Summary
- GCRTA Board of Trustees Vice President Lauren Welch resigned on October 6 to fill the remainder of the term for Cleveland City Council Member Kerry McCormack. A replacement will be named at the October 21 RTA board meeting.
- The board heard a presentation about the Cleveland-Hopkins International Airport modernization project (i.e. “CLEvolution”), which is scheduled to begin next year with full completion by 2032.
- The board also heard a presentation about the bus rapid transit (BRT) project planned for a four-mile portion of West 25th Street extending south from Ohio City. Construction is scheduled to begin in April 2027 and become operational in November 2028.
Follow-Up Question
- During the presentation about the airport modernization project, the term “headhouse” was frequently used. I had never heard this term before! After looking up the definition, it sounds like the entrance to the airport where you enter, check your luggage, etc., before you go through TSA screening. In my notes, I used the phrase “entrance to the airport” because I thought readers might better understand that wording.
- I covered an RTA meeting previously, and I believe there was public comment during that meeting. Is there no longer public comment at RTA meetings, or was this different because this was just committee meetings and not a full board meeting?
- Why does there need to be a “Committee of the Whole” with all board members? Why can’t you just have a board meeting? I’m sure there is a reason, but the structure is a little confusing.
Board of Trustee members present
- Bay Village Mayor Paul Koomar (president)
- Lauren Welch (vice president), Rev. Charles Lucas
- Parma Heights Mayor Marie Gallo
- Stephen Love
- Deidre McPherson
- Emily Garr Pacetti
- Jeffrey Sleasman
- Shaker Heights Mayor David Weis
- Anastasia Elder.
The released agenda for this meeting can be found here.
Committee of the Whole
Roll Call:
The meeting began shortly after 9 a.m. with a roll call. Mayor Gallo, Mayor Weiss, and Rev. Lucas didn’t answer the roll call (although a quorum was present to hold the meeting). Also, although Lauren Welch is listed as vice president of the board, her name wasn’t included in the roll call (see “Nominating Committee” section at the end of the meeting notes).
Update on Airport Modernization Development Project:
The committee meeting began with an update on the Airport Modernization Development Program for Cleveland-Hopkins International Airport. Brian Francis (director of Port Control) and Dennis Kramer (associate director for Airport Development) showed the committee a couple of videos about the “CLEvolution” renovation project. Francis spoke to the committee about problems with the current airport, including the lack of public parking, the large number of outbound passengers in the early morning hours, and congestion around the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoints. The project will result in the construction of new parking spaces, a new and larger entrance to the airport, and new roads to service the airport entrance. In addition, a new RTA station to be built will have a tunnel connecting the station directly to the entrance to the airport. The new station will continue to have direct light rail service from the airport to downtown. Most construction will begin in 2026, with the expected full completion date in 2032 (it was noted that the project will take several years due to the small site, which means that only one part of the project can take place at a time).
Update on Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line for West 25th Street:
The committee received an update on the planned BRT line on a four-mile stretch of West 25th Street from Detroit Avenue in Ohio City to the intersection with State and Pearl Streets in Old Brooklyn. BRT is designed to give bus riders an experience closer to rail transit with dedicated bus lanes, enhanced curbside stations, and priority at traffic signals along the route. The project is scheduled to cost $52 million, with bidding for the project next year and construction scheduled for 2027. During the presentation, it was mentioned that a recent parking study in Ohio City found that only 70% of parking was used during peak hours (which addresses concerns about parking lost to the construction of BRT lanes by Ohio City business owners). The presentation also noted that public comments and other discussions about car break-ins and other crime were beyond the scope of the rapid transit project.
Potential advantages of the BRT line for the corridor compared to the existing bus service are:
- Bus service should be more reliable. This corridor is currently served by route #51, with travel times ranging from 15 to 30 minutes. The BRT service should lower the high end of that timeframe, resulting in more consistency.
- Pedestrian safety should be enhanced through features like raised crosswalks and rumble strips on the bus lane. In addition, although obviously this project won’t eliminate jaywalking in Ohio City, the removal of parking for the open BRT lane should make jaywalkers much more visible to drivers and should reduce accidents with cars hitting pedestrians.
- All new materials for the BRT will be in both English and Spanish.
- Every new BRT station will be a “sanctuary” and a “safe space” with cameras and an emergency phone.
- Ambulances can use the BRT to avoid traffic and have quicker trips to the hospitals on either end of the BRT route.
The Committee of the Whole adjourned around 10:12 a.m.
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Operational, Planning and Infrastructure Committee
The Operational, Planning, and Infrastructure Committee meeting began immediately after the end of the Committee of the Whole meeting. There was a roll call to begin the meeting, with Sleasman, Gallo and Love present and Lucas absent.
Update on Blue Line Station Reconstruction – Brian Temming, project manager and quality assurance director for the Engineering Division of RTA, provided an overview of the project for the committee. This project involves the reconstruction of eight outdated (built in the early 1980s and having issues like asphalt cracks in the parking lots) Blue Line light rail stations. This project will involve replacing station platforms where passengers enter and exit trains, repaving parking lots, and replacing shelters and call boxes. The project has a $15 million budget with bidding scheduled for early 2027 and construction scheduled from April 2027 – August 2028.
Jonathan Laule, program contract manager for RTA, informed the committee that as of June 30 there were 22 interested parties resulting in three bids received for the reconstruction project. RTA recommended that Richard L. Bowen & Associates receive the contract with an estimated cost of $1.2 million. Laule noted that this firm has successfully completed projects in the past for both RTA and other public transit agencies in Ohio (e.g., Stark County, Columbus). The board unanimously approved this recommendation, which will now be considered by the full Board of Trustees.
The Operational, Planning, and Infrastructure Committee unanimously adjourned at 10:22 a.m.
External and Stakeholder Relations and Advocacy Committee
The External and Stakeholder Relations and Advocacy Committee meeting began immediately after the adjournment of the Operational, Planning, and Infrastructure Committee. There was a roll call to begin the meeting, with Koomar, Elder, Love and McPherson present and Lucas absent.
The committee heard a presentation from Dr. Joseph Sopko, chair of the Community Advisory Committee (CAC), who talked about the work of the committee and proposed small-scale changes to CAC operations (e.g., the chair making a report of council activities to a board liaison, having minutes of council meetings posted online, etc.) The External and Stakeholder Relations and Advocacy Committee unanimously approved the proposed revisions, which will now be considered by the full Board of Trustees. The committee then voted unanimously to adjourn around 10:35 a.m.
Nominating Committee
The Nominating Committee meeting began immediately after the end of the External and Stakeholder Relations and Advocacy Committee meeting (note: this committee meeting wasn’t included in the agenda for this meeting). There was a roll call to begin the meeting, with Koomar, Gallo, Love and Pacetti present.
The committee discussed the departure from the board on Oct. 6 of Vice President Lauren Welch, who was appointed to Cleveland City Council to serve the remainder of the term of Ward 3 councilperson Kerry McCormack. Love discussed the process to fill the vacancy, with applications for the vice president slot due by Oct. 14 and the Board of Trustees making a decision at the Oct. 21 meeting. This person will fill the position until the end of the term in March 2026. The committee discussed the possibility of Welch rejoining the board in the future, since McCormack’s term ends in January. The committee thanked Welch for her service to the RTA board, and then voted unanimously to adjourn around 10:40 a.m.
These notes are by Documenter Tucker Handley.
If you believe anything in these notes is inaccurate, please email us at documenters@signalcleveland.org with “Correction Request” in the subject line.