Residents press Troy council on library traffic, accessibility and Narcan training during public comment

Residents used the public-comment periods at the May 5 Troy City Council meeting to raise questions about the proposed library project, traffic impacts at the Liberty/Big Beaver area and public health options for opioid overdose response.

Russell Reynolds, a Troy resident, urged the council to add a traffic study to the budget or otherwise require one before advancing the larger library plan, citing concerns about additional traffic backing up toward Big Beaver and the community center—s existing congestion. "Is it possible to add a traffic study into the budget for that, especially because there's now gonna be access based on the plan to the library off of Liberty?" Reynolds asked during the public hearing on the budget.

Reynolds also raised accessibility and design questions about parking counts and landscaping, noting an apparent reduction in accessible (handicapped) spaces in the conceptual plan and concern about invasive species visible from library windows.

Joey Colby Bernard, a clinical social worker and Troy resident, expressed support for the library bond but urged the city to expand Narcan (naloxone) training and make naloxone publicly accessible in city facilities. Bernard said Troy police are trained in Narcan use but suggested installing Narcan vending machines at city hall and the police station and coordinating with the Oakland County Health Department.

Council members and staff responded: CFO Robert Malzak and council members said traffic studies and site-plan review are part of the planning department and planning-commission process and that funding for a study could be covered if and when a specific project advances. Council members told Reynolds that detailed architecture, accessibility and landscaping will be addressed later in the design and site-plan phases if voters approve a bond and the project moves forward.

On the Narcan request, council members and the city manager confirmed Troy police receive Narcan training. City attorney and staff said the Troy Community Coalition and the county Alliance for Healthy Communities already discuss harm-reduction and overdose-prevention practices; staff said they would gather more information about public access options for naloxone.

Ending: Council members encouraged residents to raise site-specific design concerns during future site-plan and architectural review processes and to contact police non-emergency for on-the-ground ordinance enforcement; they said broader policy decisions about Narcan distribution and public vending would be explored with community health partners if warranted.