Kent K9′s On The Podium...

The cross-town rivalry between Akron University and Kent State University sports teams inspires a lot of cheering, chanting and passionate gestures.

It turns out that same competitive fire has gone to the dogs, and Kent’s K9′s came out on top.

On May 19th, local law enforcement personnel held the 2nd Annual K9 Competition at Lock 3 in Downtown Akron where the officers/handlers had a chance to put their K9 skills to the test for tracking and catching bad guys.

Akron’s 2nd Annual “K-9 Challenge” was sponsored by the Akron Police Department and included 20 teams of dogs and handlers from Summit, Portage, Stark, Tuscarawas and Wayne Counties.

The Olympic-style competitions started at 10 am and continued until about 2 pm.

“The purpose of the K-9 Challenge is to let the public see the benefits of using dogs in specialized law enforcement tasks,” says Sgt. Dale Dorn, the Akron Police Department’s K-9 Commander. “We all train together, and usually, only the Police Olympics have dog team events. Our handlers like the competition, and this is a way for us to have some fun at the same time.”

Dogs were judged on obedience, agility and criminal apprehension – following criteria used in state certification tests. In addition to trophies being awarded in various categories, there will be one “Top Dog” award given to the K-9 team that scores the most points.

Kent Police Chief Lee proudly reports that Kent’s Aiko took first place in the apprehension phase and Kent’s Felo took second place out of 20 teams.

Congratulations to both teams who performed so well in this competition and represented the Kent community with pride.

Honoring Veterans on Memorial Day...

As we head into Memorial Day weekend we are reminded of all those who have served this country for us.

Veterans have touched our lives in ways that we can never fully appreciate but we do our small part by coming together to honor them each Memorial Day.

In Kent, that means the traditional Memorial Day parade that will start up on Main Street in downtown Kent at 10 am on Memorial Day and march it’s way down Main Street to Gougler Avenue where it will head north before wrapping up near Kent Roosevelt High School and the Standing Rock Cemetary which is the final resting spot for many friends and family that served their country.

It was last year on Memorial Day that Kent lost Kent Roosevelt graduate and local sports star Adam Hamilton when he was killed in Haji Ruf, Afghanistan, after his unit was attacked with an improvised explosive device (IED) while on a night mission.  He was assigned to the 4thSquadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division.

A year later his memory lives on and in his honor Kent Mayor Fiala will be unveiling a new street sign in front of Kent Roosevelt High School (immediately following this year’s Memorial Day parade) that dedicates that section of SR43 in Adam’s honor.  The American Legion Color Guard will join the Mayor and Adam’s family for a short ceremonial unveiling of the new sign.

The loss of Adam led to a broader discussion of the need for a community-wide Veterans Memorial and I’m pleased to report that effort is now making great progress under the stewardship of PARTA.  PARTA General Manager John Drew has launched the community Veteran’s Memorial initiative as part of the new transit center being built in downtown Kent.

John had the perfect spot in front of his new PARTA building and as a veteran himself he was pleased to be able to use some of the funds to underwrite this important Memorial.  With PARTA’s financial commitment in place a small group of people from the City, PARTA, Kent State University and the community have been making steady progress at outlining the goals of the new Kent Veteran’s Memorial and soliciting ideas for what it should look like.

This group held a public meeting last week to take input from the general public and this week the official Call For Entry was posted on numerous web sites to spread the word that PARTA is taking bids/concepts for this new Kent Veterans Memorial.  Architects and artists are encouraged to team up and get a proposal submitted no later than June 27, 2012.   The goal is to have the Memorial design concept selected this year and constructed and on-site in July 2013.

For the complete details on the PARTA Call For Entry please check out PARTA’s central gateway web site.

Veterans hold a special place in our lives and we think they deserve an equally special place in our community with a new Memorial to be built in their honor.

City Hydrant Flushing Program...

It’s the time of year that City crews go out through our water distribution network and flush the hydrants to make sure they’re in tip top shape in the event that we might need to use them.

The good news is that over the last 50 years, fire prevention and fire retardant materials have made the big scary fires of the old days mostly just bad memories.  The majority of the 911 calls that come into the Fire Station are accident and emergency medical needs rather than traditional fire suppression — but fires still happen, and when they do, everything — including the fire pumper truck, City firefighters, and especially the fire hydrants have to be ready at a moment’s notice.

We can keep our firefighters well trained and on their toes. the trucks buffed and ready to roll, but with so many fire hydrants scattered around town, we have to make a special effort to test and get the hydrants ready for another season of fighting fires.

Most hydrants will never have to be used (and that’s a good thing) but when one is needed, there’s no time to spare and it has to be in top working order with the first turn of the wrench.  Those City hydrants are a hardy bunch, exposed to the elements and the wear and tear that comes from life in an urban environment, so this time of year we give them a little extra attention to get them prepped for action.

Here’s the 2012 Hydrant flushing schedule for your information:

$1.084 Million Starts a Week Off Right...

Living, working and learning in Kent is more than dollars and cents, but few things help those things go better than a pocketfull of cash.

This economy has emptied most pockets which is why it was great news on Friday to officially hear that the State of Ohio, under the Clean Ohio grant program, selected a Kent based project (the old Ametek site) to receive $1.084 million in the final round of the Clean Ohio funds.

On a beautiful Friday afternoon (May 18, 2012), Mayor Fiala and Dan Smith, City Economic Development Director, took a drive down to Columbus to attend the last round of Clean Ohio fund awards.  By mid-afternoon they called in to report their success — to the tune of $1.084 million — which will now be available for the City to use to clean up a few of trouble spots on the old Ametek building property and get it ready for re-use.

Those of you that follow all the moving parts of the downtown redevelopment project know that convincing Ametek to keep their 100 or so employees in Kent required the City being willing to buy the old Ametek building and the land that it sits on.  After a lot of wheeling and dealing, that deal was done, Ametek signed a 15 year lease to be in downtown Kent (with an expected move in date in September 2012), and the City took ownership of the old Ametek property.

The City had hired a roomfull of environmental experts to evaluate the old Ametek site for potential hazards, and like any good consultant, they found a few locations around the property would need some remediation prior to redevelopment.  The good news was that the areas in need of remediation were limited, nothing presented an immediate health risk to anyone on or off the property, and the types of problems found on site were treatable.

All we needed was about $1 million to get the job done right.  Thanks to the Mayor and Dan, we now have that money.

When the Governor announced late in 2011 that the Clean Ohio fund program was going to end, we knew we had to get this final application right because so much was riding on finishing what we started with the Ametek move and our plans to backfill the Ametek building with new jobs.  With the Governor’s announcement, we knew that competition for the final funds would be fierce, but fortunately we’ve had some experience with the Clean Ohio application process — you may recall that we secured $1.34 million to finish cleaning up the old RB&W site in 2011 — and we knew had a good project in our hands with the Ametek property.

It was great that we knew what a good project we had, but ultimately we had to pitch it to the State and convince them that it was better than so many other projects that were being filed in this last grant cycle.

Hundreds of little things that we did right in putting this project package together made the difference, but at the risk of oversimplifying I go back to our continued commitment to partnering and collaborating that seems to separate our recent projects from the pack of soloists.  It seems like everybody has good projects, so in making its choices the State tends to look for evidence of real partnerships (aka everyone has money in the game) between cities, businessess, universities, and anyone else that wants to sign on board, as being the difference maker.

Partly out of necessity and partly as a strategy, Kent has become a great partner to many and that has made all the difference in finding ways to finance the community’s aspirations during a difficult economic period.

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.