Reporting Public Policy

A Reporting Project of the Kent State University School of Journalism and Mass Communication

Parking

Final project 

Plans for Parking Meters Raise Concerns for Some Downtown Kent Businesses

Michael Bratton 0 Comments , , , , , , , ,

Finding a parking spot in downtown Kent can be difficult, so the City is installing parking meters to help free up parking spaces. But some downtown businesses don’t think the meters will benefit business. TV2’s Michael Bratton shows us one business’ concern with the incoming parking meters. As Susel mentioned, the City doesn’t plan to make any money off of the new parking meters. However, if the meters do generate money the funds will be presented to Kent City Council where it will decide how to apply the funds back into the City. Map: Sidebar: Reporter’s Tweet: Contact Michael Bratton: mbratto1@kent.edu :: Connect with Michael Bratton: @mbrattontv2ksu

Read more
Uncategorized 

City Council Meeting – October 15

Candace Monacelli 0 Comments , , , , , , ,

Mayor Fiala held the City of Kent monthly city council meeting Wednesday evening, while TV2’s reporter Candace Monacelli looked into one issue further.                 The bridge is currently still closed while work began on the repairs over the summer. The repairs were said to take 75 days to complete but still continuing today. The Main Street bridge should open in the near future. Here below are live tweets from @CandaceMonacell during the City Council meeting.   More details for all other issues can be found in the full City Council Meeting Agenda with the Main Street bridge issue at the bottom of the forth page in

Read more
Uncategorized 

Kent City Council becomes informed on Ebola, passes ordinance to purchase properties on College Avenue

Megan Brown 0 Comments , , , , , , , , ,

Kent City Council held a meeting Oct. 15, which took more of an informational turn as the talk of Ebola made headlines in Northeast Ohio. Kent Mayor Jerry Fiala invited Jeff Neistadt, Kent Health Commissioner, to give the council and audience an overview of information about the latest Ebola issue related to Northeast Ohio. “This is kind of putting a puzzle together with various pieces,” Neistadt said. The infected individual, Amber Vinson, arrived in Cleveland’s Hopkins Airport Friday afternoon. Her mother and stepfather picked her up from the airport and returned to Tallmadge. Her parents did attend the Kent State football game on Saturday; she did not. “At this point,

Read more
Uncategorized 

New Buildings With No New Student Parking

Candace Monacelli 0 Comments , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Over a year ago Kent State announced the chosen architecture team who will build the new Architecture building in the near future. The ground breaking ceremony was held this past weekend and construction is scheduled to start soon. Also in that area of campus a new home for the Division of Institutional Advancement was recently approved. Though there is one thing left out of the plans for these new buildings. No new student parking lots are a part of the plan with these expansions. TV2 reporter Candace Monacelli caught up with Sophomore commuter Interior Design student, Elise Biebelhausem  to see how she and many others feel about the current parking set up and

Read more

City Council passes motion to create parallel parking on West Main Street Bridge

Celia Fernandez 0 Comments , , , , , , ,

Kent City Council voted to change the parking on the West Main Street Bridge from diagonal to parallel with a possibility of meter parking in the future. On Oct. 1, Mayor Fiala and the rest of the council heard a motion to keep the parking as is with potential metered parking from Councilwoman Heidi Shaffer but that was quickly voted against. “Parking over in the west river has not been well or completely managed and there is a lot of parking needs over there,” said Doug Fuller, owner of the West River Place building. “The bridge is part of those parking needs and I would hate to see them go.”

Read more
Uncategorized 

Kent City Council Approve Parallel Parking On West Main Street Bridge

Hilary Crisan 0 Comments , , , , , , , , ,

Kent City Council met to discuss several issues on Wednesday night, including a change of parking spaces on the West Main Street bridge in downtown Kent. The bridge, which is located above the Franklin Mills River Edge Park, currently has 14 diagonal parking spaces where members of the community allegedly park frequently. City Engineer James Bowling presented the idea to Kent’s city council under the Health and Safety Committee to renovate the parking spaces on the W. Main Street bridge. Bowling determined that there is 44-50% usage of the parking spots between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. through data gathered between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays. City Manager

Read more
Uncategorized 

Downtown parking main concern at Wednesday’s city council meeting

Robert Rompala 0 Comments , , , ,

Kent City Council met Wednesday night and discussed an abundant amount of housekeeping issues that was centered around downtown parking. City Council passed a 5-2 vote to include possible parallel parking on the W. Main Street bridge. The discussion about the bridge between council members was divided, as was other issues that were on the agenda. W. Main Street bridge, parking meters, sidewalks and other changes to the city’s parking ordinances headlined the opposition between council members. “We made a bunch of changes downtown since 2007. It seems appropriate to have a review today,” said City Manager David Ruller. Beauty vs. Utilization  The debate between making areas of downtown Kent

Read more
Uncategorized 

City Council Gives The OK For Parking Meters

Alaina Altieri 0 Comments , , , ,

  Anchor Intro: Parking meters in Downtown Kent have been the talk of the city. Tv2 reporter Alaina Altieri has the details on the finalized approval from City Council.   The City of Kent held a special committee council meeting Wednesday night.  One of the major topics discussed was the approval of the 225 parking meters in downtown Kent. The meters will have a two-hour parking limit and costs $1 an hour. Drivers can also pay smaller coins for quicker visits. The meters will be enforced Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Community Development Director, Bridget Susel, stressed that there will be two patrol people assisting in the

Read more