Akron committee reviews emergency temporary water‑main connection after Montrose tank riser failed

The City of Akron Public Service Committee on Wednesday considered an ordinance ratifying actions by the director of public service to contract with the Medina County Board of Commissioners and Wingfoot Rental and Development Company for an emergency temporary water‑main connection and declared an emergency. Committee members then approved a motion to suspend the rules so invoices related to the work could be paid.

The item matters because inspections of the Montrose water tank found a critically failing 6‑inch internal riser late last year that put service to parts of the city at risk. Director of Public Service Mr. Lateral told the committee the temporary connection supplies about 1 million gallons of water a day and that installing roughly 1,200 feet of water main and paying Medina County for its work kept customers served while the tank was taken offline for repairs.

Mr. Lateral said the emergency work allows the city to pay the contractor’s invoices and Medina County’s sanitary engineer and water department for their roles. He described a small number of customer calls about discoloration during the reservoir construction as “not abnormal” when a reservoir is taken out of service for repairs.

Councilman McKittrick praised city service staff for their response to the problem and thanked them for maintaining service to Akron and neighboring communities. “I I gotta say I’ve I’ve never ceased to be amazed at the work and effort that’s put forth...especially when it comes to our water supply,” McKittrick said.

The presentation noted that bids for the reservoir tank project are due later in July and that the tank project will move forward later this year. Mr. Lateral also noted staffing capacity: Doug Smith, a water‑department superintendent, recently passed his Class 4 certification through the Ohio EPA; with Mr. Bernowski and Matt Eby the city now has three Class 4 operators.

Procedurally, the committee approved acceptance of previous minutes earlier in the meeting. For the emergency item, members moved and seconded a motion to suspend the rules so payments could be processed; the committee voted “aye” with no opposition recorded. The record also reflects Councilman Lombardo joined the meeting before adjournment.

The committee did not detail in this session a formal final adoption vote on the ordinance text on the record; committee members voted to suspend rules to allow payment processing and discussed the background and next steps for the reservoir project. Staff indicated payments to the contractor and Medina County would be made once the procedural suspension was approved.

The committee adjourned and noted the full city council would meet in regular session later in the day.