[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6083744,"mediaKeyId","2927705-b78d96629bef580b625f3155af8dec3b","parentId",2927705,"title","Public Service committee clears consent agenda covering equipment, parking deck rehab, trail design and concrete street repairs","audioSeconds",1105,"startMs",2520000,"endMs",3625000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2927705-b78d96629bef580b625f3155af8dec3b&start=2520&end=3625","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2927705-b78d96629bef580b625f3155af8dec3b/thumbnail_2520000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6083744/Akron/Summit-County/Ohio/Public-Service-committee-clears-consent-agenda-covering-equipment-parking-deck-rehab-trail-design-and-concrete-street-repairs","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6083744-ece9521e81fd5c6e24c63e18b805552e/orig.mp4?Expires=1771148663&Signature=cl1WZnWtqsCBq2XQ394yIi0hrekTqMbfPDcXBrRPadWy~5IL80uLtIzRMbRasrHQfaTPbMTJTekLisHcO5PV6WWsSvxahnoo7pCDYDMVsA-rb-RJLLnmzuqMtJC~1s5pCDeLVYVO9xUHn61s2ZpGuAPAHasdO6M~g92FyzjxAR93gpii044mCitkhFNCd8DXhUsUIQqIFAdQ4fkwZ~3gyVpK21v88YgY1DMVTpz43QWhr1f5-7fvwxHslSi7sdV8ZOMPw29AGZRSiqu6W1SVr7BsS26v~Oa4pAbgw4znq8hq9-zSf3UGLlkti2A5oYbs3cOQOlG53YngIMVV1n7a0w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City Council of Akron, OH ","date","2025-04-09T17:00:14.83Z","article","The Public Service Committee approved a multi-item consent agenda that included supplier contracts and procurement authorizations for street-sweeper maintenance, airport snow-removal equipment, Cascade parking-deck repairs, design services for phase 3 of the Rubber City Heritage Trail, turf and mower replacements for city grounds and a concrete street rehabilitation resolution.

Luddell, speaking for Public Service staff, said a new contract with A and H Equipment Company was needed because the previous vendor was no longer the OEM supplier for the city’s Elgin sweepers; the vendor will supply parts, warranty work and perform major repairs the city cannot complete in-house. Public Service staff did not provide the committee with an exact count of sweepers; staff said they would follow up with that number.

Airport staff said the city’s current airport snow-removal equipment is more than 20 years old and beyond its useful life. The total project estimate is about $850,000; the Federal Aviation Administration had approved about $807,000 and the city expects to fund the remainder from airport JED funds.

City staff reported a $5 million state grant toward a $6.4 million program to repair the Cascade parking deck; the 2025 work will focus on structural repairs to columns, ramps and stairwells and some lighting and wayfinding upgrades. The committee also authorized hiring a design consultant for approximately 4,400 feet of the Rubber City Heritage Trail (phase 3), which city staff said will improve connectivity from the Exchange/Market Street area and run under Beacon Street toward Johnson Street in later phases.

Other ordinances approved by consent included purchases for golf-course mowing and turf equipment (replacement of older John Deere and Toro machines described by staff as beyond their useful lives) and a resolution to begin the assessment process for a concrete street rehabilitation package concentrated in Ward 6 that includes multiple streets (Shelburne, Highgrove, Baker Avenue and Springfield Center Road). Staff said the concrete package received $1.6 million from the Ohio Public Works Commission and that work is expected to start later in the summer after assessment board recommendations and awarded bids.

Committee members asked routine implementation questions and sought details staff said they would provide later, including the exact number of sweepers and the timing for bids. All legislative items on the committee agenda were approved on the consent agenda by voice vote.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","City of Akron Council Committee Meetings - 04.07.25","oneSentenceSummary","The Public Service Committee approved a multi-item consent agenda that included supplier contracts and procurement authorizations for street-sweeper maintenance, airport snow-removal equipment, Cascade parking-deck repairs, design services for phase 3 of the Rubber City Heritage Trail, turf and mower replacements and a concrete street rehabilitation resolution.","taxTitle","Akron, Summit County, Ohio","taxId",2666,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6083749,"Parks committee advances Akron Parks Collaborative contract and funds for Prentice and Sherbondi Hill parks",1141,878000,2019000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2927705-b78d96629bef580b625f3155af8dec3b&start=878&end=2019","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2927705-b78d96629bef580b625f3155af8dec3b/thumbnail_878000.jpg","/articles/6083749/Akron/Summit-County/Ohio/Parks-committee-advances-Akron-Parks-Collaborative-contract-and-funds-for-Prentice-and-Sherbondi-Hill-parks","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6083749-2787474bdbd99b29d5d399d83a98c2c3/orig.mp4?Expires=1771148663&Signature=YdbWGiv3n9x87XKgsgWP0a2ufieGB7PYejOxH8HAUIwX4NKy-B07RBeQ0mwfD0YNoVHSdclV8AryxCXEQCqa0aWY4BY6RoaWYrLF7FsqH9mp9MQHOSZDfcPvFuWw-CfYhXrUBQyxNCOvPhrNbB4SEfEsESbU0B7ELYqsd~LaclTBdftSGwtZ7bdGYXQx5TRjdFDRv~7urJIx~MsEPpQFNb-le6K5GF~7Y08cqma9cqrGlDsVnfR5KAdyKHA40vMw9PMXbB0cJBGsPTa6sSRAZsRLqjLNeN1mxDN7TRERzLcR0TrSloHMbmVXtmXUm7xZi8SPTwOzh7nwfg7sZ4-Z~w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Parks & Recreation Committee advanced an ordinance authorizing the mayor or a designee to contract with Akron Parks Collaborative without public bid and approved separate ordinances to solicit bids for rehabilitation work at Prentice Park and Sherbondi Hill Park.

Bridgette Anne Briscoe, an Akron Parks Collaborative representative, told the committee the city and the nonprofit have worked together since 2018 and that the organization has “worked on 21 parks overall” and, together with the city, “invested around 3,800,000.0 into our neighborhood parks.” She said the Parks Challenge program expands community leadership, creates friends groups that maintain parks and runs youth maintenance and ambassador programs.

The committee discussed details for two parks included in the year’s program. Jim Ashley, a city staff member who presents contract and project details, said the Prentice Park rehabilitation will include a play space, a walkway, a pump-track feature and site furnishings and landscaping, and noted ongoing coordination with Akron Public Schools for daytime and after-school use. For Sherbondi Hill Park, Ashley described an approximately 10-acre site and said the package under consideration totals about $150,000 for a pavilion, play space, site furnishings and landscaping.

Council members asked for further detail about ward representation among applicants, contractor outreach and youth employment. Councilwoman Namibian asked whether any wards were not represented among the 13 submitted applications; Briscoe said she had not yet reviewed the applications and would report back with ward-level details. Committee members also asked that staff seek minority contractor participation for Sherbondi Hill and that project managers follow up on whether a practice field could be made regulation size (trees near the Sherbondi field were noted as a possible constraint).

Briscoe described program features that are already in place: 10 active “friends” groups created through the challenge process; local youth ambassador and paid work programs (examples cited included a group managed by LYNX at Jewett Park and a South Street Ministries youth crew at Morgan Park); ongoing maintenance support; and small grants such as roughly $12,000 from Summit County Public Health toward the Sherbondi play space. She said Akron Parks Collaborative is also piloting a “nature in our neighborhoods” meadow restoration project to reduce maintenance burdens.

Committee members praised the collaborative’s community engagement and stewardship outcomes, then approved the three items on the committee consent agenda. The ordinances authorize (1) a direct contract with Akron Parks Collaborative for professional and supplemental services related to parks improvements, (2) public bidding for rehabilitation work at Prentice Park consistent with the Akron Parks Challenge, and (3) public bidding for rehabilitation work at Sherbondi Hill Park.

Committee staff said they will return with more granular budget and contractor information as bids and applications are processed and as staff follows up on regulation-size field constraints and ward-level application coverage.","The Parks & Recreation Committee approved an ordinance to contract with Akron Parks Collaborative and moved forward separate ordinances to advertise bids for rehabilitation work at Prentice Park and Sherbondi Hill Park; items passed on the committee consent agenda.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6083734,"Public Safety committee renews contract with Oriana House and accepts VAWA grant to fund domestic-violence investigators",235,4241000,4476000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2927705-b78d96629bef580b625f3155af8dec3b&start=4241&end=4476","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2927705-b78d96629bef580b625f3155af8dec3b/thumbnail_4241000.jpg","/articles/6083734/Akron/Summit-County/Ohio/Public-Safety-committee-renews-contract-with-Oriana-House-and-accepts-VAWA-grant-to-fund-domestic-violence-investigators","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6083734-728b8c32431e8f8bee2a31f71cbffc94/orig.mp4?Expires=1771148663&Signature=YzCo78iGd3cVm~k2aK5VdabHKDRT2U5LN0-7nuCMvUXuzRfylx91WACseeXGZKJj0tYEUOVfXlSY5HPG3l6re9e-mjqb7SpVo7L4xHZeUdeumMNFxdGeuKf~IXgtG24r1afUyqy-cZ7qV77jGxiNzLfWfwpJqLr17D1bc232XW5Ph4JXW4bDVaVr~vFd3KYnYvFEYS3H5AJZG0Yc6YFDbyNweuT1VJpsf3ek2ETKQkabkrMGWtsihZrHo0GkR0t33GcnxmH4bKT4Aa1CsYWsq6kF2qJgj97pGDxz8pFi5hkwJgT0w~Pp~AKznDbbtEq5iBVUOUpg0PRnwirU1QU6GA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Public Safety Committee approved two ordinances by consent: a renewal of the city’s agreement with Oriana House, Inc. for confinement, rehabilitation services and alternative sentencing options, and a grant-acceptance ordinance to continue funding domestic-violence investigators through a Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) award administered by the Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services.

Craig Morgan, chief prosecutor, described the Oriana House agreement as a renewal of a long-standing partnership that provides community-based behavioral-health alternatives, case management and assessment services, and supports specialty courts such as recovery and family-intervention courts. He said Oriana House assists pretrial monitoring for some defendants and helps with case assessments for specialty court referrals.

On the VAWA grant, Morgan said the prosecutor’s office has received funding for more than 25 years to offset the cost of investigators who support the domestic-violence caseload. \"These two individuals help with preparing and building the case files for all domestic violence and related offenses and provide that critical support for the prosecutors,\" Morgan said. The ordinance authorizes the mayor’s designee to accept and expend the grant and authorizes the director of law to enter into agreements with Oriana House, Inc. to implement the grant.

Both ordinances were approved on the committee consent agenda with no roll-call vote recorded in the transcript. Committee members expressed general support and no committee member raised objections during the public proceeding.","The Public Safety Committee approved renewal of the city’s contract with Oriana House, Inc. for confinement, rehabilitation and alternative-sentencing services, and approved acceptance of a Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) grant to fund domestic-violence investigators embedded in the prosecutor’s office.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6083739,"Keep Akron Beautiful outlines April cleanup month, secures EPA grant and plans citywide mailer",811,3600000,4411000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2927705-b78d96629bef580b625f3155af8dec3b&start=3600&end=4411","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2927705-b78d96629bef580b625f3155af8dec3b/thumbnail_3600000.jpg","/articles/6083739/Akron/Summit-County/Ohio/Keep-Akron-Beautiful-outlines-April-cleanup-month-secures-EPA-grant-and-plans-citywide-mailer","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6083739-a0f36176cf9870b7ae2aff00ddd235ef/orig.mp4?Expires=1771148663&Signature=cTE9NBX-nE1IWytUI9AuA7LQQJFVkBmbxD2MMMdtyIKO0CGu3xCBnzkhcV1WcT3wAbjzI8tJpTmyLRqUdyno8~ytwEND1fQcnQ6rLV~KDtXsEfg8ruQiRQ-sdMjLlf-xhOr5jC4u21-E7KTisf~WF-5Q99uKX97eFzDGsKePbWwvDNacSbIgCTIgZ-iO1UK7XD3lqtJZ7HtTKuEwLqRjW74eOuUs2xyjsercYb9K5RNfN61qn~jb1RL0EOdVCIplB8amdjfvoT-gtXB4p0I2HwZyP6C~3DSoc5fVVLGI~7dxYN67x-KU4k4jAV5EDuDRIS5ehziarpxY0sqYclqSFA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Jackie, representing Keep Akron Beautiful, briefed the Public Service Committee on the nonprofit’s April Cleanup Akron Month activities, volunteer mobilization, graffiti removal schedule and a recent grant award from the Ohio EPA.

“April is Cleanup Akron Month,” Jackie said. She told the committee the nonprofit provides cleanup supplies (trash bags, recycle bags, gloves, Purell and litter grabbers), registers volunteers at keepakronbeautiful.org and either assigns cleanup locations or allows volunteers to choose them. Larger cleanups receive delivered supplies and mapping assistance; Keep Akron Beautiful collects the trash after volunteer events.

Jackie said the group secured an Ohio EPA grant that, combined with matching funds, totals about $90,000; she said the EPA portion is approximately $70,000. The funding will underwrite a range of outreach and cleanup activities, including a planned colored mailer to every household in the city this year that the nonprofit described as a central outreach tool to explain what Keep Akron Beautiful does and to promote recycling and litter prevention. She said radio and social media outreach will continue and that the nonprofit is open to attending ward meetings.

Committee members asked about partnerships and complaint processes. In response to Councilman Bolder’s question about Preserve the Valley, Jackie said Keep Akron Beautiful provides supplies and works with event organizers even when events fall on the same date as other cleanups. She said the organization coordinates with the city’s trash and enforcement teams on illegal dump removal; city staff added they have seen reductions in some categories of illegal dumping after focused enforcement and cleanup action. Jackie noted graffiti-removal blasting equipment is winterized and typically becomes available in early May when temperatures permit consistent 65°F operation.

Committee members raised operational concerns the group has encountered, including tire and boat dumping. Jackie said staff have observed an uptick in abandoned boats recently and that the nonprofit will continue to handle complaints and escalate large removals through city channels.

The committee thanked Keep Akron Beautiful for its volunteer network and said members plan to support outreach and coordination for the spring cleanup season.","Keep Akron Beautiful told the Public Service Committee that April is Cleanup Akron Month, announced an Ohio EPA grant award and said it will use part of the funding to mail a resident-focused information packet citywide about litter prevention and recycling.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Public Service committee clears consent agenda covering equipment, parking deck rehab, trail design and concrete street repairs

Parks committee advances Akron Parks Collaborative contract and funds for Prentice and Sherbondi Hill parks

Public Safety committee renews contract with Oriana House and accepts VAWA grant to fund domestic-violence investigators

Keep Akron Beautiful outlines April cleanup month, secures EPA grant and plans citywide mailer