Note to readers:
The following item is a written record of the Ward 7 Akron City Council meeting from July 22, 2026, compiled by Akron Documenter Jessica Rice. It is not a reported story.
Documenters are residents who are trained to observe and document local government meetings. Their notes are edited before publication for clarity and accuracy — unless quotation marks are used, all text is paraphrased.
If you believe anything in these notes is inaccurate, please email us at documenters@signalakron.org with "Correction Request" in the subject line.
Summary:
- Ward 7 Council Member Donnie Kammer provided updates on upcoming meetings held in Akron’s Firestone Park neighborhood. The meeting for August will feature Tania Nemer from the Summit County Prosecutor’s Office. The September meeting will be moved to Sept. 16 and will feature a presentation from Akron Fire Chief Leon Henderson.
- The meeting was full of information about the many construction projects throughout the city presented by Chris Ludle, director of public service. They include adding a new entrance ramp at Carroll Street, completing the replacement of the state Route 8 bridge, the Free the Falls project to remove the Gorge Dam and an extensive list of street resurfacing projects.
- Amy Corrigall Jones introduced herself. She is running to be the new juvenile court judge.
Documenter’s follow-up questions:
- There have been many water main breaks in the city lately. Is there a plan to systematically go through the city and replace the mains before they break?
Ward 7 meeting notes
The meeting started at 6 p.m. in a community room at the Firestone Park Community Center on Girard Street where 44 people were in attendance. The room was large and well-lit with a lectern at the front of the room from which the speakers gave their presentations. There was no microphone or speaker system setup, but the acoustics in the room were particularly good for hearing the speakers and community members.
Ward 7 Council Member Donnie Kammer began the meeting with the following announcements:
- On Aug. 26, the next meeting will be held at the community center, and Tania Nemer from the Summit County Prosecutor’s Office will speak. She is a Summit County magistrate who serves as the deputy chief of civil, tax and child support and will be talking about internet scams, e-mail scams, telephone scams, and other scams that everyone should be aware of.
- The September ward meeting is Sept. 16 instead of Sept. 23. Fire Chief Leon Henderson will be the speaker.
- On Oct. 28 there will be a Halloween party.
- The Coffee with the Councilman meetings will be held at the community center on Nov. 10 and Dec. 8 at 5:15 p.m.
- Captain Forrest Kappler of the Akron Police Department was in attendance and available for questions.
Kammer introduced Director of Public Service Chris Ludle. He provided the following updates:
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6 bridge projects underway across Akron
All-America Bridge (Y-Bridge): The Y-Bridge project performed by the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) was supposed to complete some surface repairs and replace the rotting fence, but officials quickly discovered that the expansion joints were failing. This issue extended the project, and the bridge had to be closed. The repairs are now complete, and the bridge is now open to traffic.
Bowery Bridge Replacement: This project consists of replacing the Bowery Street Bridge deck over the Ohio Canal and Cascade Parking Plaza. They are still waiting to install new parking meters, but the bridge is complete and open to traffic.
State Route 8 bridge: The replacement of the state Route 8 bridge should be completed in the winter of 2027.
New bridge construction: A new bridge will be constructed at Carroll and Goodkirk streets in the University of Akron area, crossing state Route 8 and dropping into the southbound fast lane. The current entrance on Carroll Street will be completely removed, so you will only be able to go south from this entrance. The construction should begin at the end of 2027.
Lafayette Drive pedestrian bridge: The pedestrian bridge that is on Lafayette Drive has been closed for months. ODOT is waiting for the mesh fencing to arrive and hopes to complete the project in the next few months.
University Bridge: The bridge by the University of Akron between Wolf Ledges and Broadway has a complete new overlay. Crews are still working with the Summit County Metro Parks to create a bike/hike trail from this location into Kent. This project should be completed within the next month.
I-77 noise wall in South Akron delayed to later in 2026
Sound/Noise Wall: The construction of a new sound/noise wall along Interstate 77 between Waterloo Road and Lovers Lane has been delayed because the materials for the project did not arrive on time. The project is still expected to be completed by the end of November. A sound/ noise wall is a structure designed to reduce the impact of highway traffic noise on nearby communities.
FirstEnergy Substation: The FirstEnergy substation expansion project on Fremont Avenue has been put on hold. Currently, the plan is to do routine maintenance without any power interruptions.
Firestone Clock Tower: Through the 1200 Firestone Parkway Clock Tower project the city plans to carefully salvage components from the upper portion of the iconic clock tower, including clock elements and historic bricks, and create an historic homage using these elements on the site. It will then be moved to a location that has yet to be determined. The city has been working with the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) to help preserve and assist moving the historic clock. This project is on-going.
Repaving and resurfacing projects 50% completed
Brown Street Road condition: The Brown Street project to repave the section between Waterloo Road and Wilbeth Road will begin in 2027.
Street Resurfacing: The project to resurface streets in Akron is currently about 50% complete. Ludle said he expects the resurfacing to begin in the Firestone Park area in the next two weeks and for all the streets on the list to be repaved by the end of September.
South Main Street Resurfacing: The road between Wilbeth and Waterloo road is slated to be resurfaced in early 2028, but the city is working to move it up to late 2027. They are currently looking for funding through the Surface Transportation Block Grant Program.
North Main Street Repaving: Starting July 23, 2026, they will be laying new asphalt on North Main Street from the All-American Bridge to Cuyahoga Falls Avenue. They still need to complete new sidewalks and lighting. The new asphalt will be laid in two stages; the first will be this week, and the second layer of asphalt should be completed in the spring.
Water project updates include Gorge Dam, water mains
Wilbeth Road Wetlands: There have been many issues with flooding in homes around the wetlands on Wilbeth Road. The city purchased and demolished eight homes in 2020 using funds from FEMA. The current plan is to purchase 10 more homes, but FEMA does not have the funds available. The city is now looking for other funding sources, and the area will be re-constructed to fix the drainage issues.
Grant Street water main: The water main has been replaced along Grant Street, and 30 homes still need to be connected into the new system. He expects that within the next three weeks the project will be complete.
South Main St. Reconstruction: The concrete road between Cedar and Bartges streets along South Main Street. will be torn out and the water main will be replaced.
Water Main Breaks: This year, Akron has had 327 water main breaks so far. The city is working diligently to address these issues as they arise.
Gorge Dam: The Free the Falls Project of the Gorge Dam is ongoing and will continue into 2028. This is a federally funded project that has cost over $200 million so far. Sevenson Environmental is currently removing the sediment from the bottom of the dam. The City of Akron will manage the deconstruction of the dam once this stage is completed.
ADM Board plans new building in North Hill
Speed Tables: A new speed table will be installed at Thornapple Avenue and Girard Street in the next few weeks.
ADM Board new facility: The ADM board will be building a new facility on the old St. Thomas Hospital site, 444 N. Main St. North Hill. St. Thomas Hospital opened in 1928 in and was run by the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine from then until 1971. The Summa Health building was razed last year.
Natural Gas and Electric Aggregation program: Akron has developed an aggregation program that provides a fixed rate for residents to save money. He encourages everyone to check their utility bills to make sure that they are getting the correct rates and that the suppliers listed should be IGS Energy for Natural Gas and Dynegy for Electric.
A closer look at North Hill
Residents raise concerns about trees and sidewalk cracking
Community Comments: Some residents expressed concern about the trees along the devil strips that are causing the sidewalks to lift and crack. Ludle said that everyone should contact 311 and report it. The city covers the cost of tree removal and sidewalk repairs. The program is called the Sidewalk Program and has invested $1 million to complete approximately 225 repair requests.
At the beginning of 2024, Akron was more than three years behind on sidewalk requests; in 2026 the city will complete all the requests from 2024 and all the requests from 2025.
Amy Corrigall Jones: Jones came up to the lectern to introduce herself. She is running for juvenile court judge.
Kammer said on July 20, he brought a resolution to city council for the bar Andy’s in The Park on South Main Street. The resolution is to object to the renewal application of their liquor permit. So far this year, they have had two incidents where two men were shot and another incident where one man was shot, a stabbing, an assault, about 13 fights, and many other nuisance issues. This is his third time addressing the issue in council, and he wants everyone to know that he is continuing to work to resolve the ongoing safety concerns.
The meeting then ended at 7:04 p.m.
