minpws 10-13-25

1 MINUTES OF THE PUBLIC WORKS & SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE OCTOBER 13, 2025 COUNCIL CHAMBERS Present: Councilmembers Evans, Steiner, Bullock Also present: Council President Kepple, Councilmember Marx, Law Director Vargo, Public Works Director Gordon, City Engineer Papke Call to Order: 5:47 p.m. Approval of the minutes of the June 9, 2025 Public Works & Sustainability Committee Motion by Chair Evans, seconded by Councilmember Steiner to approve the minutes of the June 9, 2025 meeting of the Public Works & Sustainability Committee. All members voted in favor. Motion passed. Minutes approved. Communication from Law Director Vargo regarding Submerged Lands Leases. referred to Finance 10/6/2025) Director Vargo explained that the submerged lands leases pertain to work being done by private property owners to protect the shoreline of their properties, which is in the best interest of both the property owners and the City. In order to move forward, the Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources requires that Council approve the leases. The leases attest that the properties in question are not needed by the City today or in the future. He explained that the plans have been signed off by the City Engineer and that he is available to address questions. In response to remarks from Councilmember Bullock, Engineer Papke added that the projects are to protect private properties from erosion. The resolutions are a formality required by ODNR to get confirmation that the City has no future plans to use the property for public purposes. Chair Evans remarked that two residents have reached out to request deferrals regarding their projects, stating that they are not ready to move forward at this time. RESOLUTION 2025- 55 - A RESOLUTION to take effect immediately provided it receives the affirmative vote of at least two thirds of the members of Council, or otherwise to take effect and be in force after the earliest period allowed by law, approving the use of submerged lands for property located at 1025 Nicholson Avenue, Lakewood, Ohio PPN 312- 08-002 and 312- 08-003 ( legal descriptions of which is attached hereto as Exhibit “ A”), in order to permit the owners the opportunity to construct the proposed shore structure. ( referred to Finance 10/6/2025) Motion by Chair Evans, seconded by Councilmember Bullock to defer Resolution 2025-55. All members in favor. Motion passed. Resolution 2025- 55 deferred. Docusign Envelope ID: F5B8E23E- 65E4-44B2-8A59-A550D360DD59

2 RESOLUTION 2025- 56 - A RESOLUTION to take effect immediately provided it receives the affirmative vote of at least two thirds of the members of Council, or otherwise to take effect and be in force after the earliest period allowed by law, approving the use of submerged lands for property located at 1031 Nicholson Avenue, Lakewood, Ohio PPN 312- 08-004 ( a legal description of which is attached hereto as Exhibit “ A”), in order to permit the owners the opportunity to construct the proposed shore structure. ( referred to Finance 10/6/2025) Motion by Chair Evans, seconded by Councilmember Bullock to defer Resolution 2025-56. All members in favor. Motion passed. Resolution 2025- 56 deferred. RESOLUTION 2025-57 - A RESOLUTION to take effect immediately provided it receives the affirmative vote of at least two thirds of the members of Council, or otherwise to take effect and be in force after the earliest period allowed by law, approving the use of submerged lands for property located at 1040 Erie Cliff Drive, Lakewood, Ohio PPN 311-12-074 (a legal description of which is attached hereto as Exhibit “ A”), in order to permit the owners the opportunity to construct the proposed shore structure. ( referred to Finance 10/6/2025) Motion by Chair Evans, seconded by Councilmember Bullock to favorably refer Resolution 2025- 57 to City Council. All members in favor. Motion passed. RESOLUTION 2025- 58 - A RESOLUTION to take effect immediately provided it receives the affirmative vote of at least two thirds of the members of Council, or otherwise to take effect and be in force after the earliest period allowed by law, approving the use of submerged lands for property located at 1041 Forest Cliff Drive, Lakewood, Ohio PPN 311- 13-072 ( a legal description of which is attached hereto as Exhibit “ A”), in order to permit the owners the opportunity to construct the proposed shore structure. ( referred to Finance 10/6/2025) Motion by Chair Evans, seconded by Councilmember Bullock to favorably refer Resolution 2025- 58 to City Council. All members in favor. Motion passed. RESOLUTION 2025-59 - A RESOLUTION to take effect immediately provided it receives the affirmative vote of at least two thirds of the members of Council, or otherwise to take effect and be in force after the earliest period allowed by law, approving the use of submerged lands for property located at 1039 Forest Cliff Drive, Lakewood, Ohio PPN 311-13-074 ( a legal description of which is attached hereto as Exhibit “ A”), in order to permit the owners the opportunity to construct the proposed shore structure. ( referred to Finance 10/6/2025) Motion by Chair Evans, seconded by Councilmember Bullock to favorably refer Resolution 2025- 59 to City Council. All members in favor. Motion passed. Noting that the projects are being presented to Council in one batch, Councilmember Bullock asked if the projects were coordinated or similar in some way. Docusign Envelope ID: F5B8E23E- 65E4-44B2-8A59-A550D360DD59

3 Engineer Papke replied that no, the projects are not coordinated. Each is being constructed individually. Communication from Councilmember Bullock regarding continued enhancement of public input for Active Transportation Plan and other infrastructure projects. referred to PWS 09/15/25) RESOLUTION 2025-48 - A RESOLUTION to continue enhancing public input for Active Transportation Plan and other infrastructure projects. ( referred to PWS 09/15/25) Councilmember Evans introduced Councilmember Bullock’ s communication, remarking that it is a good time to discuss the public input process regarding infrastructure projects now that the Complete and Active Streets and Education Board has been established. Councilmember Bullock identified two items that he would like addressed 1. An update on the Bunts Rd. project and 2. The process of resident notification and engagement moving forward for similar projects. He referenced the language of the resolution and acknowledged that what is proposed in the legislation is within Council’ s existing powers, though Council typically and ideally would partner with the administration on these initiatives. He pointed out that the Active Transportation projects are significant and worthy of greater community discussion. For contrast he pointed to the very robust process that residential streets go through to have speed tables installed. Councilmember Bullock emphasized the importance of effective communication with the public, noting that the responsibility lies with multiple departments, including Council. He called for greater coordination of messaging, greater volume of communication, and to move beyond an “ all or nothing” approach to projects. He questioned whether the City is currently meeting these benchmarks. As an example of the effective communication he is seeking, Councilmember Bullock noted that if it is truly the case that multi-use paths are safe, the City can and should do more to educate and engage directly with resident concerns such as these. He also suggested that there is more room for compromise than has currently been demonstrated. Councilmember Hamilton Steiner asked questions about how the proposal would specifically play out and how it would intersect with the City’ s existing processes for citizen feedback such as Planning Commission and the CASE Board. Councilmember Bullock expressed open- mindedness about how the process would look, noting that he thinks Council has a valuable perspective because it is looking at the big picture and that Council can potentially fill gaps in existing processes. He clarified that he does not seek to duplicate or replace the work of Planning Commission or the CASE Board. He seeks to create a venue for City Council to take public input and issue communications. Councilmember Evans acknowledged that the City, including City Council, could do a better job with resident communications. He expressed the desire to educate residents more about the Docusign Envelope ID: F5B8E23E- 65E4-44B2-8A59-A550D360DD59

4 President Kepple questioned what the specific outcome would be, were this resolution to become adopted. Chair Evans responded that he will not recommend the resolution in its current form to be adopted out of committee. He added that the resolution is the start of a conversation. He asked the Administration for updates specific to the Bunts Rd multi-modal path and questioned how that project may be effected by changes to the City’ s processes. Mayor George acknowledged that while there is always room to improve public engagement, that the Administration and Council invested significant time to establish the new process involving the CASE Board to improve public input. She recommended that the City takes the time to observe how that process plays out before making additional changes. She added that all public comment processes need to have a definitive start and end. Once the public input process ends, the design and engineering begins, and those parts of the process come with significant cost. She noted that the Bunts Road project spent $ 1.7 million on design and engineering. Public Works Director Gordon objected to the presumed characterization that the Bunts Rd. public input process wasn’ t properly conducted. He reviewed multiple points of engagement with residents including letters, yard signs, and public meetings. He contended that the City simply cannot do what is being asked by the Bunts Rd. constituency. He emphasized that a shared use path such as the one to be installed on Bunts Rd. is clearly called for in the Complete Streets and Active Transportation Plan, which he and the Administration are trying to realize. He questioned whether Council was calling for rescinding Complete Streets. Councilmember Bullock responded and clarified that the proposed resolution is in no way intended to invalidate Complete Streets or the Active Transportation Plan but rather calls for continued improvements. He added that while the City may have met the current standards of resident engagement regarding Bunts Rd., he is proposing that the standards be raised to put heavier weight on the opinions of neighbors most directly impacted. He shared additional thoughts regarding his ideas for improvement, acknowledging that the specifics would need to be clarified in a future version of the resolution. Public Comment Amy Herberger, Bunts Rd. – Ms. Herberger expressed support for Resolution 2025-48 to ensure meaningful public input. She highlighted concerns about the existing process that led to the finalization of the Bunts Rd. project, which she stated ignored the community, set arbitrary deadlines, and lacked transparency. She voiced environmental concerns about the multi-use path, pointing to removal of trees, noise, and an increase in emissions. Engineer Papke responded that the project has met the threshold for environmental standards at the federal level. Shannon Mortland, Bunts Rd. – Ms. Mortland expressed support for Resolution 2025-48, stating that the City’ s existing processes for public engagement are flawed because residents were not involved from the start. She objected to residents being provided with only two options from the beginning and stated that the City appears to prefer pavement over safety and the environment. She emphasized that the City’ s public engagement processes need to be improved. Docusign Envelope ID: F5B8E23E- 65E4-44B2-8A59-A550D360DD59

5 Matt Herberger, Bunts Rd. – Mr. Herberger expressed support for Resolution 2025-48 and urged adoption. He remarked that the Bunts Rd. multi-use path process revealed critical issues with the City’ s planning process. He argued that the City should have reached out to Bunts Rd residents first and listened to the valuable input of residents who have lived on the street for decades before proceeding. He questioned the City’ s statement that the project cannot be stopped and advised that the City have multiple contingency plans for every project. Councilmember Evans stated that while the resolution contains many good ideas about thoughtfully including community input, that it is not yet ready to be voted out of the committee without additional work. In response to the committee’ s request for an update on the Bunts Rd. multi-use path, Engineer Papke and Mayor George emphasized that the project timeline has been established to coordinate multiple agencies, utilities, and funders. He stated that if the City fails to follow through on meeting deadlines that it could potentially lose credibility and jeopardize future funding. He stated that the project is currently at the federal authorization stage. Engineer Papke explained that the City retains local public control over its Public Works projects, but that local public control can be rescinded if the City fails to properly manage projects. Withdrawal of the City’ s local public control would be catastrophic because the City’ s projects would then be controlled by ODOT, which would not prioritize the City’ s local priorities. Councilmember Steiner requested copies of documents outlining the timelines and deadlines mentioned. She asked if the federal shutdown would have any impact on the federal authorization. Engineer Papke replied that everything was still moving forward as of Friday. Councilmember Steiner observed that the City has many overarching plans that will have accompanying public input processes. She suggested that a revision of the Resolution could address public input broadly, and not focus exclusively on Bunts Rd. Director Gordon sought confirmation from Council that the Active Transportation Plan remains a priority, as the shared use path is a highlight of the Plan. Chair Evans replied that nothing in the proposed resolution contradicts the Active Transportation Plan. President Kepple acknowledged that there is always room to improve communication and that the recently adopted Active Transportation Plan tries to build in processes to prevent conflicts like this from happening again. She again expressed confusion about the outcome of the legislation if adopted. She underscored that the proposed resolution does not have the authority to undo any of the Active Transportation Plan or work on Complete Streets and that those remain a priority of Council. Docusign Envelope ID: F5B8E23E- 65E4-44B2-8A59-A550D360DD59

6 Councilmember Bullock shared final thoughts and outlined the potential avenues for the legislation. He committed to revising and clarifying the legislation if he could have assurance of the committee’ s support. Councilmember Steiner remarked that she sees the vision but that the legislation isn’ t yet ready for adoption. Motion by Chair Evans and seconded to defer Resolution 2025-48. All members in favor. Motion passed. Resolution 2025-48 deferred. Public Works & Sustainability Committee adjourned at 6:47 p.m. Approved: Bryan Evans, Chair Public Works & Sustainability Committee Maureen M. Bach, Clerk of Council 01/20/2026 Docusign Envelope ID: F5B8E23E- 65E4-44B2-8A59-A550D360DD59

Public Works & Sustainability Committee 10- 13- 25 17: 45 Agenda Name Comments Support Oppose Neutral Communication from Councilmember Bullock regarding continued enhancement of public input for Active Transportation Plan and other infrastructure projects. ( referred to PWS 09/15/25) 6 6 0 0 RESOLUTION 2025- 48 - A RESOLUTION to continue enhancing public input for Active Transportation Plan and other infrastructure projects. referred to PWS 09/15/25) 2 2 0 0 Sentiments for All Agenda Items The following graphs display sentiments for comments that have location data. Only locations of users who have commented will be shown. Overall Sentiment Docusign Envelope ID: F5B8E23E- 65E4-44B2-8A59-A550D360DD59

Agenda Item: eComments for Communication from Councilmember Bullock regarding continued enhancement of public input for Active Transportation Plan and other infrastructure projects. ( referred to PWS 09/ 15/25) Overall Sentiment Jeff Dudzik Location: Submitted At: 4:58pm 10-13-25 I support the proposal to enhance public input for Active Transportation Plan projects, including the Bunts Road Rehabilitation Project. Residents along Bunts and throughout Lakewood have raised safety concerns for more than a year, yet those issues remain unaddressed by City Council or the administration. The current design introduces new conflicts between vehicles, driveways, cyclists, and pedestrians on an already high-crash corridor. Meaningful collaboration with residents is essential before final decisions are made. Improving the public input process will help ensure projects are both safe and reflective of the neighborhoods they impact. I urge Council to adopt this resolution. Tim McDonald Location: Submitted At: 4:22pm 10-13-25 I support this proposal which would allow for more resident input on projects such as the Bunts Rd Project as well as others in the Active Transportation Plan. The residents of the street understand challenges that should be considered when planning major projects. Collaboration between the city and its residents can only enhance a plan. Brenda Gravelle Location: Submitted At: 11:07am 10- 13- 25 Lakewood city council members. I support Council Member Tom Bullock’s proposal with regards to Bunts Road. Since this would affect many residents on Bunts, an open discussion by with council and residents would be best. Docusign Envelope ID: F5B8E23E- 65E4-44B2-8A59-A550D360DD59

Amy Herberger Location: Submitted At: 9:50am 10-13-25 Support for Resolution 2025- 48 to Enhance Public Input for Active Transportation Plan and Reconsider Bunts Road Project Dear Mayor and Members of City Council, I respectfully urge your support for the resolution introduced by Council member Bullock, which seeks to enhance public input in infrastructure projects, including the Bunts Road Rehabilitation Project. The current process has excluded significant community concerns related to safety, traffic flow, and neighborhood impact due to procedural deadlines and misaligned input channels and lack of data. Proceeding without fully incorporating this feedback risks undermining public trust, creating unsafe conditions, exposing the City to liability, and is a wasting taxpayer funds. Furthermore, it is evident that the current plan lacks broad community support, appearing to prioritize the interests of a small group rather than those of the wider neighborhood most affected. The residents deserve a seat at the table to ensure their concerns, and alternatives, are fully considered before final decisions are made. Therefore, I respectfully ask the Council to reconsider and change the Bunts Road project to better reflect the community's needs and input. I strongly endorse this resolution as a prudent and necessary measure to ensure transparent and community- centered planning, so that irreversible harm can be prevented. Megan Koeth Location: Submitted At: 4:28pm 10-12-25 I’d like to express my support for Councilman Bullock’s resolution to enhance public input in City infrastructure projects, including the Active Transportation Plan initiatives like the Bunts Road Rehabilitation Project. Community engagement is essential to ensuring that projects reflect the needs, safety, and values of the people who use our street every day. By strengthening opportunities for residents to participate and be meaningfully in the process, we can create more effective and broadly supported outcome for everyone. Rebecca Loyd Location: Submitted At: 4:05pm 10-12-25 I support Councilmember Bullock and his proposal to make improvements in gathering public input before, during, and after infrastructure projects are completed in this city. This includes the active transportation plan. Residents deserve a voice at the table. Docusign Envelope ID: F5B8E23E- 65E4-44B2-8A59-A550D360DD59

Agenda Item: eComments for RESOLUTION 2025- 48 - A RESOLUTION to continue enhancing public input for Active Transportation Plan and other infrastructure projects. ( referred to PWS 09/15/25) Overall Sentiment Tim McDonald Location: Submitted At: 5:32pm 10-13-25 I've lived on Bunts for 46 years. The 10 feet wide asphalt path will be 40 feet from my front door. Bunts being one of the most heavily trafficked streets does not need an increase in traffic whether it be biike, ebike... The are no safety considerations for pedestrians, which include children and dogs. Bikes and especially E-bikes and E- scooters pose a danger to pedestrians. The electric vehicles are exploding and being marketed to children who ride them on sidewalks now. A path will only encourage this dangerous behavior. And really, who is going to stop them?? Having a bi-directional path also increases the danger that these fast moving bikes will not be seen and a car that is trying to get in or out of the heavy traffic, will be at risk of hitting them. Here's an idea: Take the path out of the plan, remove street parking and put the bike lanes in the street. Drivers are more apt to see bikes moving in the same direction as the cars. People can park in their driveways. Even the residents of doubles, just like they do on Franklin and Hilliard where there is no street parking. Another problem is maintaining this path. It will crumble and need patching. Will this even be undertaken. One only has to walk the path at Lakewood Park to see that maintenance is a problem. For these safety reasons the Bunts Rd Project needs to be reconsidered. ** The City of Lakewood can and should do better. Let's not forget, the city's publicity for the meeting to introduce the plan failed to mention that the residents had different bike plans to consider. The city tried to slip this shared use path in without making clear what was to happen. The residents felt duped. We want a city that listens to stakeholders. City officials that listen and are willing to make changes to reflect the values and character of our neighborhoods....and take safety concerns seriously. Amy Herberger Location: Submitted At: 9:52am 10-13-25 Support for Resolution 2025-48 to Enhance Public Input for Active Transportation Plan and Reconsider Bunts Road Project Docusign Envelope ID: F5B8E23E- 65E4-44B2-8A59-A550D360DD59

Dear Mayor and Members of City Council, I respectfully urge your support for the resolution introduced by Council member Bullock, which seeks to enhance public input in infrastructure projects, including the Bunts Road Rehabilitation Project. The current process has excluded significant community concerns related to safety, traffic flow, and neighborhood impact due to procedural deadlines and misaligned input channels and lack of data. Proceeding without fully incorporating this feedback risks undermining public trust, creating unsafe conditions, exposing the City to liability, and is a wasting taxpayer funds. Furthermore, it is evident that the current plan lacks broad community support, appearing to prioritize the interests of a small group rather than those of the wider neighborhood most affected. The residents deserve a seat at the table to ensure their concerns, and alternatives, are fully considered before final decisions are made. Therefore, I respectfully ask the Council to reconsider and change the Bunts Road project to better reflect the community's needs and input. I strongly endorse this resolution as a prudent and necessary measure to ensure transparent and community- centered planning, so that irreversible harm can be prevented. Docusign Envelope ID: F5B8E23E- 65E4-44B2-8A59-A550D360DD59