CUYAHOGA FALLS — Cuyahoga Falls City Council April 27 approved the modification of a contract with Perrin Asphalt for an additional $500,000 for the annual resurfacing and/or repair of various streets, for a total contract amount not to exceed $3.89 million.

City Engineer Tony Demasi said bids opened in March for the city’s annual street resurfacing project, and Perrin Asphalt was lowest and best bidder — coming in about 10% lower than the city’s estimate. Because of this, the city will increase the contract by $500,000, which will allow the city to resurface additional roads — including Portage Trail — and still be within budget.

“Portage Trail, we all agree, is in need of resurfacing,” Demasi said. “Due to budget limits and other streets that also needed paved, we had planned on paving it over the next couple years, with this year seeing us paving the section between Sixth and 10th streets. With the approval of the additional $500,000, the city will now be able to complete all of Portage Trail, from Second to 13th streets.”

Demasi also noted that Hidden Lakes Lane — which was previously scheduled to be paved from State Road to Hidden Hollow Court this year — can now be paved all the way down to Lakeview Drive.

Many Council members thanked the engineer for his diligence in appropriating the extra funds to additional road work.

“Great Job on the bidding process, the budgeting and being flexible and creative with the funds to increase the number of blocks that we’re going to be doing on Portage,” Councilman Joe Siegferth (D-Ward 4) said. “I very much appreciate that — hats off. Thank you.”

Council also approved two pieces of legislation relating to the replacement of the 8-inch water main in Bailey Road from Myrtle Avenue to McShane Drive. The first ordinance authorizes the mayor to apply for, accept and enter into a cooperative agreement with the Ohio Water Development Authority (OWDA) for the replacement. The city intends to apply for an OWDA Fresh Water Loan Program loan for the construction costs of the water line improvements, which is estimated at $1.3 million.

The second piece of legislation allows the city to enter into a contract for the work. City Engineer Tony Demasi said the project was bid April 8 and the city received nine bids, with the lowest and best bid from Hartville-based Clell Construction at a little under $1.13 million and 7.5% below the estimate.

Demasi noted the existing water line has experienced several significant breaks recently.

“If anyone has driven down that section, you’ll know that’s true from all of the utility patches out there,” he said, adding the existing main was built in 1927 and is only 6 inches in diameter, while the standard for today’s water mains are 8-inches in diameter.

This section of Bailey Road has been considered for resurfacing for a couple years, Demasi said, but the city had decided to hold off until the water main could be replaced. He said he anticipates work to begin in June and be complete by the end of November.

Also at the meeting, Council approved:

• to amend contracts with CTI Engineers Inc. for additional professional engineering services related to the water treatment plant improvements, not to exceed $138,000 for a total contract price of $1.48 million. According to the legislation, additional requirements from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) require the relocation of the existing 2-million-gallon clearwell noted during the general plan review, and additional surveying was required to explore additional access to the site once the main driveway closes to the public. Water Superintendent Russ Kring said the city has contracted with CTI for the design of a new softener and pump building at the new water treatment plant;

• a $106,900 contract with Patriot Engineering and Environmental Inc. for the removal of underground storage tanks on Front Street. Assistant Engineer Mackenzie Kaser said Kenmore Construction, during work to finish the South Front Streetscape Project, found a total of six previously unknown underground storage tanks along Front Street. She said all the tanks were empty or filled with water or sand that had collected in the tanks over time. All the tanks have since been pulled out and backfilled with stone so Kenmore can continue their install of the underground stormwater;

• purchasing a Megger Relay Test Set for $110,303. According to the legislation, the Electric Department will be testing relays at city substations, and the department’s current set is outdated and not as user-friendly as the Megger; and

• amending the Traffic Control File to restrict parking on Reserve Drive from East Bath Road to the intersection of East and West Heritage Drive. Police Chief Chris Norfolk said this will effectively make no parking on Reserve Drive for the first block off of East Bath until Heritage Drive, noting parking was already restricted on one side and this will restrict it on the other.

Cuyahoga Falls City Council will next meet May 4 at 6:30 p.m. in the Natatorium, 2345 Fourth St.

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Sherman Micsak, area coordinator with the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce, presented Superintendent Catherine Aukerman with the banner. Micsak said the district was the only one in Medina County to receive the rating, and Highland is one of 47 districts in the state to receive the honor.

In other news, board members approved the resignation of Highland High School (HHS) Principal Carrie Knapp effective June 30.

Knapp began as an assistant principal for the high school in 2013 before becoming principal in 2017.

Aukerman thanked Knapp for her service to the district and wished her well in her next role; and Knapp thanked Aukerman and the board for their support. According to Aukerman, the search process has begun for the next high school principal.

In other news, board members approved:

• donations of $2,500 from Nick and Bethany Speck to Granger Elementary for speech and literacy materials; $250 from Artsonia to Hinckley Elementary; and $3,832 from the Hinckley PTO;

• the employment of Melissa Priddy as a high school counselor, effective Aug. 17; Emma Robinette as a long-term substitute middle school intervention specialist, effective May 1; and Anne Yarema as a long-term substitute middle school math teacher, effective April 17;

• the retirement of Granger Elementary fourth-grade teacher Amy Lyon, effective May 29 after 35 years of service with the district; and

• the retirement of high school special education aide Kathy Grudosky-Dearth, effective May 28.

The Highland Local Schools Board of Education will next meet May 18 at 6 p.m. in the media center of HHS, 4150 Ridge Road. The meeting will include honoring recipients of the district’s annual Highland Pride awards.
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The resolution authorizes the PZC to study the matter, make a report and give recommendations to Council on data centers.

Resident Pat Buckner asked Council if there was any possibility of a data center coming to the village. Mayor Michael Wheeler said the PZC members are unanimous in their opposition to data centers in the village.

In other news, Council unanimously approved accepting the retirement of Assistant Police Chief Paul Fister effective June 2.

Fister first became a police officer for the village in 1997, and was promoted to assistant chief in 2019. Councilwoman Bobbie Beshara recalled being on Council when Fister was first hired, and being mayor for his latest promotion.

Council also approved the resignation of officer Victoria Bodnar effective April 26, and the promotion of Jacqueline Schuld from part-time to full-time to fill Bodnar’s vacancy.

Schuld was hired in March as a part-time officer after working for the Ohio Board of Pharmacy and Beachwood Police Department. Wheeler swore her in to her new position after the vote.

In other business:

• Wheeler announced a Hometown Heroes program that will honor veterans from Richfield;

• Fire Chief George Seifert announced 23 applications were received for two open firemedic positions, with 15 interviews scheduled; and

• Finance Director Sandy Turk said sewer bills will reflect a 3.7% increase, with a 4.2% increase from the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District and a 2.4% increase from the village.

It was also announced that the village’s donation of the Senior Center Fun Bus will allow the Richfield Joint Recreation District to sell an extra 250 tickets to the Goat Derby May 2 at Richfield Heritage Preserve, 4374 Broadview Road.

Council also approved:

√ hiring Jason Greenaway as a part-time firemedic;

√ the appointment of Pat Norris to a seat on the Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) for the remainder of 2026, and Ralph Waszak Sr. to an alternate seat on the BZA until 2030;

√ suspending second readings on control upgrades at the police station and administration building;

√ appropriations for current expenditures; and

√ opening the process to advertise for depositories of the village’s funds.

Richfield Village Council will hold a work session April 30, and a regular meeting May 5, both at 6:30 p.m. at Town Hall, 4410 W. Streetsboro Road.
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CUYAHOGA FALLS — Mayor Don Walters celebrated his hometown during his state of the city address April 16 at the Natatorium.

The theme of his speech, Walters said, was to highlight and describe the many pieces that make up the City of Cuyahoga Falls — like a “complex interlocking puzzle” made up of 400 city employees who perform a multitude of tasks. From the Electric Department to the Sanitation, Streets and Parks departments, each puzzle piece is vital to the health and safety of its residents, he said.

The mayor stated Cuyahoga Falls finished 2025 with “an extremely healthy General Fund carryover — or rainy day fund — of $21 million,” which allows the city to move forward with critical infrastructure projects like the RiverLoop project and reconstruction of South Front Street. The RiverLoop project will include rebuilding the lower boardwalk downtown and adding a new upper “river loop” that will connect with Front Street at Broad Boulevard and Oakwood Drive. It will offer vistas and points of interest, and be able to accommodate pedestrians, strollers, wheelchairs, bicycles and surreys. The $7.1 million project is expected to be completed this fall. Renderings, along with a conceptual video are available at cityofcf.com/riverloop. South Front Street will see new sidewalks and bicycle lanes, additional parking and electric vehicle charging stations, as well as a bicycle-themed “Pedal Park.”

Walters also highlighted the joint venture between Cuyahoga Falls and the City of Akron to install a solar array on the former Hardy Road landfill in Akron. The city will lease the land from Akron and construct a 77-acre solar energy site to help keep energy costs low in the city.

“This project shows that when cities collaborate rather than compete, we can create solutions that serve the best interests of our residents and strengthen the entire region,” Walters said.

The mayor also thanked U.S. Rep. Emilia Sykes (D-District 13) for her work in securing a $1 million grant to help modernize the city’s water treatment plant, which produces more than 6 million gallons of drinking water per day. Sykes, who could not attend the address, was represented in a video playback during the speech in which she praised the City of Cuyahoga Falls, and Walters, for partnering to bring safer and more affordable water to residents.

“This critical investment will help modernize our century-old facility and ensure safe, reliable drinking water for decades to come,” Walters said. “The new, state-of-the-art treatment upgrades will serve more than 55,000 residents across Cuyahoga Falls, Silver Lake and Munroe Falls — strengthening the entire Cuyahoga Falls water system.”

Another key detail of Walters’ speech was community connectivity — specifically through an initiative between the city’s Community Development Department, Woodridge Local Schools and the Akron Metropolitan Housing Area Transportation Study (AMATS) to enhance walkability throughout the city. A safe streets assessment is currently being completed on the northern quadrant of the city, Walters said, where “sidewalks and trails are lacking, limiting safe pedestrian and bike traffic outside neighborhoods.” He also noted that Phase 2 of the Mud Brook Trail project will connect 11 neighborhoods with safe pathways to businesses at State and Bath roads. Once completed, the Mud Brook Trail will span one and a half miles from Pleasant Meadow Boulevard to just north of State Road. The project is scheduled for completion by fall 2027.

Of course, the mayor’s speech wouldn’t be complete without mention of the Cuyahoga River — and what will bring out its full potential with the removal of the Gorge Dam.

“The Cuyahoga River is the heart of our city,” Walters said. “Not only does it run through historic downtown, but it is the reason we exist.”

The $100 million removal of the Gorge Dam is expected to be completed by 2030, and will reveal the Big Falls and a roughly 2-mile stretch of challenging whitewater which is expected to increase recreational activity on the water in the coming years.

With increased activity, Walters stressed, must come increased safety — as last summer a tragic accident took the lives of Cuyahoga Falls resident Patrick Cross, 27, and his 5-year-old son, Braxton, after an inflatable floatation device capsized in the river.

“We were tragically reminded of just how powerful nature can be,” Walters said, adding the city is working with the Cross Family to provide a permanent memorial for Patrick and Braxton.

He also noted that Cuyahoga Falls has joined other agencies including Akron, Munroe Falls, Summit Metro Parks, the Cuyahoga Valley National Park and local river enthusiasts to create a consistent safety program for the river, which is expected to debut later this spring.

Walters further discussed a booming housing market, with steady year-over-year increases in sale prices and properties often selling in one day; significant progress on Fire Station No. 4 and a new state-of-the-art fire training facility made possible by a $3 million state grant; and the creation of a Special Operations Unit in the Police Department that focuses on high-volume callers — many of whom are experiencing mental health and addiction challenges — while also engaging with local businesses to provide safety guidance and address concerns across neighborhoods and commercial districts.

“And while safety, infrastructure and investment are critical pieces of the puzzle, they’re not the whole picture,” Walters said. “Because a great city isn’t just where you live or work. It’s where you gather. Where you celebrate. Where you create memories.”

Yesterday, the World’s Largest Rubber Duck arrived in downtown Cuyahoga Falls, sparking a weekend of family-friendly festivities including a duck race on the downtown plaza and the Cuyahoga Falls Fest, where elite kayakers from across the country will take on the rapids. The festival is organized by high school juniors and seniors in the Six District EntrepreNEW program comprised of students from Cuyahoga Falls, Hudson, Kent, Stow, Tallmadge and Woodridge. Hosted by Woodridge Local Schools, the students design, market, fundraise and execute the event as a fully functioning business. 

While an unforeseen storm put a damper on the April 23 All City Art Walk, food trucks and activities are planned April 24-25, with the Ohio Rubber Duck Dash taking off at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, where thousands of adopted rubber ducks will race in timed heats with the chance to win various prizes. To adopt a duck, visit www.ohiorubberduckdash.com.

“[The Ohio Rubber Duck Dash] is just the start of the multitude of events and activities around the city,” Walters concluded. “From neighborhood picnics with our Parks and Rec Department in each of our eight wards, to a summer of fun downtown with festivals, special events, music and fireworks celebrating America 250, to Water Works and more, there is something for everyone in Cuyahoga Falls.”

In closing, the mayor said the state of the city is stronger and more cohesive than ever.

“To our employees, you are the caretakers of this puzzle. To our residents, you are the reason we assemble it. And to the next generation, you are the future it will reveal.”

A full transcript of Walters’ speech, along with a YouTube video, is available at www.cityofcf.com/news/stateofthecity2026.

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