Akron.com

Falls resident questions pavilion use



To the editor:

Recently, I called the Parks and Recreation Department in the City of Cuyahoga Falls to rent the pavilion at Falls River Square in the downtown district. I was told that the city no longer has the staffing nor resources to maintain the pavilion for resident private rental. Falls River Square was created as a result of a citywide master planning process in 2002-03, which included 51 pubic meetings. When opened in 2004 at a cost of $5 million, tax dollars used to build this facility pledged that the “public” could lease this space for private use. Over the years, many weddings, reunions, corporate events, showers, graduations and birthday parties have occurred here. Now, the city states they don’t have the resources, even though they have more employees and created a new department (NECCO). When the [Mayor Don] Robart administration managed this 4,050-square-foot facility, it was supervised by a manager who held a master’s degree in facilities management. Perhaps the city is not hiring qualified people to adequately staff and maintain these public facilities. Additionally, a resident can no longer utilize the public meeting space located in the lower level of Fire Station 5, even though citizens were also promised the availability of this space when the fire station was constructed. Therefore, the three-story pavilion — comprising 38 restrooms [stalls], a kitchenette and fireplace, are now for city use only — continued mismanagement of the [Mayor Don] Walters administration. Do you see a pattern here?

Susan Truby, Cuyahoga Falls, former Cuyahoga Falls director of development (1997-2013)