Maumee To Donate $500,000 To Metroparks
For Purchase Of Fallen Timbers Battle Site

by Cam Wigton, Mirror Reporter
The Mirror (Maumee, OH)
5-04-00

The city of Maumee decided to put its money where is mouth is on Monday night.

In a show of non-partisan politics, Maumee Mayor Tim Wagener and council president Kevin Olman co-authored a letter to council, asking it to approve legislation to donate $500,000 to the Toledo Area Metroparks to go towards the purchase of the 187-acre property where the Battle of Fallen Timbers took place.

Council voted unanimously to approve the legislation.

Currently, the city of Toledo owns the parcel of land. In recent months, the land has been a focal point of controversy, due to Toledo Mayor Carty Finkbeiner's demand that the land is worth at least $6 million. Finkbeiner could not be reached for comment.

The land has been appraised at $3.9 million by the state of Ohio, whereas it has been appraised by the city of Toledo for $7.3 million.

Jean Ward, director of the Metroparks, was also in attendance at the meeting. He stated that the donation by Maumee was a step in the right direction for the Metroparks to gain the property.

"I came tonight to witness an historical occasion," he said. "The Metroparks will serve as the negotiator and conduit for the funding for the purchase of the Fallen Timbers property, but it takes somebody somewhere to say we mean it. Tonight you said we mean it."

The Battle of Fallen Timbers was significant historically because the British Army failed to use its artillery in support of its Indian allies, thereby breaking the spirit of the native American Confederacy and opening the gates for westward settlement.

Concerning funding from the state and local level, the state has pledged that it will pay half of the final agreed upon price of the property, according to Maumee Mayor Tim Wagener.

Wagener also commented that the project has yet to receive any word from the federal government. "I understand there will be money -- we just don't know how much," he said.

Ward said that he has already received $2 million from the state. Combined with the $500,000 from Maumee, he plans to offer to purchase some of the property now and the rest at a later date.

"We hope to get a portion of the property with the $2.5 million and then option for the rest in the next year or so," he said. "That way the city of Toledo will have some cash now to work with. By August of next year, we hope to have it all taken care of."

Council president Kevin Olman said he hoped other entities would take notice of Maumee's action and follow suit.

"I hope that the county, the city of Toledo, state of Ohio and the federal government take notice," he said. "We are looking forward to sparking the fire to this issue to get others revved up about it.

"The reason that Tim (Wagener) and I co-authored the letter was to make sure that Maumee was the first in line to try and push everybody ahead."

Wagener said that he hoped this would allow the issue to get on the fast track, and that it would permit continued negotiations with the city of Toledo for the purchase of the property.

"It came to a point where somebody had to step up with real money," Wagener said. "This money had been budgeted for the last three or four years. It was just never appropriated. Tonight was the first step."

Also at Monday's meeting, council approved:

• A request from the municipal planning commission to grant a special use permit relative to signage at the Lyden Company located at 298 W. Dussel Dr.
• A request from the municipal planning commission to allow St. Luke's Hospital to construct a 1,500-square-foot addition to its equipment building and a 1,000-square-foot addition to the OR department.
• A request from the municipal planning commission to grant a permit to Cornerstone Church to construct a two-story addition to the back of the existing building and a one-story addition to the north side of the building.
  Also, a 330-car parking lot at the northeast corner of Dussel Drive and Market Place Drive is also slated for construction.
• A request from the administrator-safety director to grant a community investment area (CRA) tax incentive for Longbow Associates, located in Arrowhead Park.
• A request from the mayor to appoint Kathleen Meeker as bookkeeper-clerk in the income tax division.
• The appointment of several seasonal laborers for summer employment in the service department.
• Legislation to enter into an agreement with the Toledo Museum of Art for rental and services of the Peristyle for $2,800.
• Legislation to enter into an agreement with Mannik and Smith for $115,694 to prepare a study of the proposed I-475 interchange upgrade located at Dussel/Salisbury Road and the construction of a new interchange along Illinois Avenue.
• A request from the service director to enter into a contract with Feller, Finch and Associates for $8,350 to conduct a survey on improving Carew Lane.
• A request from the service director to submit an application for the FY 2000 Community Development Block Grant Formula Program.
  This year it is proposed that the funds would go towards additional curb ramp repairs around Maumee and an upgrade to the press box restrooms at Ford Field.
• A request from the administrator-safety director to grant Definitions of Design, a beauty salon located in Toledo, a revolving loan fund for $85,382 in order to relocate to Maumee.
• A motion to accept a report from the safety committee regarding the past difficulties of 911, concerning difficulties in designating West Dussel Drive and Dussel Drive addresses.
  The committee agreed to take the issue off its agenda, as long as Greg Bonfiglio, who works for Lucas County 911, continues to give monthly reports to the committee regarding any problems that arise.

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