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by Robin Erb and James Drew, Blade staff writers
The Blade (Toledo, OH)
02-21-96
Mayor Carty Finkbeiner said a "for sale by owner" sign has gone up on the site of the 1794 Battle of Fallen Timbers because the city wants to know its "fair market value."
Crews posted the signs yesterday, placing the Toledo-owned 176 acres -- including the battlefield -- up for sale. The move comes just 10 days before Maumee officials will learn whether they will have federal funds to help buy the property.
The city of Toledo purchased the property in 1986 for about $1.2 million as part of a $14.35 million land purchase. Plans called for annexing the property to Toledo, but that effort failed in the courts.
"We have land that we paid good money for," said Mr. Finkbeiner last night. "We feel we deserve to be compensated for certainly a significant portion of that at or close to fair market value."
That doesn't mean the city will sell all 176 acres for commercial development, Mr. Finkbeiner said. The mayor also said the city is willing to sell some of the land "at a reduced rate" for an expanded Fallen Timbers park.
Maumee officials have wanted the land to be turned into a national battlefield memorial after excavation efforts last year definitely placed the battle on a soybean field near I-475 and U.S. 24. For years, legends had placed the battle on a nearby floodplain instead.
The 1794 skirmish between federal troops, led by General "Mad" Anthony Wayne, and Native Americans opened up the fertile woods and fields of Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin to white settlement.
National Park Service officials have told Maumee representatives that the site probably won't be designated as a national park but that it's important enough to become one of the park service's "affiliated areas" instead.
That means it would be listed with the park service but would be locally-owned and operated.
Maumee Mayor Steve Pauken said he was surprised to hear about the "for sale" signs yesterday.
"I'm concerned because someone knows the piece of land has historical significance...but they still offer it for sale," he said.
"Are we saying that the potential to create a national park is secondary to commercial development," he asked.
Mr. Finkbeiner said Maumee has proposed to pay $10,000 to $11,000 an acre, and he acknowledged that the "for sale" signs are designed to send the suburban city a message.
Mr. Finkbeiner said developer George Isaac has offered $50,000 an acre, contingent on development of a shopping mall nearby.
Referring to Maumee, Mr. Finkbeiner said: "When I have one of the potential partners in the deal not respect the true value of the land that the city of Toledo owns, the best way I and the city can persuasively say this land is worth this much per acre is to receive offers on that land.
"It doesn't mean we'd take them all or accept them, but it would certainly give us a much more persuasive argument that 'here's the true value of the land and if you're interested in it, we want you to know what the market calls for,'" Mr. Finkbeiner said.
The Isaac Group, headed by Mr. Issac, holds an option on land just west of the battlefield for a shopping mall. And others also have eyeballed the battlefield for other commercial development, citing its proximity to I-475.
Maumee has priced the acquisition of the land at about $2.4 million and is pursuing federal aid to pay 80 percent of the cost.
Maumee's grant request calls for $1,970,581 in Interstate Transportation Enhancement Act funds. Local sources would pick up the remaining cost. The Ohio Department of Transportation is to announce the grant awards March 1, said Mike Ligibel, ODOT's planning and programs administrator.
Mr. Pauken said the price might not be accepted by Toledo officials, "but I am willing to sit down and negotiate."
Asked if the site of the Battle of Fallen Timbers should become a national park, Mr. Finkbeiner said: "If there is a clear indication for an expanded park because the battlefield was fought on a wider basis that originally thought, I'd say yes.
"On the other hand, there is no question that nobody was pursuing an expanded Fallen Timbers park until a shopping mall was proposed. It was then on only then that someone said, 'Gee, maybe the Battle of Fallen Timbers was fought on a wider plane,'" he said.
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