She's on our way.

She's on our way.

Are we going to have a quorum tonight?

We will have one she's in.

Yeah, no, we have a quorum.

We have.

Yes, please.

Thank you.

This is just uh just a reminder to those.

We're so glad that we are out here now with caucus and so that everyone can participate.

But the acoustics in this room are not great.

In fact, they're actually they're a little too great, is probably the real issue.

And so whenever there's chatter, it comes up and it gets picked up on the mics, and then it's heard of on on the YouTube as well.

So just a reminder, once we're in this space, if we could still just keep the the chatter down.

So thank you.

Um we'll go ahead and get started here.

We do have Councilor Flores who will be here momentarily so that we will have quorum.

Uh we do not currently have quorum right now, but we are not in a in a voting session.

We're in caucus.

So I wanted to kind of start it off to see if counselors have any questions with anything that we will be doing, especially for final passage tonight.

There are three before us for final passage.

We have the three code enforcement vehicles, the wastewater treatment plant disinfection systems improvement project, and then the Eerie Loop Bikeway French Street Project.

Uh and as a reminder, uh before we get to that vote on that final passage, we will have the presentation.

Dr.

Titus, if I could, the team is here, so we weren't sure how heavy your caucus discussion would be today.

But if you don't have much and you'd like us to start the conversation here in caucus, they'll of course you know do a quick overview in the public.

But if if it's helpful, you know, we are here and prepared during caucus time as well.

Wonderful.

Thank you.

Uh we'll probably take you up on that offer.

Um just to make everybody aware, uh council aware as well.

We had on the agenda um a street renaming and a designation that was going to be done by counselor troop that we are gonna go ahead, and this is with councilor troops uh permission, uh as he's not able to be in attendance to to pull this off tonight's agenda.

We spoke with the the individuals who who initiated, helped initiate this process.

They're okay with us waiting until the next meeting.

It does not delay the ceremony that they're gonna be having.

Um and then we'll go ahead and let the streets department know as well once we have the the rest of the funds paid so they can move forward with the sign making.

Um so that is one of the things.

It's not that we're not gonna address it, it's just that the person who had brought it forward and out of respect to them will not be present tonight.

All right.

Any questions from council um on on the final passage stuff?

Anything on the first reading.

For first reading this evening, we have the firefighter protective equipment and then the $2,150 for the certified local government grant.

All right.

How about under any the the transfers or the contracts?

Any questions?

The one question I did have, and I know I had I had briefly spoken with um Jason Sayers from Public Works around uh what does it mean when in when we say unit prices?

Um and if he wouldn't if he wouldn't mind just kind of going over what we had gone over uh about how that's within the contracts and it's not a an an indefinite number.

There is there's still a cap on on unit prices.

If you wouldn't mind just coming after the thank you.

Yeah.

And so we'll just so everyone can follow along.

When we're looking under contracts, we're looking at items um three, four.

Nope, sorry, four, six.

It skips around there.

Seven eight nine.

Okay, so we have items four, six, seven, eight, and nine.

So those are all uh uniforms, uh different vendors, five different vendors for public works, and they're all per unit prices.

So what they are is are just bid sheets of various safe it's actually all safety uh related uniforms and equipment.

Uh one is uh number seven is shoes.

And but they're all per unit prices, and then the amount uh per team storage is spelled out in the in the teamsters contract.

Thank you.

I think it's just important for um council to know, but also for the public to know that when we're talking about unit prices, that again that that was is within a parameter uh and that there there is a it's laid out in the budget as well, uh, but it's also contractual within just like their their union contract of course.

Uh but it's also contractual within just like their their union contract is correct.

So thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Any other questions from either of you on anything?

All right.

So then I guess we if if council is okay, then I would invite the the uh administration's team to come forward and start the discussion on the bike lanes.

Can I just ask you who else who are we waiting for from council?

Do you know who else is coming?

Counselor Flores.

Just her.

Okay.

Okay, great.

So can I ask Jackie?

Yeah, Jackie, sorry.

Um and Leanne.

I if if just we're waiting for Council Monflores, maybe you guys can come up here, that probably just as easy.

And you can just sit on the N2 seats there if you don't mind.

So I just want to remind council.

Um, you know, we had talked about you you knew that this this bikeway project was going to be on the agenda.

We understood from Councilman Brzezinski that his main concern was about the connection of the bike uh lane routes.

So you have a handout here.

That's a slide that that the team is gonna go over, but we wanted to highlight this for you, particularly because we knew this was the main concern.

Um but uh public works and planning have worked together on this.

Um so they have some slides and a presentation that they'll go over with you, and that way hopefully when we get to the regular meeting, we can just fly through some things and and move along.

So you guys good?

Oh, we need you need the presentation up, don't you?

No, I I can just speak to the map that's sure.

Um the map that you have in front of you is from the active early transportation plan that was adopted by council in 2021.

Um this map on the first side here shows um the bikeway network that was proposed in 2021.

These are low stress pathways.

Um yes, it's it's not the one with the yellow side.

So this is what was proposed.

Um if you flip to the other side, anything in green on that map shows a completed bikeway that the city has done over the last five years.

Um the circle, of course, is what we'll be presenting on today, and Leanne can go over a little bit of the um the project for the French street bike loop.

So the bike loop will go, I mean the bike lane will go from 10th.

Can you talk in the mic Leanne?

Sorry.

So just into the mic, yeah.

Thanks.

So the bike lane will go from 10th Street up to 26th Street.

Um they will have uh two through lanes on French Street with the bike lane and parking from 10th to 14.

Um in that one area in front of the Charter School of Excellence.

There's currently three lanes.

Um people tend to park in that one lane on the east, and so we're gonna make a parking lane over there so that they can safely park.

And the low the lanes will be narrowed, so it should calm traffic more than the because now we have almost 16 and 17 foot lanes.

So hopefully that will cause some traffic calming, safer parking, and then the bike lane has um safe biking area.

So from there at 14th, it goes under the bridge.

So it tightens will have two through lanes and the bike lane.

And the bike lane is a six-foot lane with a three-foot painted buffer.

And that will go from 14th, the bridge there to 21st Street.

And then at 21st to 26th, we will have the parking will remain on the east side.

We'll have one through lane, and then we will have a shared through bike lane on the west.

And we're hoping that's an interim situation where we can then carry the bike lane in the future from 21st up through 26th, and then eventually the 38th to have that loop completed.

And I I just want to add, sorry, that um this French street north-south connectors quite critical in terms of flow and connection.

It connects not only to the 10th Street existing bike lane that's already there, but then also to the 20th and 21st.

21st, sorry.

19th and 24th.

Right.

Which are both um listed as the bike pathways for the network.

And Jackie, can you share the data point about you were sharing with me earlier about the number of um residents who don't have access to cars and how that changes in some of our neighborhoods as well?

Sure.

Yes, um, and you'll see this in the presentation later this evening.

Um of the city very is without a vehicle of our residents are uh do not have vehicles.

But in the downtown that rises rises and also in certain areas to somewhere between anywhere between 30 and 40 percent, and some places higher where we see in parts of Little Italy, parts of Eastside Rent Eastside Coalition, that and East Bayfront where those numbers are much higher within 40 to 50 percent of the residents without uh a car.

So that data that data point definitely drew um it drove the uh the the strategies and recommendations for the active transportation plan and the the necessity for bike bikeways and pedestrian connections.

Do you know the current conditions of the the ones that were done um already?

The bike lanes that we're done already?

Yes, the current conditions.

Yeah.

Um like so for I like I drive over East 38, some of those ones are like pretty worn off already.

And I know that's a high traffic area, winter isn't kind.

Right.

So we do refresh the shares on 38th Street every year.

So they will be refreshed.

Okay.

Yes.

I would imagine probably once paving season starts and is finished, yeah.

That's when they'd be refreshed.

Would it have any impact on the from 21st to 26th Street?

With the uh public safety.

Yeah.

Would it have any uh impact on the public safety um vehicles or building this being there between 21st and 26th Street?

And have the residents, is there been any communication with residents on how they feel about it?

Okay, so I don't think there should be any impact.

There's still be um two through lanes in that area.

We uh are um keeping the parking for the residents there because many of them don't have driveways from 21st to 26th street.

So those that will remain so that will be a single uh they will go from two lanes of traffic to a single lane traffic.

In that section, we're gonna have a single lane of traffic and then a shared through with bikes and vehicles similar to 38th Street with the shareau.

But there's not been a dedicated bike in there.

And I guess again, has there been any engagement with that neighborhood?

What they have a pretty active neighborhood watch group.

Has there been any uh engagement with the the residents there?

Not since not our public meetings with Green Garden and French Street at the same time.

As I know Mr.

Gamble.

Um other residents up there are pretty vocal about what happens in that neighborhood.

So I was just wondering.

And I I think I think Councilman Horton is exactly right.

I think once council agrees, and as we said, we wanted to give plenty of time for council to vote, but I think our next step then will be to revisit with Center City.

I believe, is that right, Councilman Horton?

I think that's the neighborhood watch there.

I believe so.

They're pretty active.

At Booker T there.

And we can certainly send either this team or our neighborhood resource coordinator out to have those conversations with the neighbors.

Um I think that's a great suggestion.

Yeah, because other than that, it just comes across as another time, you know, they're being pontificated to against.

You know, it's not like what do you think about this?

It's okay, we're here to tell you what's going on in your neighborhood.

Any other questions from from counselors on this the bike part of it?

I guess Dr.

Titus, I'd just like to add as well, you know, if you look at the bikeway status in for 2026, that's the sheet that has the green and the blue.

You know, we we recognize that in some cases it seems a little disjointed.

Um, but you do have to remember that we're not using any general fund dollars to do these bike lanes.

So we have to rely on grant dollars as they come in.

So of course it would make the most sense to do this all at once and have a complete path, but in order to fund it, we need to wait until dollars are secured.

Um so when I talked to the team this afternoon, they reminded me that our safe streets grant now, quite a bit of of money coming in that hopefully we'll be able to dedicate some of that at least to these so we get a little closer.

But I just want to call that out.

We we agree it is disjointed right now, but because of the funding, we're we've we have to continue to do it in phases, but we hope we're getting close.

I think it's just to also reiterate the importance of just some of the statistics that were shared uh in the beginning, and I know we'll get a little bit more into the presentation.

That how much of our our city uh does not have access to to vehicles as transportation.

And uh I know that there's been statements um that have been made around how we've always shared the streets with bikes.

Um I don't I don't think that's an accurate reflection.

I don't think that that's true and how we've kind of laid out we're a very vehicle centered city, um, and that is not reflective at all of of our population and the needs that we have.

I think about uh individuals who are who are who have been faced with discrimination in other capacities and how those systems impact them more when they have access to transportation or when they don't.

And oftentimes the only access that they have means to is a bicycle for things that are out of their control, uh especially when it comes to poverty and then and about our new Americans or our refugees and immigrants, how there are so many barriers and how this is often their first way to get to a job, to get to school, and so I think it's absolutely critical when we are talking about equity that that we're also talking about equity within transportation and how people are able to get around.

Um I know that there's some frustration, but I I'm eager to see this project completed.

I think it's absolutely critical for for our region, not just for the environment, but for again coming back to the equity component of this, because we've really have a disjointed city and how we how people are able to get around.

And this this is uh a good step in in that in that direction.

It doesn't fix all the things, especially with our winters, but it's a step in the right direction.

So thank you.

Yes, you're absolutely right that and all of those things are rooted in the active transportations plan, especially equity and accessibility for all.

And tonight's presentation will go through a series of data points that that helped make those decisions and recommendations for the plan, but also we'll look at things that came out, data points that came out of our safety action plan having to do with fatal um fatal crashes and serious uh suspected injuries as well as pedestrian crashes and bicycle crashes over the last six years that's been provided because our data really stops at 2023, but we've been tracking what's been going on in our city.

And it's it's a pretty dark picture.

And so um this is this is one this is one aspect of solving it.

So I think as as we are watching what is happening just with with prices, uh especially around gas prices, uh, that we're gonna start to see an even more shift away from being able to have a one-car or a two-car home.

Um another thing that has been brought up on council quite a bit, and I think as we kind of revisit this is looking at those motorized vehicles that we're seeing more and more frequently.

I don't not to approach them in a punitive measure.

I really don't, because I think that that's a huge injustice if we approach that from a punitive measure.

But how do we incorporate those motorized bikes now and and scooters into the plan because more and more people are going to be reliant on them?

Um and I think we need to just be mindful of that as we kind of flush this out more.

Sure.

And that is a big concern because you know their speeds can go 20 to 28 miles per hour.

So we want them to have a safe space so that separated from the vehicle.

Yeah, and I think right now too, with just hard to implement on who can ride on a sidewalk, who can't ride on a sidewalk, enforcement around that.

Um, and again, I just my my biggest worry is as we look at this that it we immediately jump to a punitive measure.

Um, and I really want us to to not do that.

To not do that.

Right.

And also the health benefits, environmental benefits, economic benefits, safety benefits, all of that that come with an active transportation plan.

Um so we're we'll get into that briefly tonight and provide you with a recap of that plan so that you you know to bring it back to life a little bit since we have this project on the agenda.

Thank you.

Any other questions from from counselors on on the bikeway or this this project right now?

The council person who would normally have rebuttals or questions is not here, so you know.

But we will, but I will add we answered the questions, I think.

So hopefully we're doing our best.

You guys can go.

Thank you so much.

Can I just say what one thing about the motorized bikes?

Yeah.

Technically, they're motorized.

If you're driving a motorized vehicle, which includes ATDs, motorized bicycles on a public road, supposed to be licensed insured and registered.

And that's state law.

It's the same rules that apply to cars, trucks, and all that stuff.

So just want to be aware that what we're talking about is really our bikes that are people powered.

Uh those bike lanes, bike lanes that we're talking about are not for motorized vehicles technically.

Then they could get ticketed.

Yeah, I think that puts us in an interesting predicament when we have retail stores selling to kids.

Right.

And so then it becomes like, well, if you can buy a motorized bike on Amazon, who's accountable for you know for that element of it.

I just think it that needs to be like just a part of a critical part of the conversation as we look because it's it's not gonna go away.

It's gonna become more prominent in the injuries and the uh public safety is going to be.

Yeah, absolutely.

More prevalent they become they don't see the motorcyclist out here.

Yeah.

Agreed.

Absolutely agreed.

Um of the things I did want to come back to, uh I didn't attend the the presentation uh last night, and you had mentioned just the literacy component.

We have a couple of the summer programs on on the agenda tonight.

So just wanted to kind of get an idea just for council's perspective of of where that literacy program.

I know it's very very new in information, but when we could maybe talk about it or even throw it to caucus.

Sure.

So um first I will note that the contracts that you see on here, these are these are the projects that we fund through our parks department.

So these are not the ones being funded through CDBG.

Um we have two sources of funding here that we use for summer and after school.

So uh the ECAP program, the YMCA, um, and the JFK Center, I think those are all of them.

Oh, and then footlights further down there.

Um, those are all being funded through the parks department.

Um, these are recreational programs.

So what I asked um Leanne to do when she wrote these contracts up was to put very simple language in that as a requirement of the dollars that a literacy component had had to be added.

We did not prescribe, we did not say you have to do this.

What we simply said was tell us what your component is.

Um and I think I mentioned last night, you know, we are gonna call a meeting with all of these um organizations after the contracts have been approved to have this conversation with them, and what we'll tell them is that can be as simple as just inviting the bookmobile to come.

Like it doesn't have to be you don't have to be teaching phonics, just do something that incorporates literacy.

So that's our intent, and we'll cover that in the meeting with them.

And be great for us to encourage every student to get their library card.

Library card.

So 100%, 100%.

And I'll tell you when we had our organizational meeting um when we talked about this with some of our community partners, I was a little shocked that like the bookmobile and the library never were connected with, for example, some of our summer programs.

So when I asked the bookmobile for their schedule, they said, well, tell us where your summer programs are, and we'll just go there.

So I definitely think we have that level of coordination now.

So that's what we're thinking for these.

We'll do the same with the C D BG contracts when those come to you in June.

And then to your question about a more broader approach.

Um, one is as you saw in our proposal to you for C D BG dollars.

We are going to ask council to allow us to hire a youth coordinator who would oversee um all of this programming.

This summer, probably just do baseline, and then next summer work us toward actual outcomes in line with the area school district's literacy outcomes.

And then um in addition to uh in requiring literacy in in these funded programs, um, I'm gonna announce uh in May uh Mayor's Book Club that we'll have an adult and a youth component um just to encourage kind of everyone to be reading something together and discussing it.

And then uh in addition to that, we are working with partners like the library, also our independent booksellers, Preston Warner Books, um, as well as hooked on books, the foundation um for the library, they run the um Great American book sale to make sure that all of their events and dates are included in our summer recreation guide.

So our summer recreation guide that typically we mail out this year will be digital and it will include all of these partner events and programs around literacy.

We're not doing them, we're just collecting and informing the public all together.

So this summer is very just baseline.

It's just about trying to get a handle on who's doing what, adding a couple of requirements, and then really building forward from there to see what we can do in the future.

Thank you.

I just had one question on that.

Um if it's done digital, you're not gonna have the handouts anymore.

Um because I know what they used to do previous years, they would send them to the schools and hand them out before summer.

Is there any way Yeah, we we had so first of all, I just want to tell council the cost to print those was 40,000 out of the park's budget.

So we made that decision to say let's put that money somewhere else.

Here's what we're gonna do.

It's a great question.

Um the Erie School District right now has a parent communication system called Parent Square that they're using very actively.

They just added this two or three years ago.

It has tailored individualized communication with parents in all languages.

So we asked the school district to distribute the link and the QR code for the guide via Parent Square, and they've agreed to do that.

And we honestly believe we'll reach more kids that way.

Oh, definitely.

Yeah.

I just wanted to make sure that's the first thing.

And it will allow us to do it in all the languages as well, which I think is a is a win.

Thank you.

Any other questions from counselors on anything that we have before us tonight?

Um just can we have a QR code on in the clerk's office so that people can you know be able to get that information as well because I'm used to people being able to come into the lobby and grab a booklet and for those people who still want the information but might not have the access at the moment.

I would prefer us to have something from the scan and get access on their personal device.

We're actually gonna print um we have bookmarks designed.

They're very easy to print in our print shop, and that will kind of detail our approach and focus on literacy, and it will have the QR code printed on those.

So anyone who comes into City Hall at least can pick those up.

Thank you.

Um I may be like making a mirage of this.

Did you announce the scum summer schedule like just with the music?

We announced the events.

The events we announced the events related to America 250.

We have so much in the summer that we had to kind of piece it out.

So, yes, you're not you're not imagining it.

You're paying attention.

Uh, yesterday we announced the schedule for America 250 PA and celebrate Erie that and the Sounds of Summer concert series, and then some changes to the 814 concerts.

Those events were announced yesterday.

On May 14th, because we got a lot of questions about this.

On May 14th, we will announce the headliners for celebrate error and the Sounds of Summer lineup with the actual bands.

That's coming on May 14th.

And on May 7th, we'll announce the schedule of youth recreation programs.

So we're doing it in chunks because there was so much of it.

Um this has been a constant uh discussion, and I think one of uh contention at many times is just the the flow of of Celebrate Erie, how it has impacted the downtown uh businesses.

Um actually like taking away quite a bit of business just where the stage and stuff and location was.

I'd be uh I'd warmly welcome a visit to caucus to kind of lay out how it's gonna flow, and just so this is something that's been brought to us quite a few times.

I will be happy to send you the map for this year, just in a nutshell.

We've moved the stage to the south end of the area.

So the stage will now be at 9th and state.

We did that on purpose because we wanted to avoid disruption to our downtown businesses between 4th and 5th street.

Now I will tell you they're not all happy about that because if you have a bar or restaurant down there, you probably got a little more business when the stage was down there.

But on the other hand, moving it up to 9th Street.

Now businesses like you know, the Plymouth or Fiveiron or the ones that are a little further south, they might get that business.

So we want to try it.

So the stage will go to the south end of the area at 9th and state, and the marketplace where you can shop will go down between 4th and 5th, which will allow for vendors as well as our brick and mortars.

We have brick and mortar shops down there.

So we thought that's where it made sense to put the the marketplace, the shopping district.

The taste of Erie, the food will still be in Parry Square here, and the chalk walk will be in front of the art museum.

I I do want to say something to council because I know that this has been something that perhaps you're used to.

Um part of the decision to move the stage, part of the pushback or the discussion was it was in the past that the steps on the art museum were VIP seats for council, for the mayor, for sponsors.

We did away with that.

Um we just I felt that it was not necessary to have the stage in that spot solely for that reason.

So instead, we're gonna do a sponsor event um on the Brig Niagara, closer to celebrate Erie Date where our sponsors will be invited, all of you will be invited.

It will be a separate event.

Um, but we just didn't I didn't like the idea of having that kind of section.

It it felt like something that wasn't necessary.

So those will go away.

We want to make you all aware of that.

Any other any other questions?

I'll send the map.

Thank you.

Thank you.

All right.

We still have um about 30 minutes before the the public meeting is is set to start.

I do think this is a good time to just make everybody aware that we do have the public hearing as well tonight.

Um so what happened last time and what I suspect will happen this time is public comment will start roughly like at 6 35-ish.

Uh and then the public hearing will start at 7.

So what happens on public hearing nights is the public comment tends to get disrupted.

We have to stop.

We have to go with when the time the public hearing was advertised.

So we have to do that 7 o'clock time.

And then we'll go through the public hearing and then re-resume public comment after.

So it's not that we don't want to hear from everybody.

We actually want to we want to hear from everybody.

And then it also gives the public an opportunity to hear the public hearing and incorporate that into your public comments after, if you would like to.

Just so that everyone kind of understands the flow of what's going to happen tonight.

Dr.

Titus, could I just ask too, since we have some time?

Yes.

Just as a follow-up to our study session last week.

Is anyone on council who's here opposed to us proceeding with some of the changes we discussed?

We'd like to at least move forward to bring you some ordinances and unless there's any kind of concern.

Yeah, I'm I am very curious to see some other ordinances that we can incorporate and to see what some other cities are doing.

I had started reviewing the Allentown one.

I know that you all were planning a trip.

Yeah.

I would I would love to come and just have some of those discussions with counselors down there as well.

I'm in I'm in favor, and I'd love to see this start moving as as diligently but um as quickly as possible.

Okay.

So we'll start preparing the things that will need to be officially reviewed for all of you to begin reviewing.

Great.

Yeah, um from my experience on council, most people don't uh want to uh go against anything until they see something.

Sure.

So, you know, they all their questions will come from whatever legislation you bring forth.

So that's helpful.

Thank you.

And I always say more information is better.

So well, I'm excited about uh that there is some movement.

Uh I don't think it's anything we should drag our feet with.

Uh I think time is of the essence.

Uh I don't look at it as a problem.

And I keep uh using the lower crisis because that's what uh what we have is a crisis.

And so I'd be happy uh to see the administration move forward um but mindful.

They uh we as council have some work to do too, and there are some things in as much as I saw uh all of the good things that I did at the study session.

Uh it left uh it left questions uh in room for us to uh inject uh more verbiage that would lend itself more on the citizen side of some things uh instead of always the developer or the landlord or the Yeah.

So please, by all means.

Thank you.

Thank you.

All right.

Any other questions or anything that maybe we went over in the last study session, things that we've heard, any calls or emails that we've received that we want to address now since we have a little bit of extra time.

We're getting a lot of paving questions just to let you know.

I don't know if you're all getting those too, but we are aware and we're getting ready to begin.

Paving actually should begin here pretty soon, and then we'll share with you the schedule when when we have it.

It will begin, and then we'll share with you kind of where we are and what the plan is.

So we'll have that for you soon, but I'm very aware.

Process determined.

I asked this year.

Uh so um there it used to be apparently that our public works department would go out and eyeball the streets and try to determine where things but now because of the GIS data that we have, they're much more able to see kind of citywide what is happening and where the worst spots are.

So they'll basically identify really bad spots.

They'll also identify spots that haven't been paved in a lot of years, and then they'll also take into consideration any kind of high traffic or high complaint areas, and it kind of that all gets put together into a pool, as you know, then we have a limited budget, and what comes out of that is a list of proposals that that they have for the summertime.

And not that I don't want to be presumptive, but to just request, I guess, so that it's also stated publicly that I think that there has always been an inequitable process that has gone through this, and we certainly see certain areas that that get their streets for paved or or money put in there, um, and then we see certain areas where they're not.

I will tell you that public works has told me that they are very careful about at least doing an east side-west side balance, like they're very sensitive to that.

Now, does that mean that there's complete equity?

No, but they are sensitive at least to the east and west sides.

But certainly there's always room for improvement as those decisions are made.

Thank you.

And and it it does take a while for everything before the money comes in, before they make the lists.

And public works has been diligent with the potholes.

I I see them everywhere, every day.

So they have really good with that.

So hopefully that helps.

Yeah, I could just say on that too.

You know, we you might have seen last week we did a news piece on on pothole repair.

We're doing cold patch pothole repair right now.

Most people will tell you that the hot patch is is better, but we have to wait until the summertime to do that.

So we saw some complaining, like why are we doing it that way?

That's what we have to do right now.

And then you know, some we can do some additional hot patch in the summertime.

But just in case you were getting those questions, there is a reason for that.

Well, not only about anything on the agenda or C D BG funds, but still get it starting to become a pet peeve for me.

And that's our relationship with the Erie Parking Authority.

And so I would be really uh I'd be really anxious uh to start to address that.

Uh I think after the amount of time that we've allowed to elapse is unacceptable.

I have an update, Mr.

Horton, if that's okay.

Um I had on my calendar that the Erie Parking Authority Board met yesterday, yesterday, maybe the day before.

So um what was this?

Tuesday.

Uh so that evening I emailed um Director Friday and said, I know your board met today.

I hope you discussed with them the agreement.

I copied the solicitor.

Um, and he responded and said that they discussed it a little, but they feel they need more discussion, so now they're gonna do a poll for another meeting on this topic.

So I'd hoped that maybe we'd have a little more um we'd have some we were going to begin the discussion.

It sounds like it's gonna take a little bit longer.

So I guess I want to say to you, I'm not opposed to council moving this along as well, because we're we're doing the best we can, but uh as of right now, we're being told it's gonna be a little bit longer.

So grateful for your movement as well.

I think to to kind of reiterate what you said, Council Horton, is that there um just for the public knowledge that there has there has not been a a receipt of payment, despite there being I think a contractual obligation that there was supposed to be one.

Well, there's not a signed contract.

Okay.

Um which is has meant that with a non-signed agreement, there is no payment, so therefore there is funding that the city could have been entitled to the but we but we haven't been collecting.

So I think uh it it behooves us as council to use the authority that's so vested in us to to guide us along here.

Uh to do anything less would be dereliction of duty.

Uh we have a f we all took an oath.

Uh we said that we would be fish fiscally and uh responsible.

We took a fiduciary uh obligation to do that.

And it's uh it's uh inching close to a decade now, which is with all these issues we have, all these problems we have in the city.

Uh I think that you should take a note, Dr.

Titus uh from council uh requesting that a study session.

Or a because I don't want to do a closed door thing.

Yeah.

Uh but that he should come forward and answer some questions as to why.

He would be my request then from council is um would we I know that three of us are missing this evening.

If we don't get the response uh worthy of our office, uh then we should take a more direction.

Would we be okay with me scheduling a study session, an additional study session?

So I know we've only been doing one, but I think that this does warrant, especially with the summer coming up.

And I would also add that it should not just be with him, but that it should be with his board.

To include his solicitor and ours.

I'll get to work on this immediately.

Absolutely.

Are we okay with me doing an additional study session with us?

Okay.

Mr.

Horton, thank you for that.

Appreciate it.

All right.

I did have another question and it's gone.

So it's okay.

No, no, that was this is that's it's absolutely pressing, and I think it's it's one that is has been another one that has been consistently brought up.

Um and we haven't we haven't really received received a resolution there.

So we need to do that.

We absolutely need to do that.

Um anything else or any other comments from anyone?

No.

I would suggest that when you write that letter that you run that through our sublicitors.

Absolutely.

Absolutely.

It might not be so friendly.

Yeah, absolutely.

I'd like our solicitor to be the not so friendly one.

Firm firm, but not sorry.

I'll do better in person.

We have roughly 20 minutes for the public before the public meeting starts.

If there's nothing that council would like to just discuss further in caucus, um, we can go ahead and recess caucus, get the room set up then for our public meeting and public hearing.

Roll call for the Erie City Council meeting of Wednesday, April 15th, 2026 at 6.30 p.m.

Councilmember Brzezinski is absent.

Councilmember Flores.

Here.

Councilmember Horton.

Here.

Councilmember Pol.

Here.

Councilmember Titus?

Here.

Councilmember Schaoff and Trooper also absent.

We're gonna go ahead and stand for the Pledge of Allegiance here, but we're gonna first take a moment of silence.

And I also want to hold space for the young lives that we we lost and the young infant that who passed in this most recent fire.

Thank you.

Approval of the minutes for the April 1st, 2026 meeting, as well as bills for payment for April 17th and April 24th, 2026.

Councilmember Flores.

Yes.

Horton?

Yes.

Poll?

Yes.

And Titus?

Yes.

So this will take us to our we just a reminder for those who aren't here.

We have a public hearing tonight at 7 p.m.

Just to kind of give a quick run through.

We will start after our presentation into public comment.

If we if we still have public comment by guessing the size tonight, we will.

It will have to pause for the public hearing and then we will re-engage in public comment after.

And in that public comment, if there's things that you would like to talk about that you hear in the public hearing, that would be a great time to also bring those up.

So we will go ahead and get started though with the ERI loop bikeway uh presentation.

Good evening, council.

Um my name is Jackie Spry, I'm the bureau chief of planning and zoning at the City of Erie, and I'm joined tonight with Leanne Parmaner, who is the city engineer and assistant director of public works, as well as Bill Haydn, who is the project manager of all things related to bikeways.

So tonight we are going to be talking about the active Erie Transportation Plan as well as the French Street Bikeway Project.

Sorry.

Okay.

To begin, you know these places all too well, and you've seen these situations on the road.

As many of you already know, the way we do transportation in Erie and in most of the US and North America is problematic.

For decades now we've been building roads to move cars from point A to point B, and as fast as possible.

And everyone else and everything else is secondary.

Speed of vehicle is the driving force, and this has numerous negative consequences and effects.

These photos that you see on the screen today are not places that are friendly, they're not necessarily safe, and they're definitely not inviting.

One of the negative consequences that has been studied for years and has alarming data is the increase in pedestrian fatalities.

What you see on the screen here is a graph showing the increase in fatalities over the years from 2010 to 2022.

These are alarming statistics that show pedestrian fatalities have almost doubled since 2010.

And it's not just overall numbers of fatalities, but it's also an equity issue, as we discussed in caucus today.

This is not an issue that affects all people equally.

These are fatality rates for pedestrians, which you see on here, from people of all different races and ethnicities.

You can see that some people, particularly the black African American and American Indian and Alaska Native, are killed in alarmingly much higher rates than the average population.

There are other alarming statistics as well.

Vulnerable populations of elderly people are much more likely to be victims of traffic violence, and trends have gotten worse over the years.

Now I'd like us to drill down a little bit into the city of Erie data.

And what you're going to see in the next couple of maps are maps that and data points that come directly out of the active transportation plan, and really were the driving forces, including public engagement that made the plan that created the recommendations and strategies around that.

This map here shows the percentage of population that is disabled in Erie.

Census tracks with higher concentration of disabled people are darker purple in color.

In the census track located in the center of downtown, 764 residents have a disability, which represents over half of the population in that track.

This next map shows the percent of population in Erie that is 65 years of age and older.

Census tracks with higher concentrations of youth, 0 to 18, are in the two lightest colors, and census tracks with higher concentrations of seniors are teal in color.

Just one fact that I found is according to a planning complete streets for the aging of America by AARP, 47% of older Americans say it is unsafe to cross a major street near their home.

Over 19% of Erie households do not have access to a vehicle.

Census tracks with higher concentrations of households without access to a vehicle are red in color on this map.

In certain neighborhoods, that percentage is much higher.

In the census track located in the center of downtown, 65% of households have no vehicle available, which represents 731 households in that area.

Other census tracks, especially in parts of East Bayfront, Eastside Grassroots Coalition, and Little Italy have rates exceeding 40%.

40%.

This map that you're seeing, you've seen before.

This is coming right out of our 2025 safety action plan.

This focuses on fatalities.

As you know, we we the plan focused on fatalities and also suspected severe injuries.

Those are injuries that have life-changing impacts.

Those red dots on the map are from 2019 to 2023, and we have had 34 fatalities, that's including pedestrian and bicycle fatalities, as well as vehicular.

And then we've had 166 suspected severe injuries over the last five years.

So seven in 19, 5 in 20, 9 in 21, 9 in 2022, and 4 in 2023.

30% of all of those crashes in Erie are caused by vehicles hitting pedestrians.

And that's what we really want to focus on in this presentation tonight.

Oops, sorry.

Pedestrians and bicyclist crashes over time are shown in both of these graphs here.

Now our data for both the active transportation plan and also for the safety action plan.

It really stopped in 2023 because the plan was completed in 24, so they had the data from 23 for the safety action plan.

And so we as you see we only we're showing in our in our graphs that it's to 2023.

However, the city of Erie has been continuing to track the fatal crashes, pedestrian crashes, and also bicycle crashes.

In 2024, we had 12 deaths.

Of those 12, five of those were pedestrians.

And of those five pedestrians, four of those pedestrians were on 12th Street.

Oops.

Provided me the following numbers that you'll see over a period of six years from 21 to 26.

These are non-fatal pedestrian numbers and non-fatal bicycle numbers.

And that these are just the ones that are reported.

So we have 237 pedestrians that have been hit in a in a six year span that have been reported.

And we have 105 bicycle crashes again that have been reported over a five year span.

And I wanted to share with you, and many of you I'm sure are aware of this.

This was our last incident of a bicycle fatality that happened just this past December where a man was hit and struck by a vehicle on Eighth and Liberty.

It was a hit and run, and that man passed away.

Another emerging safety concern for the city is the rise of the e-bike related injuries.

A recent article highlighted insights from a UPMC Hammett trauma surgeon who reported a significant increase in e-bike accidents, averaging approximately 12 emergency department emissions per month during the summer.

I was shocked by that number.

Many of these incidents involve riders traveling at higher speeds, like Leanne mentioned in caucus, they can go anywhere from 20 to 28 miles an hour and then operating on sidewalks and interacting unpredictably with both pedestrians and motor vehicles.

So what did we do about it all?

Well, in 2021, as I mentioned, council adopted the active transportation plan, and some of the council members that are still on this members are the ones that unanimously approve the safety action plan.

Briefly going to go over the safety action plan.

It's a comprehensive plan.

It's to provide safe, comfortable, and accessible streets for all ages and abilities, and its goal is really an interconnected network of bike lanes, trails, and pedestrian paths based on community input and professional analysis.

But really, what is it?

It's shaping the future of our streets.

It's really the goal of that to make it accessible for all, and I emphasize all.

Active transportation is linked to greater social interaction with neighbors, lower depression rates, increased independence for children, older adults, and people with disabilities.

Health.

We were we were awarded 20 million dollars, and some of that money is definitely slated to go towards the active multimodal uses.

I also wanted to mention here that this plan did not emerge in a vacuum.

It was built upon transportation recommendations included in Erie Refocused and other planning studies, and really more than a decade's worth of recommendations coming out of county, state, and local planning efforts, all recommending the safe same thing, safe streets for all.

And also that there was a public engagement component.

It was led by a steering committee of various stakeholders who had vested interest of mobility and public spaces and a series of public engagements and also online engagement as well.

And now that we're getting into the bike network part of it, one goal of the active transportation plan, as I mentioned, were these low stress bike bike network.

A low stress bike network is connected system of on and off-road bikeways that are comfortable enough for most people to use.

These networks are usually made up of streets with low volume, low speed, like the residential street that you see here.

And this shows what was proposed in the active transportation plan.

There are five proposed east-west bikeways in Erie, spaced approximately half half a mile apart.

And you can see those on the screen.

These is the full network that was proposed.

So anything in blue is the full network that was proposed for the bikeways.

And then the next the next map, anything in green on this map is what has already been been what has already been completed by the city of Erie.

So those are projects that were not funded by the general fund, but funded by state, local, state and federal funding that Leanne is going to talk about next.

So this is the full network that you see here as with the completed bike paths.

And Leanne for you.

So we have we have varying funding sources for active transportation.

We have transportation alternative set aside.

These are all state and federal dollars.

Pendot Multimodal Fund, Safe Streets and Roads for All, and that's the one that we are awarded the 20 million dollars.

The MPO funds bike lanes and carbon reduction program.

And the mayor recently created a grants team, so hopefully we'll be able to work with them to get additional grants as well.

Since 2017, this was funded through the MPO and the carbon reduction program.

We have bike lanes at on 10th Street that has provides connectivity for people.

So it's providing connectivity.

Eventually, we're hoping to get up to 38th Street to provide that whole Erie loop.

As we said before, this was not funded through any tax dollars, it's state money.

So these are cross-sections of what the bike lane will look like.

So this is 10th to 12th street.

There'll be two 11 and a half foot through lanes, a six-foot bike lane, a three-foot painted buffer, and then we have the metered parking that will remain along the east side of the French Street.

From 12th to 14th, we currently have three very wide lanes.

We'll have the six-foot bike lane with three-foot buffer, and then we will be creating an eight-foot parking lane in front of the Charter School for Excellence.

Currently, some people are parking in that through lane, which is unsafe, and so we're trying to create a safe space for them to park.

From 14th to 21st, the six-foot bike lane, the three-foot buffer, and then the two 11 and a half foot lanes.

In this area, it's it's a little bit narrower going under the bridge.

So that goes to 21st Street.

From 21st to 26th, we will have the parking that will remain.

You'll have two through lanes, and then one will have the share of so that it is shared lane to go up to 26th Street.

Um we're hoping that that may be an interim condition so that when we when we go up to 38th Street, this may become a dedicated lane, but for now we're having this via shareau.

And that's it.

Thank you.

This is uh a picture we found of French Street and celebrating biking.

So in 1966.

Um I look forward to us connecting um the bike lanes to allow the Erie Bike Co-op to have access to a bike lane because I know that that's off of the 436 26th Street.

So it's going to be getting access, so you know that's good to connect programs that are already offering repairs and they so use bikes at a at a discount, so that's good.

Anything from council on the presentation?

Okay.

We have um approximately 10.

Oh, go ahead.

No, you're good.

Okay.

We have approximately 10 minutes between now and when the public hearing will start.

Um I did want to share, I apologize, I should have shared this at the beginning.

Okay.

Um, I'll starting.

We have about 10 minutes between now and when the public hearing starts.

I should have shared this at the beginning, so I apologize.

We did have one agenda item.

I had shared this in Caucus that we are pooling tonight as the person who had put it forward, uh, Councillor Troop is not present, and that is in regards to a street renaming.

And so that's going to be pulled from the agenda tonight and to put back on the next agenda.

Um so that anybody who is who is here for that just wanted to give you that heads up.

It's not because we're not going to move forward, it's just we're respecting the the counselor who had who had brought it forward and making sure that they can be present.

With that being said, um, we can go ahead and start in actually we're gonna start here.

Is anybody here for a repository sale?

Anyone here for a repository sale?

Right.

Anyone here for a repository sale?

All right, so now what we will do is we have around eight minutes uh of public comment so one and a half speakers can go.

Uh I would ask that you state your name clearly and that you give the municipality in which you reside and know that you will have five minutes, so please be mindful.

Uh we'll have a timer going.

Well, this is the hard moral failings and political stem.

Sorry, I need to turn it off.

Moral failings and politics stem from prioritizing capitalistic gains over policies for the public good.

Policies that reduce the social safety net are direct moral failings rather than mere policy differences.

Common failings include neglecting the voiceless vulnerable and misusing power for profit over people.

Poverty and living in substandard housing is demoralizing, leading to depression and despair.

Death by despair is not a poetic phrase.

Deaths by despair are people with their names on gravestones in cemeteries all over Erie.

This mental health crisis is an ongoing affordability crisis, particularly regarding housing.

There has been 19 suicides in the first three months of 2026.

Coroner Lyell Cook reports suicides remain higher than normal.

This mental health crisis has disproportionately impacted black Americans.

These deaths are linked to long-standing systemic barriers, resulting in economic instability.

The GI Bill and the FHA policies, when implemented, spawned the red lining of the 1940s.

These attitudes and actions were moral failings, with long tentacles that still reach down into the housing policies in Erie in the 21st century.

I know this council has no say in the loaning of $7.6 million to Scott Enterprise.

This is a moral failing when Erie children are malnourished, going to ununderfunded schools and returning to dilapidated homes.

I went to CRIS today.

They would have a meeting at 3 o'clock because I have a whole nother thing that I was going to present at Chris, but the meeting was canceled.

And I don't have time, five minutes to put this one and the other speech together.

The antithesis to moral failings is moral integrity.

Moral integrity is the bedrock of societal trust.

Returning to moral integrity requires multifaceted approaches.

Number one, enhancing transparency, case in point, moving the caucus proceedings to a more public arena.

Thank you, Dr.

Titus.

Number two, reimagining a culture of public service over self-interest.

Thank you, Madam Mayor, for your Wednesday walk and talk.

And also I thank you for coming to JFK on Saturday.

Number three, unity through dialogue and collaboration with all sectors of the city.

Safety number four, safety in physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual realms for all, especially of those who have the least among us.

Resulting in a new level of vibrant team workmanship.

Thank you.

Thank you.

We have roughly four minutes before the public hearing.

If you want to keep your remarks in there, I just don't want to disrupt somebody when they're when they're talking.

I got a little packet for everybody.

I was here last meeting.

What I'm going to talk about is Could you just state your name in the mission?

My name is Mike Renso, I'm from East Springfield, and I want to talk about affordability, crime, and I just was thinking that everyone should have equal access to law enforcement.

I grew up in a little Italy area, and as a young adult, I lived on the Lower East Side.

But a couple of my tenants are rented to this lady for seven years, eight years, and she's elderly.

She walks with a walker.

She's on oxygen and she's low income.

Oh, I'm sorry.

And she's low income.

And she doesn't have everything I have.

And I I worked for what I got, and I I see her, and I know she's worked hard in her life.

She just doesn't have a lot.

She has a washer and dryer in her basement.

She has a few things in her house, and um her grandson wanted money and demanded it, destroyed my property.

And that that harmed me, and that's horrible.

But when the city lets this happen to an elderly woman and her daughter, and nothing's done.

I I just she told me, her daughter told me, would you go to the PFA hearing with me and testify on our behalf?

Because you've seen what this guy did, and I said, sure.

And I I have to go to the hearing, I think the 19th or the 21st.

I'm just doing that to be a nice guy.

Um I helped her move on the 7th of this month.

I came with a pickup truck, my pickup truck, and loaded her stuff in my truck with her daughter because she couldn't afford to move.

And now her rent is uh 900 um for two bedroom.

She was paying 565 with me.

And um, she didn't want to move, and um, she asked me not to state where she lives because her grandson's in jail.

He's he's afraid she's afraid he's gonna come out and destroy her house, rip the pipes out of it to sell for meth.

Um, as you can see on the second page of this packet, um, these are docket numbers of the criminal cases her grandsons had, and there's quite a few of them down there.

I don't know how he keeps on getting out of jail.

But uh and some of them are felonies, some of them are misdemeanors.

I uh he's really dangerous.

Um I've seen a confederate flag now uh two or three times in the last seven years.

The same people with the flag have damaged my properties.

Um the third page here is my lease agreement with one of my tenants.

Um this one is on the lower east side and in a house that I lived, I bought when I was 19.

Um I rent to uh Hispanic mail uh for 500.

Uh it's a two-bedroom.

Um I know they wouldn't want me to be renting to him.

The second lease agreement I have here is to an African American woman with two children on 31st in French.

It has two bedrooms and an all-seasons room, and and I rent to her for 635, but the taxes on there are quite a bit more.

So um I'm paying like two something a month for taxes just on the taxes, not the wall.

I pay the water bill, the garbage.

Um third paper was one of my longest-term tenements.

Um she lives in a beautiful house, nicer than the one I live in.

She pays uh 475 a month for a two-bedroom.

Um she's been with me like I don't know, 14, 15, 16 years.

I can't, I don't even know.

Um the other lady on French food, she lives in a house that's nicer than mine, too.

Um I treat my tenants with respect, kindness.

I I've been told that the reason why I want to do something about this because it affects me financially, it does.

It affects my tenants financially.

Them rents that I have there at 475 and 500.

I I can't do that when someone's taking uh a hatchet and chopping up inside of my apartments and ripping stuff apart for drug money, telling me I should pay him drug money, tell them my tenants they want drug money.

And they display a confederate flag, they assault me.

I can't even mow my own grass after three because I'll get assaulted.

I I get mow my tenants' grass, and then I get assaulted.

And and this would never happen in Fairview.

I'm just saying or somewhere else, and then but it this happens in the little Italy area that where I grew up, the house that my mom purchased with me.

I I can't even go there when I when I want and mow my own grass.

And law enforcement's like, this is a tenant landlord dispute.

This guy, I never received a penny from him, he was never on my lease.

I never knew who he was until he was destroying my property.

And he says, Well, you rent to his grandmother.

No one's allowed to damage my property if they're my tenant or they're a stranger, they're the police, they're the mayor, they're the president.

They shouldn't be able to do this to me.

I I think if I lived, if I these were million-dollar homes, they wouldn't be damaged, and if they were the person would be prosecuted.

Instead, these are $60,000 herns.

I do apologize.

We do have to, we have that five minute.

We hit the five minute and then we are we're at seven, but I do thank you for for coming down.

Right.

And I want to keep my rents affordable.

I I hope law enforcement will see me Friday sometime.

A detective, somebody, my tenants will prosecute their their grandson.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Uh at this point, we're gonna pause public comment and we're gonna go ahead and move uh into the public hearing section of the evening.

I don't know if we need anything up on there.

Is it okay if we keep this on the screen?

If there's a presentation that we have Tyler.

You want me to read um okay.

Tyler do you want me to read those?

Yes, please go through.

Yes, go ahead.

Okay.

Simple for you, because you would be a witness too.

Okay, so ladies and gentlemen, just this is for everyone's information.

Uh, this is a legal proceeding.

This is required.

This waterfront conditional use is required to go in front of city council.

So because this is illegal proceeding, I'm just reminding everyone that everyone who comes up to the podium will need to be sworn in.

Uh you'll give your name, your where not where you leave your exact address, but your municipality, and then why you're for or against the project.

And that relating again to specifically the marketplace project.

So everyone will need to maintain quiet for the speaker at the microphone.

Everyone will need to remain quiet for the court reporter.

The court reporter is recording this.

This is gonna be transcribed if needed.

Um, please um remember that the planning commission recommended this project for city council's decision.

That was the step before this.

City council, their focus will be to listen for evidence that this is compliant with sections 305 and 306 of the zoning code.

City council will not make a final decision tonight.

And then the order of witnesses is that we have Cooper Moore here who will introduce the project, but then the developers will go first.

So if there's anyone from the marketplace team here that will speak, that will you will do that.

Second, we'll have anyone from the audience who wants to give some sort of public commentary about that.

We'll go second.

And then what we did last time was that if city council members had any questions, the developing team came up and answered questions about the specifics.

And then at that point, once we're all done, we'll close out the hearing and then move back on to public comment.

Okay?

Just a reminder, thank you.

And also, uh, this was raised before.

If you are commenting on the marketplace project, you have to give your name in municipality.

If you come up again for regular public comment, you also have to give your name and municipality.

So you have to do that twice.

Okay, so just in case people are going to talk about both things.

Thank you.

How do we want to do so?

Um the swearing in we want to do like everybody now, or are we gonna do any okay?

Everyone who is planning to make a comment.

Excuse me.

Everyone who's planning to make a comment or testify should raise their hand right now so the court reporter can just swear everyone in at one time.

I think it's also even if you just be cautionary.

If you think you might be inspired at some point, go ahead and get sworn in now.

Do you swear our friend the testimony you're about to give the we have too the whole tooth and nothing but I do?

Go ahead.

Good evening, council.

Thank you.

My name is Cooper Moore.

Um I am a planner here in the Department of Neighborhood and Economic Development.

I'm also the secretary to both the design review committee and the planning commission.

I'm here to introduce the Bayfront Market House project.

Information has been sent to you ahead of time.

Um this is a two-story mixed-use development located on a lot just south of the convention center on the bayfront.

Um the design review committee and the planning commission have both reviewed this project and voted to recommend it to City Council.

Um, and to this point, the requirements that the city has in place have been satisfied.

Um, this is the waterfront conditional use approval.

The project will come back to the city for planning commission approval for land development following a city council vote for conditional use.

And I will turn it over to the project team to give a presentation.

Good evening, madam, Madam Mayor, Council.

I figured I'd start off.

I'm uh Gus Pine, executive director for the Erie County Convention Center Authority.

Figure it might make sense for give for me to give just a brief background on the project and how we got here, and then I'll hand things over to Megan Loney, our architectural representative to talk specifically about the facility.

Now we are a county authority, but we are a unique county authority.

Um I think that's for everybody in the room.

We are our appointees, we have seven county appointees that are appointed by each of the districts in the county.

We have two mayoral appointees, and we have two two governor appointees.

So we have a broad representation, which I think is unique for our authority.

Now, our mission as an authority is to support the quality of life for the citizens of Erie through a diverse selection of events and entertainment in world-class facilities.

Now I only have one picture to show, and I I think this is reminds me of Leanne's with the it's probably from 1966 as well.

But this is an old picture of what the bayfront used to look like.

And I wasn't here at the time.

I I haven't been here through all of the developments that's happened on the bayfront.

Um, but I think first and foremost, I think this community should commend itself on the work that's been done to date on the bayfront.

There was a time when when industrial was important in this community on the bayfront, that time has come and gone.

It's now time to reimagine that.

We've done some of that work, but that work's not done yet.

Um our authority, we we own 29 acres on the bayfront.

Much of that, or a good portion of it is the convention center complex.

There's an additional 16 acres that's yet undeveloped.

And in 2016, our authority did a study, and that study had input from the public.

And there were several desired outcomes that came from that study that came specifically through stakeholders and the public.

It's connectivity, walkability, the maintenance of views from the bluff, and anything that was developed to be eerie focused.

The market house we plan, located in the southernmost parking lot of the convention center, will meet these community objectives.

Additionally, we plan to work with Mayor Devlin on future developments through her world class waterfront project, which will continue to seek public input into the future.

We are currently contracting with an anchor tenant.

We we are in the process, so we don't have that secured yet.

But we are having long conversations about the vision for what we want inside of the uh the market house.

Want to create a spirited community hub that feels familiar to locals and offers an authentic taste of Erie for visitors.

Now our target demographic, local families, convention and hotel guests, college students, and tourists.

We will be utilizing a preferred labor agreement to maximize the use of local union labor in addition to a workforce inclusion agreement in order to maximize the use of minority labor throughout construction.

Council, there's currently tremendous collaborative momentum in this community.

We're eager to continue that momentum with the Market House project and look forward to council's approval.

I'd like to now hand things over to Megan Loney with POH architects to review the building in more detail.

And I've got actually our community report from 2025 has just hit the press, so I've got copies of these that I'd like to leave behind for everybody.

Thank you.

Good evening.

Thank you all for your time today.

We are thrilled to present the Bayfront Market House project to the community.

The market house is a gateway to the bay that expands the lively waterfront campus.

It is coordinated carefully with the context of the surrounding area through space planning, orientation, and material choice.

The building draws visitors towards the harbor and pedestrian scale structure greets them with familiar red brick and warm earth tones, complementing the Bayfront's natural beauty.

Building signage is meant to be iconic and a calling card for Erie's waterfront.

While staying within the overall height limitation of 50 feet, the high the sign sits prominently above the building.

The solid steel frame allows for two-sided glowing backlit lettering visible to all patrons.

The project seeks a variance to mount this building signage atop the roof as slope topography and grade change render standard approved signage placement ineffective and largely unseen.

Sight lines are obstructed further by the curve of the parkway and its winding indirect approach to the site, reducing visibility windows.

Design efforts have been mindful of maintaining the beautiful bayfront views from our neighboring bluff, and our final iteration decreases the overall height of the building and reduces number of stories from three to two, as Cooper mentioned.

The design team has also been mindful of pedestrian passage via West Front Street and screening views of trash and rooftop units from both vehicular and pedestrian traffic.

Building aesthetics feel akin to a historic market building showcasing long-term durable materials, brick, stone, and steel.

Entrances are oriented northeast toward the Prescott Yacht Club docks, embracing the pedestrian scale and calling boaters in from the harbor.

Hardscape sidewalks and parking lot can be activated by outdoor vendors in the summer and fall months.

We've also added ornamental grasses and hardy plant species around the hardscaped areas to help soften them.

This mixed-use market house evokes a thoughtful adaptive reuse.

Elevated spaces with exposed steel structure convey that the building is a valuable community asset.

As a community focused public space for all, the Bayfront Market House enhances the vibrant core of the city of Erie.

Thank you.

We'll hold our questions until after the public comment.

Thank you.

Yeah.

So the this if there's I just want to make sure there's no one else coming up before If you are going to I do ask the because sometimes it can get kind of crowded when we have the cameras over on this side.

So if you're going to come up for comment and you've been sworn in to please come up on the same side that Miss Fred Apper is on.

And if you want to speak, whether you're in favor or against, now is the time to line up along the wall for everyone to know what's going on.

My name's Freda Tepfra, I live in the city of Erie, and I'm speaking against parts of this project.

I actually don't know why the Erie Events is doing this.

I mean, we could have a park there.

We could have a really nice open space.

But given and and there's like a huge amount of money going into this project.

And originally there was supposed to be a grocery, and I read the most ridiculous thing in the article in the paper saying since there's a wonderful grocery at Perry Square from country farms, they don't need it.

But that grocery is a joke.

It's just a glorified convenience store.

So I I really don't understand how that article took itself seriously.

But the most one of the things that I I uh listened to the planning commission meeting.

Um it's it's not possible to get access to the design review commission, but I was given some information from the planning department today.

Um the variance for height, very a height variance for a glowing black backlit lettered sign seems to be out of out of character with the point of having that building on the bayfront.

And the the less lighting at night on the bayfront, the better.

We already have too much lighting, and as you know, there's concerns with migratory birds and birds in general and and lighting.

So I I do not think that they should get a height variance for the glowing backlit lettering 50 feet high.

So I wanted to make some comments about the landscape plan.

According to Bonap, Mountain Azalea is only native to one county in South Central Pennsylvania and a variety of counties in the southeast.

There's lots of shrubs that would do well here.

Uh I especially recommend if they're worried about height, diar villa linissera, bayberry, nine bar, clethera, hazel surfs berry, witch hazel, and there are many more taller ones.

But if they want a low height, I recommend diavilla linissera.

It's been doing well in my garden since I planted it in 2012.

According to the Missouri Botanical Garden website, um calamagrosta's acutafolia, commonly known as feather reed grass, is a hybrid resulting from a cross between two species native to Europe and Asia.

Umstuca glauca is native to central and southern Europe.

So there's really no reason we should be planting these grasses.

I would recommend big blue stem, little blue stem, northern sea oats, switch grass, all of which are doing very well in my garden in the same climate, and um take a lot of water.

So that's that's one thing.

Um I am concerned they mentioned large spans of glass.

Uh it should be designed to limit the amount of glass that would be hazardous to birds.

Parking space should ensure that there's access accessible parking close to the walking trails.

Um one planning commission member did refer to the lack of uh addressing the food dish uh desert.

Um it it doesn't appear to be an important project to the community.

Rather, it is a wannabe upscale project that is designed for tourists and visitors.

It's not clear that this reflects an actual market and capacity.

Um the entire process of proving plan after plan on the bayfront is a process that should have been done via master plan with an environmental impact statement.

Um I uh at the very least, I would like them to address the um vegetation plan.

There's no reason we should be planting European natives in something that doesn't grow anywhere near this part of Pennsylvania, and uh we shouldn't be giving a height variance for a 50-foot glowing backlit sign.

We don't need that.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Hi, uh my name is Cole Shenley, and I'm a resident of the City of Erie.

Uh I'm here to speak generally in favor of the project.

Uh I don't think it's bad for having something like this uh in the bayfront.

Uh unlike some of my comments I've made about other uh waterfront uses that we've come up.

I think there could generally be like a positive development with this, especially because there's government oversight, given that this is a county authority.

Uh my only concern is with maybe the perhaps the vagaries that go along with what this will ultimately be.

Uh we've heard that you know it could have been a grocery store, or at least part of it would have been a grocery store.

Now we're looking at more like farmers' markets and uh local Erie goods and things like that.

And with respect to Mr.

Pine, I I just think that's rather vague.

I think that we need more detail.

Obviously, they're within their, you know, with the how the um the planning commission and and these kinds of organizations, there's uh all that kind of stuff has said, hey, the they're meeting these standards.

So the project itself would probably legally be allowed to go through, but I do wish that there was more um intention behind what is actually going to be in this building.

Uh and I hope that that comes out sooner rather than later.

Uh it should be something that should maybe be more for not just tourists but for the entire community.

And I I think the vagaries around it do give me some concern, but in general, I would say I was support the project.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Uh anyway, I got caught up last time on the hand.

How are you doing today?

Good.

My name is Donald Way.

I was patiently waiting to get up here, and another guy cut me off, but that's fine.

I regarding the subject, I'm gonna have a public comment meeting with you later as well.

But this is regarding this.

I I don't care what building you put there.

I don't it's you know, less glass will be better as far as I'm concerned because you might end up having hiding problems with drug admin.

Did you state your name?

Uh my name is Donald Way.

Okay.

But I'm also gonna have a public comment as well.

Excuse me, ma'am.

Your name and the municipality in which you live.

Uh Erie, unfortunately.

In the great state of what the hell do we do in here?

Um I don't mind.

I mean, if we have a building that's going to be taxpayer paid for, I don't care.

As long as it doesn't impact environment.

My concerns are is it just uh uh privilege only kind of situation?

What about people with disabilities?

Is there gonna be wheelchair accessibility for people with disabilities?

Uh people with disabilities such as autism.

Is there gonna be another misunderstanding where they feel that they have to call the police and arrest somebody for disorderly conduct when they're not disorderly at all?

Maybe they're autistic.

And the police department, I can guarantee you doesn't give a damn if you have a disability or not, which is in direct violation of the ADA Act of 1982.

And I also like to put you guys all on notice, including the police department, as long as the city solicitor of legal notice of this is uh this whole systemic situation is in violation of state and federal law under the ADA.

This building, is it just for certain people to be able to sell their goods there?

We're gonna trust other farmers legitimate or illegitimate to bring produce to this place?

Is it gonna turn into years later a flea market?

You know what I'm saying?

Um I don't think there should be any kind of grasses or weeds or trees from other countries.

That's not necessary.

You know what I'm saying?

Uh we don't need like problems later down the line with indigenous species, you know, interrupting in the environment.

What's wrong with rose bushes?

Why not something beautiful?

Why not have people treat people with dignity and a softer hand with people with disabilities because I'm sick and tired of being misunderstood and mistreated in the Malfeasance on behalf of the city of Erie as well as the Erie Police Department and other municipalities, such as the Sheriff's Department.

I can share a quick story with you.

Six out of ninety-eight.

I put it up, gave it to him.

I was a I was arrested for disorders.

Mr.

Way, Mr.

Way.

What you're talking about is not directly related to the marketplace project.

What you're trying to do, I think, is you want to keep that for public comment when public comment reopens.

This is part of a public hearing about the market house plan.

This has to do with reference to people with disabilities and how the untreatment of people with disabilities conflict with the police department's policy procedures and protocols.

Mr.

Way.

You've you've you've already stated that you would like the market house district to be compliant with the ADA law.

So that is something that the developers will have to incorporate into their plan.

But what you're talking about, in the sense is something a little bit different, and that would be better left for public comment, actual public comment.

Well, I mean, the city can stay in violation.

I mean, you do understand it's a felony, right?

Be careful.

You know what I'm saying?

I want equal treatment for everybody, but with people with disabilities, we don't grab it right away.

We don't understand where your point of view is and where you're coming from, and that doesn't mean we should be in handcuffs because that there is some misunderstanding because we don't grab your concept right away.

There has to be decency for all, not just for some.

I think it was a couple years back.

I came and spoke about uh the development of the Bayfront and uh my personal um experiences were like visiting a city like Baltimore with their inner harbor, and I stated at that time if Erie had a project like that with like some um buildings like the marketplace is gonna be.

Um if we did one third the size of what Baltimore does it, uh we would consider it successful.

So this is a step in the direction outside of uh building hotels, which apparently we're gonna have that, so that part of it's taken care of.

But um having a building like this with maybe some uh private sector businesses in there or farmers market um where they'll be paying uh taxes into the city, so we have uh some uh revenue coming in.

Um I'm not really sure at everything involved with this.

If there are gonna be like any non-profit type things located in there, uh I would like to stay away from that, but um anything that uh from the private sector that would generate uh tax revenue for the city of Erie and create jobs for citizens of Erie, I'm in favor of.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Hi, my name is Eric Peterson.

I'm from Milk Creek.

I wanted to come out and say I'm against this project.

Umly just we've seen over and over again as people in this community have we see constantly money going into these ventures and not focused on the uh issues of the community, which I'll add more for public comment, but yeah, I'm just gonna say I'm against it.

Thank you.

Good evening.

My name is Jim Nuber, Fairview Township resident, 44 years in Erie.

Um, but I am for this project.

Um I'm on the uh convention center authority board for two years, and every single thing I've seen there is a class act, they do it all uh first class.

Um but Mr.

Pine had referenced the PLA project labor agreement, which states that Erie County residents will be manning this work as it's being built.

Uh that means uh money paid to Erie County residents, it'll be spent in Erie County, taxes will be kept in Erie County, school taxes, municipality taxes.

The uh there is an inclusion clause, also, 10% of all the hours worked on this project will be performed by minority slash women in the trades, and everything.

The PLA has been used for most of their projects.

The ballpark, the Warner Theater, convention center, of course, and all those projects have come in on budget and on time.

So I'm definitely for this project.

Thank you.

Teresa Immler, City of Erie.

I'm just very concerned, confused about why we continue to build on the bayfront in little piecemails.

It seems like we're putting together the funkiest puzzle that I ever have imagined.

I mean, the fact that we even started tonight with a picture from they don't even know when from the 60s of the bayfront, that was the east side, not even the west side that they're proposing this property at.

So a lot of misleading, even the way that they're discussing it.

So I really would like to address the bayfront in totality in what Erie is actually looking at here, not Scots want to take this part, they want to take this part for the market house.

16, what I think you said, 16 acres that is under undeveloped.

I think that's wonderful.

I would love to see it stay 16, maybe more.

If we're gonna do something though, let's make sure that we're actually looking at the totality of it.

This is not beneficial to the citizens.

Um plus, as we continue to do this, we have to remember the impacts of everything that we're doing on the bayfront to the rest of the city.

Um again, we'll discuss it further, but we know the things when the bayfront and when the bluffs have been touched, it's gonna affect other things, it's gonna affect the rodents, it's gonna affect the the just the grounds itself and how that impacts the city residents.

Um I also just wanted to make a little comment, probably a little snarky, but I don't see this marketplace being the gateway to the bay, the public dock is the gateway to the bay.

That's it.

Thank you.

Hi everybody, my name is Sydney Zimmerman.

I live in the city of Erie.

Um so I think that there hasn't been enough information presented to the public to for me to make a decision on whether I am for or against this.

I do uh appreciate the fact that uh y'all mentioned that the uh project has labor agreements, but we didn't get any details on what those agreements are, um, how many minority, how many women, what's the pay rate.

Um so seeing some details would be appreciated.

You know, when you guys talked about who this was for, I heard college uh kids.

You guys wanted to be for families, you want it to be for tourists.

There was a fourth one, I think it started with a C, but I missed it.

Um at no point though, did I hear single individuals or you know, people who are in partnerships but don't have children.

So for me, it feels like you're leaving out a big group of people.

Um because in the plan, I believe it says that this is for like it's group or family oriented.

I'd like to have like a third space where individuals can feel comfortable coming out, and to have something that's purely like it seems revolving around buying, shopping, it would be nice to see more activity that is a third space, it's not necessarily somewhere you have to go and feel like you're gonna get run out if you don't buy something, if that makes sense.

Um I agree also with others.

Freddie, she's much more knowledgeable about uh plant species that are non-invasive that are local, so I would follow her lead.

But I believe that making sure that we have plants that are non-invasive that are local to our area.

I mean, it's good for the environment, and we have beautiful plants to choose from, so why not do that?

Um I do have a concern that this marketplace is not well thought out.

It's been what 10 years that this has been going on.

You guys have what it's a 14 million dollar project, and I find it very bizarre that after 10 years, we don't have a clear answer of what exactly is going to be inside of this place.

And quite frankly, I think that more outreach to the public, better outreach, literally going into the community.

The fact that this is just centered on the bayfront, and that's something with Erie events that I uh wanted to address is that you guys are very much centered on downtown in the bayfront.

Erie is much larger than that.

We have communities from west to east.

We have parks, we have other places that could be developed, and the fact that we're focusing solely on the bayfront to develop it to block, it's gonna block the view.

I understand that we went from three to two stories, we're trying to get a variance just for the sign so you can see it while you're driving.

But that bayfront view has been taken away more and more over time.

I mean, even the strip between like waterworks and when you're headed more towards like the um eight Great Tuesday venue, there's a big concrete wall.

You can't even see out your car and look out the window if you have a lower car these days.

I remember when that was put in, and every time I drive past it, I feel blocked off from my lake, from my city.

And so I agree that having a public dock, keeping the space open.

I mean, even the plan that we looked at, the one that is online with Kevin Flowers, excuse me, not that we looked at, but the one that's online with Kevin Flowers um article, it shows that you have these like cement um squares within the grass, and a gentleman mentioned ADA compliance.

How is a person in a wheelchair gonna get through that?

Um or over that surface.

Perhaps it's possible, I'm not an expert, but these kind of things we need to be thoughtful about them.

And I think that spreading out into the community, keeping as much green space as we can, planting trees, we need shade to keep things cool.

And you know, I think that branching out and using our minds to have different ideas than just building and blocking the bayfront.

I mean, the idea of a public dock fishing, it would be great if we could invest in some type of ferry to go from our side to the peninsula and bring people down that way.

I mean, we gotta get a little bit more creative, I think, and to ensure that we don't have another repeat of what happened in Perry Square.

The ED EDDC came in, there were there were um one, two, four restaurants locally owned that were in that area.

They could have brought them in, brought them into the fold, used some of them, brought in other people, because you know, when I go to the food hall, it's not really jumping, guys.

And it's expensive, it's very expensive, and it's in the poorest one of the poorest zip codes, if not the poorest zip code in the country, 16501.

And so that is why there's a co-fair there instead of a co-op now, because it wasn't successful, it wasn't meeting the needs of the community.

And so I really think that we need to be thoughtful in meeting the needs of the community.

And I think that if you guys are gonna come here and ask to do a plan, you need to have the plan thought out.

We need to know what's going inside there.

It's very unfair to say, hey, we want to do this, let's spend taxpayer money, it's gonna be great, but we don't know what's going in there.

So I think there's a lot that needs to be addressed and expounded upon.

Um I hope that we can see that as the public before this is approved.

Thank you.

My name is Michael Pascalny, I'm from Harbor Creek.

Do I have to say anything else or is that the same thing?

Michael Petzcoling.

Okay.

Um I think the uh the development of the bayfront in the hotels and all these projects were tens of millions of dollars are insanity.

I think that we're facing a point in in history where we have climate change uh that's gonna take effect pretty soon.

We're kind of locked into that, unfortunately.

Um and all these projects and hotels are just if you look at pictures of the of the bayfront before this development, it was beautiful.

It was a place where people could go to enjoy the nature.

Um it kind of reminded me of um just like a natural place to for people within the community to call home and like a natural place that remained how it was because it should remain how it was.

Um I think this money should be invested into the black and brown community immediately.

I think there should be immediately like a town hall held in the black and brown community in Erie, and that money should be invested in that community that needs it because these developments on the bayfront how is that gonna help the poverty in in Erie, honestly, if we're really thinking about it.

If there's a there's a uh system of segregation and you're thinking about if you were struggling in the black and brown community, and you see all these projects worth tens of millions of dollars being enacted on the bayfront.

You see Josh Shapiro coming in with the American flag, uh, you know, we're kind of sucking up the him to get all this money.

I mean, I just think we need to invest in other areas of Erie first and foremost to bring everyone up to an equal uh you know material conditions, and that's all I have to say.

Thanks.

Excuse me, I'm Arthur Gamble from Erie, actually from French Street.

And I can I just say what they said, and again, with all due respect, um, can I talk about some other things as well?

But I mean, if we all, like if we all grew up here, the people that grew up here, what the Bayfront and what Erie was to us, uh, was it was phenomenal.

It was a meeting place that we all came to, thousands of people came down over the weekends, we all did things together.

We used to fish under the old um grain elevator, and used to jump the fence, I'm telling you, but fish next to the Niagara because this the silver bass would come under there, and it was like a tunnel, and you can take them out 30 at a time.

And everybody used the community.

I I lived in Los Angeles, I lived in Baltimore.

I'm familiar with the harbor, I went to law school there, and I'll tell you the one thing that they did in Baltimore, it's a little bit different, is they put the hotels on the other side of the street, right?

So they're on the city side, so the Bay the Bay Area is wide open and everybody still had access.

That's done already.

So there's, you know, so it's already done.

But the thing is, I mean, we we could talk about how we feel, right?

As Eryites and as people to come down and as beautiful and as phenomenal.

I went there this weekend, went to the courtyard, got some lunch.

As beautiful and as nice as the Sheraton, the courtyard and all the other places are, you almost feel like a stranger when you go to those environments that have $300 hotel rooms in the same zip code or similar zip code as the poorest zip code in the nation with no community benefit agreement offered, whereby if you're local, they even do this at Universal Studios.

If you live in Los Angeles, instead of paying $200, you can pay the low, low price of 120, right?

In a place where the population and the economic situation is what it is, it's it's it's almost it's it's embarrassing.

It's it's it's painful to think that people come here as outsiders, can bypass the main parts of the city, go on the bayfront, go and stay at this wonderful you know, hotel, go have fun, go to the game, and then bypass and leave the city, maybe stop at the casino on the way out, bypassing a whole city full of people that are paying for yet almost excluded from places that used to be free, right?

Perry Square, beautiful, you know, Erie Insurance, great company.

I'm an entrepreneur as well, I get it, I understand that.

But at some point, we have to really think about real community benefit.

The conversation about Bracken Black, you know, black and brown people and other folks, a rising tide lifts all boats, right?

So if we have some of the poorest zip codes in the nation, and we have people that are considered the worst city in America for African Americans.

I didn't say it, USA Today, New York Times.

If that's a reality, how do we go from worst to first with that group and get the benefits of working in those areas, like they said, working and building the community?

I think you get a more bit more of a benefit than that.

And these outstanding development, these businesses, we love to have them here.

They don't necessarily, like you said, have to be on the bay front per se, right?

And there's still opportunities, and we love those projects.

I in fact, I work with developers and try to get them involved in projects like these.

However, when we talk about, you know, the benefit of jobs, and that sounds good, it sounds cute on paper, but when you say a 10% job that's gonna last a couple of months and call that equity, that's why we are considered the worst city in America for African Americans.

I'm a native son, went to all public schools here.

And I I won't, you know, talk about opportunities in the school district.

I have a lot to offer, law school, business fund, and all this other stuff that I want to give away.

I want to come back to the community centers that we grew up with and provide information, you know.

And we have a lot of people that are talented that went to a lot of places.

We have to start focusing on people and really genuinely bringing people in and really collaborating genuinely and working together, and I think we get the we get the maximum benefit out of that.

Now, again, not to disrespect or disregard anybody's hard work and everything, but that same effort applied just literally a few blocks over out the way, still provides access to the most beautiful place.

Erie is a gym that a lot of people really don't realize.

Coming back home, I tried to tell everybody this is one of the best places in the in the in America.

I won't say on our earth I haven't been all around, but I know with regard to California, if you had these same views, these same neighborhoods, and we have to protect them because we haven't encountered people from all over Boston would come in and take these lands and buy this land and get us out of here and build hotels and buildings and get the benefit of things that we kind of took for granted.

We didn't understand the value.

And the main thing is that we value each other, we respect each other, and really talk to each other and engage early in these processes.

It's great to bring in outside consultants, but you have a lot of brain trust.

You have people here with real life experience and all the education.

We have so many people here that could do wonderful things.

I think we need to be more insular and really think about our goals.

Writing to grants, because they'll put a grant out and we'll go chase a grant, and it does, it kind of looks pat smart, you know, you know, piecemeal, you know, we kind of put it together.

Uh-huh.

Let's sit down and design what we want and build things based on you know who we are.

Because sometimes we have uh uh inferiority complex in some regards, and at the same time, sometimes we have a superiority context.

And last thing, um, and I won't continue to go on, but right now we're facing some very tumultuous times.

We're rate we're facing uh an era of just outright hatred and and meanness and you know disrespect and disregard.

But the thing that's even worse than that is the silence, the silence.

We knew who everyone's were they they laid out their agenda and how mean they were gonna be and all this, and we cheered or we passively sat by.

I think we kind of flipped the district, it seemed like almost because when I grew up, this I won't whether Democrat or Republican, I don't care.

Uh what I care about is humanity.

And I think we lost touch with humanity.

And let's just slow down for a minute.

The money is here, we got resources coming.

Let's just take advantage of our capacity to think through it.

Last thing, I live and grew up on French Street.

Erie, like not a lot of places, have plenty of places to ride bikes in Frontier Park and all these other things that you have all over the city.

Uh a bike path on French Street, my property is on French Street.

In fact, a lot of people's property have been damaged, and we'll address it.

I apologize, I don't want to cut you off.

We'll just project, sorry.

Okay, I'll finish that up.

This project.

This project with the bike path going up French Street.

We have three months, if we're lucky, of warm weather, nice weather where you can ride a bike.

After that, it's winter.

So the cost benefit analysis of three months of a bike path when there are other alternatives.

With this project, it can only be on the market house.

The marketplace?

Yes.

Not related to the French Street Project and all that.

No, that can come back in public comment.

Oh, okay.

So all right, well, thank you.

My my my thing is we're all good people, people are well intended, so there's no disrespect.

The fact is we need to collectively, you know, really think about and plan.

There's there's no rush to spend the money, money.

There's plenty of money, money's gonna come.

And there are several projects that we can all benefit from.

So I just want to say thank you for the opportunity to come up.

Thank you for your consistent advocacy and thank you for working to bring people together.

Appreciate you.

Thank you.

Okay, I'll bring it first.

Hi, Cindy Triber.

I am a lifelong resident, born and raised in Erie and live in Edinburgh.

Um, I wanted to touch on some of the comments that have been made about what seems like a very I I understand it's been 10 years, and I understand we have all this money, and I understand that we want to do things quickly, and I understand we want to make change, and I and I understand we want a better Erie, but I was having a conversation two weeks ago at my granddaughter's birthday party with the son of the owner of the only fish market in Erie, Prescott Fish, she just sent me it.

Umed by Jim Schaefer.

I said, Hey, does your dad know about this market?

Because his fishing business is also right down there.

Um they didn't either had no idea.

The only fish market owned by a local, the only charter that has a fish market, whose boats are all down at the water, and he had no idea about this.

And he would love to participate, but is he gonna put into bankruptcy by what the rent's gonna cost?

So, what what are we doing if we're building something for Erie if we're not talking to people in Erie?

If we're not talking to businesses that literally, I mean, this is like reminds me of living in Washington and Pike Market and the fish market there.

Like, why would you not?

Why would that not be one of the staple businesses that you would approach?

Why would you not be talking to people like that?

I mean, it's not like there's 12 fish markets, there's one guy, right?

One guy, and his boats are right there.

And he would love to do it.

But what is the rent going to be like?

Is there gonna be subsidiation?

Is there gonna be help for local businesses in order to participate in that market?

So when we're talking about we don't even know what's going in there, we don't even know who's gonna be there, what businesses, how it's gonna function.

Well, yeah, guess what?

Nobody knows, not even people who should be there.

And this is not a plug for them, but it's if anybody should know, it would be people who fish those waters who sell their fish locally.

That would be kind of a no-brainer.

Um just want to really reiterate.

I think we need to put more thought process into who's going in there, what we're looking for down there.

Um and who is it for?

Because you know, Mr.

Gamble was saying about the dock, right?

That's what we used to call it.

We used to go cruise the dock when we were little.

My grandmother and her best friend used to take their dentures out and dress up in tutus and go scare all the kids when they were driving around the dock.

You know what I mean?

And she would it was funny, right?

And then my dad would take me and watch the kids dive off of the grain tower.

And like we spent a lot of time down there.

I don't go downtown.

I don't go downtown.

Oliver's beer garden is a mess.

On any given night, my kids that are of drinking age won't even go down there.

Um it's not a family-friendly situation.

It's not a young professional friendly situation.

It's not a take your kids friendly situation.

Everything is now blocked, all the pretty stuff we wanted to see is now blocked by $300, $400 a night hotel rooms.

My in-laws have traveled all over the country.

They go to Germany, they go to Japan, they eat French laundry.

They won't even stay down at the bayfront because the costs for hotel rooms are too much money.

We have outpriced visitors and our own people by wanting to appreciate what's there.

And then we're not even talking to people who want to invest themselves in this market.

So I just I think we really need to step back and think about what what is our goal?

What are who are we marketing to?

Who is this market house marketing to?

And that's great.

The the marina, the private marina is gonna have their own access entry point.

Wow, you know, like come on.

That's not really what matters.

Thank you.

Julio Reyes, uh 1607 State Street Erie, but I am a California resident.

I was coming only as an spectator, but by listening to some people here, I'm forced to speak.

Um did you get sworn in?

Yes, I did.

Okay, just checking, thank you.

Uh the but if not, we could do it again.

No, I believe you.

I try to uh I was I lost my thought.

Uh I am against this project.

I've been around EDPA since the late 80s.

And one of the things that really distressed me the most is the wasted opportunities for the future generations.

All these nonsense about variances only hurt people.

They don't have any idea what they are doing.

I'm pretty sure that they have spent a lot of money with architects and consultants and whatever, and I think they see it as a good business opportunity.

I had the opportunity to watch uh I couldn't attend in person to the new major presentation of 100 years, which was great.

And I'm compliment the current administration for what they are doing and the team that they put together in at the closing statement, she mentioned Daria mentioned that she has a plan for the bay.

I think this particular project must be a stop and give her the opportunity to present the whole view, taking into consideration what a lot of the speakers have been said about this marketplace, about all these different dreams.

Uh I see the jabu, like uh Ghana wanted to do with the uh public library.

It started as the net to Neptun project, then it went to something else, to something else, to something else, because the money is there.

Let's spend the money in this particular project originally was going to have a marketplace for the people on a groceries tour.

And now they are saying it's not going to be part of that because it will be competing against the marketplace that it is, or the grocery store that it is now in downtown, or even the one in the EMTA.

I really encourage you to stop these and give the current administration time to present the master plan where everybody's going to be feared at what really needs to be happening for the future.

Not for next year, not for the next two, three years, not to make money out of a project, but to say when all of us are dead, debate will be there and will be something for history to remain.

We earlier in this meeting, you saw a presentation of a people talking about access, health, environment, bicycling.

And if you see those blueprints, you only see cars.

And people are pulling the fish out of there because there is no provision to pull the trash.

And I don't I I think really we need to stop.

We listen, we listen to the consultants, but we need to be smart enough to know better.

I've been around this town for many, many years.

This is the cleanest April streets that I ever seen in my lifetime here.

Why?

Because she made the commitment.

And as a leader, when somebody makes the commitment, it will go, it will go through history.

But I don't get it into quotas for minorities.

I compete and I win, not because I am Mexican.

I compete and win because I am the best.

That's what we need to promote to every people.

Actually, a few years ago, she did a project in the East, a Wayne Street, I think.

If you go and you visit that place, I don't know the name of the guy who I think it's from Pittsburgh.

But it says there, what's the best capital there is human capital.

Here in this town, wasted opportunities.

Wasted opportunities because they don't listen to the people and they don't take advantage of the human capital that exists in this place.

And then you see these silly plants, no consideration for plants or local plants.

Instead of going up, they should go down, dig the damn thing down, park the cars underground, and do it like the civilized world will do it.

Or build an arch like in San Luis or an AFA tag or something big, don't settle for nickels.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Hi.

My name is Julie Hurt.

I live in Mill Creek.

So Erie has a tendency to go into these grand expensive plans.

I remember years ago when we built market tool square, which was supposed to be basically what this marketplace is, in my view, what they're trying to do with this marketplace.

And it was a huge failure.

It's office space now.

We're talking about building a huge building.

We have no tenants planned.

It doesn't sound like we've recruited local people.

Things that this marketplace is supposed to bring.

But it would be for people of Erie.

Erie has a huge problem with housing that's affordable.

Let's put something that's beneficial to Erieites.

And a grocery store down there is not a good idea.

Nobody is gonna go on the bay front to go grocery shopping.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Hello.

Uh Brett McCorkle, City of Erie.

Um to start, I would just like to reference.

I whenever I think about the Bayfront, uh I think I'm attributing this quote correctly.

I believe it was Bruce Katz in the Uri reimagined planning.

Talks about I I can't imagine more underutilized resource in the United States than Erie's Bayfront.

Right.

That has resonated with me for a long time of what potential that space has.

And I'd like to focus on more just feedback about what is being proposed.

I would articulate my feedback as intentional design.

The most important part of intentional design is what you're hearing today.

Getting feedback, hearing the voice of the people you're trying to serve.

But I get concerned when the pitch starts with 10 years ago, we did a survey, and this is what people told us they wanted.

Uh I if I proposed a business case at work with a survey data that was 10 years old, I'd probably have to start over.

Uh I'll take a step back and just say looking at what was proposed today.

I want to point out a few things and what I see in the design.

Namely, I counted, there's a roughly, I probably don't have the number exactly right, about 60 plus parking spaces around this building that's already positioned next to one of the largest surface lots, and two parking ramps right on the bayfront.

That's a lot of parking right next to this structure where you could either prioritize public access, where I don't really see a plan for EMTA access and drop-off points for buses, or at least wasn't mentioned in the plan.

And less need to have park, you know, cars parked right next to it.

Uh it might even improve the site lines from that building out to the water, which is I'm assuming what they're trying to do by putting the utility side of things on the south end of that building.

Um I guess last I'll just point out.

I I understand the want it to kind of create awareness of what that building is, have a have a large uh obvious sign.

You see it in larger cities, the City Very Food Bank, you know exactly where that place is, because you pass it on on 90 Route 2, like you see that that sign from a ways away, and you know exactly what's there.

What wasn't really talked about in the plan, or what was mentioned today is context of where that building sits and the way it's positioned because about 50 feet to the left of that, this what would be the southwest is the bayfront convention center sign, which is also like 50 feet in the air, you know, very light, brightly lit, large sign.

So I would think about again intentional design.

How do these things work together?

And how does the thing how do the things that are already there blend in with what you're proposing to put in that space and support each other as opposed to being these independent pockets?

So thanks.

Thank you.

Just want to make sure that we got the.

I was not sworn in.

I do.

Yeah, so I would Michael well, Michael Keys, M I C H A E L K U I S.

So I agree with everything that has been said.

So the bayfront is our gym.

They say the one thing that God isn't making any more ofty or space or land, and this is the last piece uh unencumbered bayfront that we have.

You realize Jordan, the last 20 years, which I'm not saying it's a plus or a minus, it went from a mile plus of bayfront access.

Uh I'm of that generation that also used to cruise the dock where the dock was open and people congregated and uh would meet there and socialize and take in the view and taking the amenities that were available.

But this is the last piece of open bayfront space that we have, and so I stand against it because I think there's if we do have to develop this last piece of land, that there's something better that we could do with it.

To include, we're already expanding parking there.

If you go to other waterfronts like Baltimore, nobody parks at the Baltimore Harbor, everybody shuttles to the Baltimore Harbor.

We don't need parking on our bayfront.

It is a poor use of the land.

Um the one part I do like is the overpass coming being able to come down off the bluff if that's still in play.

Uh I think it's necessary that we connect the bayfront with the rest of the city.

But I will also say that the city's trying to solve in the bayfront's trying to solve a problem it really doesn't have.

It has a logistics problem.

It doesn't have a draw problem where we need a market.

The on the bay front, the Mill Creek Mall is seven minutes away.

The problem is how do you get there?

It's a logistical problem, it's not an actual problem.

You know, you could partner with the EMTA or private trolleys or something.

So when people come in for conventions, they could put a whole bus of people out there, take them to the Mill Creek Mall, take them to Summit, and then turn around and bring them back, and you don't need this because during the time of the year that people are gonna be at the bayfront is not gonna be enough to sustain it.

And so we have a logistical problem, the eerie events and the port, and whoever else is involved in this need to get together and figure out how to solve your logistical problem.

We have places to shop.

We just need to get the people who are on the bay front out to the places that we already have.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Is there anybody else for um to testify in the public the public hearing part before counsel asks questions?

Okay, then I will bring it over to to council questions.

I guess my first question is um the illusion of if we build it, they will come, and not exactly knowing what exactly is going to be inside the marketplace as a born and raised Eri A of the Lower East Side.

I grew up on Fifth and Wallace, it's a food desert, and we've had in the last 10 years many efforts to try to uh put a band-aid on a gunshot wound pretty much as far as the food desert out effort goes.

Um I don't like the idea of not communicating with the one business that's already down there and seeing how they would work collectively or collaborately with you.

But what are you hoping you can put inside the marketplace?

Because right now the idea of it is nice, but not having things that family can do where they're bringing their children, has been something I've heard many years while being on council.

So I just need to know what your vision is so the community can know what the vision is because right now we're not seeing it.

Okay.

Well, the the one anchor tenant that we're working with, we don't have a contract with, so I'm not at liberty to talk about the specifics of that because I don't have a contract, but and I shared in my comments what the vision was with that tenant, and that was to be family, it was family-friendly attractive.

We're gonna have two connection points now to the bayfront once the parkway's done.

We're gonna have one at Holland and we're gonna have one directly at SAS.

The idea is to track families.

We've obviously got tourists down there, we need to be attractive to tourists as well, college students.

There's we create a marketing plan.

There's actually single pods planned in there for students to come and sit by themselves, third spaces that were mentioned before.

They're not the major target market, but we are carving out space for that.

Um, in terms of the the public market portion of the the building, um I haven't spoken to this gentle this the fish market gentleman.

I will tell you I've had a tremendous amount of conversations trying to get business partners to come in for a market concept.

The reality of it is it's difficult, and if you do a stall style of market, it's extremely difficult because it becomes, I think it was mentioned earlier.

It's expensive for those people to have a stall.

Let's say it was a locally sourced honey producer.

Well, usually that's one person that's running that business, and if they're sick or God forbid they're out collecting honey, it's very difficult for them to meet the market hours.

So they have a very difficult time.

They come and go, which I think we see some of that in the in the downtown food hall.

Um you just get some you get plenty of turnover.

Um what I what I did like, and I think I mentioned it in the Erie Reader article that's out in this this recent um last paper that came out.

I like the consignment, so we will find locally sourced products and we will consign their products for them.

That's the idea of the market is to so we manage that so they don't have to put labor hours in, plus they don't have all the extra overhead of actually renting a market space.

So we can get a tremendous amount of uh products locally sourced without having the burden for that single business owner to try to manage.

Yeah.

How how is that sustainable?

Because that doesn't seem like a sustainable plan.

Well they use local to fill the building.

I mean, and I have to echo what many of the residents have said here this evening.

Doesn't it it's a lot of vague, vague reasoners doesn't really sound like a definitive plan other than to put a structure there?

And so the first thing I would ask about the structure, will the structure be taxed or will it be under the convention center continuous path law where you where you guys don't pay any taxes on it?

And if and if that's the case, uh would there be room to talk about community benefit agreements?

Because the if you build it, they'll come and just handle up and just settle up and make the developer happy.

That undo a lot for the people on top of that bluff in the 16501.

Well, you got you have several questions there.

Um will it be taxable?

No, the tenants would would ultimately be taxable.

Um our authority, we are funded through bed to hotel tax.

We no Erie residents, none none of the taxes from Erie residents go toward to supporting our venues.

Um, but we also run our properties at a subsidy.

We run the Warner Theater, we now manage the zoo, we've got the arena, the ballpark.

These all operate at a subsidy.

They take money to operate for the benefit of the community.

I mean, I mean, I I get that.

I mean, I get that you you have a billion dollars plus in assets, and I I also get that the state prohibits us from getting a single dime of tax and income off of it.

I understand that because of all of the site work that uh was done on a lot of the tax um payers back to prepare for any of this development down there of when some intricately uh uh aware of.

I grew up at the foot of Sass.

I worked on every leg of the Bayfront Highway from 26th Street all the way back around up to Pass Baron over Winter Green Gorge.

I was a labor steward for the hotel, the convention center, the Sheraton, the convention center, and the parking rent.

My grandmother cleaned that bathroom up from the 60s uh for for over a decade, almost two.

It's my favorite spot in the whole wide world.

Uh access has been depleted.

The convention center is doing great things.

They have been a great, they have been a great uh community partner, but many of the things that are being raised here this night are are are legitimate, and although no one's really interested in stopping the project, we want to know how it benefits the community, because it don't really seem like it does.

Are you asking me a question?

We want to know how it benefits the community.

No, okay.

That sounds like a question.

Yeah, well, I I thought I laid that out.

And again, I can't go into specifics, but we we are going to we are going to have locally sourced products.

So there's there's tremendous amount of demand for the bay front, and and there's demand from locals, there's demand from tourists.

When tourists come to town, they want to do what the locals do.

The tenant that the prospective tenant that we're working with.

We just have to be mindful of yeah.

Please, if we're if we're in and you're not at the mic, please just be mindful.

Thank you.

And ladies and gentlemen, we need to be quiet because the court reporter is trying to transcribe what everyone's saying.

So it really is important to stay calm.

Okay.

Simon, we really would appreciate you could do that.

Thank you.

Yeah.

Yeah.

The the tenant that we are working with, we have specific direction to them that this needs to be, this isn't going to be just some sort of restaurant or something.

This is going to be something that is going to attract people down there for two hours at a time.

This will be an attraction that people will want to go to.

And it will both to locals as well as tourists.

Kind of tough on the locals because if I would just how many locals would you you think have the opportunity to spend a night in the Sheraton or the Marriott or even the Hampton down there at three, four hundred bucks a night?

Well, we get thousands of people that come down to the home show that come down to Comic Con.

Those shows, those public shows that we have, which you're quite right.

A lot of times though those are the only times that Erie rights are in the convention center.

We actually per that show, those shows were going away.

We actually the people who own that, they were local, and they were retiring, and we actually purchased that business to be able to keep local public shows going.

That's why we still have the Comic Con home show.

You think people in 16501 are attending the home show and the vehicle and the car shows?

The craft show?

I hope so.

I hope so.

Okay.

Do we have other questions from council?

I just had one and it might not have anything to do with I everybody, a few people came up and referenced Baltimore, and we're, you know.

We should be like the Baltimore, you know, Bayfront or whatever it is, um marketplace.

Yes, thank you.

Um I have been hearing bad things about that.

Uh you know, it was Baltimore was good for a while, and then now all of a sudden there's safety concerns, there's um they're losing money.

I just want whatever goes in there.

Um because it's gonna be uh I don't want it to be a public safety issue.

Um I want the the residents of Erie, if and when there is something for the residents to do it to go down to, they feel safe there.

Um that's that's my main concern uh right now is um because a lot of things, you know, such as modern tools square, like someone mentioned, it it gets built up and then it gets you know put on the wayside uh and it just it falls short.

I just don't want to see this fall short.

I want you know, if we need more community involvement before we make a decision, um, you know, maybe that's I just I want it to be a community marketplace, not just for few.

Okay, I I can address the the security issue that you brought up because we do have our own security force.

We have about 800 part-time peer security, and then we've got uh we've got uh arms security as well, which we use at all of our facilities.

And earlier there was something somebody had mentioned something about uh sensitivity to autism and and disability.

We actually just did a training with all of our part-time staff, and we specifically brought somebody in to educate us on how to properly address somebody who may have autism, and and the point was actually a good one.

Sometimes you don't know.

That's that that's an issue that sometimes hides itself, it's a spectrum.

Um so those are things that we're focused on as well for all of our facilities, and we certainly would for for that venue as well.

Thank you.

I just I'm happy to hear that there's some type of training going into play for the autistic community.

We have a large community in our city that is the intellectually disabled and autistic, and they do use the public spaces quite um regularly, and I know the dock is a regular walking path for them, and I know that with all the development that we are putting down there, that we have to make sure that we always remember the public access.

Like that's a big thing, is a lot of the community that grew up in Erie feels as though the Bayfront is being taken and stripped away from them as somebody who I don't go down there after five because I don't like the crowds that come, I don't like the activity of drinking, I don't like the idea of being aggressively pushed out at sunset, if that makes sense, because they do you get aggressive down there if you're not spending money at the businesses.

So, as community members who are low income who don't have access to many amenities to be able to spend at the businesses down there, the one access we do have is our view of the water.

So I definitely want to see something an update on the sign variants, um, just because I don't like the idea of it being so big, so bright, and it's gonna be kind of working against what the Bayfront connector already has going on.

So we need to make sure that we're paying attention to that.

Are you speaking to the large sign that's existing right now?

Well, the new business is going to have the the the large sign that you want to the variant for.

Yes.

But then somebody else mentioned that the sign of your already Bayfront Convention Center is already that is being demolished as part of this project.

Okay.

Hall signage will actually completely go away.

So it's just the the one that you're getting the variants for right now.

So definitely not.

Will there be any Erie branding on there?

Or we'll just say Bayfront.

Well, there I mean the the uh entire bayfront has already been balkanized.

Uh everybody's got their little portion of it except for the citizens.

Uh and so I don't see a lot of eerie branding down there.

I see you know Basco Library, I see Gannon's thing going.

I don't want I'm concerned that I don't want signage down there is so big that it makes Erie's sign look this big and everything down there is lit up uh and geared towards the convention center.

And I I do want to also say before I close that the convention center is I've been a great have been a good partner uh with the Erie County, of which I was blessed to really do some good work with you over there.

Uh they enjoy a benefits that not not many other people enjoy and that they don't have to pay taxes for the continuous thing.

When I first got on county council, my very first vote this was the refinancing of the convention center uh loan.

I think 11 million dollars, 17 million dollars they were going to save 11 million dollars, and we introduced at that time.

Uh uh the very first time, I believe, community benefit uh agreement language.

Um we weren't able to get there yet, but we're working diligently towards that.

And we feel that uh a lot of people come inside and they use all of the facilities, our our billion dollars worth of assets that you all uh that you have uh under the authority or eerie events.

They don't really shopping, they don't really do a lot uh from that waterfront to Mr.

Key's point.

They come in and they leave.

That's what that Bayfront highway is, and it is a highway.

It was billed as a a parkway, which a parkway I guess is 35 mile an hour.

I'd and I'd defy anybody to find anybody driving 35 mile an hour on the Bayfront highway.

And the and the last thing that I would say uh about the convention center uh itself is uh not only can they not use that hotel, uh, but very few residents where we have lower wages than the national, lower wages than the state, uh, where we're black and brown unemployment is higher, probably here than higher than the national average.

Uh we don't get to go to all of those Erie Seawolves, Warner Theater, Disney on Ice events.

It's not a lot.

And so we do want to kind of sit down and see now, and I know those are private events or private vendors, but we're this is a poor city.

A lot of people in the city with a lot of money.

But overall, this is a the wages here are so down, and it's very depressing to have to go to a citizen and say, yeah, we're gonna do this project without really going through it with a fine tooth comb.

And oh, by the way, uh, you're not gonna get anything for it but a few jobs.

Because that's basically what it amounts to.

They'll get entertainment, the developer will get, you know, whatever he gets.

Uh the tourists will get whatever they get.

Uh the citizen on top of that bluff will get inconvenienced in the way that he's being inconvenienced every day for the last two or three years, not just down there, but around the park, EDDC, hell, eerie building systems, they got every road tore up, every corner tore up, ADA ain't being uh honored like it's supposed to.

Those are citizens that live right down here in this footprint.

The ones they don't want in the park, the ones they don't want to put a bathroom in the park for, the ones they don't want drinking in the park, the ones that just live two or three blocks from that marketplace.

The ones who they're telling country fair is a great grocery store for you, and I'm not suggesting that a grocery store go down there either.

I always thought that would be a horrible idea uh uh to put one down there, even though they miss the food deserts.

Uh but we're I'm going to probably reach out to you because I have a lot more questions.

Um I'd love to sit and talk with you.

Yeah, after tonight.

I mean, you know, I'm fair.

Yeah.

We've enjoyed a great relationship.

Uh but I do have an obligation to the people who come here and uh and verbally oppose it as well.

I understand.

We're sure we can bridge some of that gap.

No one wants to stop any development, but we want the people to get to get something.

And right now it don't look like they're getting much of anything.

I think for for myself, um, I can't articulate much clearer than uh my colleague counselor Andre Horton did.

Um I think uh I think I'm just I'm just disappointed.

Um I'm just disappointed for our residents uh and our community members who who are really just being locked out.

This is gonna benefit there is a subgroup that that that this will benefit and the disappointment doesn't fall this doesn't fall in the convention center.

The the disappointment really does fall on on the systems we've created to kind of get to this point where we there hasn't been more community involvement in it.

Um we we have certain jurisdiction that we're allowed to act with in and it's it's a very spelled out ordinance.

Um so even though I'm just frustrated with what I can see happening right here to our city residents, um, and essentially it's it's being this really is trickled trickle down economics is what's kind of being pitched here.

Um I'm just I'm just sad.

I'm sad for our residents, and I'm I'm sad that we're at this point.

Um I deeply believe in many of the other projects that have been proposed, and that you and I locked arms with you on the on the last one.

But this one, this one I I think is is just a letdown for for those who call Erie home and not those who are passing through.

Uh I see the vision, but I don't think it included um, I don't think it included our community, and it's the same thing that I'm at up and down the bayfront.

And I'm just it just makes me sad that we're at a point where where a lot of this is is going to be very difficult for us to protect residents from because of where we are with the ordinance and just the process as it stands.

Um that my disappointment doesn't fall just on this project, it it falls to where we are.

Uh but I I needed to say that to say that out on loud, so it's it's on record.

Um we really gotta do better by our residents.

Our residents are in so much pain, so much pain, and this doesn't this doesn't help any of them.

It doesn't.

Is there any other any other questions from council or from uh administration on this point?

No.

Mr.

Pine, I would just suggest um when we have the public hearing for the harbor place project, if you had wanted to submit something because there's no decisions gonna be made tonight in the next couple weeks if you want to submit something to council to help maybe answer some of their questions and maybe address some of the issues you've heard tonight.

To be able to address that on the 30th, is that what you're saying?

You can come well, that's a public comment night.

I'm just saying that you could do it for the same thing as on the um Scots Hotel.

What I suspect, I mean, I haven't convened with with council on this, but what I suspect is that we'll probably do another special meeting very similar to the setup so that we're able to do it in the evening and the public can be present because if we we were to put it on the next agenda, um it's during that time period where just a lot of people can't attend, and so we'll look to do something very similar like we're doing with the next one.

All right, if you want to provide me some specific questions you want to address for the future, I'd be more than happy to take a shot at that.

Absolutely.

Thank you.

Yeah, you bet.

All right.

Then I think we're good to I think on that note then we would close out the public hearing.

Um thank everyone for speaking on their behalf, and then uh the core reporter's job is done and then move back into public comment.

All right.

So um just to remind everybody with the public comment.

Um it really is you've got you can you can talk whatever you want to in the public comment side.

Um but if you could line up on the left side as we're as we're doing this, is it's I'll be right back.

It's your right, our left.

Our left, sorry.

Yes, you guys are going the correct way.

Um then just be mindful, please, of the of the five minutes.

We'll have the timer going.

Please state your name and your municipality.

And just remember that there I get just be mindful of of the time because we we do want to give everybody the same opportunity to speak tonight.

So thank you.

Okay.

Hello.

I'm Emerson Bannon, City of Erie.

Uh I'm here today with Erie County United and the Erie research team.

I've been researching affordability and local policy for over a year now, looking at solutions to the affordability crisis that we faced.

Um we have, you know, we are probably one of the most low-income cities in the country, and we have seen fairly staggering increases in cost of groceries, rent over the years, as well as our access is increasingly limited due to factors even outside the city's control.

We need something better than what we are getting.

Currently, the only mechanisms that the city has for fit for housing are really through either the housing authority, which is very kind of restricted in how they can operate, or the for-profit model.

But as long as it's more profitable to build hotels, that's all we're going to get.

And instead of getting new housing, we're getting demolition after demolition after demolition as our neighborhoods get hollowed out.

We need something better.

So as long we need something that operates outside of a traditional profit-based model, because that is the way we are going to get new housing, affordable housing that is desperately needed in the city in a way that people can afford.

This is something we need, not just in terms of the front of housing, but in terms of groceries, in terms of health care.

I'm about to go to the doctor tomorrow.

I put off a procedure for years because I did not have insurance.

I have to keep putting off putting off these kind this kind of care.

You know, so how do you think the rest of the city residents are doing?

We need a public option, we need affordability, and we need a public developer.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Good evening, council.

My name is Henry Chiappa.

I live in the city of Erie.

So I'm concerned with the with the cost of living.

I can't imagine a lot of people I know work overtime, make above the median here in the city of Erie, but are still struggling to meet basic needs.

Rent, utilities, I mean the tens of thousands of insurance that everybody needs these days.

I mean, food and you know, paying the water bill, even which is eerie waterworks, a public utility.

So I mean I want to see more pressure from this council and other governing bodies for on the state level to see that if we're doing revitalization of the city of Erie, you know, if property values go up, are the current property owners going to be able to afford the tax increase that goes on if their property value goes up?

So it's it's it's a snake eating itself almost, where even if we do attempt any sort of revitalization towards towards the lower income communities, uh the system is set up in a way that you even get a little bit of a leg up, you're being pushed right back down.

And it's it's ridiculous, and it especially affects uh minority communities here in the city of Urie that are already disadvantaged, and now a small leg up is actually a push down.

And it it's it's hard to see, and uh I uh we we kind of been talking about you know, we had the Scott Enterprise Hotel, we have we have this development that's going on the bayfront, and all I'm hearing is this is a big playground for the rich.

This is a big you know, this isn't going to the people of the lower east side or going to the people that are you know here in the city.

It's only gonna benefit those that are already wealthy or tourists that are just gonna see, you know, come in, be like, hey, we're gonna have a good time, we're gonna get right on out of here, because we don't really care about this city.

And you know, you know, I've even heard you know, we were talking about like jobs that are coming in with these developments and stuff like that, and I remember I remember during the Scott Scott's uh hearing, they talked about, oh, we're gonna be at least be paying $15 an hour.

We were asking for $15 an hour 10 years ago.

And you know, it's the it's much worse today.

And it's ridiculous that you know we're pleading for the bare minimum.

We're pleading for just the opportunity to be able to live in the city that we call home, and it just seems like this council and other governing bodies just do not want to prioritize the needs of working class people.

And you know, we even with the bike lane presentation, you know, we're not even protecting the bikers.

You know, there's no barrier in between the bikers and the street.

So, you know, if somebody gets a little bit lazy when they're driving on the road, you know, bye-bye biker, see you later.

It's honestly, you know, I'm joking about it, but it's frankly disgusting because these are these are lives at stake, these are people's livelihoods that are being risked for the for really that are all going for capital interests, you know, even with eerie events being a public authority, the businesses that are going down there that are going to be profiting from being down there, you know, they're not gonna share that wealth with their employees.

Oh, but they got that $15 an hour though.

It's uh it's honestly pretty sad.

So I really hope that going forward that this council prioritizes the needs of working class people, addressing costs of utilities, rent, and collaborating with their state partners or commonwealth partners saying, hey, we need to fix the system commonwealth-wide because frankly it ain't working here or it ain't working elsewhere.

So I hope that there's pressure from uh the council members here and from the mayor to really take a crack at this collaboratively because right now we're just kind of throwing our hands up in the air and saying, well, if we just let private developers come in, they'll fix everything, you know, and they really don't.

They don't care about they don't care about you guys, they don't care about me, they don't care about the people in the audience.

And so once just to sum things up, please continue to continue to attack the issue that is affordability here in this city, and you know, I see a few what I would call progressives on the diocese over here, and you know, ask yourselves, am I doing enough?

You know, and I I do have faith in in these council people, but you know, a lot of these things are being done behind closed doors, and we're not seeing it in the public, and we just see a plan that comes up with this is we yeah, we might get some tenants down there, that might be nice, you know.

So uh enough with the planning, and let's get straight to the action.

Thank you.

Hi, my name's Eric.

I'm from Milk Creek.

I am also coming here to speak about affordability and uh a lot of the developments that I'm seeing in Erie that are meant to deal with some of these issues.

I know Milk Creek has their own mixed use stuff that they're planning with uh infinite eerie, and honestly, I want to know what these plans who these plans are for.

Like I'm on disability, I'm on a fixed income, and I honestly wonder if 10 years if I'm gonna be even able to live anywhere remotely near the city.

Uh because what a lot of people are saying is, oh, we're gonna have $800 rents.

I can't afford that.

Most people can't.

Um seems like most of these issues, all these programs go to serve a select class that can afford it, but like the rest of us are left out.

Um I mean, I know Vegas, they get discounts for hotels, 20% discount for residents to have access to these amenities as well.

Like, where's the benefit for the lowest in the population of Erie?

Um that's all I have to really say.

I know we've already talked about this a bunch, and I'll just keep it short.

Thank you.

Good evening.

My name is Jim Deutschlander.

I currently live in Erie City.

Um, I am also here to talk about the affordability.

Um as someone who just recently lost their job.

As someone who has disabilities, um, it is a struggle.

It is a struggle.

Um, and to make things worse, I feel like we have landlords who want to take advantage of us.

Um, you know, I am leaving an apartment because I lost my job.

I am moving back home.

Um, but uh one of the reasons why I wanted to leave that apartment is because I feel like there was a lack of transparency between the landlord and myself.

Um I feel like I speak on behalf of a lot of people who feel like landlords are out for themselves, and they want to keep as little from us as possible.

Um of the issues I have, I've had a rodent issue.

And my lease told me I had 60 days to be able to identify any issues, including vermin or insects.

And if there were no issues after that 60 days, it was on me to take care of it.

Now this was in late, this was probably in May, so I didn't notice anything.

I have lived in multiple establishments, never had a vermin or pest issue.

And then come November, December, they all start swarming in.

Well, that's not okay.

If it's an older building, if it's a foundation issue, then get it fixed.

And I also bring that it that kind of also ties into the whole issue of where is my money going?

My lease has um my two the two years I've been there, it's gone up a total of a hundred dollars my rent.

Where and they want to claim, oh well, that's for maintenance costs.

Where is that money going?

I have three, there are three windows that um encompass the uh building that I live in.

All three are boarded up.

One has been had been boarded up since I had moved it since um before I'd moved in, the other two got knocked out at some point and just got boarded up.

That's not okay.

If you're going to increase our rent and claim you know, maintenance costs, we want to know where is that money going.

Is it okay to be able to say, hey, how about some transparency here?

Can I get a breakdown of where that money that you're wanting to you know take from us?

Where is that money going?

You know, is that truly going to maintenance, or is that being just kind of pushed aside as extra income for you?

We don't know, you know.

It's it's just it's I feel like it's not right.

And then on top of that, um, I feel like the other issue that I have as far as transparency is concerned.

Um, what about building inspections?

Um I actually had the privilege of attending the uh study, I believe it was last week, um, on the uh on the tenant on the topic of tenants and the landlords, and I truly feel that we should have the ability to know what is being inspected.

When I had my last inspection, they said, Oh, we'll be in and out in five minutes.

What can you inspect in five minutes?

You know, checking lights, oh sure, they work, checking that to see if the fire ex the fire alarms work, okay.

But what about everything else?

I'm not an electrician, I'm not an expert, but I want to know is my building passable, or is it something that's getting run down that's just you know?

I realize that a lot of I I just worry that a lot of landlords are saying, you know what, they're just looking for a place to live.

They don't know any better.

So why not just go ahead and say and just keep us, you know, keep them as little informed as possible.

Because I feel like I don't even know what my rights as a tenant is are.

You know, I feel like that is something that all tenants should know.

And I feel like I shouldn't have to go to my landlord and say, what are my rights as a tenant?

You know, I feel like that needs to be that needs to be first and foremost, you know, not something that we have to come to you for.

You know, if you want to have, if uh if a landlord wants to have a good relationship with their tenant, then how about a little bit of transparency?

A little bit of transparency will go a heck of a long way.

So I'm gonna I'm apologize, I'm gonna have to cut you because that five minutes is up, but thank you so much.

Understandable, thank you so much.

Hi, my name is Danielle Deutschlander.

I am currently living in the city of Erie.

Um I just kind of wanted to give you a little personal story of what my experience has been like with housing and affordability.

Um in 2020, I was finally able to afford an apartment.

I was excited, like finally I can move out of my house with my brothers and my parents and have my own place.

So literally a month later, COVID comes knocking, of course.

Of course.

But I was able to rent there for four years before it got too expensive.

So I was very lucky.

You want to be like, yay, I got a house because my dad's dead.

Woohoo.

Um.

So I was able to move in with her.

I've been living there for two, two and a half years now, but things have changed.

I'm gonna have to move out.

She's got someone moving in with her.

It's just not enough space.

And I'm once again very, very lucky that I have friends and family that can take me in while I decided to.

At first I was looking for an apartment.

Everything is 750, 800.

And that's without utilities.

I can't afford that.

Even though I've been working full time at my job for 13 years now, part-time before that, above minimum wage, I can't afford that.

So I'm trying to look into buying a home, but yet again, I don't have a ton of money.

I'm able to get a decent loan, but to find a house that I can afford is so hard.

It's either above my price point, or it's got so many issues that I can't afford to fix it and live there.

And so I don't know when I'm going to be able to move on out on my own again.

And I know that there are other people that are way less fortunate than me that don't have a steady job, that don't have friends and family who can take them in.

Homelessness is on the rise.

Evictions are on the rise.

Foreclosures on homes are on the rise.

And like with the hotel and this marketplace idea, yeah, we're gonna hire people to work there, but if people can't afford to live here, who's gonna work there?

It's just it's not working.

And I hope you guys can find a way to make this city affordable again for the people who have lived here, and who the people who want to stay here because it's a great city, it has so much potential, but it's been neglected for way too long.

And I hope you guys, and I have faith with the things that you've been saying tonight, that there's a way we can do that.

So thank you for listening to me, and I hope that we can fix this affordability crisis.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Yes, I have uh Donald Wade, just so you know.

Um, I have a lot of issues, and I don't think I have enough in five minutes, but I am on disability.

I am autistic, I have what is called Asperger's.

I'm a very smart individual.

I excel in certain things that I'm interested in, and not so much like human communication or body language.

Sorry, I come short.

Maybe I should kneel to my superiors.

But that's how the world is for people with disabilities.

We don't get a fair share.

I have an apartment that is $800 a month.

My disability check is only a thousand.

I can't afford to live here.

I'm looking for another place to live.

You guys don't allow campments.

This is gonna be Los Angeles real soon here with people sleeping on the street in tents.

Can't live in a camper, city ordinance.

Gotta have a place to live.

Can't live in a garage, it might catch on fire.

You got no, we have no reprieve.

We have no hope.

You get you get in trouble with the law because you're homeless.

Uh you're different than them.

They discriminate against you and call you disorderly conduct.

And they want to charge you a fee.

That's not behavioral.

My behavior is actionable to their police intimidation, their corrupt ways, and I'm the and out of the two of us, it is totally unfair.

I'm not brandishing a weapon.

I don't have a taser.

I'm unarmed.

And when I'm talking to one officer and another officer creeps up behind, and you look behind, that's an arrestable offense.

Now you're duh interfering with judgmental duties or whatever.

Um I'm done with all this.

I am tired of being in handcuffs because of a misunderstanding.

Okay.

Even being sexually assaulted at the courthouse by a sheriff's officer, Mr.

Lawrence.

Rubbing against me, pushing me.

When I say no and to stop, I don't care if you have a badge or not.

No means no.

I believe that's tenement to rape.

Congratulations.

They investigated themselves as usual, just like the police department, and found no wrongdoing.

And give him a higher tier job.

This all needs a stop.

I do not feel safe in my community.

And the shameful thing is I'm more fearful of the police department than I am the common criminal that walks the streets.

I might have a C at least a 50-50 chance with them.

I might use my phone, a cop yells gun, and I'm wasted.

Mag dumped.

People like me get killed often.

Just for a misunderstanding.

It needs to stop.

I'm begging for peace.

I'm begging for harmony.

I'm begging for a safe place to live.

Well, we're not all corraled in some kind of concentration camp.

Or having to sleep on a dirty street because we can't afford.

Not out of my rent money.

And especially out of my landlord that gets rent money religiously every month.

Not short.

And he won't even fix nothing in my apartment.

And I'll give you a name, Bill Weber.

Oh.

He signed a contract with Erie County Care Management.

And he's not falling through.

He instead of fixing my apartment, he said, Mr.

Wade can move out.

Like there is plenty of other opportunities out there for a roof over my head when everybody here knows there is none.

That's all I gotta say.

We need to afford to live.

We are your poorest of your community.

We are on disability.

I have a lot of skills.

Nobody's asked me what I can do for this city.

But I do not want to be criminalized because I have a disability.

I do not want, well, you didn't look me in the eyes.

So as a detective, I'm gonna consider you being dishonest, and I'm just gonna go with the rape charges when I never did no such crime.

You understand what I'm saying?

And I didn't even realize until after my four and a half month illegal incarceration at the Erie jail, you're prison for a crime I never committed.

Don't expect the state to say, oops, we made a mistake, we're sorry, they never do.

Thank you.

Hi, my name is Lorraine Baltis.

I have lived here my whole entire life.

My grandparents grew up in the city.

From the east side to the west side, we started eerie, basically.

Last Saturday, right before Easter, I was attacked by three immature violent little teenagers filming.

I don't know if they were complete adults.

It's on camera.

There better be a case because I'm coming after those juveniles.

It was the day before Easter.

I was verbally attacked, punched in the back, thrown some liquid shit on me.

I ran this way and almost wanted to punch the kid in his face as they were filling me.

Three kids, three young punks.

Attacked me.

Why your cameras are supposed to be out there protecting the citizens?

That's why you put him there, right?

Waiting for the detective to get back.

Well, he better get back back because I get an attorney.

And I'm really tired of you people telling me I'm a millionaire and running the scam.

I know what I'm worth.

And I don't need to be told every fucking day and be slandered as I'm walking down the street.

I step out of my house.

I have cars driving by, slandering it.

And your news don't make it better for me when your radio station did it to me.

Now I get an attorney and I sue your city if you don't stop the harassment.

But please look into it because I'm getting an attorney.

What makes these kids the right to gang up on the older generations?

And attack us as we're walking and filming us.

I did that, my dad would have whooped my ass, dragged me to the parents' house, and took me to Juvie.

Day before Easter.

Then the next day I went down to visit my brother, dropped out food to the homeless guy that lives on the corner, right where the old unemployment plant is.

Nice kid.

Nice guy.

Some of these homeless people don't bother nobody.

The cost of living is going up.

I know, because I saw what the last landlord did.

I'm lucky where I'm making it barely.

I get by.

You're sanctionate that you're taking me off when I qualify for it.

I don't get section A.

They can jam that up their ass.

I pay for right where I'm staying.

Cost of living is going up, and you want to put a new building downtown that's not gonna benefit any of us.

All it's gonna bend is Nick Scott and the rest of the asshole.

And never give a person the opportunity like me but to run their mouth.

Well, one day you're gonna see a big change.

And some of you pushing little pencil, pushing bastards that sit up in council and run city like you call it almighty.

God's coming for each and every one of you.

So get back to me, Mr.

Detective and your police force on the knee and city.

Why on the four corners before you get down by the and I fell down when they had the festival there for St.

Pat's all four lights off?

My people can walk in the dark and trip over things and say, oh, my kneecap.

Yeah.

See what is Michael Potskalny.

I'm from Harbor Creek.

Um a lot of members of the community are here tonight to talk about affordability.

I'm here to talk uh and purvey my own thoughts developed by my growth, understanding, and experience in the Erie community, healthcare system, taking part in protests around the country, advocating for human rights and analysis of the systems which have brought us to where we are today.

Uh two words that that stood out to me in the presentation last night were foundations and systems.

I'd like to lay out uh the two directions I see the city possibly moving in and highlighting the the contradictions between the two as we move into some of the most pivotal years, not only in the city's history, but in uh human history.

On one side, attending a conference for mayors sponsored by the Bloomberg Philanthropy could be celebrated as a great opportunity.

But I see it as a warning sign brought on by the normalization of capitalist academia and billionaire control over NGOs, nonprofits, funneling money into initiatives hidden behind equality, but in reality exacerbating inequality.

Holding an event uh and congratulating the Jefferson Society as one of the most important and influential organizations could be celebrated, but I personally see the organization in name and strategy to be leading Erie down the same path of neoliberal systems which have crafted uh such poverty and inequality and normalization of a barbaric foreign policy that uses our tax money to kill children overseas.

Welcoming Josh Shapiro and celebrating him while not challenging him on corruption, genocide denial, persecution of anti-genocide protesters, denying irrefutable evidence of Israeli occupation and apartheid of indigenous Palestinians, normalizes dehumanization and injustice.

These three examples lay out a path that could result in Erie becoming a city which maintains a homeless population, allows venture capitalism and large powerful institutions to dictate who recovers, uh who receives funding, excuse me, and uh perpetuates exploitation of an underclass.

One thing I've learned over the past few years is that the current systems are designed not to prove uh provide equity and justice to the lower class, but to maintain the hedge main uh hedge hegemony, excuse me, my blood sugar is a little low, uh, of a comfortable sect of upper class individuals.

The maintenance of such a system has resulted in where we are today.

If you don't seek to change a system which equalizes and uh provides increased material conditions to those in need, how will you actually change?

You cannot funnel people into a system built to exploit them.

And there's a reason why young people, I'm not, I mean, I'm 30.

I just turned 36, whatever, I'm not that young anymore.

But young people really despise both political parties for that reason, because you know it's just normalized.

Let's look at the other uh route.

Not being afraid to challenge what has been normalized, and immediately treating the design poverty, thus violence enacted on our black and brown communities.

All hands on deck, reparations and investment.

Open recognition of this violence with material promises, the eventual dissolution of the nonprofit industrial complex.

It's absolute insanity that a city with this level of poverty has, I think at the last town hall, uh one official said we had 500 plus nonprofits.

That's that's insane with with such a poor community.

I think that that wealth in those nonprofits need to be redistributed to the black and brown community.

Um adult conversation about the need for redistribution of wealth and the enabling of good jobs for everyone, the paying a living wage and moving to enact it.

Um another thing, unions.

I I feel like people are afraid to talk about unions like everywhere.

I mean, I I I think the city council and the mayor can definitely do uh a good job of pushing labor organizing.

Um moving forward, that's one of the only ways that people in poverty can really come into their own and and fight for higher wages and stuff like that, and that's one of the most important things to push uh in the future.

Manufacturing.

Yes, but not mandated participation of our ports in a ballooning military-industrial complex under the guise of national security.

We can do manufacturing of boats, but I don't think we should, you know, make it into a port of building ships for the army or military or navy or something like that.

That that that's that leads the community down to a bad road.

Um standing against the incorporation of unregulated AI and technology and surveillance developed and tested during the genocide of Palestinians into our police forces.

Um basically we know ERE is a great place.

We just have to focus on building up those that are lowest in our community, and we need to be honest about why they're uh segregated and why they're poor, and we need to invest immediately into those communities.

Thank you.

Hello, my name is Nancy Lagon.

Um I want to um ask one question.

I'm probably not gonna be more than five minutes.

Can I ask you a question?

It's about when I came up.

Um, the lady said for the mayor.

The lady said that um you know what I was gonna ask.

Did you get my letter?

Did you read it?

I'm trying to call you and ask you about it.

Um is there anything about that could be done by what I wrote you about in a letter?

Um are you able to help me in that way?

You think or no, ma'am?

So just to uh we usually don't do the back and forth, but if the mayor is comfortable answering, maybe all I was gonna ask if it's okay with you, ma'am, Nancy.

I we will call you tomorrow.

I know exactly what you're talking about, and I will give you a call tomorrow.

We have your contact information.

Do you know what time is I can be by the phone?

I will do it at how about at 9 a.m.

That's fine.

Is that good?

Yes, ma'am.

Okay, thank you, Nancy.

That's all I wanted.

Thank you.

Bye-bye.

Hello, I've never spoken in a public forum before.

My name's Larissa Land.

I live in Erie, Pennsylvania.

Um, I chose to move here from far away because I liked it.

Um and I could afford it.

And that is changing.

Um, but first, I wanted to um talk on the bikeway plan because I appreciate the dedication to equity in terms of transportation.

But what percentage of the population without access to a car actually uses a bicycle.

Has there been any research on that?

Um, other forms of transport transportation need to be improved.

Sidewalks need to be maintained better so that pedestrians are off the streets rather than just walking with cars.

Um it should not be left to citizens who are barely surviving to maintain neighborhood sidewalks for those who actually need those sidewalks, especially the disabled.

Um the bus system needs to be improved to be reliable enough that it can be counted on for those that need it for access to medical appointments and work.

Um, most of us, including me who are disabled, aren't generally using bicycles.

We want to use a bus or walk.

Um, and then to affordability.

In my household, taking installment loans to pay for groceries has become normal.

Strategic payment of utility bills so that nothing is cut off, but you pay when you can is not supposed to be what it's like for the supposed middle class, but that's what my household supposedly is, middle class.

Middle class now means too poor to live, but not poor enough for any help.

That means that we are the lucky ones.

We have a mortgage instead of rent, so we don't have to fear that our housing payment is going to double out of nowhere or our landlord is going to kick us out.

Instead, we have structural problems in our house that we will never be able to afford to repair and mountains of debt.

But if we're the lucky ones when we are paying for groceries with buy now pay later, taking out credit cards to buy medications, and unable to afford to pay our outrageous utility bills on time.

Think about what that means for those who are not in the middle class bracket.

Our city is full of food deserts, and I can only imagine how those in even worse circumstances than us can even remotely afford to keep their lights on or fill the refrigerator.

We need to do something to stop food deserts with affordable grocery options, tax empty buildings and empty lots to make it more costly to hang on to commercial property that could easily alleviate the issues of our city.

We need to find a way to cap utility prices that are still rising, cap rising rents and create a minimum wage that is tied to the cost of living with automatic increases built in based on inflation.

Other cities can do it.

Why can't we?

Good evening.

My name is Nathan George.

I live in Fairview Township.

And I would like to speak to you today about the crisis of affordability afflicting our city.

Specifically, I would like to offer my perspective as a full-time student and part-time worker residing in Erie County.

So for the past year, I've worked alongside dozens of city residents at a FedEx warehouse located in Fairview Township called Erie 165.

I and other city residents work the third shift.

So that means our work typically starts in the early hours of the morning and ends around 9 30 a.m.

Since the end of our busiest season, which stretches from Black Friday to Christmas Day, FedEx has shortened our hours in accordance with lower shipping volume and demand.

So whereas we formerly worked eight hours per day and took home over $500 per week.

Now we work 46 hours per day, and we often take home less than 400 per week.

So while some at the warehouse choose the work as a source of disposable income, many of us are driven by necessity.

After all, Erie is one of the poorest cities in Pennsylvania.

Recent reporting by the nonprofit organization United Way found that in 2024, around one in ten employed Erie City residents lived below the poverty line.

According to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's living wage calculator, unmarried adults with or without children surviving solely off of our warehouse wage fall short of a living wage in Erie County.

Existing poverty is exacerbated by a rising cost of living in the city.

Market rate costs of rental units as estimated by the Department of Housing and Urban Development are estimated at $781 for a studio apartment, $861 for a one-bedroom unit, $1,118 for a two-bedroom unit, and $1,392 for a three-bedroom unit.

About 31% of Erie City residents live in rental units.

For many of us, extending the workday into the early hours of the morning is the only way to make rent at the end of the month.

Big corporations like FedEx think that they can get away with cutting our hours and paying us less.

They market our job positions as part-time and cap our available hours at 35 per week, with the understanding that many of us will clock in to second jobs after the night shift ends.

All the while, warehouse workers perform critical labor for small and large local businesses.

Without package handlers and drivers, a small fraction.

So every morning before local establishments open their doors, products they use and sell pass through our hands.

As somebody who hopes to live in the city after I graduate, it's really discouraging to have to struggle for a dignified wage and working conditions.

Of course, the city government cannot directly influence the business of a facility operating outside of city limits, but there are measures that you can implement to improve our situation.

Right now, workers at Erie 165 fear similar intimidation, punishment, and retribution that discourages our right to organize as protected by federal law.

Passing a similar ordinance affirming the right of workers in the city to organize according to existing federal protections is crucial for a couple of reasons.

First, it would send a message to the big corporations that come into Erie with the hubris to mistreat employees without fear of consequences.

Second, it would instill confidence in working people in the city to do better for themselves and to uplift their co-workers and communities in the process.

In doing so, you can help us to help ourselves.

So, council members, I appreciate your consideration on this matter.

And I hope that we can make Erie an affordable city for the working people who live in the city and who love Erie.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Hi everyone.

I wanted to talk real quick.

But uh in particular, I wanted to talk about ECCM real quick.

Um expert, expert community care management.

Although depending on the website, it could also be Erie County Care Management.

But anyway.

But I did want to speak on some uh some anecdotes that just kind of made me a little bit concerned too that there might be something, you know, some things that we should like look at.

I know it's probably limited in what we can actually do at this level, but I just kind of want to to kind of call attention to it, I guess.

Um so some folks um have talked about how whenever they go uh go to ECCM and try to get into the coordinated entry uh service, um there are times when ECCM doesn't know which of their providers that they're working with are actually like actually have beds or which ones are you know, or or if they're at capacity.

Um another uh story in which uh in which a person who uh was they were eligible for shelter, um, but it turned out that the shelter that they were hooked up with was not with the it was quite a ways away from them and they didn't have reliable transportation, and as you know, um a lot of our roads unfortunately just aren't safely walkable.

Um and then also I've talked talked with some folks who had to kind of do do some digging to even find out that this is how they apply for resources uh for housing resources in in Erie.

Um so uh basically I just wanted to see kind of take just take inventory of ECCM's capacity to meet the housing needs of our community, uh, especially with um and a lot of the uh federal cuts too.

I know that that's that's a big part of it.

Uh I wanted to see like could we look into possibly what is the usual workload for the supports coordinators, what is their usual pay?

This might be something that I could actually look up, but I'm sorry I kind of half-assed us just a little bit.

Um but um also uh do they get adequate training?

Do they feel that they're actually prepared for it?

Because some folks uh that I've talked with felt like the the people that, while they were well-intentioned, they felt like maybe they didn't know about some of the resources that were you know that were available to them.

Um also uh can we look at the communications process uh between ECCM and the providers that they work with to see how you know how how readily transparent both parties are with uh with like what beds are available and and that kind of thing, or what or what's budgeted for uh for like rental assistance and that kind of thing.

And then also and then ultimately, how can we uh how can we build kind of bolster their that capacity to help folks in the community to uh get the housing resources that they need, uh especially proactive housing first uh resources.

All right.

Thanks.

Thank you.

Abdullah Washington, the Erie Pennsylvania.

I'm really proud of a lot of the change that we've seen on the surface with uh with our government very recently.

Um I'm way into politics.

I worked with a lot of people who are at some level in position now.

I think I can speak for several people here about the positive changes we've seen.

With that, I know that Daria and any of these people on council don't have a magic wand to solve uh Erie's problems.

But I do believe uh that there's some amount of commitment in this room.

And uh I had the pleasure of working for the Heinz Endowment a few years ago before COVID, and uh I got to speak to one of their directors.

And uh you know, I was telling him about how proud everybody was uh for Allegheny County because of all the excellent firms they had, like uh Google and all these other projects they had going, and he said, Well, you know, that's great to hear, but what most people don't understand is once you get up to about 40% of your property being nonprofit, as a city, there's very little you can do.

So it's great to have these wonderful toys and instruments, uh, but the only way forward is to make sure that we're implementing a lot of these ideas that have been brought up tonight.

Uh I want to I want to respectfully mention Andre Horton's consistent uh and his brother Gary's where they're known for talking about community uh community uh benefit agreements, and I think that is certainly something that we want to inject in every conversation that we have.

We need to find, it's critical that we find partners who are not trying to get sweet deals like at one and a half million dollars to uh to do some changes at the library, and we are told that that's a small investment, only to find out that is the lion's share of the investment on the deal.

We need partners that want to help us and understand what they're investing in.

We need to bring people to the table who see our young populations who wants to stay here, people who see these wonderful waters and the port around us, the fabulous peninsula, the beautiful sunrises and sunsets, they see, they see our multicultural communities from all around the world that bring their own unique flavor and ability to our to our environment here who see all these things and they want to raise us, they see our benefits, and they want to help expand what's beautiful here.

We know these are tough times, and every every community is being stressed by the economy and whatnot, but we need to find people and bring people to the table and cut deals with people who literally understand there has to be something in it for the people of Erie.

You know, if you have if you have a beautiful car, you know it's beautiful, you'll take care of it.

Erie is more than a beautiful car, and I I appreciate everybody who wants to put something in who's participating, but we have to see our own beauty, and we have to reward it with partners that want to raise us.

Thank you.

Hi, Cindy Triver, born and bred in Erie, now live in Edinburgh.

Um, I wanted to come and talk about something that there's a group of us who've been talking about this since July.

Um we need a police community partnership board, whatever verbiage we want to call this.

Um, regardless of how many people have come into these rooms and spoken with people of power for how many years, eight, ten years.

I know Mr.

Keys has been speaking about this forever.

Um it seems that the idea of this police community partnership and any progress towards finding it never moves forward.

There's always something.

And I've spoken about the five different things that civilians are looking for in their community policing, and the five different things the police are are looking for in their policing, and they're the same.

So there really should not be a problem.

Um it's often feels that the police or the fraternal order of police are putting a significant amount of pushback in agreeing to these partnerships.

Um to cooperate with guidelines, even to at the bare minimum sit down and have conversations.

I personally can tell you that I have been filing right to no requests, like it's my job.

Um I had four county police departments who did not even respond to a right to no request, let alone the three emails, two phone calls, and plea to county council.

I will give credit to the Erie Police Department that they uh did actually respond, saying that they needed to check into the legality of the 21 pieces of information that are public information.

Um I want to thank them and encourage them to provide that information in a timely fashion, because there should be nothing to hide if there's nothing to hide.

Um I say this again, 52-year-old white woman coming from a law enforcement family.

If I am not feeling heard, nobody is going to feel heard from a community that is marginalized.

It's just not that's it's I mean, it's almost laughable.

It's almost laughable.

There is a theory that states um that when a person responds automatically with defensiveness, without even being questioned or asked the question, that they're often speaking in an unclean unconscious manner out of guilt or shame.

Um it's often called a premature defend defense, and it's a reaction to shame, guilt, or criticism.

The continued avoidance of the city, this county, and this state in the places of government and law enforcement circles is deflection at its finest.

It is the definition.

We come and we ask questions, we come and we ask for information, we come and we ask for a partnership, and it is automatically, well, we're not doing anything wrong.

Well, why would you say that?

Well, what do you want to do?

Well, how would you want us to act?

Well, how about we just talk?

And and if you're defensive, what why?

Why we're trying to have a partnership here?

Um, I know that we're there's very little chance of us getting a community police board that has subpoena power.

We live in Erie, I understand that.

But we've been working on this for eight, 10 years, and I don't want to stop with nothing because we're afraid of something.

Like we have to put something in place.

Ohio, Office of Criminal Justice Services, or they have accreditations for their police departments.

Either sheriff, municipality, local, even colleges, universities, uh departments.

Twenty-one departments now participating.

You have to, I'm sorry, you have to certify, you have to follow certain standards every several years, you have to apply to stay accredited.

It creates standards of administration and organization, professional standards and conducts, training, personnel standards, record and information management, use of force, law enforcement operations, unusual occurrences, property and evidence management.

Everybody is falling under the same rule.

This helps police officers.

So if, say if my husband was an active police officer and we had kids that wanted to go to college and state college, if this was a statewide accreditation process, he would be able to move to a new department and know that he would not have to do additional training because the training would be the same, the standards would be the same.

This also protects officers because they know what is expected of them, what the people who they're working next to are going to do, what they have been trained to do, and it protects the community.

Why can we not have everybody working under the same premise here?

Uh it's so confusing to me why we do this.

We have closed hand or hard hand or soft hands.

So you some places you can punch someone in the head, some places you can smack someone upside the face, some places you can put your knee on their neck, some places you can put your knee on their back of their.

Why?

We're dealing with human beings, regardless of where their head is, your fist, their back, your shoulder, whatever.

Um, just briefly, I want to I want to reference an analogy made by um Councilman Horton several years ago.

You talked about the rep, sorry.

I'm sorry.

Just make sure this is the wrap of the case.

This is this is yeah.

Um councilman Horton talked about Erie not being a speck of dust in the Whoville, right?

Um, that our inhabitants um are not microscopic inhabitants, and it should no longer rest on our shoulders to convince the wilderness that we exist, that our voice is important, that we need the communication, that we need the open dialogue.

It needs to happen.

This police needs this police partnership needs to be county-wide.

Please help us.

Thank you.

Good evening.

Traver Henderson, City of Erie.

I'm here for the affordability accountability.

Um, as stated, many people are facing the same issues.

Um, either working a job and can't afford to pay their bills, can't afford to pay their rent, electricity, gas, etc., let alone food.

I am still one of those.

Um we need not only more businesses to be established here and more jobs.

Yes, we need more jobs, but also we need more affordability for our rental.

It doesn't matter if you're in regular residential, public housing, section eight.

Why cannot this city build more shelters for the homeless?

Why is there not shelters for women and children?

Another separate housing for men and children, another shelter for families, let alone that.

And again, why do these landlords get to choose what they get to have us pay?

I've looked at several apartments online, and I kid you not, they said three to four times your income.

But nobody here is making three to four times your income unless you're making over 25 to 40 dollars.

Now, how is you or me or a person that post explain to a landlord?

Oh no, I make $13 an hour full time, but it's only one income coming to the house.

They're gonna look at me and say, No, you cannot live here, you don't make enough money.

And again, I live in public housing and I still can't afford to live there.

It's not it's not fair to the public people, it's not fair to the people in residential areas, and it's not fair to anybody, even if you guys are struggling, it's not fair.

There should be a way of communication with these landlords.

Somebody need to bring all of them to the table, have a sit down, have a meeting with them.

Why are you charging the people 1200, 1100?

I've even seen 2500 for a two and three bedroom.

And I get it, I understand they have to pay personal property tax, personal property tax, it is substantial.

I get that.

But again, that shouldn't be at our risk.

It shouldn't, and it's not fair.

The wages here is not enough for the individual to afford.

Why is a one bedroom 1100, 850, 900, 950?

It's it's not lethal.

It's not it's not good enough.

I don't understand.

And how could they?

All they see is money, money, money, money, money.

And I understand they got bills to pay, we got bills to pay.

But until the wages increase in this city for the people, then maybe somebody could afford 900.

Maybe somebody could afford 1100.

But with the wages that's being subs here for us for the people, it's not nearly enough.

It is not nearly enough.

And um, and I understand and I know why people work two and three jobs just to get by, and shouldn't nobody have to work to die.

And that's what we're doing.

Working not just to pay our bills, we are working to die.

And where is our money going?

Where's our money going?

If I have to pay you 900, 1100, 1200 to reside in an apartment, I want to know where is my money going.

If something breaks down, something you know needs to be fixed, is it going to be fixed?

We have to worry about that now before we even make a move to go anywhere.

But nobody, again, is nobody's listening.

Bring these realtors to the forefront, have it sit down, have a communications table, and ask them why are they paying, making people pay the rent that they're paying?

And I don't want to hear about oh, it's the property tax.

No.

And I understand property tax.

It is a lot, but it's only yearly.

I'm paying you monthly, but you're paying yearly.

It should be some leeway for us people to be able to afford where we live and not have to choose between rent and food.

And that's all I'm asking is you can bring these people to the forefront and ask them and tell them you can't charge these people that you guys need to make that established to them.

They cannot do this anymore.

Anything over 900 isn't ethical.

It really is, and it needs to be put to a stop.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Hello, my name is Chardonnell Shepard.

Um, I live, I lived on the Lower East Side.

Um, a couple weeks ago, I was here and I told you my story about the mice, and I decided to move.

Um, I talked to my uncle, my oldest uncle, my mom's brother, and I said, Listen, you don't visit me anymore, I never see you.

He said, Because you have a mouse problem.

And the house stinks because your bathroom, your toilet doesn't work, and I just don't come see you anymore.

So, how heartbreaking is that?

I cannot even see my family because my property is in such bad condition, they don't want to visit me.

So I told my landlord I was moving out, and she said, um, I don't understand why.

I'm gonna sue you for the money you owe me because you moving out.

And I mean, I had cold enforcement out there and everything.

I got a back porch that's caving in, and none of my sings work.

They don't drain, I can't do dishes, I can't take a shower, I can't use the bathroom, and I have a mouse problem.

So she has no idea why I'm moving out.

Why would I not be happy with that?

So listen, council, we have to bring these landlords to justice.

It is not fair to make somebody pay you rent and stay in a house like that.

And I said, you haven't fixed anything.

And you know what she said to me?

This is my house.

I don't have to fix nothing if I don't want to.

So I said, Well, I'm not living here.

I mean, and I my question to you is today, I think that when I do move out, she's gonna take that sign off the window and put it for rent sign right back in that window and start renting out again and not fix anything.

So I mean, there's gotta be some way to stop these landlords from not fixing the property and forcing people to live there.

She's talking about suing me, and I I got a mouse problem.

I had to move in the spur of the moment because my house was in such bad condition.

So I mean, I don't know.

Is there any solution to that?

I mean, she she expects me to pay her rent this month.

I said, Listen, I'ma be out by the 15th.

I'm I don't owe you rent.

I gotta read a sticker on the house.

She said, Well, I'ma sue you.

You owe me for last month and this month, and then you broke the lease, so you owe me another $1,600 plus that.

So I'm like, what?

I couldn't even stay there for the last two months, and I have asthma.

I was in a hospital, I had three emissions and was in intensive care and did not know why.

It's because people with asthma cannot be around mice droppings.

And I didn't know that.

I didn't even know.

Like Jim said, you don't even know you have a mouse problem.

You just wake up one day and it's mice everywhere.

They don't come out until fall, and you know, I knew I was catching 10, 15 mice on one trap, and when I notify her, she would swear at me and tell me, no, I'm not getting a blank and exterminator.

Well, why not?

So, I mean, there's gotta be some way to stop these landlords from renting people places in shape like this.

It has to.

So, thank you, and please fix it.

Thank you.

Hello, my name is Tracy Alley.

I live in Erie, and almost in the same uh kind of uh condition that she was stating.

I have roaches, and I had holes in my walls and rust and mold and stuff, and I just don't think that tenants need to be living in a house where there's mold, um bug infestations, um even lead paint, that type of stuff going on because that messes for people's health, and how can a person stay in a building that is not proper properly um you know managed and everything, but they would want you to pay rent and everything for these apartments, but they're not living in and living conditions, and I don't I don't think nobody should have to go through that.

And I've been through it with my landlord um talking really rude to me and cursing and telling me he ain't gonna do this, and I'm like, Well, how is that?

And I'm writing from you.

You know, I don't think even for other people that they should have to go through that with a rude landlord that don't want to fix nothing, but it's your property.

So why wouldn't you want to fix it?

It's your job to make sure your apartment or whatever your property is up to code, and some of these apartments are not up to code.

People have been getting sick, uh, sent to the hospital, and their health is is failing because they're living in poor conditions, and I think they need to be held accountable, uh, maybe lose their landlord license, something.

They need to lose their license.

It doesn't matter what state they go to.

Pictures, faces need to be posted so people know not to rent uh from these people.

That's all I have to say.

Thank you.

Michael Keys at Erie, Pennsylvania.

I hope everyone here is appalled as I am of what we've heard today.

It is absolutely terrible that people live under these conditions.

There's a proverb that says, whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their maker.

But whoever is kind to the needy honors God.

And so I say that to say that the people who are landlords should understand, according to my belief that you're gonna have to give accountability for what you do one way or another someday in this life or in the next.

And they should be cognizant and aware of that fact.

Solutions.

But I can tell you that we are lighting houses every week, we are condemning houses every week, we are tearing down houses every month.

And we all know that these houses go through a process, but it seems like we have people living in places that are worse than the places that we are tearing down.

Exactly.

How terrible is that you know we need to find a way to fix some of our housing in this town.

You know, uh, it said that we don't have the right type of housing for the people we want to live here, but we shouldn't be as worried about building houses for people who might come and restore the housing that we have for the people who already live here.

When I was on council, we gave the redevelopment 14.4 million dollars, I believe, who were supposed to handle part of this task, but now all they have is money for lead abatement.

But I am asking the mayor that the City of Erie redevelopment gave the county redevelopment five million dollars, and I want to know what's the status of that five million dollars.

It violated our contract with that organization, and I'm asking you to ask for that money to be returned to the city coffers so that we have something to work with.

They say you can't build houses brick without straw, so we need that back in our coffers, and we need, and I believe you'll have your people working full time to help get other streams of revenue into this town so that we can build the type of housing not just for the people who may come, but that we can prop up the housing for the people who are already here, that nobody has to live in a detestable, deplorable situation.

Thank you.

Thank you.

I'll try to make this brief.

I am gonna kind of jump around a little bit though.

Uh, just back on to the bikes and the walking and all of that.

One of the biggest things that we need to do in the city is to actually readdress how drivers approach pedestrians and bikers.

So, yes, those accidents, all of those things, all those statistics were brought up, but if we're going to have uh better pedestrian life and the bicycles, we really need to make sure the drivers readdress how to actually stop at a uh stop sign, stop at the walkways, because even when I was coming in today, um I was at the pedestrian walkway, I had the pedestrian light to walk, and somebody was blocking the crosswalk.

It happens, I get that, but my point is we need to make sure that the drivers understand that it's a pedestrian right-away, and that's how we're going to protect the pedestrians and the bikers before we even get out there.

So, just want to make that point.

Um also wanted to make a quick point on the public development developer model.

Uh, Emerson brought it up earlier.

You know, there's a lot more control that we have about the types of development, how that could actually work as a co-op, and also the money that would stay in the city, um, which takes me to my next point.

I really would like to see the city of Erie readdress our taxpaying dollars in those positions for city employees, and how we are actually allowing our tax dollars to go buy houses in Mill Creek and all of that because our teachers, our firefighters, our police officers are not required to live in the district anymore.

I know they used to.

I know my uncle was a city police officer, he was then also a chief of police, and he was not allowed to live outside of the city limits.

He had no problem with that because you then become part of your community.

You know the person down the street.

When teachers are seeing their students right down the block from them, they understand what the community goes through, and it's just going to build a better community for us.

Plus, that money that we're paying for, the wages for the health care for all of that stays in our community then.

They're buying a house and paying taxes right with me.

Um, so I just want to make that point.

And last thing, so I met Miss Charnell and we connected.

Um, I actually did help her last week to get some of her things out of her house.

She had amazing help from some other people to get the bigger items out of the house.

And I went over, and as soon as I walked in the door, it hits you.

You can smell the mice, you can smell the rot.

Um, nobody should ever live like that.

Um I was helping her, I wrote down a few of the things that needed repairs that I don't know how anybody who actually is paying rent could ever live there, be allowed to pay rent.

Like how could the landlord still have any kind of license when there are broken gutters, they are falling down.

Um, it was actually raining that day, and the water was like pouring off of us onto the stairs, which brought up the next issue, which was there were missing railings, and the other railing is broken.

And if you see Miss Charnell, you know that she's got a little bit of an issue with her walking, and that was not helping to be walking down wet stairs outside water on you and broken railings.

Um there's also broken and missing windows, not only just the one in the back room of the house, but also in the basement where the actual uh exhaust would go for a dryer, completely open to the outside.

Um there's a big open space on the side of it, the window is broken out in the garage.

She never even used the garage, but between the vermin that could have been inside of that, or potentially even, you know, a number of people have said it, homeless could have been living there the entire winter.

Um, it would have been a great shelter, but it's not safe.

Um the plumbing issues, yeah, she is right.

She did not have a single sink.

I went to wash my hands at one point and had to use a bucket in the sink in the bathroom and dump it into the toilet just so I could wash my hands.

Um holes in the tub.

She didn't even have a spigot for the tub itself.

Um sorry, that's it.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Hi.

Hi, Julie Hurt.

Um, I live in Mill Creek.

Fortunately, I bought a house 25 years ago, so rent is not an issue.

Um, just sitting here, I did some quick math.

They were saying that you have to have three times your rent to get an apartment.

So an 1,100 apartment, you would need to make $3,300 a month, which equals one full-time and one half-time job at $15 an hour, which is a questionable wage in Erie.

Um so I'd like to just address some points on affordability and quality of life in Erie.

First off, Miss Shernell is not the only one that has a mouse problem.

It would appear that the entire lower east and west side has an issue.

And one of the issues that struck me is that the food bank has lost 25% of their funding in state and federal.

And because of state and federal funding, they're expecting I think a 66% increase in what they will have to put out, which is amazing that they're even trying to do that.

The other issue that that brings up is the Erie Housing Authority banning food gardens at a time when the food bank is having difficulty feeding people, and people are having difficulty buying food.

This is a rodent problem for the city.

I feel like the city needs to do something for these people living in these areas because it's untenable.

We need to build an infrastructure for people who live here and stop trying to attract the people that we would like to have.

People live here, they pay taxes, they work in this city, they deserve decent housing.

Brings an attention.

Some of these landlords is appalling.

Why is the city not routing out these bad landlords?

Telling them that they can't rent these places.

Miss Charnell's place.

I can see this woman trying to rent it out again.

And that's sin.

That is absolute sin.

Um we need to come up with a rent formula that's fair and maybe um rent control.

We need a rent, a tenants right board.

And I would like to just bring this back to Miss Sharnell, who I asked permission to speak on.

When I met Miss Shernell, she had been released from the hospital for the third time because she was so sick living in her apartment, and she was in tears, and she looked unhealthy.

I've seen her several times during this battle to try and find a place.

My understanding is it's substantially more expensive, but it's very nice.

This is how people should live in Erie.

The fact that they're not is a sin.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Hello, Marty Wachuku, resident of Erie.

I am here to speak on the affordability crisis as well as housing.

Umtimes I feel like you're obligated to say that there are good landlords in spite of there being so many negative stories across the city, but I actually want to celebrate.

I met I'm gonna call him Landlord Mike out in the lobby.

I hadn't met him before, and he was up here earlier to talk about a situation or a crisis he has with some person in the community targeting him.

He showed me his leases.

He's charging for two bedrooms, 400 something dollars, 500 something dollars, uh 600 something dollars.

And he came up to me before we went into the chambers here and said, I'm afraid that you uh you know people might feel a certain way about me.

And I went to say that and I said to him, No, you are to be celebrated.

Long-term tenants, people have lived with him for 10 to 12 years, he's paid asking them 400, 600, 500 to treat Miss Treva's point, not being able to afford uh living in public housing.

Where is all this money going?

Why are they charging so much?

I think as a community and as a city, we need to set a standard of what is affordable and what's not.

What does a starter apartment look like?

How much of that costs?

What does a median income apartment look like?

How much that does that cost?

How many uh starter mid income and a luxury apartment should we be zoning for in this community?

Erie is a very poor community.

We need to prioritize affordable housing over luxury market rate housing.

And the housing crisis, a lot of people spoke to it.

It speaks to the affordability crisis, utilities are expensive, gas is expensive, and on the national stage, we're about to hit an economic crisis that many of myself included have never witnessed before.

What is the city going to do to support the people who are here to survive that?

So we've organized ourselves as a community and we'll continue coming back to talk about what we're going through and wanting to work with you and celebrate uh Mayor Daria having the study session last week about overhauling the inspection and licensing program.

I think that's gonna be a really big thing.

But last night I heard you say it's gonna be the summer of literacy.

Let this be the year of housing.

Let's attack this aggressively.

Let's stabilize people's housing so that no matter what comes from the federal or international politics, we're gonna have our people set here.

And let's use landlord Mike as the example.

Red should start at five two hot two bedrooms for 100 something.

That's reasonable in our market where people are making working two to three jobs for 14 an hour, they don't have insurance, people are struggling and drowning.

So there's gonna be a group of us who go to Harrisburg to continue to advocate uh for the cost of living crisis to be addressed.

Uh I want to know that you all as council and the mayor.

I know Mayor Dar, you're doing a really great effort of trying to work with the different entities in the departments across the city to communicate better.

What does that look like with the state delegation?

I know the city is broke.

The people in the city are broke.

Of course the government is broke.

How what kind of money are we getting from the state?

Are we being aggressive about getting that money for the state?

They should be paving our roads, they should be paying paying for uh vermin extermination program.

They should be paying for the homeowners to address their housing.

And then lastly, when it comes to community benefit agreements and making sure that development here in the city centers the people who exist here, not to be anti-progress, but let's plan for the people who are here.

When it comes to housing, sometimes people are just in a bit of crisis and they need transitional housing.

What would it look like for Scott Enterprises or Erie events to have a certain amount of time where they can house people in their vacant rooms?

I'm certain during the summer months, they're gonna be super busy.

But during the winter, what would it look like for us to have a partnership between the city or the county to house people who need emergency crisis housing like Miss Charnell?

She was in a situation where she was living in a terrible situation and she had to manage it until she finally found clean housing.

There's a lot of people like that in the city.

If they have power, if they have resources, we should be asking them to give back.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Uh Carlos Mora, I live in the county, but I spend 90% of my time in the city.

Uh actually on the same team as Maria, I would like to to celebrate what needs to be celebrated.

I would like to celebrate here city council, Mayor Daria.

At some points, I'd be like, this is going on and on, and you guys have been here taking notes, hearing everything, and this is how we build civic society by us taking in account to each other, by listening to us, having and by coming together as a community.

We just heard from probably the most vulnerable population in our city that Mari and myself and many individuals have been weeks, if not months, trying to convince them, trying to organize them to be to be brave enough to come here to this point.

We heard from them, we heard about from individuals who have been organized for a long time, such as Emerson, such as Henry, such as Eric, such an amazing group of people.

And all I want to say is that yes, we don't have the answers for all these, and many of the things that we're asking you by all means is not within your jurisdiction because of state, local levels, budgets.

I understand that.

But I want to celebrate that you guys are taking that willingness to listen to us because for them, for many of these individuals, this is the first opportunity that they ever have to address the government to feel heard, to feel seen.

And this is just the beginning.

As a community organizer, and with Marian with many other amazing folks in the community, this is what we do.

We're trying to empower the next generation of leaders.

And we're gonna take this fight to Harrisburg.

And I understand that I would like to create this partnership because there are so many things that we don't know that you guys are struggling.

There are so many levels of bureaucracy.

I see it from the outside.

But I just want to celebrate that you guys are taking the willingness to hear from us, and we are not gonna stop because this is what creates civil society, and this is what's wrong with the country right now.

I was able to count at some point, we have 60 people in this room having debates, having conversations.

I think that's something to be celebrated because we're living in such broken times.

We are not talking to each other.

So I think what we were able to accomplish here today over the past four or five hours, that's just a beginning of a bigger scale that we want to bring.

So I really hope that you guys continue to do this.

We are gonna continue to do this work, and let's work together.

Let's collaborate.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Hello again, Sydney's a merman from the city of Erie.

So lots has been said.

I'm gonna um continue the celebrations in gratitude.

I am grateful not only for the 60 or so people who showed up tonight and participated in the way that they felt comfortable, but I want to thank council.

You guys pushed back.

You asked questions, you held um the Erie Events Authority to account, and you represented the people who were here asking for your help by giving their comment.

So thank you so very much for standing up for us.

We haven't always had um uh representatives who stand up for us.

Uh my big concern again is the Bayfront.

You know, we gave away the farm, in my opinion, a long time ago.

Andre, you're nodding, you know.

Um we opened up LERTA to the Bayfront.

We gave tax breaks to people who don't need them.

The Scots are the last people in this city who need them.

And yet, in 2020 in 2024, the state gave the Scots or offered the Scots $750,000.

The Scots said, we wanted seven million.

That's too that's too little.

They even contemplated, I'm not sure if they followed through with this, but they complicated compliment calm contemplated, giving it back to the state because it was so little to them.

Uh in 2026, this past year, they got that 7.6 million from the state.

On top of they have at least three loans out from the city of Erie, low interest loans.

They do not need low interest loans.

Give them a high interest rate.

If we can't tax them on the property that's on the bay front, and then we're giving them more and more.

And in one of the articles, uh Scott stated that you know, even though they only get to enjoy six months of the bayfront, at least they got to do that at Oliver's and the beer garden.

The beer garden.

My brother used to work at the beer garden, okay?

So I'd visit him every now and then, and it was not long visits because it is a mess down there.

You know, they talked about wanting to make a family friendly environment.

That is not a family friendly environment, especially after the sun goes down.

I like the mini golf, but it's not for the kids.

So we need to start holding these.

I mean, I came here, I talked about you know, having our uh uh quality of life ticketing.

Why aren't we doing that, especially during the snowy months when we can you know charge people who can afford it the fee for not doing what they're supposed to be doing?

Now we have another opportunity to make sure that we get something back.

CBAs have been on the table for a long time.

10 years, Marty.

So why aren't we following through with this?

Especially when, you know, the um convention authority, they are working with Chris, right?

And Chris is even more money towards them, and they're talking about renovating the bay front, um, doing cultural entertainment district from 7th in French to 10th in French, where they and does anybody know whose business is over in that area?

Erie insurance.

Okay.

And so they want green space, they want a multi-use theater with 650 seats.

It's an intimate use for the playhouse.

Wait, we already have the playhouse.

What is this for?

Especially when you have stuff like The Warner, that they have wonderful programs.

I love the Erie Phil.

My mom gave me four tickets for Christmas because it's expensive.

People can't readily access it.

But they do great programs.

They have um lessons so that people that children especially can come in and learn an instrument.

But who is it accessible to?

You know, and I know there are people with big hearts who work over there.

I I'm friends with some of them, but big hearts, it doesn't matter if people don't have the money to come and enjoy the event.

And so if they're gonna be getting money from the state, if they're gonna get money from the city, and they say that they're putting on events and they're trying to make it better for our area, then why isn't it accessible to people who need to need this type of access, who live here, work here every day.

And you know what?

It does bother me that I don't believe all 11 members of the board were even here tonight to to hear out the community.

Um, I believe, is her name Ms.

White, the chair woman, she was here.

Um I didn't even see Long Key though, and he's uh like a civilian kind of member to the board, non vote voting.

You know, those people, they need to be involved in these processes.

And I don't understand why we're not.

I mean, I came here tonight because Emerson was like, hey, you want to come?

I'm I'm presenting something.

I was like, hey, yeah, I forgot it was today, I have time.

Perfect.

Had no idea um about this presentation.

I used to do canvassing for a living.

I love knocking doors.

I love getting out there, talking to people, seeing what's interesting to them, seeing what problems they're facing.

I can't for the life of me understand why we don't have some type of volunteer something, something with the city government to get out there and talk to people about things like this.

We need to be more creative, y'all.

But thank you so much for all that you're doing.

Thank you.

Reditze City of Erie.

I guess I'm not going to get home in time to have my first Maria's ice cream cone of the season.

She closes at nine.

So I do want to tell people, because there were so many people here today who talked about being having disabilities.

The mayor's round table used to meet monthly, and they used to meet in person at the intermodal, but now they meet quarterly online, and tomorrow is the meeting, it's at 2 p.m.

Um, so if you want to get the zoom link to go, you should call Mossala at 814 870111, which is the same as the response line, and tell them you want to go to the disability round table and would like the zoom link.

There needs to be more customers, disability customers participating in the round table and not just agency types.

So I encourage some of you to show up and talk about the issues, the homelessness problems, um, accessibility problems.

Um I want to say that the Erie County Redevelopment Authority is chronically mismanaging the sidewalk access for the EMA EMI project.

Cherry Street between 12th and the um overpass, they have they have no respect for pedestrians.

They put up the barriers, sometimes the ones without the lower bar, and they have those uh sandbag things to stabilize the fences, and they take up what little sidewalk there is there.

Um today they left the genie machine in place, blocking the sidewalk overnight.

I'll bet they'll do it over the weekend too.

And um, I don't know how long the sidewalk on West 12th Street has been closed, but we do have a 120-day limit in the city.

Neither Gannon nor Erie Insurance nor this project is ever held accountable to it, but um they are mismanaging that project.

Um businesses, I will say it again, they are parking free in Bra Braybender Park.

The businesses across the street get the park free because they made some kind of deal with the last director of public works, and now the contractor for national fuel is also using Bray Brender Park parking lot for their projects.

They got big piles of of dirt there and a bunch of machines, and it's almost softball season, so what's going on with our park?

Maybe the businesses can pay to pave the sidewalk alongside the park there if they're gonna get free parking.

Um I would love to see a curb ramp at the northwest corner of Burst and 23rd.

All the other corners were done like five years ago, and um there's a lot of us in the neighborhood that could sure use that curb ramp, including the adult home and um people who use um mobility devices.

I attended the um zoning hearing board meeting, and one problem I have is I feel like the solicitor was maybe going overboard, being helpful to the project proponent, and maybe making suggestions.

It seemed to me like that didn't need to be made.

So I want to be sure that that we're not going overboard to advocate for the developers.

They got their fancy lawyers, they don't need that.

It's city event time, and I would sure like to see us um have the sustainable packaging that anybody who is a vendor at our celebrate Erie and our Ribfest and all the others are having sustainable packaging, not clamshells, not styrofoam.

Those packaging are available.

If you buy anything at uh Urban Honey Bakery or any number of places, they're using that kind of packaging.

Also, there should be the city should work with the water authority and get a quench buggy or something like that to have so that there could be refillable water bottle filling stations, not just the one water fountain, which by the way, it's time to turn it back on.

It's still covered up, it should be turned back on.

Umce I will not be at the April 30th meeting, because I bought a ticket a long time ago.

There's too much lighting on the Marriott.

The lighting should not be all the way around the building, reduce the glass or incorporated bird safe glass.

There should not be an continuous overhang because it sends a bad message to pedestrians, and it should not be an overhyped building.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Anyone else for public comment?

Anyone else for public comment?

Anyone else for public comment?

Okay.

This will go on to the next section.

Ordinances for final passage.

Council file 1660.

Official ordinance number 21 2026.

An ordinance appropriating the sum of 120,000 from unappropriated and unanticipated revenue for the expenditure thereof for the purchase of three code enforcement vehicles and related equipment through the PA department of community and economic development grant number C0096521.

The council file ordinance bill number 16600 and now known as official file ordinance number 2126 be finally passed by the city council.

Councilmember Flores?

Yes.

Horton?

Yes.

Hole?

Yes.

Titus?

Yes.

City Council pass official file ordinance number 21 2026.

Finally by YAS 5 nays zero.

Four zero.

Four.

I'm sorry, four zero.

Thank you.

Council file 16601, official file ordinance 22, 2026.

An ordinance appropriating sum of $5 million from unappropriated and unanticipated revenue for the expenditure thereof.

Funds were received from the Erie Sewer Authority Bond Redemption and Improvement Fund Account for Wastewater Treatment Plant Disinfection Systems Improvement Project.

Sponsored by Councilmember Horton, seconded by Councilmember Titus.

The Council file ordinance bill number 16601 and now known as official file ordinance 22 2026 be finally passed by city council.

Councilmember Flores?

Yes.

Horton?

Yes.

Hole?

Yes.

And Titus.

Yes.

City Council pass official file ordinance 22-2026 finally by YA's for NASZero.

Council file 16602, official file ordinance number 23 2026.

An ordinance appropriating the sum of $350,000 from unappropriated and unanticipated.

I'm sorry, from unappropriated and anticipated revenue to provide for the expenditure thereof for the construction phase of Erie Loop Bikeway Friend Street Project.

Sponsored by Councilmember Horton.

Seconded by Councilmember Flores.

The Council file bill number 16602, and now known as official file ordinance 232026.

We finally passed by City Council.

Councilmember Flores.

Yes.

Horton?

Yes.

Hole?

Yes.

And Titus.

Yes.

City Council pass official file ordinance 23 2026 by YAS for NAS Zero.

Ordinances for first reading.

Council file 16603, an ordinance appropriating the sum of $16,136.55s from appropriated and anticipated revenue from the Office of the State Fire Commissioner's grant for firefighters protective equipment.

Councilmember Flores, yes, Horton, yes, poll and Titus.

Yes, Council Redden adopt council file ordinance number 16603 on first reading by Yaze for Nay Zero Council file 16604, an ordinance appropriating the sum of $2,150 from unappropriated and unanticipated revenue for the expenditure thereof for a contribution from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania FY2025 certified local government grant acting through the Pennsylvania Historical Museum Commission.

Sponsored by Councilmember Flores, seconded by Council Member Poll.

The council file ordinance number 16604 having been read is hereby adopted on first reading by City Council.

Councilmember Flores?

Yes.

Horton?

Yes.

Yes.

And Titus.

Yes.

City Council Redden adopt council file ordinance number 16604 by Yaze for Nay's Zero.

Council President, this takes us to new business.

I would call for a motion from councilman to move the balance.

Motion.

Second.

Any separations?

No.

Okay.

Voting on moving the bound the balance.

Who is the first?

I'm sorry.

Doesn't matter who's the second at this point.

Okay.

Councilmember Flores.

Yes, sorry.

Look, we're dead.

Like Horton.

Yeah.

Poll.

Yes.

And Titus.

Yes.

That takes us to committee reports.

Okay.

We'll go ahead and start with our Council Poll.

Just short.

Home opener for the Seawolves.

It was very exciting.

To see everybody out and have the mayor and throw the first pitch.

Very exciting.

She did a wonderful job.

Some smoke.

The study session for the code enforcement, as we've heard from a lot of people tonight, we need changes.

And I think we're off to a great start.

And hopefully we can all get that together soon because not all.

And the ones that you know are just I hate to say in it for the money.