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Caitlin Magner- 15710 W. Shore Ct. -Ms. Magner spoke to Mr. Franz's character and <br /> advocacy for the skate park and city. She stated her support for expanding the skate park to <br /> make it a destination that reflects Lakewood's unique culture. <br /> Over two dozen people in attendance raised their hands in support of the skate park <br /> project when prompted by Chairman Bullock. <br /> Councilmember Neff stated her favorite part about being on Council is experiencing the <br /> community come together like it was for the skate park expansion. She noted the positive <br /> aspects of the skating at Lakewood Park and added how impressed she was with the <br /> advocacy of the young folks in the crowd. <br /> Director Rancatore inquired about the timeline to raise 25% of the cost of the project. Mr. <br /> Franz noted that his group has been setting aside a few thousand dollars each summer and <br /> have about$20,000 on hand. He stated his group could leverage 20-year relationships built <br /> in the skating community into a capital campaign, however the city's commitment to the <br /> project was needed first. Mr. Franz's group would like to see it built in 2022 and would <br /> need to raise another $75,000. Director Rancatore inquired whether the fundraising <br /> support would be from local or national sources. Mr. Franz indicated they would be largely <br /> local and spoke to his group's experience raising $30,000 for Cleveland and Canton skate <br /> parks. Director Rancatore inquired how Lakewood's park compares with other cities. Mr. <br /> Franz described it is a nice urban spot where people would not get kicked out of, however <br /> one area to address would be installing a skate-able bowl. He noted that there is building <br /> trade capacity in the Cleveland area to build one, adding that skaters regularly travel 2 <br /> hours to skate a bowl. <br /> Chairman Bullock transitioned the conversation to his sports field repair priority,which <br /> creates budget capacity for capital maintenance at baseball/softball fields throughout the <br /> city. He expressed his appreciation for the mayor's commitment to fix the 2 largest fields in <br /> time for spring. Mayor George stated her administration will be presenting the agreement <br /> negotiated between the schools and the city for future maintenance, highlighting her <br /> commitment to overhaul Kauffman and Madison fields before the 2022 season. From there, <br /> the city will identify 1 field every other year to overhaul. <br /> Chairman Bullock reviewed several proposals,which were continuations from previous <br /> years (bike infrastructure, public art, clean vehicles, etc.). He spoke to investments needed <br /> for charging stations in the city garages for electric vehicles. Director Ducu highlighted the <br /> need for training on preventative maintenance and utilization of charging technologies. <br /> Councilmember Kepple inquired whether the electricity would come from the grid or solar <br /> panels. Councilmember Rader indicated it would likely come from the grid, noting that on a <br /> sunny day,the solar panels can provide 80% of the energy needed. <br /> Councilmember Kepple reviewed her various budget proposals. She proposed supporting <br /> the Anti-Racism Taskforce with a paid consultant to help it navigate existing systems and to <br /> facilitate events. She proposed a Juneteenth community celebration. She proposed a small <br /> business digital development platform to support local businesses and restaurants with <br /> 3 <br />