Five land deals cleared the way for the Merrick Road bridge. The council approved a set of ordinances covering property purchases and temporary easements along Merrick Road. They include $22,700 to buy required private property, along with temporary easements at two of the sites. Commissioner Guiliano explained why the city needs the land. The new culvert will be bigger than the existing one, so the structure will sit outside the current footprint and onto private property, and the purchases cover the ground the new bridge will occupy. He said the purchase values were reviewed through the city's consultant and through state real estate rules. The Rome Sentinel reported that two of the ordinances list one of the properties as 7551 Merrick Road, though the correct address is 7751.

The bridge project has a timeline. Guiliano said the project costs about $1.5 million and is fully funded through the state's Bridge NY program, with no city money committed. If costs run over, he said, the city would have to look at why and decide whether to invest. The design is in final approval with the state Department of Transportation, and the city expects to put the work out to bid over the coming winter, award it in the spring of 2027, and complete it in a single construction season by late 2027.

A former councilor said the council should talk more about its committee work. During public comment, former councilor Frank Anderson told the council it could do a better job reporting on committee meetings. He said councilors spend considerable time in committee with department heads, but that the public rarely hears about it, leaving the impression that the council meets twice a month and does nothing else. Anderson acknowledged that some of what committees discuss with department heads is sensitive and cannot be detailed publicly, but said that in those cases the council should at least report that the committee met. He noted that most meetings include only one or two committee reports. Educating the public, he said, leaves less room for the rumor mill.

The council moved federal pandemic money into park repairs. Members approved shifting $107,356 in American Rescue Plan money out of two residential rehabilitation accounts and into a park improvement account. The Sentinel reported the money will go to Triangle Park and Thron Park to repair playground equipment. The transfer passed without any discussion from the council.

Leftover storm money is headed to Pinti Field. The council amended the capital account holding federal disaster recovery money from the 2021 remnants of Tropical Storm Fred. Nine completed projects, including culvert work on Link Road and repairs at the East Dominick Street bridge, finished under the amounts originally granted. The resolution moves the unspent $187,017 to the Pinti Field project, which also picks up an additional $257,236 in federal money. That brings Pinti Field from about $1.12 million to roughly $1.56 million.

New parking rules and stop signs on Elm Street. The council banned parking at all times on the south side of Elm Street between North Jay and North Madison streets, set two hour parking on the north side, and added stop signs at Floral Street and Shakenberry Avenue. The ordinance came from Councilor Reilly, who was excused from the meeting, and follows a resident's complaint at the previous meeting about vehicles blocking sidewalks.

A $2 million grant for Stevens Field. Councilor Sbaraglia reported that a state grant of just under $2 million to completely rebuild Stevens Field has been approved, and that to his knowledge it requires no local match. Early plans include a splash pad, restoring the pool, and a possible walking trail through the wooded area, though he has not seen a final design. He said equipment will also be replaced at Thron Park and Triangle Park. He is still waiting on an update on the city's parks master plan.

Two questions from a resident. A resident named Selena asked whether Rome has a tree advisory committee, saying she needed to attend one for a college assignment and could not find anything on the city website. Guiliano said the city does not have one. Years ago, when Rome became a Tree City, a planning department employee chaired an informal tree committee, but that position no longer exists and the city now maintains only a limited database of its trees. She also asked about people installing cameras on utility poles who were not wearing police or city uniforms. Guiliano said the police department uses a private vendor to install cameras on poles, that the work is commissioned by the city, and that private individuals would not be putting them up.

The mayor presents his budget on September 30th. Council President Nash announced that Mayor Lanigan will present his budget at a special council meeting on Wednesday, September 30th at 5:00 p.m. in the council chambers.

Still on the table. At Guiliano's request, the council left tabled a resolution accepting about $2.32 million from federal and state agencies for repairs at Kessinger Dam. He told the council earlier this month that one more federal review has to be completed first.