The City of Kent and PARTA (the county/regional bus service provider) have enjoyed a longstanding and mutually beneficial relationship since the transit agency was born.  As the largest city in the county and home to Kent State University, Kent was a big reason why PARTA came to be in the first place.  Bus service is all about ridership and Kent has lots of riders so the PARTA-Kent partnership came easily.  Over the years, thanks to a shared philosophy of sustainable living that includes promoting as much transit ridership as possible, that partnership has grown into a close collaboration.  When Kent has needed new routes or different route times PARTA has always found a way to make things work.  That’s why, with PARTA looking to lock-in it’s role in the downtown redevelopment project with a new Multi-Modal facility, the City is doing everything we can to assist that effort.

Like any transit agency worth it’s salt, PARTA works hard to offer great bus service today while also keeping an eye on the horizon for what’s coming next.  PARTA looks for ways to position themselves for the future — they’re anticipating trends, forecasting population growth and calculating ridership patterns to figure out where they need to be to best serve  today’s bus riders and the next generation of bus riders.

As the population growth continues to move eastward through Portage County, Kent’s location on the western border of the county – connecting Portage to the population centers of Summit County — makes it an ideal location for a long term PARTA presence.  In bus parlance that presence translates into having a first rate transit center which can serve as a hub for local and regional bus trips.  Throw in connections to the regional hike and bike networks and you’ve got a winner.

PARTA has been part of the downtown redevelopment discussions from the start and they think they can play a significant role not only in transporting more folks in and out of downtown from campus and around the county — but also as part of the critical mass of new investment that we hope to leverage to close the deal on the hotel conference center project with Kent State.

In downtowns parking is usually an issue that has to be resolved up front in order to assure new retailers and restauranteurs that their customers will be able to get to them if they invest in our city.  Given the typical space constraints of downtowns, parking often goes vertical in parking garages — and that gets expensive.  An average parking space in garage runs around $20,000 and if you need 300 spaces that’s a big chunk of change that is hard to make up in fees unless you’re in downtown Manhattan.  Parking rates around here are lucky to even cover annual operating costs but are certainly nowhere near able to support financing the construction of a multi-million dollar parking garage.

That’s where PARTA thinks they can help.  They need a long term transit facility located in Kent.  They would like it to be as centrally located as possible to the downtown and to the Kent State campus since those are the greatest travel destinations.  They also want to be close to the major travel routes heading west to Akron and north to Cleveland.  And most importantly, they have a plan in hand — paid for through federal funds provided by Congressman Ryan over the last 6 years — that is shovel ready which means it is eligible for the next round of Federal Transit stimulus funding.

PARTA submitted their stimulus funds application in September and decisions are expected by the end of this year with award announcements to follow in January.  If successful, the stimulus funds could pay for the foundation of the facility and dramatically reduce the cost of any additional parking that the city or developer may partner to build on the upper floors of the shared parking deck.

That’s the kind of collaboration and creative financing that it’s going to take to deliver the downtown project especially in these unbelievably tight financial times.  If you support the concepts of the downtown project now is the time to support PARTA.

Here’s some of the project summary information that we’ve been sharing with our local, state and federal respresentatives to urge their support for PARTA’s application.

When the rain arrived in Kent last Saturday I thought for sure it would mean a wash-out for the volunteer river clean up.  Man was I wrong.  I guess when you’re planning to get in the water, a little water in the air is just accessorizing.  This annual river clean up continues to get stronger each year and I think it comes down to the fact that the river is one of those cross-over community assets.  Students love it just as much as residents so when it’s time for a little river TLC, clean up crews answer the call.  Check your egos and stereotypes at the river’s edge, the river is ours and we spell river clean up:  CITY-KSU.

If you’re looking for an example of the power of Dr. Lefton’s “the year of YES”  in town-gown relations look no further than the river clean up.  Dr. Lefton spoke of a yes filled future and based on what I saw, students, resident volunteers and city staff collaborated for boat loads full of yes — a cornucopia of Yes, a Yes-a-Palooza.  Ok, enough with Yes-mania but they say it takes the average person to hear something 7 times before it sinks in — and I think this is too important to let slip through our community consciousness.  Town-gown synergy, like we saw on Saturday, is exactly what makes Kent such a great place to hang out, work, learn, live and grow.

Here’s a short summary of Saturday’s festivities from our Public Service Director, Gene Roberts:

In partnership with KSU’s Outdoor Adventure Center and NEFCO, the City fulfilled its OEPA Storm Water MS4 permit requirements with a Cuyahoga River cleanup on Saturday Sept. 26, 2009. Bob Brown, Water Reclamation Facility Manager organized the event for the City, with a great deal of help from KSU and NEFCO. Starting upstream at 8:00 am from Tannery Park several KSU students, faculty and volunteers cleaned down to the new hike and bike trail where John Idone and his staff off loaded the collection of large items such as tires, old bikes, shopping carts and railroad ties. After a quick lunch the group continued downstream cleaning all the way to Middlebury Road (in the rain) where Jack Hogue’s staff loaded up the debris collected on the second half.

At the same Dave Herpy, KSU Outdoor Adventure and Camp Coordinator, brought several KSU students down the river in kayaks to remove small trash such as paper, cups and plastic bags. Dave’s group made it all the way to Summit County’s Fish Creek Waste Water Plant. Simultaneously other volunteers cleaned trash from the river bank. A special thanks to the Akron Water Treatment plant for discharging sufficient water to allow for floating the boats loaded with trash and for the plant manager for bring his family down to help, they cleaned upstream of Tannery Park towards the dam.

Together the efforts of all, removed an estimated 8-tons of trash from the river plus what was removed from the river bank. As one participant, Patrick D. Lorch, KSU Biology Professor, put it “It was great to see such enthusiasm for cleaning up the Cuyahoga through our city. It also felt good to get all that trash out of the river. The cleanup will do wonders for making the running of this stretch of river more fun and safer.”

Living up to the Town-Gown spirit, here’s a great article by a KSU correspondent reporting directly from the front lines of the river clean up.  But do yourself a multi-media favor and don’t settle for just the written word (even though it’s written very well), visit the web link and hear and see the story in the reporter’s own words and pictures.

Forty years after the Cuyahoga River caught fire, a small group of students, instructors and other volunteers geared up for an adventure. Little did I know I would become a part of that adventure and witness first-hand the shocking reality of one of Kent’s finest natural resources – the state of which raised concern for a cause I never even thought about.

When I signed up to actually experience (and not just blindly write about) an Adventure Trip hosted by the Student Recreation and Wellness Center’s Adventure Center, I never expected to learn anything new, take up a cause or dramatically change the way I view pollution. After witnessing a phone booth, bikes, boatloads of tires and a mailbox submerged in the river, my eyes were opened.

I launched from John Brown Tannery Park in Kent, excited about the adventure, not knowing what to expect. I was told to pick up anything I could find; I didn’t expect it to be much, but I knew there’d be an occasional bottle or wrapper to be picked up. For larger items, there’d be canoes pulling boats. Despite the weather’s gray skies and a forecast undoubtedly predicting rain, the brave group set out, and I went with them.

I paddled into the river, where I found Styrofoam cups and bowls, plastic bottles, cans and tarps. I didn’t see anything larger right away, but soon more and more tires started appearing.

One adventurer asked an instructor why we were finding so many tires, and he replied that a lot of people dumped them into the river because the trash pick-up requires a fee for them. Clearly, a lot of people refuse to pay additional fees for tires because the canoe teams started filling the boats with them.

But other large items showed up. I even paddled by as one team pulled a television out of the river. Yes. A TV.

There was an occasional drizzle, but the group continued on. Our importance became evident as we saw the state of the river. I’ve heard the stories of a dirty Cuyahoga from years past, but I had an overwhelming sense of a cleaner river from recent reports. Now I know through my own eyes how horribly we’ve treated it.

Trash bags upon trash bags gathered on my kayak and the kayaks around me. The farther we traveled, the more we found.

Rusted metal milk crates from the old days of milk delivery trucks, netting, beer bottles and gallon milk jugs still play in my head from when I discovered them or saw others discover them.

Every partially submerged item was coated in mud, and brave, usually bare, fingers grabbed for the things that the river could never have rid itself of.

As the weather forecast came to fruition, the adventure was cut short. The other drenched kayakers and I paddled in the rain to a clearing behind Stow’s water treatment plant. We gathered and loaded the equipment, shared stories of the crazy things we found and laughed about it. There was a sense of community and teamwork, and we all walked away with a sense that the river was at least a little better off now than it was that morning.

Later on, a sense of sadness about the state of the river overwhelmed me. Even though we laughed about all of the things we found, the knowledge that it ended up there in the first place haunted me. The knowledge that it would continue ending up there haunted me even more, and an unceasing, grimy feeling akin to the slimy mud on the stuff we found settled in my stomach.

Contact student recreation and wellness center reporter Robert Checkal at rcheckal@kent.edu

This week I’ve featured a couple of river related good news stories so it only seemed appropriate to advertise the Kent river clean up event scheduled for September 26 from 8 am to 1:30 pm.  Friends and volunteers from the City of Kent and Kent State University and the Cuyahoga River Partners have organized a trash clean-up of the Cuyahoga River on Saturday, September 26^th. The local project area will extend from Tannery Park to the Middlebury Road Bridge.

Volunteers are requested to meet at Tannery Park (near Stow St. Bridge) at 8:00 a.m. Boaters, kayakers and canoeists are also encouraged to participate by transporting trash to designated collection sites along the river. Clothing should be appropriate for wading in the river to collect trash and should include sturdy shoes and gloves. For questions and additional information contact Bob Brown at 330-678-8105.

Here’s more details:

I’m not sure how much folks have heard about the discussion that is going on right now regarding the future of Plum Creek Park — particularly the status of the ponds.  Our City Engineer, Jim Bowling, has asked for Council time in September (8/2) to update City Council on the proposed Plum Creek Park improvements.  Jim was telling me that thanks to the availability of Federal Stimulus Funds we have an opportunity to eliminate the old dam infrastructure that took Plum Creek and turned it into Plum Creek ponds.  The geese and mosquitoes love the ponds but it turns out that the dam has lived its full service life and now it’s time for it to go and Jim has prepared a couple of alternative scenarios for what the future of Plum Creek could look like as it passes through the Park.  Here’s Jim’s summary information.

Working with the Parks Department, Jim has put together a concept Park Plan that he is recommending for Council’s consideration that will be possible only if the old dam is removed and the creek is allowed to be restored to its original free-flowing state. 

Click Here To View the Proposed Park Plan

I generally try not to advertise upcoming events too early because I know how easy it is to lose track and forget about them if there’s too big of a gap but I’m going to make an exception here because I think this event is worthy of getting added to your calendar in advance so that you can be sure not to miss it.  As part of downtown Kent’s 3rd annual Who’s Your Mama? Earth Day celebration and film festival, Standing Rock Cultural Arts is presenting an expert panel discussion on the Green Economy on Friday, April 24th at 2 pm .  With an impressive list of speakers, a great movie (The Next Industrial Revolution showing at 1 pm preceding the panel discussion) and a topic that is solar hot, this is a must see downtown event.

First, be sure to check out the web site dedicated to everything about Kent’s Who’s Your Mama? festival because there are other great events, including Saturday’s downtown block party and concert. 

Here’s Standing Rock’s Press Release on the Movie and Panel Event:  

WHO: Standing Rock Cultural Arts and Lucky Penny Farm present  

WHAT: Expert Panel Discussion on The Green Economy,

-A Headline Event for The 3rd Annual “Who’s Your Mama?” Earth Day and Environmental Film Festival

-preceded by the Film “The Next Industrial Revolution” at 1pm.

WHERE: The Kent Stage, 175 E. Main Street, Downtown Kent.

WHEN: Friday, April 24, 2009. 2pm

THE MOVIE:  “The Next Industrial Revolution” which recognizes Oberlin College, among others, as a leader in sustainable business practices.

CONTACT: 330-673-4970

ADMISSION: Free.

There will be a Panel Discussion concerning The Green Economy at The Kent Stage, where experts will discuss steps we can take toward building a new green business model for our region.

-Panelists include:

1. Darwin Kelsey, Director of The Cuyahoga Valley Countryside
Conservancy.

2. Holly Harlan, Founder and President of Entrepreneurs for Sustainability (E4S).

3. Thomas Euclide, Executive Director, Kent State University Facilities Planning and Operations.

4. Amalie Lipstreau of The Ohio Department of Agriculture’s Sustainable Agriculture Program.

5. Stefanie Spears of EcoWatch Ohio Magazine.

6. Karen Wise of The Davey Tree Expert Company.

7. Ken Prendergast, Director of All Aboard Ohio (Passenger Rail Advocacy).

-Amalie Lipstreau has agreed to moderate the discussion.

-April 24, 2pm is the time and date. Discussion will be preceded by a film at 1pm.

-A Reception will follow the Panel Discussion. $5 Admission to the Reception and Films afterward.

-A Solar Power Station will be set up to provide solar power for the event and run the DVD Projector for the films.

About Lucky Penny Farm and Creamery:

” At Lucky Penny Farm we believe in simple things made by hand from the land and enjoyed together at the family table. The food we share connects people to farms and through Lucky Penny Creamery we produce artisan cheeses handcrafted in small batches in Kent, Ohio. As farmers and foodies we will guide the journey from our Portage County pastures to your plate”

-Anderson Turner, Lucky Penny Farm, Garrettsville, Ohio

“Living lives focused on sustainability will have lasting impact on our companies and our communities. The “Who’s Your Mama?” Festival is a great way to share Earth Day with friends and families” says Abbe Turner, cheesemaker at Lucky Penny Creamery, Kent, Ohio.

FROM THE PRODUCER,

The theme for this year’s festival is The Green Economy.

We all can agree that the economy is in a slump. But when one door is closed another is open. This is a good time to start fresh and create a new economy based on the principles of care for mama earth. She provides our basic necessities. Our food, air and water. Any activity that does harm to these essential elements of life can not be considered to be part of a good economy. Let’s think about future generations.

So what if anything that was manufactured could either be eaten or recycled into useful technology? This is a cradle to cradle philosophy that is highlighted in two films that we’ll be screening at this year’s festival.

What if there was a clean and efficient light rail system throughout Ohio? How many jobs would that create? From the steel to make the rails to the restaurants that surround the depots. Ken Prendergast from All Aboard Ohio will give you the latest and greatest scoop on passenger rail at our Panel Discussion on April 24.

What if the food we ate came from local farms? How much healthier would we be? How much fuel could be saved?

What if paper products were made from renewable resources and manufactured close to home?

What if the highest paid worker in a company didn’t make more than five times what the lowest paid worker made? It’s constructive capitalism and it works. Ask Ralph Bronner from Dr. Bronner’s Soap Company.

This year’s festival offers hope for the future. The films that will be screened this year are full of positive solutions to our environmental problems.

Highlights of the festival include A Vegan Iron Chef Competition at Kent State on April 19, The Green Panel Discussion and Reception on Friday, “The Magic Soapbox” film screening on Friday evening, The Main Street Block Party on April 25, and the concert featuring the Kidney Brothers and John Sinclair on Saturday Evening.

Every Day is Earth Day and I’d like to welcome you to the celebration.

Jeff Ingram/Producer

“Who’s Your Mama?” Earth Day and Environmental Film Festival
Standing Rock Cultural Arts
257 N. Water St.
Kent, OH 44240
330-673-4970

I wanted to share an update from Rhonda Boyd in Engineering concerning the status of the removal of the red diner downtown. After our one bidder removed the original portions of the diner for restoration purposes back in November we began making arrangements to have the remaining portion of the building demolished.  Proving that nothing is easy, the old diner is not going quietly into the night.  With the original building removed, the City was ready to roll in the bulldozers to do what they do best but before we did that we had to have a quick check on what was left inside and it turns out that some of the old piping was wrapped with asbestos which means we need to handle its disposal appropriately.  Here’s the latest update.

Asbestos has special permitting and handling requirements which our Engineering Division has been working on securing a contractor for. Below is an update from Rhonda on the status of the asbestos and building removal. Despite the delays I wanted you to know that we are actually very motivated to get rid of the remaining parts of the building as soon as possible, we just wanted to make sure that we did it right and in this case doing it right has taken more time than any of us desired.

Good morning,

Here is the up-date on the Diner. I spoke with HEPA Environmental yesterday to give them authorization to get started with the abatement on the Diner. They will file for permits today. The permit process has a 10 day waiting period. They will remove the one section of duct/flue pipe and a piece of transite wall board at the end of the 10 days. I am sending out proposal notices to the 5 contractors who have contacted us expressing an interest in demolition of the remaining structure. If all goes well, it should all be gone before February.

Rhonda