Lakewood, Ohio The second summer of town hall-style gatherings in each of the city’s four wards has just concluded by the Lakewood City Council.
According to City Council President Sarah Kepple, the community and Council members have benefited greatly from the summer community discussions.
We frequently hear from people how much they value the chance to speak with us in a more relaxed environment where we can discuss issues, exchange questions, provide updates, and listen to their thoughts. Hearing some excellent suggestions from the community has therefore always been a lot of fun.
Conversations were scheduled for this year at the Cove Community Center (Ward 4), the Lakewood YMCA (Ward 1), the Main Branch of the Lakewood Public Library (Ward 2), and, most recently, the Lakewood Park Women’s Club Pavilion (Ward 3).
The head of the council described the few community discussions as a good experience, with suggestions made for additional discussion.
“Anywhere can inspire good ideas,” she remarked. One citizen, for example, suggested that residents should have access to free composting services. We’re approaching budget season, so I asked her to send me further details regarding the price.
We perform these kinds of activities during the summer so that we are rejuvenated and can return with a plethora of brilliant ideas when we start the budget prioritization process, she explained.
Additionally, the summer community talks gave locals a chance to express their frustrations and discuss the city’s ongoing FirstEnergy power outages.
Kepple pointed out that because the discussions are informal, locals may feel more at ease speaking with city officials.
Additionally, the topics of community discussions throughout the summer frequently reverberate all year long.
One of the great things is that, although the homeowners have a wide range of worries, they occasionally bring up quite particular ones, such as events occurring on their block and street, she added.
We find a comparatively rapid solution for several of those. We simply had to be aware of it. Additionally, we can connect them with the appropriate individual.
For instance, during a recent community discussion, one homeowner inquired about speed tables and traffic calming, while another talked about trash cans.
We frequently hear about really particular problems on local streets, but those also give us a broader picture of what’s going on in the neighborhoods around the world, she added.
Therefore, it is possible that it is occurring on other streets with other residents if it is occurring on one street with one resident. It serves as a helpful reminder of what we must convey to let others know about the resources that are accessible.
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