffic light controls and computer network upgrades that will be taking place in late 2022 and early 2023.
One of the differences between this year’s budget and years’ past is the $16.5 million grant the city received under The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). The first installment came in May.
These funds will be used to build upon the infrastructure that already exists and expand upon it, Hoffman explained. He presented a list to council to show the direction the city is taking in the use of these funds.
The first is a revolving loan program for the Community Improvement Corporation (CIC). This is an agency of the city that has been used since the 1970s to help with economic development and has powers and tools for that purpose, which would be difficult for a city to handle in-house. This is a very common practice for cities our size and bigger. The intent is to use some of these funds through the CIC to create a low-interest loan program to help small businesses and create a revenue stream within the CIC to help businesses in the future as the originals are paid off.
Other uses include:
* The Cochran Road infrastructure with industrial park on the north end of the city, which is slowly filling up. Hoffman explained that now would be a good time to improve this area and put in the necessary infrastructure—including, water, sewer, curbs, etc.—as an investment in the growth of our city.
* The completion of the Gorge Terrace project in the area of South Front St. and combining it with the South Front St. area from Broad Blvd. to the Gorge. These are both still in the planning stage.
* Currently the city has a JEDD that runs along State Rd. to Barlow Rd. in Boston Township. Businesses in that area have been asking for water and utilities. This could become a source of income for our city that could go on for a very long time. Funding for the water line would be shared by the township, the property owners, and the city.
* Veterans Trail, a multi-community project in the form of a bike and hike trail that would run through not only our city but would eventually connect to Route 91 in Hudson.
* A fiber optics upgrade to the city’s network that runs between buildings and systems.
The other infrastructure improvements around the city would also include traffic light battery backup at more intersections around the city, explained city IT Director Josh Kingston.
Water line replacements on Magnolia and Loomis, extending waterlines down Portage Trail Extension ahead of the widening are planned as part of a state program, according to Matt Geul, Water Department Head. Concerning correcting some flooding issues, Ward 3 Councilwoman Meika Penta questioned this at both Valley Vista and Babb Run parks, for which Geul stated how both of these problems occurred and that both of these items are in the 2022 budget.
Continued discussion on B-91 will resume after the regular city council meeting Monday November 22nd.
