Bedford addressing issue of trains stopping in the middle of town

Bedford City Manager Mike Mallis addressed the issue of trains stopping (and parking) in the middle of downtown — a topic that has become a point of frustration for some residents.

“I wanted the public to know that those trains stopping at the tracks for 30, 40, or 50 minutes obviously is not acceptable to any of us and we are working to resolved that,” he said during his report at the June 7 city council meeting. (You can click on the agenda here.)

Mallis said the city has been in communication with a number of different entities responsible for the movement of the trains through town including individuals at Norfolk Southern, the people at the intermodal terminal in Maple Heights and also the “Train Master,” who said he is going to work with dispatchers to hopefully help remediate the situation. Mallis said, in the meantime, the city is also looking at a few options it can do internally to help the situation.

Mallis also mentioned in his report that street repairs are up and running, with some work having already begun on Deborah Lane, Belle Avenue, Egbert Road and Edgewood Avenue. He cautioned the public that there will be some detours involved with the Edgewood work, and it will probably be particularly challenging when there is train traffic.

He said the water main project on Ellenwood Avenue is nearing its end with resurfacing pretty much all that is left to do. The project, which replaced the water pipe that feeds the Bedford Municipal Pool, had the pavement dug up from Kenyon Avenue down to Broadway Avenue.

Work on Union Street is still tentatively scheduled for this year, but will probably not happen until late summer or fall. The project is a joint effort between the city and Cuyahoga County, and both entities are committed to getting it completed this year. Mallis said it is probably a good thing the Union Street work will occur later since crews are already in that area working on Egbert Road and the bridge there, and a later start date will allow them to be finished with that project before the Union Street one begins.

Ward 3 Representative Vic Fluharty announced that the SE Clergy Meals on Wheels program for senior citizens is looking for people to volunteer during the week to help deliver food. He said that during the pandemic, the organization scaled back to delivering boxes of food once a week, but they are now going back to dropping off meals every day, and more people are needed to help.

“Believe me, once you start (volunteering), you realize what a good organization it is,” he said. “And I have gotten to know my people on my route and they love seeing me. They love talking to me. You might be the only person they talk to all day.” He said another benefit of delivering the food each day is it allows those visiting to keep an eye on the status of the seniors and how they are doing. For more information on volunteering, you can click here.

Mayor Stan Koci said, as of now, council will not hold open in-person meetings until the first meeting in September. Instead, council will continue to hold their public meetings on Zoom. He said the city board will evaluate the COVID situation during the summer, and if it continues to improve, then council could return to open meetings before the September target.

In other business:

* Council approved a few of the Planning Commission’s decisions put before them, including a conditional use approval for Chemtron Corporation on Krick Road for an exterior/addition to the existing structure and approval for a cigar store to be opened at 650 Broadway Avenue downtown.

* Council heard that the owners at 232 Forbes are interested in demolishing the building there, which would potentially open up more land for development.

*Council approved a contract with iamGIS that will provide a system where the city can expand its current ability to track its assets. The system they currently have monitors areas like water and sewer systems. The new system will do this also, but will also allow unlimited users, including the Service, Police and Fire Departments.

*Mallis said to be on the look out for a summer calendar of events to come out as festivals and other opportunities for families to come and enjoy entertainment are in the works, including movies and music.

*Ward 5 Representative Jeff Asbury reminded residents that the First Friday events are continuing through the summer, and that the theme for the First Friday in July (July 2) will be Party in the USA. For more information on the event, click here.

* Finance Director Frank Gambosi said the Rotary Club will be holding a “Welcome Back” Festival downtown on July 23 and July 24. For more information on the event, click here.

Editor’s Note: Stories about council meeting are written to give residents a recap of some of the more important news to come out of these sessions. The stories do not cover everything that is done and said during the meeting, but if you want more information about what happened, there are a few things you can do:

First, you can watch the full City Council videos. The council has its own YouTube channel, and you can watch the meetings live, or later at your leisure, as they are posted for anyone to view. Click here for the link to the channel.

Secondly, you can go to the city’s council page and look up old or current agendas, and the transcripts (minutes) of both regular meetings and work meetings. (Some might say that the work meetings are where you can best see the council members hash out the intricacies of governance.) The council’s meeting page can be located here.