State of the city: Mayor challenges Wooster to meet improvement goals in 2023

WOOSTER − With nearly nine months left in his term, Mayor Bob Breneman took to the podium at City Hall Tuesday evening to give his final state of the city address.

Breneman reflected on his 14-year tenure as Wooster's mayor and challenged the city to make 2023 a productive year.

"This is the last time I will have to share my thoughts and wants for the city with you," he told City Council and the few community members present for the speech.

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Breneman did not file for re-election to run in the upcoming May primary, leaving the position of mayor open to newcomers for the first time since 2008.

This May, voters will choose between President of Wooster City Council Mike Buytendyk and At-Large Councilman Bob Reynolds on the Republican ticket. There are no Democratic candidates for mayor, which means whoever wins the primary would have a clear path to the office in November.

Reflecting on 14 years as mayor on Wooster

In his roughly 14 years, Breneman has seen a lot of ups and downs, he told council. Mostly those have been ups.

Businesses like Daisy Brand and Meijer came to Wooster while others like the Wooster Brush Co. and Schaeffler not only stayed in the city but expanded their presence.

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He's proud of Christmas Run Park, the new bike trails and the renovated streetscapes of downtown and Beall Avenue.

"We passed a 0.5% income tax increase in 2013," Breneman said. Without that increase, he believes the city would not have grown and improved in the decade since voters approved the ballot initiative.

Among his best years is 2017, which saw Wooster receive three awards: the Best Hometown in its region, named among the top 50 best places to live and the best downtown.

For five years, the city has been ranked the No. 1 micropolitan in the state and seventh in the nation by Policom Ranking, which measures economic growth and strength in communities.

In 2022, the city established a tax increment financing district that is estimated to save taxpayers $9 million on future investments in the Oak Hill area, he said.

Through it all, the administrative team was always there for him and each other, he said. Without them, Wooster would not be the award-winning town it is.

Fire Station No. 1 renovation

For his final year in office, Breneman challenged the city to accomplish or make headway on a few projects on which council and the administration have been working.

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At the top of that list is the Fire Station No. 1 renovation, which is estimated to cost nearly $5.5 million to expand and update the facility.

Construction on the station is slated to start this summer, Breneman said. The expansion will take over a portion of the City Hall parking lot, so the lot north of the building was expanded to compensate for the loss of spaces.

Park, bike path improvements

A slew of outdoor infrastructure projects are slated for construction, including the Freedlander Chalet entry and patio area and the Clear Creek Park playground, he said.

The city budgeted nearly $125,000 to build new pickleball courts at an undetermined location.

"Pickleball has become increasingly popular, so we need to expand," Breneman said.

Options for Christmas Run Pool will be considered as the city decides to either rehabilitate the existing structure or replace it entirely, he said.

A pet project for the mayor is the city's connected bike path initiative. His goal for 2023 is to see another 2.7 miles connecting the existing trails to Melrose Drive.

Road infrastructure projects

Breneman wants to see three projects progress this year. First is the ongoing streetscape project in downtown that will see the southside of West Liberty Street from PNC Bank to Matsos Family Restaurant redone.

The Melrose Drive and Dix Expressway renovation projects are slated to complete on time this year, he said.

Another roundabout long in the planning will be constructed this year at Oak Hill and Olman roads. This addition, he said, will make the intersection safer for drivers and pedestrians.

Promoting housing, economic development

Breneman hopes to see more housing developments take root this year as the sewage lift station behind Walmart will be removed and replaced with new infrastructure to support residential homes.

At the same time, he anticipates progress on the 91-home Spring Run neighborhood and the Melrose Lane project of 141 units. The latter will include four- and eight-story apartment buildings, three-story townhomes and 23 single-story family detached homes.

This housing will hopefully attract more companies and businesses to the city, he said.

In addition, Breneman wants to continue developing relationships with local agencies and partners such as Main Street Wooster and the Wooster Area Chamber of Commerce.

Water and wastewater infrastructure

Multiple water-related infrastructure projects will begin this year, and two stand out, Breneman said.

The first is the multi-million dollar wastewater expansion and rehabilitation project.

The project includes headworks facility improvements and replacements for an estimated $4.5 million, two VLRs will be improved for nearly $1.8 million for better waste treatment and the digester and feedstock facilities will be improved for nearly $4 million, according to the city.

The city will also replace several equipment items at the water resource recovery facility, including samplers, pumps and mixing as part of the normal replacement schedule. These range between $25,000 and $40,000 each.

The projects include replacing the HVAC at the Buckeye booster station to maintain good water quality to keep pumps, equipment and electrical devices in working condition.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Wooster mayor outlines 2023 goals in final state of the city address