Dave's Blog

If you see a convoy of family vans full of athletic teenage girls driving around Kent looking a little lost this weekend, wave hello, roll down your window, offer directions to Dix Stadium at Kent State and smile knowing that a bunch of sports tourism money will be spent in Kent as we're hosting the state girls high school rugby tournament. Bringing money into Kent from outside of Kent is an economic formula that works. There's nothing wrong with recycling our own money around in Kent but spending someone else's money is always better and that sound you're hearing is the sound of our economy growing ever so slightly from the new cash being spent here. This is exactly what we had in mind when we created the Kent Sports Council in partnership with Kent State University.

Dan Smith, Kent's Economic Development Director, asked if he could share insights that he (and 8 other Kent dignitaries) picked up on a recent site visit to Purdue University about how technology transfer has been transformative for the West Lafayette economy. We've got our own version of a business incubator in the pipeline so here's Dan's guest blog post. Enjoy!

It takes a special person to climb 12’ below ground, crawl through half-frozen mud, while ½ ton sections of pipe swing overhead and only narrow trench boxes stand between them and the weight of thousands of cubic yards of soil. But that’s exactly what Public Service employees do every day. The work is done with little fanfare. There are no parades or medals for these acts of everyday courage; they are done out of a sense of duty, honor and pride. These unheralded sacrifices don’t make the headlines; instead they just quietly go about their business of putting the community on their backs to reach its goals.

There's a lot of talk about City/University collaboration but when you cut through the rhetoric it still comes down to finding ways to see past student or townie lables to discover the real people on the other side. Face it, labels are out, reality is in, which is why I'm such a big fan of student internships. Obviously not every Kent State student can be an intern with the City but we've done our best to keep 2 to 3 students busy each semester in the belief that the more we understand each other's world the sooner we'll co-create the kind of city university community that we all want. And as an added bonus it's great to watch the interns move on and start their professional careers after they leave us. One did just that in a big way this weekend -- Jack Williams, who interned in our office last fall, was drafted by the Denver Bronco's football team yesterday as the 119th overall pick. We couldn't be prouder.

For all you grocery shoppers, I'm delighted to announce the ribbon cutting ceremony at 6 pm this evening for the official unveiling of the newly renovated ACME Fresh Market located at 1709 SR 59 in Kent. If you haven't had reason to wander down ACME's aisles recently prepare to be amazed. I remember when I first cheered ACME on for its decision to spend $3 million in store improvements but they've really outdone themselves and exceeded my expectations. The store may not be quite as large as their proto-type store but they've taken all the good things that you typically find in their new stores and built it into the Kent store. It looks terrific and I can't contain my enthusiasm for this great corporate neighbor. Go see for yourself.

There's been a lot of well deserved attention for our wonderful river asset in Kent but our region is actually blessed with abundant water resources beyond the mighty Cuyahoga. One resident naturalist told me that Portage County has more wetlands than any other county in the state. I can't confirm that statistic but traveling around the county and seeing how many bodies of water we have, both large and small, I wouldn't be surprised if it was true. For all my complaints of snowy winters in northeast Ohio I have to admit that it keeps our ponds, lakes and tributaries flowing nicely once everything thaws -- and all that water serves as habitat for wildlife and plant-life that make for a really rich eco-system for all of us to enjoy. How we enjoy it is up for discussion right now as the Ohio Department of Natural Resources is updating their strategic plan for Ohio boating and they're holding a public forum in Rootstown on May May 6 to talk about it.

From the point of view of a certified non-techie, wireless internet connectivity has had an interesting run in the public realm. For cities, there didn't seem to be much incubation time and just as soon as the technology became available cities rushed to beat each other to announce that they were the next hot spot thanks to their nice cozy wireless blanket to snuggle up in. Kent too. We made calls, held meetings, and talked to the geek squads in preparation for jumping aboard that WiFi train. Yet, in just a matter of a couple of years the concept has seemed to have jumped off the top of the what's hot list to the top of the what's not list. With a trajectory that seems to resemble the flight of Icarus, the wax on the wings of all the promises of WiFi has melted a bit so I'm hoping that the recent announcements by Dublin Ohio and Gahanna Ohio to be the first cities in Ohio to pursue citywide WifFi suggest that maybe things are changing again.

With Earth Day still in our rear view mirror, I thought it was a good time to share a story that combines river conservation and recreation with economic development since those are the cornerstones of the Kent community's priorities. This is a story that reads a lot like Kent, where a once lost river was found again by people that cared enough to roll up their sleeves and get their feet wet. Thanks to decades of individual actions the cumulative results led to a river restoration and also spawned many unexpected benefits -- including new corporate offices, university activites, and Olympic caliber rowing and kayak events that bring 50,000 people to town for an annual river festival. These are the kinds of hopes we have for the Kent Whitewater project as well but equally interesting is the way the river revival helped Oklahoma City see itself in a new way and re-brand its image to attract new businesses and residents.

OK, so maybe the Airport isn't investing $110 million just to serve Kent better but given the close proximity of the Airport to Kent and all the travel business that walks through the gates of Akron Canton coming to or from Kent, there's no doubt that the Airport's expansion plans is good news for Kent. Gary Locke, Kent's Community Development Director, serves on an Airport committee so he's been following the Airport's expansion plans and he sent me information about what all of us travelers can expect over the next 10 years.

The idea of looking at the possibility of a downtown multi-modal center continues to make progress and this Thursday, April 24th the public is invited to see some options that the architects came up with to see how the facility might fit in the downtown. The consultants have arranged to hold 2 public meetings on the 24th, the first from 12 to 2:30 at the Student Center at Kent State and the second from 4 to 7 pm in Council Chambers at City Hall. The goal is to get feedback on some different layouts for a possible facility in downtown Kent so please try to swing by and let them hear your thoughts.

All great epics depict the struggle of good versus evil, death and rebirth, in a plot line that stretches across generations -- and the documentary movie The Return of the Cuyahoga -- which premiered at Kent's Who's Your Mama film fest certainly qualifies as an epic. Since we consistently rank the Cuyahoga river as one of our greatest assets, it's great to see the river story get told for a national audience. Everyone remembers the burning river images from decades ago, now we have a chance to show a new ending to that story. So get your popcorn and pull up a chair to watch the movie that will be airing 5 times on WVIZ/PBS between now and Sunday night. Read on to see the times and dates of the movie.

Time flies when you're having fun and 25 years after opening their doors the Franklin Square Deli is celebrating it's anniversary in their signature style -- by giving back to their customers with great sales on sandwiches and special prizes. In the world of small business 25 years is an eternity and it's a credit to Carl's (the owner) business savvy and accumen. So this week stop in to see Carl, buy a sandwich, give him a pat on the back and raise a toast in his honor at Rays.

One of the things I miss from the days when I was a Public Works Director was the sense of accomplishment I'd get from seeing the roads repaired, the bridges fixed or the new traffic signals installed. Actually seeing the end result of all your hard work made the trials and tribulations that it took to get there worthwhile. Plus, the citizens saw results -- and in case they missed them we put up roadway signs that proudly declared Your Tax Dollars At Work. Results matter and just like anything else in life you have a right to expect results from your city government. I totally get that and we want to deliver. Results are fairly straightforward to see in Public Works but how do you measure the results of your City Council and City Administration? Here's one way we're working with City Council to do just that.

Where can you see brand new films, solar and wind displays, a building with a geothermal well built into it, stilt walking dancers, and an F-250 pick-up truck that runs on french fry grease from Ray’s Place? Where else but in downtown Kent. This weekend downtown Kent will be busy hosting the 2nd annual Who’s Your Mama earth day festival. The event planners have done a great job setting up a full range of activities and I’ve attached the festival information so you don’t miss any of it.

Soon after my arrival in Kent I had a chance to participate in one of Coleman Services orientation seminars. Not only was I impressed with the information provided about the services they manage I was equally impressed with the organization itself. As a devotee of running the City like a business, I admired how well Coleman had integrated business practices into their organization performance. Not only do they talk the talk, they walk the walk. Don't let the fact that they provide behavioral and rehabilitation programs fool you into thinking this is another run-of-the-mill social service agency. This is a company in the business of serving people's needs with a solid financial model for paying their own way and diversifying their revenue base -- which just grew by another $96,000 thanks to a grant from the Margaret Clark Morgan Foundation.

When it comes to public safety every second counts. Whether it's responding to a heart attack, a car accident or a crime in-progress, timing is everything. We understand that as we do our civic duty and pull to the side of the road to let the ambulance or police car get by us as fast as possible because we know that time can be the difference between life and death. Screaming sirens and flashing lights are obvious signs of the urgency of time but it's the quiet confidence of 911 dispatchers that start the clock ticking and launch the emergency response into action.

Last week the Kent Police threw a well-earned retirement party for detective Carl Cassell. He has served Kent for decades with a level of integrity and professionalism that is truly unmatched. He will be missed by everyone that knew him and by those that may not have known him but could sleep better at night because of the work he led for the Kent Police Department. You learn a lot at these retirement parties as people reminisce over many years of experiences that keep Police life interesting. Besides the story of the robber who contributed to his own demise by leaving his phone number so that he could be called when the vault was opened-up, or learning that one of our dispatchers is the grand-daughter of Hop-Sing from the Ponderosa, I was most impressed with the recent story of Operation Marmaduke.

When 90% of the revenues that we use to provide services in Kent come from jobs in Kent you can probably understand why as the City Manager I am such a big fan of the annual Kent Business Expo. The Business Expo celebrates Kent businesses, giving them a well-deserved day in the spotlight to showcase the best and brightest Kentrepreneurs. We have a lot of remarkable business people in Kent and this is their day to show off a little. These are the good news business stories that don't always get the media attention they deserve so the Chamber of Commerce plans this day as a way to highlight Kent business success stories and inspire others to act on their big business dreams. The Expo will be held THIS SATURDAY, APRIL 12 from 10 am to 2 pm at the Roosevelt High School Gym and Cafeteria. Don't miss it!

In the chronicles of urban planning alleyways played an important role. They allowed businesses to hide their trash dumpsters and grease bins. They provided non-disruptive access for deliveries. And of late, they seem to be the place to catch a smoke in our otherwise smoke-free world. But in the search for more (and often unique) square footage in downtowns, many a wise business person has tapped into customer's desires for that out-of-the way special spot that is tucked down one of those old alleys. Of course that is also usually accompanied with a fairly significant investment to re-make the alley into new frontage -- which can get expensive but if the market is good enough it's proven to be profitable.

Last week we had 2 new additions to the city's main web site (www.kentohio.org) that I think people will find very helpful. The first new component went on line April 1st -- it's the Citizen Action Center. This new link provides access to an ever expanding list of frequently asked questions and their answers while also providing residents a chance to enter service requests (e.g., fix a pothole) directly on-line. The second new item came complements of the new City Engineer, Jim Bowling, who really wanted a chance to put capital project information on the web site so that residents could have easy access to some basic information about what is going on where and when construction work will begin and end. Everybody talks about raising the bar on customer service but these are a couple of great examples of using technology to actually do it.