05/03/2006 Meeting Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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Council Minutes of 5/3/2006 weeks and whether consideration was given to changing the signage at the ramp of 480 to direct people more towards Great Northern Blvd. rather than Columbia Road. This would help the residents of Ward 4 with their traffic congestion because of people cutting up Coe and other streets in that area. Service Director Lirnpert said he had a draft letter prepared for the Mayor's review. Mayor O'Grady said the traffic code would be amended to reflect Claque Road as southbound local traffic only, and we would have traffic enforcement. Local traffic means North Olmsted residents living in the area or people visiting those North Olmsted residents. Regarding the signage, Mayor O'Grady said it was his expectation that the traffic was already directed toward Great Northern. Service Director Lirnpert said it might be wise to move the detour sign that is right after Columbia Road to be just before Columbia Road to remind people to go straight ahead. Councilman Barker said he felt additional signage or signage before Columbia Road would help the traffic on Columbia Road which has been backing up at rush hour from Lorain Road to Brookpark Road. Mayor O'Grady said Columbia Road has been overwhelmed for some time. We know it's about 70% capacity. It is unfortunate-we need to do better. Councilman Orlowski requested Mr. Lirnpert keep track of Coe Avenue because that seems to be a very large cut-through and traffic is backed up from Lorain to Brookpark at rush hours. The only actual solution, which should have occurred years ago, would have been a connector from 252 to Great Northern Blvd. at Lorain Road next to John Knox Church. If that connector was in place, we could easily divert the traffic to Great Northern Blvd., and they would be moving down Columbia Road much quicker. He commended Mr. Lirnpert on the letter regarding the I-480 sound barrier walls, and he wondered about future consideration for barrier walls along I-480 from approximately Claque Road west to Columbia Road and then approximately 500 feet west of Great Northern Blvd. to slightly east of Fitch. Road. The roar of the traffic is tremendous at Grace Road and either side of I-480. Mr. Lirnpert answered that could be a future request, but we do not want to tie it into the present project as it may slow down progress. Regarding the connector of 252 to Great Northern Blvd., that has been planned for many, many years. Regarding Cleveland's proposed water rate hikes, Councilman Barker said he assumed there would be committee meetings or public meetings to discuss the issue. Mayor O'Grady said that would be a false assumption. The fact of the matter is the Cleveland Dept. of Water belongs to Cleveland. The contracts Cleveland has with the suburbs are very much slanted in favor of Cleveland. Mayor Jackson of Cleveland will present the plan to the Cleveland City Council, and they will rule on it. Previous to this, the Cleveland Water Dept. held numerous meetings with a representative group of mayors elected by the Cuyahoga County Mayors & Managers Association to a body referred to as the Suburban Water Council. He is an alternate on that board and attended all meetings since he took office. But they don't have the legal clout to effect change. Cleveland could, if they chose to, continue the previous policy of an exceedingly inequitable system that puts a heavy burden on the suburbs with, what he would consider, a very light burden on Cleveland residents. It wasn't fair, and they are taking steps through this current change to make the system more equitable. There is a commitment 4