- North Canton City Council, meeting of Aug. 18
- North Canton City Council approved a change order to spend an additional $122,977 on a project to coordinate traffic signals on Main Street and on E. Maple Street.
- Robert Wang CantonRep.com staff writer
Monday meeting
Discussion of:
- Approval of a change order to spend an additional $122,977 on a project to coordinate traffic signals on Main Street and on E. Maple Street. The total project cost would increase to $848,862, which is being funded by a grant. The original contract amount with Perram Electric of Wadsworth was $725,885. City Engineer Jim Benekos said several items increased the cost, including $65,500 for traffic software, $30,000 for adjustment of final quantities and nearly $15,000 for “pullbox pavement removal.” Benekos said Perram already has installed cables and new traffic signal equipment and the new system is expected to come online by September, a few months later than scheduled.
- Granting an occupancy grant of an estimated $24,960 over four years to the Internet marketing company Sanctuary Media Group, which is moving from Plain Township to an office building in the Hoover District in the city. The grant would give the company with 16 employees an amount equal to half of the additional income tax generated by its payroll to the city. The company says it has agreed to a 10-year lease in the Hoover District on condition of the city approving the grant to aid in paying for $67,000 in “build out costs.”
- Possibly negotiating a Tax Increment Financing agreement with Maple Street Commerce, which owns the Hoover District. Under such an agreement, a percentage of property tax revenue from additional construction and development would be spent for a negotiated period of time on infrastructure improvements around the Hoover District, which could include parking, street upgrades, sewer lines and water lines, said the city’s economic development director Eric Bowles. Current property tax revenue would not be impacted. He said Maple Street Commerce developer Stuart Lichter has requested the agreement.
- Approving the St. Luke Lutheran Community nursing home bond sale to PNC bank so it can raise $7.5 million to fund its $9 million project to add a wing, with 24 nursing beds and 19 assisted living units, to its nursing home location at 200 Applegrove St. NE. by late 2015. The city’s approval is required so St. Luke can sell tax exempt bonds, but officials said if St. Luke were to default, the city would not be on the hook to repay the money.
- Heard a presentation about the North Canton Growth Association by its president Doug Lane and vice president Jeff Davies. Davies went over features of the group’s liverightherenorthcanton.com web site, which provide links to the city’s website, real estate listing, rental listings, the YMCA and other local institutions. Lane talked about the cable television ads the group has aired to encourage families to move to North Canton. “This is the most thorough marketing thing I’ve ever seen for our city,” said Councilman Mark Cerreta, at-large.