More Progress on Credit Card Payments at City Hall...

Last week I posted a blog announcing the City’s first foray into accepting credit card payments at Parks and Recreation for summer programs.

This week the credit card roll out continues.

The City’s Finance Department happily announced that Community Development/Building Services has successfully implemented credit/debit card acceptance capabilities which means residents, contractors etc. can use their Visa, MasterCard, and Discover branded credit/debit cards for payment of their various construction fees and permits.

Additionally, the cashier function in Budget and Finance is now able to accept Visa, MasterCard, and Discover branded credit/debit cards for all City services currently being made at 325 S. Depeyster Street.

I know that accepting credit card payments is hardly leading edge but the delay has not been from a lack of desire, it’s been from having an out-dated City financial management software system that just was more comfortable accepting gold coins than plastic.

So the bigger news is what’s behind our new credit card payment capability — and that’s a new financial management software system that is bringing us into the 21st century.  The days of turning the crank each morning to start the old main frame computer (ok, I’m exaggerating a little) are in the rear view mirror and we’re in process of implementing a much more powerful financial management software system that has so much more to offer the City book-keepers, service managers and (as illustrated by the credit card component) City residents.

Progress comes in many forms, including plastic.  Wahoo!

On Your Mark, Get Set, Hammer...

In my travels I often talk about how much construction work is underway around town but as much as the orange safety cones have become a feature in Kent’s streetscape, they are also popping up all over the Kent State University campus as well.

Apparently not to be outdone by construction off campus, Kent State University has issued its summer construction schedule for projects planned for on campus.  I’m happy to share that list here on the blog.

Summer Construction Season across Kent State’s eight campuses begins today!

To assist in navigating around the Kent Campus during this intense summer construction period, please utilize – and share with others – the attached Kent Campus map which identifies impacted areas. At each construction zone, pedestrian-only walkways will be clearly marked with signage and delineated with fencing. Emergency vehicle access around and through each construction site will be maintained at all times.

Here are the major projects administered by the Office of the University Architect that are currently under construction:

Allyn Hall HVAC Replacement and Student Room Improvements
The two-pipe heating-only system are being replaced with a four-pipe system capable of providing heating and cooling to student residential rooms in Allyn Hall. New heating and cooling will provide improved student comfort, especially during the summer months and the Destination Kent State new student orientation program. In addition, the flooring is being abated and the existing built-in closets are being removed to provide a fresh look to the rooms.

Beall Hall Elevator Modernization
All of Beall Hall’s elevator equipment is original to this residence hall, circa 1966. Elevator modernization for the two elevators includes replacement of the electromagnetic controls with a micro-processor control system; it will replace the AC to DC generator set with a variable drive AC motor. Each elevator hoistway will be re-roped and new elevator cabs will be constructed on the existing slings. New lanterns and call stations will be installed at each floor. Elevator dispatch times and travel times will be shortened by the new efficiencies in the micro-processor controls taking advantage of updated technologies.

Bowman, Henderson, and McGilvrey Halls Lecture Halls Improvements
Due to the extremely high volume usage of the lecture halls in Bowman Hall, Henderson Hall, and McGilvrey Hall, interior improvements will be made this summer. Finishes and lighting will be updated and additional electrical convenience outlets installed in Bowman Hall rooms 133 and 137. Finishes and lighting will be updated in Henderson Hall room 201 and in McGilvrey Hall room 302. The contract award is pending for construction bids that were opened on April 24.

Business Administration Building Lecture Hall 100 Renovation
Lecture Hall 100 in the Business Administration Building is being renovated this summer. The layout of the aisles will be revised, flooring will be updated, the room will be painted, new finishes and furniture will be installed to match room 200 renovations.

Business Administration Building Restroom and Stair Renovations
Finishes and restrooms are original to the Business Administration Building and need additional ADA upgrades. New finishes and fixtures for restrooms are being provided in a one-for-one replacement. Flooring is being updated and the stairwells will be painted.

DeWeese Health Center Entrance Canopies
A new canopy needs to be built at the DeWeese Health Center to address functional and aesthetic concerns. Some associated building areas will be renovated, as well as installation of a new entrance canopy for Student Accessibility Services. Concurrent with the canopies project is a building evaluation highlighting existing systems and maintenance needs, as well as master planning to guide the canopy project and to highlight future physical organizational and growth of the health center’s functions. Contractors’ bids for construction will be opened on May 17.

DeWeese Steam Line Insulation Replacement
At the main distribution steam line feeding DeWeese Health Center, Thermacore duct insulation is being removed due to failure and Gilsulate 500 pipe insulation will be installed as its replacement. Site restoration and replacement of concrete walks are included as part of this project.

Dix Stadium West Parking Lot Paving 2012
This summer the west parking lot at Dix Stadium will be repaved to extend the lifespan of the lot and provide stable parking and walkway surfaces for students and stadium visitors. The contract award is pending for construction bids that were opened on April 19.

Field House Renewable Energy Project
The Office of the University Architect is working with a solar power developer for the development and operation of a large, solar photovoltaic panel system on the Field House roof. With power production from the solar panels anticipated to begin this summer, electricity from the solar panels is calculated to provide about one-third of the electricity required for the combined Field House and Dix Stadium facilities; since the two facilities are electrically interconnected, each will benefit from the solar panel project. The electrical contract was recently awarded and construction commenced on May 1. (This project is being directly administered by First Sun Solar and Wind Power, Ltd. for KSU Field House 1, LLC).

Gym (MACC) Annex Rooms 221 and 222 Improvements
Rooms 221 and 222 in the MACC Annex will be improved and used as labs for the athletic training programs which have out grown their existing laboratory space. A new HVAC system with air conditioning for both rooms will be installed. Other improvements include painting and installation of new carpeting. The contract award is pending for construction bids that were opened on May 2.

Heer Hall Renovations for Administrative Functions
Heer Hall, a former residence hall built in 1967, will be renovated to provide office space for multiple administrative functions. Once this project is completed, Human Resources, currently located in Terrace and Wright halls, as well as other administrative offices, will be relocated to Heer Hall. Work will involve the conversion of the residence rooms and bathroom facilities, improvements to the public areas, and the upgrade/replacement of the entire heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems, electrical distribution, telecommunications systems, fire alarm and fire suppression systems. Contractors’ bids for construction will be opened onMay 25.

Kent Campus Residence Services Energy Conservation Project
Energy conservation projects at twenty-six residence hall buildings are being implemented to address the House Bill 251 energy use reduction goals. This project exceeds the 20% HB 251 energy reduction goals with 37% annual energy consumption savings and avoided greenhouse gas emissions. The project will utilize provisions per Ohio Legislation HB 7 for payback of project cost with guaranteed energy savings over the allowed 15-year payback time period. Potential construction installation cost is $20,000,000 resulting in $1,800,000 total annual guaranteed utility cost savings. Installation processes commenced in June 2011. Substantial deferred renewal items are being addressed: replacement of single-pane, original windows at Prentice, Verder, Dunbar, Lake and Olson halls; installation of air handling equipment in Beall/McDowell Center, and caulking, tuckpointing, lintel repair and replacements on the building envelopes. A student room energy conservation control system will be implemented throughout; this strategy will automatically reduce HVAC and electrical usage when rooms are unoccupied. Envelope repairs and windows replacements in Dunbar and Verder halls are complete. Envelope repairs are complete at Engleman Hall. Temperature controls in student rooms have been installed and are operating in Centennials Halls C-F and Verder Hall. Heating control valves in student rooms have been installed in Prentice, Dunbar, Lake and Olson halls, but will not be operational until the summer of 2012. A total of 2,051 water conserving low-flow sink aerators have been installed in all of the residence halls. 467 low-flow shower heads have been installed in Centennial Courts A and B, Stopher, Johnson, Verder and Dunbar halls. To reduce electricity consumption, lighting retrofits were completed in Centennial Courts C-F, Verder, Dunbar and Engleman halls. New motors with variable frequency drives were installed on the building heating systems in Prentice, Verder, Dunbar, Lake and Olson halls. Other less intrusive energy conservation measures will continue to be installed during the academic year, such as installation of kitchen hood controls and condensate heat recovery for hot water systems. Window replacements and envelope restorations at Prentice, Lake and Olson halls are scheduled to be completed this summer.

Library Restroom Renovations
Restrooms on the first, third, fourth and fifth floors of the Library are being renovated this summer. New plumbing will be installed in restrooms on the first floor of the Library to create a centralized core area. On the third floor, finishes and fixtures will be updated. On the fourth and fifth floors, using additional space from the adjacent closet, the existing single restrooms will be converted to separate men’s and women’s restrooms.

Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center Masonry and Window Restoration
At the Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center, masonry systems and windows are failing, permitting water to enter wall systems and the building interiors. Work involves repair and tuckpointing masonry; repair and installation of expansion joints; reset misplaced coping stones and sealant; installation of flashing and lintel repairs; clean and seal masonry and stone; replace glass block fenestration with new glazing systems; repair remaining windows; and repair/replace entry door hardware.

Murin Garden Lighting
Outdoor lighting in the Murin Gardens and adjacent areas are being improved and upgraded with the new campus standard lighting system.

Science Research Building Roof Replacement and Masonry Repairs
The Science Research Building’s exterior envelope is being restored, the building and planetarium wing is being reroofed, and masonry repairs are being performed based upon the building envelope assessment report findings. This project is an envelope restoration project intended to replace a failing roof system, repair minor masonry failures at the exterior walls, and install a fall protection system for maintenance personnel working on the roof.

Student Center Envelope Restoration

The Student Center’s exterior building envelope is being repaired; work involves masonry repairs and restoration, cleaning and sealing; expansion joint replacement; window caulking; exterior plaster soffit and lighting replacement; waterproofing and paver repairs/replacement at exterior decks.

Summit Street Power Plant Cooling Towers Upgrades, Phase 2
Two new cooling towers, one tower water pump, one new primary and a secondary chilled water pump are being installed in the Summit Street Power Plant. This project also provides new VFDs for each pump and for new cooling towers, new structural steel for towers, controls, balance system, cooling tower controls and programming. The addition of these new cooling towers addresses the necessary capacity issues associated with the plant and will allow for full operation of the facility. These modifications will enable the chilled water plant to save energy through operations and controls.

The Student Green
This project extends the design of the Risman Plaza renovations to the lawn area south to create a contiguous outdoor space. The eastern portion of Risman Drive will be closed and traffic will be redirected to the western end. Landscape improvements will include installation of new sidewalks, trees, planting beds, campus gateway and signage along Summit Street.

Tri-Towers Residence Halls Rooms and HVAC Upgrades
Built in 1968, the Tri-Towers complex consists of two ten-story residence halls, one twelve-story residence hall and a central connecting building for dining and student activities. The complex houses approximately 1,400 students and has received two large-scale, but partial renovations within the last ten years. This project addresses deferred maintenance issues, including aging HVAC infrastructure, building envelope failures, interior room configurations and finishes that were not corrected as part of previous renovations and extending the life of the buildings for another thirty years. Bidding and construction will be scheduled over a three-year time frame with the majority of construction work completed while buildings are unoccupied during the summer breaks of 2012 through 2015. Improvements to the breezeway and storefronts are being completed this summer.

For general reference, the construction detour map, as well as a complete listing and status of design and construction projects administered by the Office of the University Architect, can be accessed via the Internet at the URL: http://www.kent.edu/universityarchitect/projects/index.cfm. As project conditions change, updates will be provided to you.

Sweating the Small Stuff Too...

It’s a great day when I’ve got some big City news to report on the blog, but most days, I’m chock full of small stuff that I’m never quite sure is newsworthy or not.

The truth is we sweat the small stuff just as much as the big stuff, so I figure it’s only appropriate to share some small stuff too.  Here’s a short list of items that may not make the headlines but we’re still proud to report.

1.  Credit Cards In Action — In celebration of Cinco de Mayo last weekend, the Finance Department is pleased to announce that the Parks & Rec Department has successfully implemented credit/debit card acceptance capabilities.  Effective last week Parks and Rec began accepting Visa, MasterCard, and Discover branded credit/debit cards for payment of their various programs and activities.  So sign up for a fun Parks and Rec summer program and don’t forget to bring your credit/debit card.  Credit card payments will gradually be expanded to any City office that receives public payment for services.

2.  Left Turn from Fairchild to Northbound 43 — We are still getting periodic requests to install a left turn arrow from eastbound Fairchild to northbound 43 so I thought it made sense to let everyone know that we continue to actively study the issue.  Last week the City’s Traffic Safety Engineeing team met and this item was once again discussed and their reasons for not (yet) installing an arrow were as follows:  1. The number of left turns from Fairchild to northbound Mantua has been reduced since it was no longer necessary to turn north to cross the bridge to N Water St.; 2. Although the amount of wait time seems longer, the new timing (without an arrow) actually provides less total time to clear the area due to the elimination of the second light at Crain Ave.  So although it may seem longer, most people who are turning are getting through the impacted area much quicker than they did prior to the beginning of the project when two signals were in use;  3. The inclusion of the turn arrow would result in the reduction of the green light time for all of the other traffic movements in the intersection.  This would reduce the overall improvements that are anticipated from the new traffic patterns.  At the conclusion of the discussion, the members of the Engineering Division assured the staff that their analysis of the need for the turn arrow is continuing.  This may take some time to complete, but this type of analysis is typically required before instituting a change.  This is especially true when the change involves a state route and a state-managed improvement project.

3. Police Web Site Expansion –  I wanted to bring to your attention that the Kent Police web site, www.kentpd.org , has been updated, and besides a fresher look, the Chief has also added a new series of daily incident logs that have been added and are available for the public to review.  One of the goals of the Police Department has been to make more information available to the public, and after the success of posting the accident reports on-line, adding the daily log sheets was a logical next step.

4. City To Receive Worker Safety Award — City Personnel Manager Liz Zorc reports that the City of Kent will receive the Achievement Award from the BWC Division of Safety and Hygiene Portage County Safety Council at their next meeting on May 10th. The Achievement Award is presented to a company that decreases its accident/injury incident rate by at least 25% from the prior year.  A safe workforce is a City priority and this is a a great recognition of a job well done.

5.  SR59 Signal Repair –  City Engineer Jim Bowling reports that the damage to the City’s fiber optic communication lines to the signal system on SR 59 from Willow Street to Horning Road has been temporarily repaired. We now have communications abilities back in place and the signal system is running with a progression timing and phasing plan in place. The final repair of the lines will be done in conjunction with roadway improvements that are part of PARTA’s project.  The final fine tuning of the SR 59 signal systems timing and phasing is currently being evaluated and we are hopeful to have them uploaded to the controllers in the next few weeks.

6. Citizen Police Academy — I am pleased to report that the second Citizens Police Academy concluded last week with a banquet and presentation of certificates to the 18 participants.  This marked another successful academy where participants and officers exchanged information and perspectives to enhance communication between the community and our City Police Department.  Thank you to all of the City personnel who assisted or instructed in the academy.

Hang On To Your Hard Hat...

Hang on to your hardhat things are about to get bumpy around the downtown redevelopment project.

We’re huge fans of Acorn Alley – love what Mr. Burbick has done – and we’ve been delighted to have Mr. Burbick rushing down the redevelopment path in front of us, petal to the metal and damning the torpedoes, clearing the way for the rest of us to follow.

Thanks to Ron we’ve learned that leading the charge is great until you reach that point where the rest of the projects catch up to you – which is the point we are rapidly approaching, and construction is starting to feel very crowded.

When you’re out ahead of the pack you’ve got plenty of room to do your thing and Mr. Burbick did just that and he did it very well, building great office and retail space right up to the edge of the City streets and sidewalks which now need to be torn up and put back together in new and improved versions that create that vibrant downtown space that we’ve been planning to complement all the great new buildings.

Now that we’ve caught up, the challenge is how do we get in and tear out an old street and sidewalk in front of a brand new business that is off to a great start and relies on convenient parking and easy access to pay the bills.

We try to live by the motto “do no harm” in eveything we do and after spending literally millions of dollars to support an economic rejuvenation in downtown the last thing we want to do is create a setback for the early adopters that proudly raced to the front of the line and proved us right.

It’s a problem I’ve heard people say is a good problem to have — a problem of progress — and while that sounds great philosophically, I remember Socratese always said that philosphy bakes no bread; downtown merchants do and we’ve got to keep them open and running on all cylinders.

After sitting through a series of planning meetings this week I had the epiphany that we are about to enter probably the most difficult period for downtown access and despite our best efforts I’m worried that were not going to be able to please everyone.

Unfortunately it’s time to install new water lines, new streets and soon new sidewalks along Erie and Depeyster Streets and I’ve yet to find a way to change out streets and sidewalks without closing them, tearing them out and putting in new ones, so it looks like we’ve got a couple of months worth of closing portions of Depeyster and Erie Streets as they will be torn up and largely impassable.

The City staff recognizes the hardships this causes for the owners of the new businesses along Erie Street and we’ll do whatever we can to provide as much access as possible but I’m worried that there’s no way to tear up a street to put in a new one without disrupting the business activity that fronts on that street.   Recognizing that, the key from our perspective is to get in and get out as quickly as possible which is our goal.

Fairmount is under pressure to have Davey and Ametek in their buildings by the end of July (and they are on track for that date), so  the City has to have most of our work done by that same date. We’ve staged as much construction as we can up to this point but as the deadline looms ever closer there’s only so much more staging that can be done before everything needs to be tied in together and it’s starting to look like we may have multiple closures going on at once, probably from now until the end of July.

We’ll do our best to keep customers and businesses informed and we’re also busy trying to arrange extra parking around the impacted area but it’s pretty clear to me at this point, no matter what we come up with, the next 2 months are going to be hard on everyone.

We promise to do whatever we can for impacted properties but heading into this period I’m asking everyone to understand that no matter what we do, it is going to be a trying and frustrating time.   We knew this was coming, but that doesn’t make it any easier.

We’ve got some great new businesses downtown and we know how sensitive they are in their first year.  Please tell your friends that we’re doing everything we can and we need them, as customers, to do everything they can to keep supporting our new businesses this summer no matter how hard it might be to get to them.

Grab your hard hat and come on down to support your new favorite Kent businesses.

Sharing Equipment, Saving Money...

It turns out that mom’s advice to share our toys and play well with others is also full of good business logic.

Cities around our region have jumped on the bandwagon and started partnering at unprecedented levels.  From sharing equipment to sharing revenues, there’s a new attitude towards our neighbors which should have benefits for all of us for years to come.

On an intellectual level, cities have talked about the value of partnering for years but it took a good dose of fiscal distress to finally prompt actions to back up those words.  There’s nothing like a genuine sense of urgency to inspire bold steps and in the world of political organizations reaching across-jurisdictional boundaries represents a sea change.

It might not sound like all that much to share a bucket truck (which is what the City of Kent and the City of Aurora have done for the last 2 years) but when it comes to equipment purchased with public funds in one community potentially being used in another community, you can just see the hair on the back of political leader’s necks stand up.

Local elected leaders take their jobs as stewards for their community and its resources very seriously, which historically meant what comes from Kent stays in Kent.  Drawing that line makes a lot of sense, and is very defensible, but it also can leave us short at the worst possible moments.  Fortunately, in areas like Police and Fire, cities have been able to step outside their jurisdictional boxes for some time under the auspices of mutual aid — and that’s worked extremely well.

Communities understand that in a disaster or catastrophic event, everyone rallies to support those in need regardless of political boundaries.  However, that spirit of collaboration stopped at the border of everyday, routine services that cities provide.

Whether it’s turf issues, community pride or a sense of rivalry, it’s been an uphill battle to step across city borders for non-emergency functions.  The silver lining to the less than friendly economy over the last 3 years has been knocking down the size of that hill, and slowly we’re seeing sharing of resources trickle down to everyday services from pothole repairs to tree chipping.

Cities have realized that emergency services aren’t the only expensive operations we run and if there’s a way to cut costs in non-emergency services cities are ready to act.

After 22 years in City government, it’s exciting to see these doors with our neighbors opening up.  The good news for all of us is that with each new partner experience we learn something, we see the value of it, and most importantly we get better at it — which means we there should be more where that came from.

Sometimes transformations are dramatic but other times a lot of little steps can add up to something big.  We are in the midst of one of those quiet transformations for how cities do business and I’m proud that Kent has been at the forefront of this wave.

Kent Public Service Director is spearheading an effort to apply the mutual aid model from Police and Fire to public works operations — and he’s got the attention of local leaders in Portage and even in Summit County that are anxious to improve service delivery without increasing costs.

The Mayor’s of Streetsboro and Stow have hosted meetings over the last 6 months to chart out areas where we could all stand to gain from better cooperation.  The low hanging fruit has been public works functions, e.g., street repairs, brush chipping, etc.

Step 1 was the creation of a new region-wide database that allowed each City to upload their equipment inventory, equipment operators, supervisors and contact information so that in the event of an unexpected need in the middle of the night one community can know who to reach out to for help.  Creating such an inventory sounds like it should be a relatively simple task but I can tell you, it’s not, and despite good intentions for years, no one was able to pull it off.  Until now.

In a stroke of genius, Kent’s Public Service Director created a public service wiki page that allowed each City to upload their respective information which could then be accessed by any of the partners using a mobile phone from the job site, which is usually in a ditch at 1 am or some equally unconnected location.  Smart phones and tablets have changed the way we can do our business in the field and this new application is exactly the kind of simple solution that we’ve all been waiting for.

Here’s the sort of information that the site contains.

That doesn’t mean we’ve left emergency services partnering behind.   We recently reported to City Council on the efforts of  six local dispatch agencies that have collaborated to submit a grant application for a project that is intended to bring about improvements in the coordinated call receipt and dispatching of 9-1-1 and other emergency calls for public safety services.  These agencies are the City of Ravenna, the City of Kent, The City of Streetsboro, the City of Aurora, and the agencies of the Portage County Sheriff’s Office and Kent State University.

This is just a sampling of what’s going on and we should all expect more to come.

Good News On Kent Senior Housing...

One of the lessons learned from the private sale of the Silver Oaks property, and the subsequent new owners announcement that they were converting the property from senior housing to new student housing, was the obvious conclusion that we needed more senior housing in Kent.

In hindsight it shouldn’t have been surprising that a developer would look at the senior housing property adjacent to the Kent State campus and recognize the opportunity to build new student housing at such a prime location — but it took most everyone by surprise, and the City along with many others in the community (including Kent State University) rallied to try to buy the seniors some move out time and to ease their transition into new housing.

It was a stressful couple of months but once everyone was relocated and things settled down, the City started knocking on developers doors looking for a little help to back fill behind the loss of the affordable senior housing units that Silver Oaks provided.

The key word was “affordable” senior housing — it turns out that there’s a fair amount of mid-upper end senior housing around our area but there’s precious little affordable housing for seniors that are on tight, fixed incomes.  I learned that’s because in order to have affordable rental rates, they have to be affordable to build — and those complexes are not particularly cheap to construct, so as a result developers will only venture down the senior housing path if there’s some significant outside tax breaks or compensation upfront that essentially subsidizes the construction which in turn allows the developers to offer those elusive affordable rents.

The good news is that there are Ohio tax credits out there to help stimulate/subsidize the senior housing market — the bad news is everybody and their brother is trying to get those credits so each year about 1 in 4 project requests actually get funded.

Following on the heels of the Silver Oaks closure, we started working with the builders/owners of the 4 Seasons property in Kent, the  NRP Group, and a local developer who owns property adjacent to the Kent Ridge at Golden Pond property to plan a new senior complex adjacent to Kent Ridge.  The plans fell in place quickly, partnership agreements were signed, and a preliminary site plan for the project was approved by the Kent Planning Commission.

The only thing missing was the make or break Ohio Tax Credit.  The tax credit application cycle worked to our favor and we had the time we needed to put together what we thought was a highly competitive project proposal, including a $250,000 investment by Kent City Council out of our Community Housing Improvement Program (CHIP) to demonstrate the City’s commitment to the project.

This morning (April 11th) the State sent word that our efforts paid off.   NRP got the tax credits they needed, in the amount of $1,188,595,  in tax credit reserves from OHFA.

The State noted that the City’s willingness to make available $250,000 in our Community Housing Improvement Program (CHIP) to help underwrite portions of the project was a key factor in the award of the tax credits.  It turns out that there are 4 different tax credit allocation pools and the “Four Seasons at Golden Pond” project received its tax credit allocation under the “Maximizing Outcomes Pool” (MOP).  The tax credits in this pool are allocated in part based on evidence that the project has “substantial participation and commitment of resources by multiple long-term partners” and it achieves “multiple public policy goals.”

To that end, the City’s participation was instrumental in satisfiying those requirements and directly contributed to the award.  Out of 102 applications only 37 were awarded, so we’re thrilled to be on the receiving end of this good news.

Now we can re-group with the developers and plan a path forward to build seniors in Kent quality, new, and most importantly affordable housing.

Water Improvements...

Last week City Council held a spirited community discussion on fracking.

The standing room only crowd was testament to the level of interest in the prospective economic and environmental impacts from this rapidly growing industry in our region.

No doubt Ohio is poised to benefit from the kind of economic resurgence that Texas enjoyed for the last decade — the question everyone seems to be wrestling with is can the drilling boom be done in an environmentally safe manner, particularly as it relates to protecting our precious water supply.

Big question, high stakes, and unfortunately no easy answers.

We’ll keep working with the State (since they regulate the oil and gas industry), local businesses (who are seeing job numbers grow to support the demands of this rapidly growing industry) and the residents (that want more jobs, just not at the risk of sacrificing Kent’s water supply) to come up with the best answers we can, but in the meantime the City will keep doing what it does best — protecting our water resources and delivering great tasting water to your home every day.

I know Fracking is a big news story, and for good reason, but I’d still argue that some of the most important water protection work goes largely unnoticed every day by the Kent City employees that operate the water plant, test water samples, repair pipes and pumps, and guard our raw water aquifer at all costs.

Anything that gets done well 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, is easy to be taken for granted, and for me, the whole discussion of fracking serves as a reminder for how important and how well the City employees manage our water system.

Taking care of the City’s water gets done every day but there’s nothing routine about it.  If commitment is judged by what people do, not just what they say, I can make a good case that no one is more committed to protecting and preserving Kent’s water system than Kent’s employees.  We spend millions of dollars and thousands of hours as the stewards of Kent’s water resources and the fact that we consistently rate as one of the best tasting water in the U.S. is a real point of pride to our employees.

And it should be for all of us that drink it every day too.

So, as boring as it might sound, we’re getting ready to begin the Middlebury Road Waterline project this month.  It doesn’t have much drama but its arguably very important to anyone that turns their faucet and expects safe, good tasting water.

Here’s a few project details:

The City will begin construction of the Middlebury Road Waterline project in April 2012 and be complete by November 2012.  The waterline work will include the replacement of an existing 6″ waterline with a new 8″ waterline on Middlebury Road from Akron boulevard to Longmere Drive.

The project will also replace an existing 2″ waterline with a new 8″ waterline on Munroe-Falls-Kent Road from Middlebury Road to Roosevelt Avenue.

It turns out that the City of Kent Service Department has recorded 17 total waterline breaks along the existing Middlebury Road watermain since the year 2000. The City’s Central Maintenance Department has been responding to the frequent breaks and here’s a map that shows the locations of the trouble spots:

Approximately 3,800 feet of water main replacement is proposed.  This project will tie into the new Middlebury/Cherry water main and continue northeast along Middlebury Road, terminating with a connection into the Longmere Drive watermain.  The new 8 inch ductile iron pipe will be wrapped in plastic to protect it from corrosive soils.

Boring but effective.

That’s our motto.

Sorry About the Traffic Detours...

We knew it was coming but it still pains me to say it – nothing says Spring has arrived better than traffic detours in Kent.

Even though it’s all in the name of progress, I was definitely feeling some guilt over the traffic tie ups that emerged last week when we reduced 4 lanes of traffic to 2 on SR43 to start the next phase of the Fairchild Avenue bridge project.

Any time you cut the number of lanes in half, the results are not going to be good, and they weren’t.   The first day is always the worst and as I watched the traffic congestion grow during the evening rush hour I could feel everyone’s pain.

It took me back to my days as a Public Works Director in Kingsport Tennessee when a well meaning street supervisor closed a lane of a local highway to repair a broken sidewalk and inadvertently caused a major traffic jam during rush hour.  After realizing the error the lanes were re-opened that afternoon.  Discouraged by his mis-judgment the new supervisor asked if he could post a traffic sign apologizing to motorists — I said sure.

This small act of contrition was picked up by the local media and then by the national media with stories run all over the nation about the city in Tennessee that cared so much about its citizens that it actually apologized for causing a traffic jam.

This situation is different — because there’s no other choice than to reduce the lanes – but just the same I was getting ready to go into the closet and pull out the old sign.

So on behalf of your City please accept my apologies for the abundance of traffic detours these days.  I figure the least I can do is offer some explanation with why were doing what we’re doing to you as you try to get around town.

1.  SR59 Signals — In case you had not noticed the great new traffic signals on SR59 aren’t playing together so well.  It turns out that we lost communications with the traffic signals on E. Main Street from Willow to Horning Roads when a contractor accidentally crushed the conduit and fiber-optic line that connected the signals with our control center. The end result is that the signals on E. Main Street from Willow to Horning are running independently (no progression capabilities). Therefore we are seeing more traffic delays as traffic traveling the corridor will not move as freely as before. We are still working with the contractor to temporarily repair the line and then permanently replace the line but it will likely be weeks (possibly months) before we can regain computer inter-operability and optimize the timing to better coordinate traffic flow in the corridor.

2.  Fairchild Bridge/SR43 — As noted above, on Monday April 2nd traffic was reduced from 4 lanes to 2 lanes on SR43; 1 northbound lane and 1 southbound lane from Fairchild Avenue to Stinaff Street, in order to allow the bridge contractor to resume work on the street approaches to the bridge on SR43.   With only 2 lanes of traffic the Engineering Division had to prohibit the southbound left turn movement on SR43 to prevent southbound traffic from coming to a complete stand still.  With that restriction in place, the Engineering Division was worried that motorists would try to jump through the adjoining neighborhoods to get around this new congestion so they closed Cuyahoga Street and Stinaff Street.  The Engineering staff has been on site watching the see how the traffic patterns respond to the changes and they have made adjustments to the timing of the signals to better handle the new patterns.  For the first couple of days, the Police also stayed on site to warn motorists to not make the probited left turn movement .  The motorists seem to be settling in to the new pattern but this congestion will continue through the summer as the work on SR43 progresses.

3.  S. Water Street –  With the brick nearly completed on the east elavation of the new Davey Tree building, Premier/Fairmount will move the brick masons to begin the west elevation that fronts on Water Street.  The brick masons are planning to begin to install the brick facing on the Water Street side on 4/9/12.  The brick contractors will be using scaffolding and a large piece of equipment that will extend partially into the street and occassionally block traffic when it is moved in and out at the front of the building.  The contractors expect to have to move the equipment an estimated 5 times a day and each time they move it, they will impede traffic flow for about 5 minutes.  The contractors will have flaggers on site to maintain traffic flow and the work is expected to be completed by 4/27/12.

4.  Depeyster Street — At this point, with construction underway on both sides of Depeyster Street, there is too much heavy equipment moving in and out from both sides of the street and the Engineering Division felt that for motorist safety reasons, Depeyster Street should be closed to thru traffic.  This closure will likely stay in place for the next 4-6 months until the street is rebuilt as planned for the redevelopment project.

5.  Redmond Bridge — If you don’t have kids in baseball or softball, the closing of the Redmond bridge into Kramer fields might not mean that much to you but if you do, it probably means a lot and you wondering why is it taking 2 years to get this small bridge replaced?  The bottom line is that we had a chance to get nearly $1 million in Federal dollars to replace the bridge but the Federal process takes 2-3 years from funding application to construction so we are unfortunately at the mercy of the Federal timetable.  Here’s more details from City Engineer Jim Bowling:

Federal Process:

First it takes years to go through the federal process to fund, design, complete the environmental studies, right-of-way acquisition, permitting and construct a bridge project. When federal money is received for a project, this one received $968,000 in federal funds, municipalities are required to complete the project according to the federal process listed in Chapter 23 of the Code of Federal Regulations. This includes numerous studies for cultural resources, hazordous materials, ecological studies and section 4f studies. For this project in particular a recent snag was encountered with the potential designation of Category 3 wetlands around the bridge. Category 3 wetlands are the most sensitive category. We have had representatives from Army Corp of Engineers and ODOT Office of Environmental Services do a site visit in an effort to help determine the category of wetland. This alone has gone on for several months. In addition to the studies, there are numerous permits required for work in a waterway like the Cuyahoga River, these include floodplain permits, Army Corp of Engineer permits and OEPA permits. The floodplain permit requires a detailed study of the floodplain and the impacts the proposed structure will have on the floodplain. This permit and study analyzes whether we will be increasing the flood elevation by the construction of the new bridge. All of the above studies and results are then summarized with public comments and input as part of the Categorical Exclusion Document that will be completed and approved by ODOT. None of this includes the actual design, bidding and construction of the project. Replacing the bridge will cost approximately $1.3 million dollars, funding this without federal money is simply not an option budgetarily.

Work in the Background:

Typically all of the above studies, permits, design and bidding are done well in advance in preparation for the construction of a project. All the work that we see currently going forward in downtown and throughout the City was started years ago. The most obvious is the Crain Avenue Bridge Relocation that started in 1994. John Idone and the engineering division had begun the process of replacing the bridge before it was closed when we obtained municipal bridge funds for the bridges replacement. However the bridge simply deteriorated faster than we could get the funding for it to be replaced.

None of this may bring the satisfaction you lost from having detours all over Kent but perhaps you can take some solace in knowing that these are not capricious or random acts of unkindness.

If all else fails, please remember that we’re also sorry.

City Takes Credit and Debit Cards...

For some time we’ve been anxiously awaiting news from the Finance Department that our accounting system will work with credit and debit cards — and that day finally arrived.

The City’s Finance Director sent word around last week that the Finance Department had successfully completed the first step in credit/debit card acceptance for the City of Kent.  Effective  Friday, March 23rd, the Finance Department will accept Visa, MasterCard, and Discover branded credit/debit cards for payment of City Utility Bills.

For right now, as we’re just getting started, customers will need to present their cards in person at the Utility Window of the Finance Department to make their payments.  However, in the not too distant future we anticipate expansion of our acceptance capabilities to include payment of other City bills such as parking fines, refuge bags, etc., in addition to gradual expansion for acceptance by other City departments at other locations, and even on-line.

They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but with enough persistence and upgrades in technology, you can adapt your system to meet the modern expectation of being able to pay City bills using credit cards.

Credit and debit cards would seem to be a simple module to add to the City’s computer network but I’ve learned to never be deceived into believing anything is simple.  It took a lot of work to get us to this point and I’m grateful for the Finance staff that twisted, bent and tweaked the system to get us this new capability.

Since you never leave home without them, paying your City bills with credit or debit cards should make your life (and ours) much easier.

Kent-Ravenna Rivalry...

The Mayors of Kent and Ravenna have continued their friendly competition for good causes by announcing their plans to beat the other in the collection of donations for local food pantries as part of the Challenge Hunger campaign.

This long-standing city rivalry is always a great motivator for Kent-Ravenna high school sporting events and the Mayors are playing it up to try to inspire donations that will go to families in need in both communites thanks to the great work of the Amelia DiGirolamo Center of Hope in Ravenna and Kent Social Services.

The Challenge Hunger campaign runs from March 1 to March 31 — but the date to remember is March 31st because that’s when both cities will roll out their community collection trucks at the Center of Hope and Kent Social Services.  Residents are encouraged to help fill the truck in their community and win bragging rights for their Mayor.