Hi, I'll be live-tweeting today's Akron Ward 5 meeting for #AKRdocumenters @signalakron.
Akron’s Ward 5 includes parts the East Akron, University Park, Middlebury, North Hill, and Cascade Valley neighborhoods. Council Member Johnnie Hannah represents Ward 5. You can learn more and access Hannah's contact information here: akronohio.gov/community/ward…
The meeting was called to order at 6:07 p.m. Other public officials in attendance included: Deputy Director Of Public Service Eufrancia Lash, Akron Public Schools Chief Diversity Officer Carla Chapman, and Akron School Board Member and former Ohio State Rep Barbara Sykes.
Hannah said that Waste Management is pursuing a new waste transfer facility at 1400 East Archwood Avenue in Ward 5. He said that while the proposed location is in an industrial area there are also homes nearby.
Hannah added that anyone with concerns can attend a public hearing at City Hall on Monday, Sept 23 at 6:30 p.m. Attendees will have the opportunity to voice their concerns for up to 3 minutes. More information on the planned facility can be found here: akronohio.gov/departments/se…
Hannah said that a glass recycling dropoff for the ward is now available at Joy Park Community Center, 825 Fuller St. Details on glass recycling accepted items and locations can be found here: akronohio.gov/departments/se…
Lash spoke next about Public Services. He provided pamphlets with trash and leaf collection dates and explained that 311 is available for residents to call for Public Service related issues, including properties in disrepair, stray dogs, or built up trash.
Lash also shared about Akron’s Home Repair Program which can provide up to $25,000 to assist with home repairs to Akron homeowners who meet income eligibility requirements: akronohiorescue.gov/homerepair
Hannah asked Lash about how to get speed bumps added to areas in the ward. Lash said the city only has a certain number, and their placement is determined by traffic engineers who study the flow of traffic and speed. Residents with concerns can call 311 to report problem areas.
Several residents asked Lash about concerns with animals on their property including racoons, deer, and groundhogs. Lash said Public Services does not handle wildlife, however, they do offer residents the ability to borrow a trap to relocate racoons for a $50 refundable deposit.
Two representatives from the League of Women Voters (LWV) of Akron Area encouraged residents to register to vote by the Oct 7 deadline, and said that anyone whose address has changed since the last election should update their registration.
Voter registration is available at the Summit County Board of Elections, public libraries, and public high schools: boe.ohio.gov/summit/voter-r…
LWV further shared that voters should bring a current (not expired) photo ID to vote and that early voting will begin on Oct 8 at the Summit County Board of Elections. It will extend through Nov 3, followed by election day on Nov 5: boe.ohio.gov/summit/absente…
A member of the public asked why there hasn’t been a lot of advertising about Issue 1. LWV said that the ballot language was changed recently and impacted messaging about Issue 1, but that more advertising and signage should be out soon.
LWV endorses Issue 1, which aims to establish the Ohio Citizens Redistricting Commission (CRC) for redistricting Ohio’s state legislative and congressional districts: ballotpedia.org/Ohio_Issue_1,_…
Chapman spoke next on behalf of the Akron Public School (APS) Board. She said that the Nov 5 ballot will include a school levy (Issue 27) that, if passed, will pay for school operating costs and a bond issue to build a new North High School.
Chapman said this is the first levy APS has asked for in 12 years, despite the average being closer to 4. She added that the APS graduation rate has increased to 88% and through APS programming high school students have earned 7,000 hours of college credits in the past 2 years.
Sykes spoke next and said our schools are a major enterprise with over 20,000 students and 4,500 employees, making APS one of the top 10 employers in Akron. She said the board needs to ensure the schools have the resources to maintain this for students and staff.
Sykes also said that while APS if the levy doesn’t pass tough decisions including likely cuts to educators will have other be made. They may also have to consider dispersing North High School students to other schools.
Dispersing students poses issues including separating the community and language barriers for transportation. 14 languages are spoken by students at North High School, which is located in proximity to the International Institute of Akron: iiakron.org
Hannah asked why North High School fell through the cracks when plans were made to rebuild other Akron schools. Sykes said that at the time of those decisions North High School had very low attendance, but it has since grown into one of the larger schools.
Meeting adjourned at 7:09 p.m. This concludes the Akron Ward 5 meeting. The next meeting is scheduled for Oct 17 at 6 p.m. For more meeting coverage, check out .akron.documenters.org
Have questions? Think we got something wrong? Send any questions on the meeting or these tweets to @signalakron. Or email us at documenters@signalakron.org.
Don’t miss other work from Akron Documenters! Summaries of our threads and notes are featured in @signalakron’s free newsletter, Signals 330. Subscribe here: #LocalNewsMatters #Akrongo.signalakron.org/4fSKIrQ
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