Mayor urges motorists to slow down on city streets

by Melissa Martin

Sept. 20 city council meeting

Brecksville Mayor Jerry Hruby said the police department continues to receive a large number of calls from residents complaining about reckless driving on city streets, particularly in subdivisions.

Earlier this year, Hruby reminded residents of the importance of conforming to speed limits, but he said the matter has become more critical now that students are back in school.

“With the movement of children in the community by school buses and parents, and with the large number of bicycle riders and pedestrians, we are asking the community once again to slow down to keep our residents safe,” Hruby said during the council meeting.

Hruby said police have been monitoring and enforcing speed limits in recent weeks, and what they have found most often is that “those driving in excess of the posted speed limit are residents who actually live in the neighborhood.”

Residents were also asked to pay closer attention to traffic signs.

“[People] aren’t paying attention to signs, which is why we’ve been having a high number of accidents lately, especially on Mill Road, Oakes Road and in the school parking lots,” he said. “We need everyone to slow down and pay attention.”

Council approved more than $62,000 for a new city greenhouse that will be used by the horticultural department as well as the city’s beautification committee. The greenhouse will measure 20-by-30 feet and feature a gabled top. It will be located just south of the city’s old horticultural building. The cost includes 10 percent for contingencies and money for concrete and other supplies.

Council also approved $11,903 for the re-lamping of the E and F baseball fields at Blossom Hill and authorized the administration to move forward with the creation of a new design for the community center pool pump, expected to cost $5,000.

The city will also purchase 99 trees to plant in various places throughout the community as part of its annual fall planting program, at a cost of $15,768. Approximately 60% of that funding will be used to replace existing trees.

Service Director Ron Weidig said the city will have planted approximately 200 new trees this year, including those planted during the annual spring planting.

Council authorized the purchase of two new fireproof safes for $6,998 that will be used to house permanent records. Brecksville previously used standard safe vaults but prefers the storage capacity afforded by the new safes, which look like standard storage cabinets.

Each of the fireproof safes holds 23 volumes. One cabinet will be filled immediately with the city’s existing records. The other will be used to store future records. Both will be located in a secure area of the city hall basement that has fire sprinklers. ∞