Note to readers:
The following item is a written record of the Ward 9 meeting from July 7, 2026, compiled by Akron Documenter Wanda Shelton. 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
- Donte Cargill and his wife, Lola Cargill, summarized the history of the non-profit Patricia Ann Cargill Charities (PACC) in Akron’s Kenmore neighborhood. The charity provides food to anybody in need in the Akron community. They take donations and use volunteers for food distribution day, which is every Wednesday from 1 to 3 p.m. The food distribution center is located at 1823 Manchester Road.
- Ward 9 Council Member Tina Boyes shared several things including a new water loop to help with water pressure. She also talked about upcoming paving and drilling. Finally, she shared park information about Shadyside Park and upgrades for Prentiss Park.
- Lisa Dean, family attorney and City of Green law director, spoke about what constitutes the makeup of a traditional family in 2026. Current family makeup is no longer the traditional idea of a father and mother being married with biological children, she said. The traditional family now consists of non-married heterosexual couples and same-gender couples (married/not married) and these families may or may not have biological children. (Editor’s note: Dean is a candidate running for Summit County Domestic Relations Court judge.)
Documenter follow-up questions
- Because there are still a lot of people who think the make-up of traditional families is father, mother, child, how does recent thinking affect state welfare agencies and low-income programs?
- How can Patricia Ann Cargill Charities (PACC) secure more volunteers?
- A resident said it is illegal to set off fireworks in the City of Akron, but it is legal to sell them in the State of Ohio. Why is this ordinance contradictory?
Ward 9 meeting notes
- The meeting room was large, the temperature was cool and not too warm. There was a large TV monitor with speakers and a clicker so that people were able to watch a video about PACC. About 50 people attended. Pizza and bottled water were available.
Feeding the hungry is aim of Kenmore nonprofit
- Donte Cargill, founder and executive director of Patricia Ann Cargill Charities in Kenmore, spoke about how his mother’s illness compelled her to feed the homeless. She began packing bags of food and giving them to people who were hungry and homeless.
- A doctor gave Patricia Ann Cargill six months to live but she lived two years longer than that.
- After her death, her son Donte and his wife, Lola Cargill, started the Patricia Ann Cargill Charities in November of 2022. They fed 65 families that first month and again the following month. By the end of 2023, the charity fed 300 families each week, which continues today.
- Cargill mentioned how the Akron Police Department comes out every week to help direct traffic so that people are able to get across busy Manchester Road with their groceries. They have been at the Manchester location for four years.
- A video showed testimonies of how grateful people are for the charity. They accept donations and are in need of volunteers. Visit the website for further information on how to donate or volunteer.
Water mains, paving, directional drilling and other updates
- City Council Member Tina Boyes started the meeting at 6:30 p.m. by saying she hoped that everyone had a safe Fourth of July. Next, she mentioned water main projects throughout the area. One was by Hawkins Avenue in the Jason Avenue and Morse Street area. The city just installed a new water main line in that area, which is significant, she said. It is going to help residents around Jason Avenue improve water pressure. Also, flushing will be going on in the neighborhood all week, so the water might be discolored.
- Road paving will start in Ward 9 this week. Boyes had the full list of streets that will be repaved and left lists for residents to pick up. Right now, crews will be working on Hite Street from Clearview Avenue to Lakemont Avenue and Jason Avenue from 13th Street Southwest to 9th Street Southwest as well as around Saxon Avenue. Residents will have to move their cars.
- Boyes talked about directional drilling that will start later this month as part of the Cargill Brine Line project, 2065 Manchester Road. The drilling will be in the Allenside community near the Diamond Crystal Ballfield by West Wilbeth Road.
- Amazon is building a new Amazon Fulfillment Center in the Kenmore area. For more information on this project, contact Zechariah Corrigan with the City of Akron at zcorrigan@akronohio.gov. There is an active construction site with a lot of dirt coming out into the street. Construction company Walsh Group worked with Boyes on how to minimize the dust and dirt. The company now has a full-time street sweeper during construction and also a water truck to keep dirt down.
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Prentiss Park, Lawndale Elementary updates
- The original Lawndale Elementary School that was later converted into a church, located by Wilbeth Road and 20th Street – was abandoned. The Kenmore Historical Society and Summit County Landbank worked together to buy the land.
- A boiler was replaced at Kenmore Community Center.
- Innes Community Learning Center has its first outdoor classroom and there is no more softball field; it was regraded for the football team. A run and walk path is to be installed.
- Prentiss Park will be getting an outdoor skate park and getting big swings installed.
- National Night Out at Prentiss Park will be Tuesday, Aug. 4, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Attorney talks about changes in family structure
Family law attorney and Summit County Domestic Relations Court judge candidate Lisa Dean spoke from 6:55 p.m. to 7:15 p.m.
- Dean has been a practicing attorney for 27 years. She is the City of Green’s first elected law director and she gives legal advice to officials such as the mayor. She also advocates for people concerning their rights as a family.
- Dean talked about family structure and how the traditional way of thinking about family structure is no longer the way a traditional family is structured.
- Dean talked about her family structure and how she was raised in a hollow, a cut out surrounded by mountains. Dean explained that her traditional family revolved around everyone who lived in the hollow. If you lived in the hollow, then you were family.
- Dean mentioned that the United States has the highest rate of children living in single-family homes. Women make up 50 percent of the workforce, and most families now include stepchildren.
- Dean mentioned that there is a new kind of family called grandfamilies, which means children being raised by grandparents
- Dean also helps grandparents with their rights in getting power of attorney to help them help children.
Residents surface public safety concerns
Akron Police Captain Forrest Kappler answered several questions from residents about fireworks and the Fourth of July holiday.
- Kenmore residents asked about the firework situation on the July Fourth holiday. A resident complained that often when you call police to tell them about a firework incident, officers do not respond to the scene.
- Kappler said they have a hard time enforcing the law that says you cannot set off fireworks within the city limits. This is because they have to set priorities when it comes to fireworks calls. If they have a call that involves violence, they must go to that call first.
- Residents then asked how it is legal to buy fireworks in Ohio but illegal to set them off. Kappler said he does not write the laws.
- Kappler encouraged residents to call 330-375-2181 for non-emergencies and 911 for emergencies, and he apologized for the experience that residents received because their calls were not answered.
