Akron Ohio News - West Side News & Notes

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West Side News & Notes

3/11/2010 - West Side Leader

By Stephanie Kist

City official says Y-Bridge crack not cause for concern

DOWNTOWN AKRON — What could appear to be a crack in the Y-Bridge visible from North or Lods streets below causes concern on a regular basis, but there’s nothing to worry about, according to Jim Weber, the city of Akron’s Construction Division Manager.

There is an expansion joint on the bridge between North and Lods that allows the bridge to expand and contract in the north-south direction based on the temperature, Weber said. This time of year, the gap in the joint is larger and more noticeable due to the cold.

“The bridge was designed to have an expansion joint in it, so it was doing everything it was supposed to do,” Weber said. “That bridge is inspected on an annual basis by [the Ohio Department of Transportation]. That bridge is perfectly safe. The gap you see in the steel was designed to be there.”

Café Conversation seeks input on access

WEST AKRON — The Ohio Rehabilitation Services Commission (RSC) will host a Café Conversation in Akron to provide a venue for Ohioans with disabilities to help shape the future of the agency.

RSC is the state agency that partners with Ohioans with disabilities to obtain or retain jobs and achieve independence and disability determination outcomes.

RSC Administrator Michael Rench will reach out to Ohioans with disabilities throughout the Akron area, their families, employers, community leaders and others during a café-style meeting March 18 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Helen Arnold Community Learning Center, 450 Vernon Odom Blvd. The casual gathering is intended to stimulate conversation, encourage collective thinking and generate ideas that will result in updated agency strategies and improved employment opportunities for people with disabilities.

“Public comment is vital to help shape public policy for Ohioans with disabilities,” Rench said. “We are seeking input from those whom policy will most closely and dramatically impact.”

The Café Conversation in Akron is one in a series of 12 meetings statewide. Visit www.rsc.ohio.gov for more information about this and other events.

To register, visit www.rsc.ohio.gov, call 800-282-4536, ext. 1470, or e-mail brenda.rhodes@rsc.state.oh.us. Sign language interpreters will be at the meetings, and other accommodations can be made with advanced notice.

Doors open on two new DD centers

Two new Summit County Board of Developmental Disabilities community service centers opened in Barberton and Cuyahoga Falls March 1. The latter center also includes a Bistro, shown above, that is open to the public.

Photo courtesy of the Summit County Board of Developmental Disabilities

GREATER AKRON — The doors swung open on two new community service centers in Summit County March 1.

According to the Summit County Board of Developmental Disabilities (DD), these centers are the culmination of two years of planning and represent the finest community integrated service locations for people with disabilities.

The centers are specifically designed to provide work supports and habilitation programs and to serve no more than 75 people each. They will have a staff of about 15 direct care employees and two managers.

Each center is also a community location for service and support administrators to meet with families, guardians and caregivers of those served in the respective communities.

The 150-day program slots created by the new centers have more than absorbed the service capacity reduction that occurred with the closing of the Bath Center and has alleviated crowding issues system-wide, according to Summit Board of DD officials.

The new centers are Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)-certified construction projects.

Both sites will allow for daily community interactions with the surrounding downtowns of Cuyahoga Falls and Barberton.

The Cuyahoga Falls center is on the corners of Second Street and Oakwood Avenue. This facility contains a Gift Gallery and Bistro that is now serving the public sandwiches, salads, soft drinks, coffee, tea and desserts. The store’s hours of operation are Mondays through Fridays from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays.

The Barberton Center is across from the new YMCA on the corner of Hopocan and Wunderlich avenues. ClayCrafters and Custom Stitches products are available for purchase in the center’s lobby.

A grand opening celebration for both centers will be April 28.

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