During December and January Kent City Council appointed committees to review traffic problems and the city charter.

At the Dec. 15 meeting, council approved the formation of a citizen’s advisory committee to study traffic problems at Kent State.

The commission will be chaired by service director David Merleno and will address traffic flow and construction problems relating to the university.

The commission will study traffic problems on Summit and Lincoln streets and the possibility of a parking deck at Terrace Hall.

The panel also will study the possibility of building a multi-modal facility on Lincoln Street. A parking lot, bus station and facility for bicycles will be included in the multimodal facility, Merleno said.

The creation of the committee was the university’s idea, Merleno said, and it shows that the university is willing to work with the community.

“Kent State University has a need to address traffic issues, and they had a desire to consider the impact to the community,” he said. “It’s great that Kent State wants to work harmoniously with the community and maintain a good relationship with the community.”

Interim City Manager William Lilich said it will take about a year for the panel to do its work.

Interviews for the commission’s panel were Jan. 12, and appointments will be announced at tomorrow’s council meeting. There will be two representatives from Kent State on the panel.

At the Jan. 5 meeting, council appointed members of the Charter Review Commission. A charter commission is appointed every 10 years, and the goal of the commission is to review the entire Kent City Charter and recommend revisions.

There are 15 members of the committee and five alternates. Commission members were chosen by Mayor John Fender and the other members of council.

Contact news correspondent Amanda Garrett at [email protected].