Written by the reviewer from the ASR + docket; [verbatim-ASR] = quoted machine transcript; [paraphrase] = reviewer's wording, not a quote.
0:00 Okay ready to rock and roll let's I'm gonna call to order the meeting of the
0:07 Public Works and Sustainability Committee for May 11th, 2026. All members
0:14 are present as is Councilman Bixenstein. First order of business is to consider
0:22 approving the minutes from the March 9, 2026 meeting. Is there a motion? So moved. To approve. Moved. Is there a
0:30 second? Motion has been made and seconded. Any discussion? Hearing none. All in favor
0:35 say aye. Aye. Opposed? And the ayes have it. Thank you. Our other item of business or
0:42 only other item of business is proposed ordinance 25-2026 to authorize
0:49 and direct the mayor to enter into an agreement with once again with Help
0:53 Foundation Incorporated for the operation of food concessions at Lakewood Park in
0:57 Madison Park. This was it's on second reading already and so we'd be in a
1:06 position to potentially report out to the full council favorably and then
1:13 have council adopt at the next meeting. It's a simple the ordinance itself is a
1:20 simple proposal to allow the mayor to execute the contract and then exhibit
1:28 A attached to the ordinance has the details of the contract and that's
1:33 what we wanted to review today. So without objection committee members
1:39 let's hear from the administration. Director Mahoney and director Vargo are
1:44 here and then of course the Help Foundation leader leadership is here as
1:48 well. Director Mahoney. So we put an RFP out that was a while ago and we had
1:59 two people that had submitted proposals help and one other vendor
2:06 and help was the successful winner of the bid I guess you'd say and that's
2:22 Yeah well what was the basis of the RFP was it like for a nonprofit
2:28 operator or it was not it was just general last year we had put we had
2:35 reopened the Madison concession and we had a for-profit operator in there that
2:42 Madison had been closed for a while that was a test run and we wanted to put
2:49 both together for this year and and so yeah we just took proposals and like I
2:59 said there was two people that then we had a meeting with myself Kurt Maté from
3:08 parks Michelle Nocta from planning I might be forgetting someone I think that
3:16 was it and we evaluated the proposals and help was a successful what were the
3:26 conditions or was just the completeness of the the proposal and just you know
3:35 also the experience that help has had you know at foster pool was and in
3:43 their mission those were the deciding factors. Yeah and I assume this person
3:52 Hi and you guys so I as a you know customer of the pool I think you guys
4:01 have done a good job of operating the concession facility there you know
4:07 what's kind of and I can read what is in the the permit and the lease seems
4:14 to be a lot of discretion of the mayor kind of like back and forth as
4:18 the hours and could you kind of explain your guys's philosophy and kind of like
4:24 what you'd like to provide what services like to provide absolutely so
4:27 help is a legacy provider in Cuyahoga County so we provide services to
4:32 adults and youth with disabilities and we provide the full scope of services
4:38 residential adult day vocational employment and transportation and so
4:43 this service it fall rolls up under our help harvest model which is
4:48 vocational services for individuals with disabilities and this will be our
4:53 eighth season under help operating foster pool and we're super excited and
4:58 grateful for the opportunity to operate Bex pool as well and this is going
5:03 this operates as a summer youth work experience site for individuals that we
5:08 serve its youth services we partner with opportunities for Ohioans with
5:14 disabilities to provide this service so it's local youth who are interested in
5:19 developing skills needed to work in the community someday so they're paid
5:24 it's paid training for them and again it's just to build those skills that
5:29 they need to eventually work in the community independently and what and is
5:35 it are both operations gonna be similar in the sense I think it's
5:38 like hot dog nachos exactly exactly so we'll have over the past two years we
5:46 partnered with Hershey's ice cream so we will have Hershey's ice cream will
5:50 have slushies hot dogs nachos pretzels candy bars were our biggest
5:55 seller last year but we sold over 3,500 hot dogs so yes those will
6:02 definitely be back absolutely and these spaces I assume there's no like
6:06 that hood it's kind of all rollers and exactly yeah we will have some help
6:11 harvest items that we produce in our kitchen here in Lakewood so there will
6:15 be some sandwiches wraps things like that but mostly yes we will have just
6:20 the warm food would be our nachos and our hot dogs yeah and I've is there
6:26 any this is almost me more as a community member like I've gotten the
6:30 turkey wrap and it was good but it's only available sometimes like what's
6:33 your he's got several thoughts about the mustard please I'm just curious as
6:40 to like from a community standpoint like can the community expect those
6:46 things to be there all the time or is it like certain schedules where they
6:49 well we just try to kind of base it on sales so if something's doing well
6:52 we will carry it regularly but if if something's just sitting and going to
6:56 waste we monitor that so it's just based on and sales like we at one
7:00 point had hummus bowls there and those just weren't selling so we stopped
7:04 offering them but if if something's selling like our chicken salad usually
7:08 does pretty well our turkey wraps do well we will carry those regularly
7:13 the next question and I apologize from not by the time the law department this
7:18 agreement looks a little different than the last one is that can you
7:22 explain the differences and kind of how we went away or how we approach
7:26 it differently? Councilman, I can't go through the specifics. Ms. Swallow handled
7:33 this but we started with the former help agreement I know that much so in
7:39 substance it should be the same there are a lot of terms that are in here
7:43 as standard that that usually do not come into play but it's based off the
7:55 former help agreement and I don't know how it differs specifically. Great well
8:01 I'm certainly willing to support this I know helps a great organization I you
8:06 and you guys are you guys in the Cleveland Foundation new building? We
8:09 are yeah so we operate Susanna's Cafe by help harvest so that is the
8:13 cafe so the full help harvest model starts in Euclid we have a
8:17 hydroponic greenhouse where individuals receive vocational training so they
8:23 grow seed harvest all the produce that is then brought here to Lakewood into the
8:27 help harvest kitchen again vocational paid training for individuals where
8:31 they prepare and package the food and then that food is then transferred
8:36 over to the cafe so they have that kind of full scope of learning and
8:40 they also train in our cafe selling money handling customer service skills
8:45 as well so yeah. Well you got my wife's an employee there and you get
8:49 a lot of our money. Oh fantastic thank you. So fully support this and I guess
8:55 from the city's perspective to we just a one year are we intending to go out
9:01 again next year do we have the option of the RFP to like just extend or
9:04 what's the thought there? We have the option to extend after this coming
9:10 season. A couple things but Mr. Evans wants to say one or two I think what
9:20 would be great directors would be to get help inks proposal that probably
9:27 has a lot of the answers to the questions that we might have here so
9:31 the helpful contract terms here define a lot of the relationship between the
9:39 city and the the lessee but I think I'll wait I'll hold my question till
9:48 after Councilman Evans but I think what we're in the spirit of Councilman
9:53 Baker's questions I agree with what we're asking is what will the
10:00 experience be for community members it's important thank you for doing it
10:03 thank you for being here. Mr. Evans. Thank you Mr. Chair yeah I just want
10:08 to say I you know I admire the mission of help I love the fact that we have
10:12 like will potentially have a mission-based provider for these jobs
10:17 and if anything I would like the city to amplify that message more find ways
10:22 to help tell your story and and how we're working together on this because
10:26 I think it's just a great collaboration so I'm very supportive
10:29 thanks. Thank you. Councilman Vickstein. Thank you Mr. Chair thank you for being here
10:37 and I echo those sentiments about having a mission-based effort here for
10:41 concessions I don't really have it's more just a comment but as someone
10:47 who's really familiar with Bexpool of Masson Park and really excited to have
10:50 have your organization have a home there one day that's gonna be a
10:55 little interesting is for about 20 Wednesdays this this summer there'll
11:02 be a farmers market yes we participate in that oh great yeah I really just
11:09 bring it up mostly because it the proximity to to the concessions and I
11:13 realize there's a there's a real opportunity here to complement one
11:16 another because you know the farmers market primarily produce and some you
11:22 know some higher end goods but not not really items that would interfere
11:27 with a concession stand so I foresee a scenario where folks enjoy the
11:31 farmers market and then come grab snacks over at your concessions as well
11:35 absolutely no we our first year participating in the North Union
11:39 farmers market was last year and it was such a wonderful experience for us
11:43 to be able to share our mission with the community but also have direct
11:48 sales of our produce into the community so it was a great
11:52 experience and we're looking forward to being able to be in both places so
11:56 glad to hear that thank you absolutely thank you a few more questions I had
12:05 some fun with Councilman Baker's question about the menu but I agree with
12:09 it so for the menu of course it makes sense to sell what sells are you
12:15 open to continued improvement expansion experimentation about what
12:18 might work because I remember we were keen on healthy options and and then
12:25 the word came back people weren't buying the healthy option that may be
12:30 because it's middle school kids who want licorice ropes and candy bars
12:33 but I do want them I just buy them less these days a little bit less so
12:42 you know within your discretion are you open to trying to continue to sell
12:48 new and different things without losing your shirt absolutely no
12:52 absolutely and we found honestly the the individuals who purchased our turkey
12:57 sandwiches and our chicken salad sandwiches were the lifeguards so they
13:00 were always very receptive and supportive of that so lifeguards and
13:04 the mothers of course but but yeah we we will continue as we have weekly
13:08 specials roll out at Susanna's Cafe by help harvest we will also try
13:13 them at the concessions as well okay that's great to hear thank you a
13:18 couple of quick other rapid-fire questions I guess I'll start with the
13:24 help questions so are you open to or considering serving the concert days
13:31 and the movie nights that are there off hours I think at one point we were
13:36 and then that got scaled back I would love to learn more about it
13:40 absolutely and we could definitely figure out a way I mean we're there
13:43 Monday through Sunday through Saturday 12 to 8 so if there's extended periods
13:49 based on just different events as long as we have the schedule in advance we
13:53 could definitely try to make that work okay the there's how many is there
14:00 six or ten Friday night family movies on the lawn and it would not be at
14:06 the I think at the time there was talk of a cart that could go
14:10 potentially over there so there's some logistics you consider I think it would
14:13 be great to look at that again and so that's there's Friday night and then
14:18 there's Sunday afternoon or early evening concerts kind of again in the
14:22 same neck of the woods at the park there's a band shell there and those
14:27 are programs that have a following for years and years and years and so
14:30 if there's you know it would be pleasant and it would be another
14:32 sales potential and really I think we're looking thinking of it as
14:36 service and continue to enhance that wonderful Lakewood Park how is the
14:41 experience at Madison Park gone to date or are we kind of playing the first
14:45 year I didn't hear that so last year I'm not quite sure how long it had sat
14:53 idle but I believe that the the and I can't think of their name but the
14:58 the company that had the the lease last summer was interested enough and
15:06 they were the ones that applied for this year so I'm assuming it ran okay we
15:10 didn't get any financials from them okay so it's help going to be staffing
15:15 Madison backs pool both we wanted to combine to have one operator so your
15:19 experience will be for the first time it backs this coming year exactly
15:24 okay this will be our first time thank you for clarifying that and then
15:26 hours oh you you kind of addressed that I think you said Sunday through
15:30 Saturday 8 to 12 so well they start at 12 pull open or excuse me that's when
15:37 open pull starts so we open our windows at 1 o'clock so they're prepping from
15:42 12 to 1 and then they're there opening open to 1 to 8 okay and then
15:47 also the windows also go to the playground side so that's important to
15:52 quite a big deal actually to be able to get you know somebody a snack if
15:57 all right and then for the city the amount of the contract what I don't see
16:07 that stated here I'm sure that's in an appropriations ordinance somewhere but
16:10 I don't recall it's zero just allowing them to to use the facility
16:15 they're responsible for the utilities and and all that it's just a zero cost
16:21 okay okay and is that sustainable from your perspective okay yeah we're also
16:29 responsible for any equipment that is used in the concession stand as well
16:33 okay so so far for your vocational employees has it been a good
16:38 experience yes it has yeah it's been it's been great experience for
16:42 individuals for sure so it's a good partnership in other words then we've
16:45 got a well-managed source of staffing and personnel and scheduling and
16:51 coordination that's a big administrative feat you're providing and then it's
16:57 separate from the city so that I think is a good partnership any other
17:00 questions council members mr. Baker yeah to your point if the finance
17:05 department of law could send the two proposals I think that'd be really
17:07 helpful but I'm comfortable favorably referring this out of committee I think
17:12 does a great job I think if we can get great services for the community and
17:18 then also help train folks job readiness compliant with the nonprofit
17:25 mission I think that's good and Councilman Bix design made an
17:28 excellent point let's let's I mean this is not law department or finance
17:35 department but I know the city is a communications officer I mean we could
17:38 feature the mission-based nature of help as a partner for quite some years
17:45 and in Lakewood Park now spending Madison Park you know that's that's a
17:50 good story to tell maybe it'll boost your sales too and all that kind of
17:54 stuff so thank you thank you mr. Vargo thank you mr. chair just
17:59 following up on council Baker's Councilman Baker's question the term
18:05 of this lease extends to April through April of 2027 but by its terms the
18:10 parties can negotiate an extension so this allows the parties to do this
18:16 outside of the bid we'll just renegotiate the cancellation rights for
18:21 both parties are very broad if one of the two entities are both decide to
18:28 terminate then we'll look to rebid but hopefully we continue with this
18:32 many-year relationship and I will tell you this is to your comments mr. chair
18:39 each year when the concession lease would be expiring help was very
18:46 astute in contacting the law department about renewal about meeting
18:51 deadlines so they're very energized to work with Lakewood and that's very
18:55 it's very good to know from a legal standpoint thank you excellent all
19:01 right well thank you so much like to entertain a motion to recommend I will
19:07 make a motion to favorably refer ordinance 2025 or 25 2026 to full
19:14 counsel second motion been made a second any discussion hearing none all
19:19 in favor say aye aye opposed the ayes have it thank you everybody
19:23 without objection we are adjourned thank you thank you everyone