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Davey Tree parking lot hours extended

Whitney Gibson & Jessica Schmidt
January 17, 2013

City Council approved Wednesday the extension of public parking hours for Davey Tree parking lot, allowing downtown visitors to park there one hour earlier.

The 150-space lot located off S. Water Street behind Yogurt Vi is limited to employees only from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays instead of its previous times: 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Parking there is free anytime on the weekends.

”Parking in downtown is still an issue but we are working on improving it,” said Scott Flynn, council member-at-large.

Also at their meeting Wednesday evening, members approved Crooked River Adventures lease with John Brown Tannery Park. The contract, operated by the Kent State Recreation Center, is the same as it has been in past years, but the route for kayaking, tubing and canoeing may be different.

The current route passes right under the Redmond Bridge, which has wooden bridge piers that are rotted and are in need of replacement.

“We are still discussing when construction on the bridge will begin, but it is a possibility that Crooked River will need to relocate,” said Wayne A. Wilson, Ward 3 council member. Crooked River is opened after Memorial Day and runs until Labor Day.

State Representative Kathleen Clyde presented the Kent City Council with the 2012 Best Project in the State Award from the Ohio Economic Development Association at the Kent City Council meeting Wednesday. City Council was recognized for its expansion of downtown Kent that produced more than 950 construction jobs and 700 new jobs.

Flynn shared his thoughts on the extension of the Crooked River Adventures lease.

Video by Jessica Schmidt.

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