Several residents used the public-comment portion of the July meeting to thank council for recent service changes, ask for more accessible park-design materials, report a persistent drainage problem at Steuben and Duncan, and to promote an upcoming Rotary community event.

Jan Sweeney of 25 Lincoln Avenue thanked council for selecting Valley Waste and said neighbors on Lincoln Avenue had fewer complaints about missed lids and loose bins since the change. Councilors noted the selection followed public input and staff work.

On parks, both Sweeney and borough staff said concept drawings for Noble and Lynnwood parks will be prepared and posted when available; staff said preliminary designs will be ready in the next month or two and the borough plans to solicit public comment online and possibly hold design charrettes.

Sweeney and others raised a recurring drainage problem at the corner of Steuben and Duncan, where heavy rain leaves a large accumulation of water near an apartment building entrance. Staff acknowledged the problem and said Gateway's project work had in some ways exacerbated the area; staff said they had discussed a possible change order with the project manager and spoken with the building owner about solutions.

The Crafton-Ingram Rotary described its renamed Rip Fest—now the Barbecue Fest—scheduled for Aug. 7 from 4 to 7 p.m., with food trucks, DJs, Brewster's ice cream, a llama-plop fundraiser and ticketed ribs or dinners. The Rotary said proceeds support community programs including a summer lunch program at Crafton Elementary and assistance to senior high rises. Tickets and sponsor information will be available in advance and at the event.

Website users and councilors also discussed the borough's new website and a redirect problem. Justin Marks of 31 Oregon complimented the new site but noted a redirect from the old site works inconsistently and deep links are not preserved; borough staff said they are troubleshooting redirects with their IT vendor and expect forwarding to be in place for an extended transition period.

Why this matters: waste collection, parks design, drainage, a new municipal website and a community fund-raiser affect residents' daily life and municipal services. Staff pledged to post park concept designs, investigate the Steuben/Duncan flooding and continue work on website redirection and public-notice procedures.

Staff and council said they will post park concept plans online once preliminary designs are prepared; they will also evaluate possible change-order work to address the Steuben/Duncan ponding and will continue website troubleshooting with their IT team.