Elyria library, city in dispute over agreed parking spaces

ELYRIA — Elyria Public Library officials are calling for the city to uphold its promise to create 41 additional parking spots for the new downtown central branch. Former Mayor Holly Brinda, the Elyria Community Improvement Corp. and the library had a contract for the property the new building sits on. In that agreement, the city agreed to reconfigure an adjacent parking lot, which sits behind the Elyria Arts Council. It would have created 41 additional parking spaces. The city owns that parking lot but agreed to let the library use it for patrons. Library Director Lyn Crouse said a site plan for the parking lot was prepared by the city and approved by the library in March. However, no work has been done for it. "Patrons are understandably upset about the confusing state of the parking," Crouse said. "… We are disheartened that the city has decided not to honor their contractual obligation to provide parking, even though they knew six months in advance of when the library would open." Elyria Law Director Amanda Deery said due to current litigation with the library, the parking lot issue is at a standstill. In April, the library sued both the city and the CIC. In the contract, the city agreed to demolish existing structures on the property and give the library a buildable site ready for construction. As excavation began in April 2020, Crouse said the top layer of dirt hid abandoned utility lines and sewer culverts, foundation materials and debris. It cost the library $275,000 to remediate the site and temporarily halted construction. In August 2020, Crouse said Mayor Frank Whitfield was given 170 pages of documents on the site remediation and a request for reimbursement. After eight months of what Crouse described as no progress, the library filed its suit. Kaleena Whitfield, Mayor Frank Whitfield's wife, is president of the library's board. Due to the conflict, both Frank and Kaleena Whitfield have recused themselves from the lawsuit and discussions. Deery said any documentation from the library has not been handled by Frank Whitfield. She said leading up to the filing, her department had a lot of correspondence with the library's legal team to try to get a resolution. The parking lot was part of the original contract, but with the lawsuit filed, Deery said the city won't address issues piecemeal. Crouse said the lawsuit represents a separate issue of remediation of the library site. The parking lot is a separate issue, she said. "To me, it's apples and oranges," she said. Patrons have been asking about parking and expressing concerns, Crouse said. She said the library is directing those concerns to the city. Crouse said she wants people to understand that the library had a plan for parking, but that the city didn't meet its end of the bargain. She said she's disappointed, as the parking for the library was one of the key reasons for picking the 2nd Street site. Crouse said the city needs to live up to its agreement to provide the parking. Mediation on the lawsuit is scheduled for December. The city is represented by Rodger Pelagalli, the CIC is represented by Howard Lane and the library is represented by the Lorain County Prosecutor's Office. Lane also represents The Chronicle-Telegram. Contact Laina Yost at (440) 329-7121 or lyost@chroniclet.com.