January brings with it two certainties in Northeast Ohio: cold temperatures and the fact that the Browns will, yet again, not be in the Super Bowl. Both realities are bitter but at least with the cold temperatures, the outdoors can offer sport and the magic of a fresh snow-covered landscape.
Sticking with the topic of snow, you may notice that many of our Service Department trucks are now equipped with spray tanks as well as salt spreaders. Using an environmentally friendly, organic based product (Beet Heet) in combination with traditional brine (salt water), this new method of treating our roads in Kirtland helps to accomplish a few things. First, we are now able to effectively pre-treat our roads prior to snow events. Depending on the intensity of a given snow event, the pre-treatment helps keep the roads clear while our department workers travel from home and trucks are mobilized to our roadways. In a few instances of minor dustings of snow, each time, the pre-treatment has saved the city nearly half of a shift in costly man hours. Additionally, by spray treating the salt as it is spread, the material is activated quicker and allows it to work better at colder temperatures.
While Service, Fire, and Police brave the outdoor elements, those of us who have the good fortune to work inside continue to discern and plan for our 2022 budget cycle. As Finance closes out 2021, the earliest reports show that our approach to personnel and spending reductions over the last two years continue to bear fruit. In next month’s Chronicle publication, I look forward to sharing statistics that we can all celebrate as we roll out our 2022 budget.
To bring the 2022 budget to life, meetings with department heads are taking place and our conversations include personnel, capital, roads, and infrastructure needs. Our commitment is to continue providing the best services and safety to our residents while being ever mindful of their hard tax earned dollars.
A special thanks to Councilman Haymer for his hard work out of the gate as the new Utilities Committee chair on Council. Scott has quickly rolled up his sleeves to continue the conversation we began last spring related to potentially expanding broadband internet into and around our city. With the blessing of Council, we will be looking to have a broadband feasibility study done to gain a real understanding as to what the opportunities and costs might be to expand high speed and reliable internet services for both commercial and residential purposes.
In the coming weeks and months, we will also be discussing expanding opportunities to join with our community organizations and churches to create more events and service projects that we can all be proud of. Stay tuned and we look forward to your support.
In closing, I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and enjoy a safe and happy 2022.
Thank you,
Mayor Kevin Potter