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Record of Proceedings

Cleveland Heights City Council Meeting – October 20, 2026

City Council Meetings — Tuesday, October 20, 2026
BodyCleveland Heights, Ohio
SessionCity Council Meetings
DateTuesday, October 20, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:19:29

Original source
Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.

Unassigned speaker

0:10

All right,

Speaker 1

0:10

welcome to Cleveland Heights City Council meeting.

0:13

It is Monday, October 19th at 7:30 p.m.

0:16

Eddie, would you please call the role?

0:18

Cobb.

Speaker 2

0:19

Cohen.

0:20

Here.

0:21

CUDA?

Speaker 1

0:22

Here.

Speaker 2

0:22

Larson.

0:24

Here.

0:24

Do it for Posh.

0:27

Stone.

0:28

Here.

Speaker 1

0:29

All right.

0:30

Jim Posh is excused.

0:32

He's out of the country and we don't have the ability

Unassigned speaker

0:35

to

Speaker 1

0:36

zoom somebody in from there, unfortunately.

0:40

There are no amendments to the agenda.

0:43

And there are no minutes to approve.

0:47

We do have presentation and honors.

0:49

Mr.

0:49

Mayor.

Speaker 3

0:50

Thank you, Mr.

0:51

President.

0:52

As many folks know, we went ahead with hiring a owner's representative for the Cumberland Rebuild and a design and engineering team.

1:03

There are a number of different delivery methods that the city could choose for this project.

1:09

And we are choosing one named the construction manager at risk.

1:13

The benefit of choosing this is that you get to bring on the general contractor as you're working through the design so that they can provide feedback on things that, for example, may cost more.

1:23

So hey, maybe you should consider it doing it this other way.

1:26

And so we went through a process where we if issued an RFQ, we received responses, we brought in four firms for interviews, and ultimately we selected Welty Construction.

1:38

So Wealthy is going to be our construction manager at risk and later transition into being the general contractor for the project.

1:46

And so I'm very happy that Mr.

1:48

Paul Bex from Walt Wealthy Construction is able to join us this evening.

1:54

Paul is the president of Wealty.

1:56

And for folks who are unfamiliar with Wealthy, they have built a lot of things across our area.

2:02

For example, they had a joint venture with Gil Bain and uh built Sherwin Williams' new headquarters.

2:08

Uh they are finishing up a pool in Fairview Park.

2:11

And I think that they're also about to work on a pool down at the Football Hall of Fame.

2:15

And so in addition to that experience, they also have a lot of experience with uh historic preservation.

2:22

So really excited for you to be able to hear from Paul and ask any questions that you may

Unassigned speaker

2:26

have.

Unassigned speaker

2:28

Welcome.

Speaker 4

2:28

Thank you, Council, for having us here.

2:30

Uh it's it's really an honor and a pleasure to serve the citizens of uh Cleveland Heights.

2:35

Um, you know, I think Mayor did a wonderful job of sharing a little bit about WellTe, but um I'd like to highlight a few things.

2:43

I can there we go.

2:44

It's the click.

2:45

Um so a little bit about WellTe.

2:47

Uh Welty was founded in Northeast Ohio in 1945.

2:51

So we've been doing this construction thing for about 81 years.

2:55

And uh we what we really love about projects is building more than just the building.

3:00

Um, the Cumberland Pool is such a special uh building in and of itself.

3:06

It's it represents so much to the community, but for a lot of different ways.

3:09

So I want to uh just share a few reasons why we think this is a great project and why we're excited to be a part of it.

3:15

Over our 81 years of building, we have been invited by wonderful owners to build so many pool facilities.

3:21

We've been count built countless pools, water parks, as the mayor shared, um, for public and private entities.

3:28

We really know pools, and we know more importantly what takes uh what it takes to make them operate for another century, hopefully, as Cumberland Pool is about to celebrate.

3:38

Uh the second thing is, and this is what's quite unique about this pool.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Historic Preservation████████████████16%
Public Works███████████████15%
Procedural██████████████14%
Public Engagement████████████12%
Community Engagement████████8%
Engineering And Infrastructure████████8%
Public Safety███████7%
Economic Development███████7%
Affordable Housing██████6%
Summary of Proceedings

Cleveland Heights City Council Meeting – October 20, 2026

This meeting took place on 2026-10-20 (UTC; 01:48:03+00:00). The transcript identifies the local meeting as Monday, October 19, 2026, starting at 7:30 p.m. and adjourning at 8:49 p.m.; Councilmember Jim Posh was excused. No agenda or minutes were provided, and council noted there were no amendments to the agenda and no minutes to approve.

Presentation and Honors

  • Mayor Petras announced that the city hired an owner's representative and design/engineering team for the Cumberland Pool Rebuild and selected Welty Construction as construction manager at risk after an RFQ and interviews with four firms; Welty will later transition to general contractor.
  • Paul Bex, Welty president, said the firm was founded in Northeast Ohio in 1945 (81 years of construction experience) and highlighted pool facilities, historic preservation, and high-stakes public projects. Work on the Cumberland Pool is planned for late 2027 into 2028, using the months after Labor Day to install the pool structure and winter months for the bathhouse and new building interior.
  • In response to council questions, Welty stated the current pool will be demolished to meet competition length; lead and asbestos may be encountered but will be handled through abatement without compromising historic fabric; utility lines are being tested now during pre-construction; and work will not interfere with public swim season.
  • Welty committed to local business outreach and to including Cleveland Heights companies, subcontractors, and suppliers in the project.

Mayor's Report

  • Leaf collection began the day of the meeting; Public Works scheduled three crews instead of the usual two, with 35 team members and three passes through the city.
  • A tenant town hall was scheduled for October 20 at 5 p.m. at Noble Library.
  • The final Cumberland Pool open house will be October 28, 5–7 p.m., at the community center.
  • Early voting shuttles: every Wednesday in October at 10:30 a.m. from the community center, and every Friday in October from noon to 2 p.m. from Forest Hill Presbyterian Church.
  • The city joined the blue envelope program for residents with communication challenges, working with the police department and Board of Developmental Disabilities; University Heights and East Cleveland also expressed interest.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Herschel Weiser expressed concern about the Taylor Road Synagogue property, including an eviction the day before Rosh Hashanah and a $600 land bank sale, and asked whether the buyer received favorable treatment. Mayor Petras responded that the city never owned the property, declined the opportunity before his tenure, and was not involved in synagogue events.
  • James Williams shared a personal testimony of gratitude and recited lyrics from Karen Clark Sheard's song 'Sunday Morning.'
  • Joel Forker (3161 Essex Road) advocated for Essex Road to receive traffic-calming improvements from about $1 million in recently received funding. He cited the city's 2021 Vision Zero commitment and the comprehensive and equitable safety action plan pages 96, 169, and 99, and asked for speed tables, curb extensions, paint, and signage to reduce speeding and improve safety as a gateway to Cedar-Lee.
  • Patricia Fox Brooks (Bainbridge Road) asked whether the Blanche Road extension was 'a done deal,' noting it would come through backyards and that residents had heard a 2028-2029 timeline. She requested neighborhood meetings and timely communication. Mayor Petras said nothing had been presented to council, it was not a done deal, and no significant public announcement was available yet; fire access and possible access to South Euclid park are among issues being studied.
  • Susanna Aframson (Seven Road) asked the city to address tree-obscured stop signs on Maple, Crest and Wood, and Shannon and Maple. She also urged restoring weekly bulk pickup or creating an on-demand request system with about 25 allowances per year, saying the refuse and recycling task force did not recommend the current change. Mayor Petras said bulk pickup has been difficult, no near-term noticeable improvement is promised, and a drop-off site was abused by outside contractors.
  • Elizabeth Amberg (Scarborough Road) spoke in favor of accessory dwelling units, describing her desire to add living space over her garage for her son and future family; she also supported neighborhood traffic safety.

Discussion Items

  • Planning and development staff gave a development-heavy update. Noble Court held its ribbon cutting on October 14, with the entire building leased and a waiting list. The Marquee project will hold its ribbon cutting on October 21 at 2 p.m., just over a year after the fire. The Taylor Tudor project is on track for first/second quarter 2027 completion, with strong commercial tenant leads. Colverse will break ground November 16 at the former Center Mayfield property. Park Synagogue received planning approval for initial phases, with construction expected late this year/spring.
  • Infill housing: five vacant lots were introduced at first reading for owner-occupants, with two to four more lots possible; an RFP is open for five city-owned houses for owner-occupant rehabilitation. Future Heights is drawing down its first four of 46 lots and has design approvals for two houses; StarWright CDC will receive three lots for its Welcome Home Ohio award; a future one-lot transfer to Forest City Community Land Trust was announced for its $100,000 award.
  • The zoning code rewrite is moving into codification, with extensive community engagement continuing through the rest of 2026 and early 2027; a story map and materials are on the city website.
  • Other planning efforts include the housing needs assessment final report due by the end of the month, a Parks Recreation Open Space Master Plan presentation next week, gateway and wayfinding signage design, Noble and Taylor Public Arts Plan kickoff, and a November 9 Committee of the Whole discussion of housing and building initiatives.
  • Council also received updates that the North Coventry neighborhood plan and Noble/Taylor streetscape plans are being finalized in-house; Taylor Road streetscaping will be incorporated into the TLCI project as a background document.

Legislation and Resolutions

  • First readings approved as emergency measures: Resolution 198-2026 (A&J Cement Contractors contract for exterior repair and concrete work using ARPA funds); Resolution 199-2026 (accepting Ohio Traffic Safety Office grants for high-visibility, impaired driving, and selective traffic enforcement); Ordinance 200-2026 (FY2026 appropriation amendment).
  • First readings introduced only: Resolution 201-2026 (purchase of a 2027 Ford Super Duty F600 through Sourcewell/National Auto Fleet Group); Resolution 202-2026 (adopting a council code of conduct); Ordinance 203-2026 (sale agreements for five vacant residential lots).
  • Second readings approved: Ordinance 142-2026 as amended permits accessory dwelling units; councilmembers praised it as a milestone shaped by two years of community engagement. Resolution 173-2026 reappointed Peter DeGolia and Ira Edda Black to the Commission on Aging. Ordinance 194-2026 established a city Tree Commission. Resolution 195-2026 amended the GPD Group agreement for transfer station renovation services. Resolution 197-2026 authorized the Welty Construction construction manager at risk agreement for the Cumberland Pool project.
  • Proclamations approved: Resolution 204-2026 declared November 28, 2026 as Small Business Saturday; Resolution 205-2026 recognized November 2026 as Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month.

Key Outcomes

  • Council approved the ADU ordinance and the Cumberland Pool Welty agreement without dissent.
  • The new Tree Commission will have five community members; applications open on the city website with a November 2 deadline. The city is also reopening applications for the Planning Commission, a Board of Zoning Appeals alternate, and the Climate, Environmental and Sustainability Committee.
  • Upcoming dates announced: tenant town hall October 20 at 5 p.m.; Marquee ribbon cutting October 21 at 2 p.m.; Cumberland Pool open house October 28, 5–7 p.m.; budget hearings November 4–6; next regular council meeting November 2; Colverse groundbreaking November 16; and housing/building discussion November 9 at Committee of the Whole.

Meeting Transcript

All right, welcome to Cleveland Heights City Council meeting. It is Monday, October 19th at 7:30 p.m. Eddie, would you please call the role? Cobb. Cohen. Here. CUDA? Here. Larson. Here. Do it for Posh. Stone. Here. All right. Jim Posh is excused. He's out of the country and we don't have the ability to zoom somebody in from there, unfortunately. There are no amendments to the agenda. And there are no minutes to approve. We do have presentation and honors. Mr. Mayor. Thank you, Mr. President. As many folks know, we went ahead with hiring a owner's representative for the Cumberland Rebuild and a design and engineering team. There are a number of different delivery methods that the city could choose for this project. And we are choosing one named the construction manager at risk. The benefit of choosing this is that you get to bring on the general contractor as you're working through the design so that they can provide feedback on things that, for example, may cost more. So hey, maybe you should consider it doing it this other way. And so we went through a process where we if issued an RFQ, we received responses, we brought in four firms for interviews, and ultimately we selected Welty Construction. So Wealthy is going to be our construction manager at risk and later transition into being the general contractor for the project. And so I'm very happy that Mr. Paul Bex from Walt Wealthy Construction is able to join us this evening. Paul is the president of Wealty. And for folks who are unfamiliar with Wealthy, they have built a lot of things across our area. For example, they had a joint venture with Gil Bain and uh built Sherwin Williams' new headquarters. Uh they are finishing up a pool in Fairview Park. And I think that they're also about to work on a pool down at the Football Hall of Fame. And so in addition to that experience, they also have a lot of experience with uh historic preservation. So really excited for you to be able to hear from Paul and ask any questions that you may have. Welcome. Thank you, Council, for having us here. Uh it's it's really an honor and a pleasure to serve the citizens of uh Cleveland Heights. Um, you know, I think Mayor did a wonderful job of sharing a little bit about WellTe, but um I'd like to highlight a few things. I can there we go. It's the click. Um so a little bit about WellTe.

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