A screenshot of Cleveland City Council Member Brian Kazy (center left) talking about a proposal to use $10 million of ARPA funding for road resurfacing at the May 15 Cleveland City Council Municipal Services and Properties Committee meeting.
Council Member Brian Kazy (center left) talks about a proposal to use $10 million of ARPA funding for road resurfacing. Credit: Cleveland City Council YouTube

Covered by Documenters Sarah Tan and Regina Samuels

Road rage: Cleveland City Council members were unhappy with a proposal to use American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money for a citywide infrastructure improvement fund. The request included $10 million for road resurfacing on top of what City Council has already allocated. Council members said $10 million was not enough. Council Member Brian Kazy also expressed frustration with the distribution of funds. He said his ward only received an extra $85,000 for repaving.

James DeRosa, director of the Mayor’s Office of Capital Projects, said that from the list of F-graded streets, they selected streets shared between ward boundaries and streets that were especially wide, awaiting difficult repairs, or consistently requested for repair. The legislation was tabled for further discussion.

Trail connectors: The committee approved $3 million to begin construction on a lakefront trail on the East Side. The trail would connect Euclid Beach Park Pier to Shore Acres Drive. It also passes through private and public land. Cuyahoga County, a partner on the project, is taking steps to ensure public access to the trail. This includes formal easements with private property owners to guarantee at least 50 years of public use.

Council Member Kerry McCormack asked if there are plans to extend the trail through Bratenahl. Jim Sonnhalter from the Cuyahoga County Planning Commission said property owners in Bratenahl weren’t interested. 

Left wondering: Documenter Sarah Tan asked, “Has there been any strategic planning around how to split ARPA funding equitably among the wards and for agreed-upon larger goals?”

Read the Twitter thread by Documenter Regina Samuels:

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