Focus Shifts from Skate Park to Dogwood Shelter at North Canton City Council Meeting

It was just one month ago that and voiced his opinion on the safety — or lack of it — at Dogwood Park Skate Park.

And Monday night, council members heard more concerns about Dogwood Park. This time, those concerns came from resident Helen Harper* and focused on the Dogwood shelter, 241 7th St. NE.

“There’s a lot of things lacking in it, and I have it all written down,” Harper said.

She did, too. Harper rattled off malfunction after safety concern after inconvenience (the cupboards are just too tall) before council that night. At the top of her list, though, were the dead trees found around the shelter and throughout the park. Those trees and their limbs could fall and badly injure someone, she said.

Councilman Dan Peters agreed with Harper about some of her complaints.

“There are some big issues. The trees are the biggest one,” he said. “That is a serious concern.”

Harper, a poll worker who works inside the shelter, also mentioned the building doesn’t have enough outlets, it has no microwave or hot water, a fan on one stove doesn’t work, and it’s too cold inside.

Council Vice President Doug Foltz said he and City Administrator Michael Grimes had talked about updating the shelter’s outside but now will also take a look at the interior and see what they can do.

Grimes had said after last week's meeting that he was looking into updates for the Dogwood Park Skate Park and possibly tearing down the fencing, which has become rusty.

When Tripp spoke to council last month, his concerns centered on the skate park and an .

Occupancy tax grant credit

Council had its first reading on the the city will offer Suarez Corp. Industries, which manufactures appliances like the EdenPURE heaters and may be the next tenant to sign a lease for the Hoover building. The company president will announce this morning whether it will accept the credit and move into the building.

Mayor David Held urged other city officials and council members to be cautious about the wording they use when writing the tax credit legislation, as it likely will be used to entice other businesses to move into the Hoover building.

The building has more than 600 employees in it now and, with the addition of Suarez Corp. Industries, could jump to more than 800.

Council also:

• Heard from Plain Township residents who applauded council members' support of a moratorium on fracking (a form of horizontal drilling for natural gas that could endanger residents’ water). Council had heard from Plain Township Trustee Lou Giavasis last month about the dangers of fracking, and council later decided to support a moratorium until the Environmental Protection Agency could deem fracking safe.

• Heard from a resident who said welcoming Suarez Corp. Industries into the Hoover building is a poor decision. He said the company faces several lawsuits brought on by employees, sales representatives and others. He said instead of focusing on the Hoover District, the city should try to fill its empty shopping centers.

*Editor's Note: Helen Harper was misidentified in an earlier version of this story.