City Council - Regular Meeting

Okay, ready to rock and roll. Let's uh I'm going to call to order the meeting of the public works and sustainability committee for May 11th, 2026. Uh all members are present as is uh Councilman Bixenstein. Um uh first order of business is to consider approving the minutes from the March 9, 2026 meeting. Is there a motion? So moved

to approve. Moved. Is there a second? All um motion's been made and seconded. Any discussion? Hearing none. All in favor say I. I. Opposed. And the eyes have it. Thank you. Our other item of business, our only other item of business is proposed ordinance 25-2026 uh to authorize and direct the mayor to enter into an agreement with once again with Help Foundation Incorporated for the operation of food concessions at Lakewood Park and Madison Park. Um this was it's on second reading already. Um, and so we'd be in a position to uh potentially report out to the full council favorably and then have council adopt at the next meeting. Um it's a simple the ordinance itself is a simple uh proposal to uh allow the mayor to execute the contract and then exhibit A attached to the ordinance uh has the details of the contract and that's what we wanted to review today. So without um objection committee members let's uh hear from the administration. Director Mahoney and Director Vargo are here and then of course the health foundation leader leadership is here as well. Director Mahoney.

Uh hello. So um we uh put an RFP out was a while ago. Um and uh we had two um people that uh had submitted proposals. Um Help and one other vendor and Help was the successful um uh winner of the bid I guess you'd say. And um basically that's that's all I know.

Yeah. What what was the basis of the RFP? Was it like uh for a nonprofit operator or

uh it was not it was just general. Um last year we had put we had um reopened um the Madison concession and we had a for-profit operator in there that Madison had been closed for a while. Um that was a test run and uh we wanted to put both together for this year. Um, and so, uh, yeah, we just took, um, proposals and like I said, there was two people that that had proposed. Then we had a meeting with myself, uh, Kurt Mate from parks, um, Michelle Nocta from planning. I might be forgetting someone. I think that was it. And uh we evaluated the proposals and help was a successful proposal.

What were uh the kind of conditions or uh it was just the the completeness of the the proposal and um uh just you know also the experience that help had uh you know at at Foster Pool uh was and and their mission. So those were the deciding factors. Yeah. And I um I assume this person here is from help. Yes, I am.

Hi. Um and you guys, so as a I you know customer of the pool, um I think you guys have done a a good job of operating the concession facility there. um you know what's kind of uh and I can read what is in the the permit and the lease seems to be a lot of discretion of the mayor kind of like back and forth as the hours and and could you kind of explain your guys's um philosophy and kind of like what you'd like to provide what services like to provide

Sure. Absolutely. So help is a legacy provider in Kyhoga County. So we provide services to adults and youth with disabilities and um we provide the full scope of services uh residential adult day, vocational, employment and transportation. And so this service it falls up under our help harvest model which is vocational services for individuals with disabilities. And um this will be our eighth season um under help operating foster pool. And we're super excited and grateful for the opportunity to uh operate Beck's pool as well. And this is going this operates as a summer youth work experience site for individuals that we serve. It's youth um services. We partner with opportunities for Ohioans with disabilities uh to provide this service. So it's local youth who are interested in developing skills uh needed to work in the community someday. So, they're paid. Um, it's paid training for them. Um, and again, it's just to build those skills that they need to eventually work in the community independently.

And what and and is it are both operations going to be similar in the sense I think it's like hot dog, nachos. Yes. Exactly. Popsicles. Exactly. So, we'll have um over the past two years we partnered with Hershey's ice cream. So, we will have Hershey's ice cream. We'll have slushies, hot dogs, nachos, pretzels, candy bars were our biggest seller last year. Um, but we sold over 3500 hot dogs. So, yes, those will definitely be back. Absolutely. And these spaces, I assume there's no like vent hood. It's kind of all rollers and

Exactly. Yeah, we will have some help harvest items that we produce in our kitchen here in Lakewood. So there will be some sandwiches, wraps, things like that, but mostly yes, we will have just the warm food would be our nachos and our hot dogs. Yeah. And I've I've Is is there any This is almost me more as a community member. Like I've I've gotten the turkey wrap and it was good, but it's only available sometimes. Like what's your He's got uh several thoughts about the mustard, please. No, I'm just cur I'm just curious as to like um from a community standpoint. um like can the community expect those things to be there all the time or is there like certain schedules where they

Well, we just try to kind of base it on sales. So, if something's doing well, we will carry it regularly, but if if something's just sitting and going to waste, we monitor that. So, it's just based on on sales. Like, we at one point had um hummus bowls there and those just weren't selling, so we stopped offering them. But, if if something's selling like our chicken salad usually does pretty well, our turkey wraps do well, we will carry those regularly. Great. And then the next question, and I apologize for not time. Um, for the law department, th this agreement looks a little different than the last one. Is that can you explain the differences and kind of how we went away or how we approached it differently?

Councilman, I can't go through the specifics. Uh, Miss Swallow handled this. Um, but we started with the former help agreement. I know that much. So, in substance, it should be the same. There are a lot of terms that are in here as standard uh that usually do not come into play. Um but it's based off the former help agreement and I don't know how it differs specifically. Great. Well, I'm I'm I'm certainly uh willing to support this. I know um Help's a great organization. I you and you guys are you guys in the Cleveland Foundation new building?

We are. Yes. So we operate Susanna's cafe by help harvest. So that is the cafe. So the full help harvest model starts in Uklid. We have a hydroponic greenhouse where individuals receive vocational training. So they grow, seed, harvest all the produce. That is then brought here to Lakewood into the help harvest kitchen. Again, vocational paid training for individuals where they prepare and package the food and then that food is then transferred over to the cafe. So they have that kind of full scope of learning. Um and they also train in our cafe um selling, money handling, customer service skills as well. So yeah. Well, you got my wife's an employee there and you get a lot of our money. Oh, fantastic.

Thank you. Um so fully support this and I guess uh from city's perspective too, um we just a one year. Are we intending to go out again next year? Do we have the option in the RFP to like just extend or what what's the thought there? we have the option to extend um after this this coming season. Thank you.

Um couple things Mr. Evans wants to say or two. Um I think what would be great uh directors would be to get um help inc proposal that probably has a lot of the answers to the questions that we might have here. So, uh, the helpful contract terms here define a lot of of the relationship between the city and the, uh, the leie. Um, but I think uh I'll wait I'll hold my question until after Councilman Evans, but I think what we're in the spirit of uh Councilman Baker's um questions, I agree with uh what we're asking is what will the experience be for community members. It's important. Thank you for doing it. Thank you for being here. Um Mr. Evans,

uh thank you, Mr. Chair. Um yeah, I just want to say I I you know, I admire the mission of help. I I love the fact that we have like we potentially have a missionbased provider for these jobs and and if anything I I would like the city to amplify that message more, find ways to help tell your story and and how we're working together on this because I think it's just a great collaboration. So, I'm very supportive. Thanks. Thank you, Councilman Bix.

Thank you, uh, Mr. Chair. Thank you for being here. And I echo the sentiments about having a a missionbased um effort here for concessions. Um I I don't really have a it's more just a comment. Um but as someone who's really familiar with uh Beex Pool and Madison Park and really excited to have have your organization uh have a home there. Uh one day that's going to be a little interesting is for about 20 Wednesdays uh this this this summer there will be a farmers market. Yes, we participate in that.

Oh, great. So farmers market. I really just bring it up mostly because of the proximity to to the concessions and absolutely and and I realize there's a there's a real opportunity here to complement one another because you know the farmers market primarily produce and some um you know some um higherend goods but not not really items that would um interfere with a concession stand. So I I foresee a scenario where folks enjoy the farmers market and then come uh grab snacks over at your concessions as well.

Absolutely. You know, we uh our first year participating in the North Union Farmers Market was last year and it was such a wonderful experience for us um to be able to um share our mission with the community but also have direct sales of our produce into the community. So, it was a great experience and we're looking forward to being able to be in both places. So, so glad to hear that. Thank you. Absolutely.

Thank you. Um I'll ask a few more questions. Um, I I had some fun with Councilman Baker's question about the menu, but I agree with it. So, for the menu, of course, it makes sense to sell what sells. Uh, are you open to continued improvement, expansion, experimentation about what might work because I remember we were keen on healthy options. Um, and and then the word came back people weren't buying the healthy option. Um, that may be because it's middle school kids uh who want licorice ropes and candy bars, but you don't want them.

Yeah, I I Yeah, well, I do want them. I just buy them less these days. A little bit less. So, you know, within your discretion, are you open to trying to continue to sell new and different things without losing your shirt? Absolutely. No, absolutely. And we found honestly the um the individuals who purchased our turkey sandwiches and our chicken salad sandwiches were the lifeguards. So they were always very receptive and supportive of that. So lifeguards and the mothers of course. But um but yeah, we we will continue as we have weekly specials roll out at S Susanna's Cafe by Help Harvest. We will also try them at the concessions as well. So

Okay, that's great to hear. Thank you. Um couple of quick other rapid fire questions. Um, I guess I'll I'll start with the help questions. So, um, are you open to or considering serving the concert days and the movie nights that are there off hours? I think at one point we were and then that got scaled back. I I would love to learn more about it. Absolutely. And we can definitely figure out a way. I mean, we're there Monday through or Sunday through Saturday 12 to 8. So, if there's extended periods based on just different events, as long as we have the schedule in advance, we could definitely try to make that work.

Okay. The there's uh how many is there? Six or 10 Friday night family movies on the lawn and it would not be at the I think at the time there was talk of a cart that could go potentially over there. So, there's some logistics to consider. I think it would be great to look at that again. And so that's there's Friday night and then there's Sunday afternoon or early evening concerts. Okay.

Kind of again in the same neck of the of the woods at the park. There's a band shell there. And those are programs that have a following for years and years and years. And so if there's, you know, it would be pleasant and it would be another sales potential. And really, I think we're looking thinking of it as service and continuing to enhance that wonderful Lakewood Park. Um, how has the experience at Madison Park gone to date or are are we contemplating the first year? I didn't hear that.

So, last year um I I'm not quite sure how long it had sat idle, but um I believe the the um and I can't think of their name, but the the company that uh had the the lease last summer was um interested enough and they were the ones that applied for this year. So, I'm assuming it ran okay. Um we didn't get any financials from them. Okay. So is help going to be staffing Madison Beck's pool? Both. We we wanted to combine to have one operator. So your experience will be for the first time at Beck's this coming year. Exactly. Yes. This will be our first time.

Thank you for clarifying that. And then um hours. Oh, you you kind of addressed that. I think you said Sunday through Saturday 8 to 12. So we'll they start at 12 pool open or excuse me, that's when open pool starts. So, we open our windows at 1:00. So, they're prepping from 12:00 to 1:00 and then they're there opening open to 1 to 8. Okay. And then the also the windows also go to the playground size. So, that that's important too. Quite a big deal actually to be able to get, you know, somebody a snack if you have little kids.

Um All right. And then um for the city um the amount of the contract, what what I don't see that stated here. I'm sure that's in an appropriations ordinance somewhere, but I don't recall. It's zero. Just allowing them to to use the facility. Okay. They're um responsible for the utilities and and all that. It's just a zero cost. Okay. Okay. And is that um sustainable from your perspective? Okay. Yes, it is. Yeah. And we're also responsible for any equipment that is used in the concession stand as well. Okay. So, so far um for your vocational employees has been a good experience.

Yes, it has. Yeah, it's been it's been great experience for individuals for sure. So, it's a good partnership. In other words, then we've got a um a well-managed uh source of staffing and personnel and scheduling coordination. That's a big administrative feat you're providing. and then it's separate from the city. So that I think is a good partnership. Any other questions, council members? Mr. Baker?

Yeah, to to your point, if if the finance department of law could send the two proposals, I think that'd be really helpful. But um I'm comfortable uh favorably referring this out of committee. Uh I think does a great job. Uh I think um if we can get great services for the community and then also uh help train folks um job readiness uh compliant with the nonprofit mission, I think that's good. And Councilman Bixenstein made an excellent point. Let's um let's I mean this is not law department or finance department, but I know the city is a communications officer. I mean, we could feature the missionbased nature of help as a partner for quite some years in in Lakewood Park, now expanding Madison Park. You know, that's that's a good story to tell. Maybe it'll boost your sales, too, and

all that kind of stuff. So, thank you. Thank you, Mr. Vargo.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Just following up on Council Baker's uh Councilman Baker's question. Um the term of this lease extends to April through April of 2027, but by its terms, the parties can negotiate an extension. So um this allows the parties to do this outside of the bid, we'll just renegotiate. The cancellation rights for both parties are very broad. If one um of the two entities or both decide to terminate, then we'll look to rebid. Hopefully we continue with this many year relationship. And I will tell you this is to your um comments, Mr. Chair. U each year when the concession lease would be expiring um help was very um astute in contacting the law department about renewal, about meeting deadlines. So they're they're very energized to work with Lakewood and that's very uh it's very uh good to know from a legal standpoint. Thank you.

Excellent. All right. Well, thank you so much. Um like to entertain a motion to recommend I I will make a motion to uh favorably refer uh ordinance 2025 or 25 2026 to full counsel. Second. Motion's been made and seconded. Any discussion? Hearing none. All in favor say I. I. Opposed. The eyes have it. Thank you everybody. Without objection, we are adjourned. Thank you. Thank you everyone.