Spring in Northeast Ohio brings a lot of things with it; some good and some not so good. After the cold and snowy winter, we're stuck with a mass of potholes on almost every street. The freeze/thaw process along with repeated snowplowing has left some craters that need repaired. While you may have seen or heard about our new DuraPatcher truck that automates filling potholes, it's but we need your help. When you see or hit a pothole, note the location and call 311 use the 311 APP when you park to report it. I'm doing it every day and the more we all chip in, the faster they'll get filled.
Spring also brings storms, and we had some extremely high winds over this weekend that caused power outages in over 2700 homes in Akron. Trees, utility poles, power lines, and transformers were down with over 1800 of the power outages in West Akron and Ward 8. First Energy crews were out once the winds subsided late Friday night, but there was significant damage across the area. I received calls about utility trucks staged on streets, and in most cases they were waiting for other teams to arrive, like forestry ( tree climbers/cutters) or additional line workers before they repair things safely. I did get a hold of a local rep with First Energy and did my best to update on Facebook, as they worked on over165,000 outages in the counties served by Ohio Edison.
Lastly, spring is bringing a surprise to Akron City Council, as Councilman-at-Large Jeff Fusco announced he's stepping down at the end of March. Jeff began his career as Ward 10 Councilman in 1986 , and I've been fortunate to call him a friend since 1991 when I was appointed to the Ward 1 Seat. I served 3 terms with Jeff and he always choose the right course for Akron. As I became your Ward 8 representative, Jeff still puts Akron, and it's people first. City Council will miss his leadership, vast city experience and wisdom. 40 Years is long time do anything, but to do it well is impressive. I'm happy for Jeff, but I'm going to miss my friend, his guidance, thoughts and advice on all issues that pop up. By Charter, Council will appoint his replacement to fill his unexpired term by April 30th. Best of luck buddy!
Don't forget our March Ward meeting this Wednesday March 18, 6-7:30m at Northwest Family Recreation Center, 1730 Shatto Ave. As always, Officer Aaron Brions will kick things off, Lisa Mansfield with Vantage Aging is next, and Emma Segedy with Keep Akron Beautiful will close us out. Hope to see yo Wednesday 3/18!