Note to readers:

The following item is a written record of the Ward 8 Akron City County meeting from Aug. 19, compiled by Akron Documenter Andrew Lefevre. 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

  • The Ward 8 meeting was led by Council Member Bruce Bolden. It had four guest speakers. All four speakers work in local government. 
  • About 20 people attended. Most of the attendees seemed to know Bolden. After each speaker, audience members asked questions. 

Documenter’s follow-up questions

  • One of the grants for the playground equipment was dependent on “Phase 1” of the project being started this year. What exactly must be started in order to receive the grant before time runs out, and is it possible the project is being rushed in order to meet this deadline? Does this allow for community input to really drive how the playground equipment is selected?
  • Bolden spoke about the Jazmir Tucker settlement. He said the city is self-insured but does not cover a lawsuit like this. Would it be possible for the Akron Police Department to bear responsibility for such situations? Could their union purchase insurance and provide more training in order to better avoid large settlements in the future? What is the insurance able to cover?

Ward 8 meeting notes

Ward 8 Council Member Bruce Bolden opened the meeting by referencing his newsletter and said city council is on a break until after Labor Day.

Playground upgrade in the works at Hardesty Park

  • Emma Lieberth Osborn, City of Akron’s policy and grants strategist, and Eufrancia Lash, director of neighborhood assistance, presented about efforts underway to improve the playground at Hardesty Park. They shared this information to residents at the meeting:
    • The goal of the upgrades is to make it a destination park for Akronites and visitors and to encourage people to want to live in Akron. 
    • They have sought input from local businesses about the park upgrades and what would be most beneficial. They are looking for sponsorships and could include a donor wall for recognition and help with fundraising opportunities. 
    • It is a joint effort with Akron Parks Collaborative and Executive Director Bridget Ambrisco. Ambrisco secured a grant through Gametime and Playcore for 50 percent off playground structures. She also secured $100,000 from the State Capital Fund in the last cycle. 
    • This plan includes separate equipment for toddlers and older children. All structures will be fully ADA-compliant. Osborn said new swings allow a parent or guardian to sit facing forward with their child as they swing. She also said plans could include a zipline.
    • “It’s worth noting that this is a fully ADA accessible play space,” Osborn said referring to example playgrounds she was showing. “If you have children, you know zip lines are all the rage right now.“ She went on to describe an accessible zip line that has to tracks — one for children and adults and another for an ADA accessible chair.
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Community involvement sought for park plans

  • Bolden supports the project and is beginning to seek community engagement. They had a flyer for two upcoming dates for community input. They want to hear from community members about what they want. These will take place at the playground.
  • Lash said the project is an investment in the community. Osborn said the goal is to include the community and give them ownership, e.g., working with Firestone CLC and Case CLC to include public art installations. 
  • Osborn was asked about the total budget. She said the number is in flux due to labor costs. They have raised about $260,000 and anticipate needing another $150,000 to complete the project. She said the city will contribute to the project, but there will be no funds from the county, as the city has not approached the county about it.
  • There was a question about expanded parking. Both presenters said it was a good question and has been brought up regularly. Lash said it will be addressed in the future.
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Judicial candidate speaks to attendees

  • Chief Assistant Summit County Prosecutor John Galonski, a judicial candidate, spoke briefly about bringing easier access and trust to the government. 
  • Next, a person handed out flyers from 7 17 Credit Union and the RubberDucks. There was a QR code for free tickets to the game (for anyone), and any labor union member (or family member) could also receive a free hot dog and drink. Bolden then turned it over to the first guest speaker. 

Akron Police present statistics

  • Officer Aaron Brown had crime statistics for Akron and Ward 8. He spoke about Mayor Shammas Malik’s press conference on Northern Shield and other information.
    • Northern Shield was a joint operation that resulted in over 600 arrests of violent fugitives in Northern Ohio. Specific to Akron: 48 arrests, including two murder suspects. 
    • The Akron Marathon is Sept. 26. He will have maps at the next ward meeting since it can impact travel. 
    • More than 30 new hires have completed six months of training and will start work with a field training officer on Monday. 

Mayor’s Youth Climate Action Fund explained

  • Casey Shevlin spoke next about the Mayor’s Youth Climate Action Fund. It is a $40,000 fund provided by Bloomberg Philanthropies.
    • It is for youth ages 15-24 to earn a micro-grant ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 to implement a climate action project. 
    • Each grant requires at least two youth but can include more than two.
    • They will partner with a fiscal sponsor officer to oversee the project and will receive guidance from city staff and mentors from start to finish. Once completed, the teams will showcase their project alongside the mayor and other city leaders. 
    • Shevlin requested help finding youth participants and community organizations. The FSOs will receive the funds and disburse them to the teams. 
    • She said this project will allow youth to gain real-world experience by providing the opportunity to develop a project, manage a budget, and make an impact in their neighborhood/local community. This is career-focused and skills development.
    • Webinars and online virtual meetings will help youth know what to expect and how to workshop/develop their ideas. Shevlin has set up a phone number for candidates to text in order to answer questions and provide information.

A closer look at Northwest Akron

New zoning laws could be coming

  • Bolden added a guest speaker not originally on the docket. Director of Planning Kyle Julien spoke about possible changes to the zoning laws .
    • Julien discussed proposed changes to Akron’s residential zoning codes. He mentioned Unify Akron, a civic assembly, as asking them to look at zoning and said that they were at the previous Ward 8 meeting. They view some zoning laws as a barrier to housing needs. 
    • Three changes he would like to see include eliminating minimum lot size requirements, allowing for two- to three-unit buildings in more neighborhoods, and retaining “legal nonconforming” (grandfathered) buildings.
    • These changes could help residents live in one neighborhood at various points in their lives with different housing options. 
    • He would like to make it easier to build Accessory Dwelling Units. ADUs are cottages or in-law suites built on a lot. Ward 8 has the most ADUs. 
    • He said Indiana has removed minimum lot size requirements statewide, and South Bend has had success with it. Salt Lake City allows for two units and has eliminated single-family zoning.
    • An audience member questioned if the math for housing shortage and the need for more housing added up. Julien said affordable housing is an issue. He said that they want to bring in more competition based on quality. He sees crappy housing being rented at a high cost but changing the zoning code will allow for new housing to be more affordable and better quality. Housing needs don’t match supply. Family sizes have shrunk, and many houses were built for larger families. This also saves money by using existing roads and utilities and can conserve greenspace. 
    • New subdivision would be developed under subdivision codes. These changes would be for existing neighborhoods/lots.
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Bolden speaks about Jazmir Tucker settlement

  • Bolden closed out the meeting addressing several topics including the city’s firing of APD officer Davon Fields who killed 15-year-old Jazmir Tucker in 2024. The city also settled a $4.75 million federal lawsuit with Tucker’s family. (Editor’s note: Fields was not fired for the shooting itself — a statement from the mayor’s office about the settlement said the city admits no wrongdoing in that — but the city is claiming a combination of factors such as Fields not activating his body-worn camera before the killing and waiting more than seven minutes to approach the dying 15-year-old to provide aid afterward.)
  • He spoke about the settlement. When asked who devised the settlement, he said it was the Akron Law Department and the Mayor’s Office and it was settled out of court. He thought the settlement was close to other similar cases. He said City Council has no control in the matter.
  • Asked specifically for his opinion about the issue by an attendee, he did not say much other than to state, “It’s tough.” He added that APD found that the officer “was not found guilty of any of these things.” Bolden also said that things like this should be handled by the Citizens Police Oversight Board (CPOB). He answered other questions from residents about this situation and how it compares to other city settlements.

Charter amendments coming

  • Boldent talked about upcoming charter amendments that deal with housing, landlords and the CPOB. 
  • The Akron Freedom BLOC collected signatures to place three charter amendments on the November ballot.
    • The first amendment will ban housing application fees, including for screening and background checks. It would allow renters to pay security deposits in three- or six-month installments rather than paying the entire balance up front. 
    • The second amendment will broadly codify fair housing practices in the city charter. This would include prohibiting landlord discrimination of certain protected classes, such as having a criminal history, with exceptions for registered sex offenders or arson offenders. 
    • A third amendment would strengthen the city’s civilian police oversight system.
    • Bolden said that he has not seen the details of them yet, but he expects to have a special meeting to approve them. (Editor’s note: On March 31, Akron City Council held a special meeting and approved three ballot initiatives to move them forward for the November election. View the ordinances and approved ballot language here.)
    • Bolden said the number of signatures needed was smaller than usual because it is based on the last election, in which there were only two council members instead of all 10 running and a smaller off-year election.
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Residents raise data center concerns

  • He mentioned someone emailed him about a data center story in the Akron Beacon Journal.
    • It went to the Planning Commission on Friday. He did not remember reading about a data center. It didn’t mention the data center upfront, but it mentioned vacating a street. It relates to a current data center expanding.
    • Bolden said the planning commission has already proposed a new process for considering data centers. 
    • He will let people know when the public hearing will be scheduled for the expansion of the current data center.
    • He previously asked Julien if a moratorium would do anything and was told it would not.
  • An audience member thanked Bolden for his passionate response to the denial of signage for Klutch Cannabis.
    • Bolden said his main concern was that, at the first meeting, Klutch said they were going to build a million-dollar building for the store, but then decided not to build and instead move into a small nearby building. Then they came to the zoning board and were asked for everything they planned to do. They came back three months later asking for a pole sign. 
    • Bolden’s main objection is that they were not being truthful with what they shared at ward and planning meetings. 
  • The meeting concluded at 7:31 p.m.

Akron Documenters trains and pays residents to document local government meetings with notes and live-tweet threads. We then make those meeting summaries available as a new public record.