8/2/2012 - West Side Leader
     

DOWNTOWN AKRON — Summit County Council returned from its summer break July 30 and moved forward on two road projects in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

Council adopted on first reading a resolution confirming an award with Karvo Paving Co. for the resurfacing of Akron-Peninsula Road at a cost of $829,997.

Heidi Swindell, of the Summit County Engineer’s Office, said the project will see improvements to the road from the northern end of Cuyahoga Falls to Quick Road. It will include resurfacing, shoulder restoration and pavement marking.

Joe Paradise, director of engineering for the Engineer’s Office, said he hopes the project will be started by mid- to late August and completed by winter.

The county is putting an additional $46,000 in local funds toward the project for an underlay made of fiberglass and asphalt that will help strengthen the pavement and help delay the return of cracks, Paradise added. In addition, the project will entail the use of a National Park Service-standard guardrail that features wooden posts with steel plates covered by timber to make it fit in more with the surroundings.

Also on first reading, Council adopted a resolution authorizing the County Executive’s office to execute a local public agency agreement with the state of Ohio, through the Ohio Department of Transportation, for improvements to Riverview Road at a cost of $920,000.

The road will be addressed from the Cuyahoga Falls northern corporation line to the Village of Peninsula corporation line, Swindell said.

Paradise said some work on that project could possibly be started this year, such as improvements to the shoulder.

“We are trying to build shoulders on all county roads in the National Park,” he said, to accommodate bicyclists and pedestrians in the area.

Also Monday, legislation that provides the full operating budget for this year for the Summit County Board of Elections (BOE) was introduced. The amount is nearly $6.2 million, which is more than the $4.7 million originally offered by the Executive’s Office but less than the $9.3 million the BOE originally requested.

The legislation will be discussed during the next Finance Committee meeting.

In addition, Council adopted on first reading a resolution endorsing FirstEnergy Solutions Corp.’s Price Stability Program offer to customers in the county’s opt-out electricity aggregation program.

The county’s townships currently participate in the program. The new option will allow consumers to opt-in and get a guaranteed price of 7 cents per kilowatt for seven years. Currently, participating consumers pay 6.8 cents per kilowatt, but FirstEnergy has predicted that electricity prices will be increasing.

Customers can remain on the present plan if they wish, according to Jason Dodson, of the Executive’s Office.

Also during the meeting, Councilman John Schmidt (D-District 2) noted that the celebration of Cuyahoga Falls’ bicentennial kicks off Aug. 3 at Falls River Square. He added he planned to read a proclamation from Council at the event, which starts at 5:30 p.m.

Summit County Council will meet for committee meetings Aug. 6 at 4:30 p.m. in Council Chambers on the seventh floor of the Ohio Building, 175 S. Main St.

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