June 2, 200619 yr From the 6/2/06 Toledo Blade: PHOTO: Robert 'Ty' Szumigala, right, leads a cheer during practice by Maumee delegates for the All-America City competition this month in Anaheim, Calif. The Maumee delegation has 48 members. More than 30 cities will compete for the designation of All-America City. ( THE BLADE/LORI KING ) PHOTO: Jane Williams, left, a teacher at St. Joseph Catholic School, helps with the Maumee presentation, which city Administrator John Jezak, center left, calls an economic development activity. Maumee rehearsing All-America campaign Recognition can aid development efforts By ERIC LUND BLADE STAFF WRITER They were struggling, but after an overhaul to their presentation, the Maumee All-America City delegation is back on track. "You need to be believable," Maumee teacher and play director Jane Williams coached the presenters at a practice yesterday morning. "This really is theater, folks." The Maumee delegation will compete against 33 other U.S. cities in the National Civic League's All-America City competition in Anaheim, Calif., on June 10 and 11. This year, Maumee is competing against two other Ohio cities, Columbus and Fairview Park. Toledo was named an All-America City in 1998 and was a finalist in 2000. Of the 28 cities that have been named an All-America City three or more times, five are in Ohio: Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, and Toledo. MORE: http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060602/NEWS18/606020350/-1/RSS09
June 6, 200619 yr Maumee OKs $400,000 in projects Toledo Blade, 5/25/06 Maumee City Council approved about $400,000 in appropriations for a variety of capital projects last week. That includes $11,200 for the Maumee Indoor Theatre, $50,000 for repairs at the Wolcott House, and $55,000 for repairs to sanitary and storm sewers and water lines. Improvements at the theater include a piano, metal scaffolding for productions on the stage, and six two-way radios. The budget also sets aside $2,500 for unplanned capital expenses at the theater.
June 6, 200619 yr TOLEDO EDISON OFFICES IN SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP Toledo Blade, 5/28/06 Keith Russeau is silhouetted against the sky as he installs decking for an overhead walkway at new offices for Toledo Edison in Springfield Township. When finished in July, the 41,000-square-foot structure will house employees, now in offices off Delaware Avenue in Toledo, who dispatch crews to power outages. The new building if off Angola Road near Holland-Sylvania Road and is next to a Toledo Edison service center.
June 8, 200619 yr Forum to detail downtown Waterville plans Toledo Blade, 6/1/06 Plans for Waterville's downtown are gathering steam, with a historic overlay district and a downtown revitalization plan in place and the preapplication for a grant in the mail. Main Street Waterville is holding a public forum tonight to update residents on the progress. The group hopes to apply for a $400,000 state community block development grant in the fall to fund improvements in the area covered by the historic overlay district the village established this spring. "That's actually a bricks-and-mortar grant," Councilman Pauline Glaza said. Last fall, about 30 locals raised $7,500 to match a planning grant that helped develop the revitalization plan, she said.
June 9, 200619 yr From the 6/8/06 Toledo Blade: Maumee tries for All-America status By ELIZABETH A. SHACK BLADE STAFF WRITER And they're off. Members of Maumee's All-America City delegation begin to leave for Anaheim, Calif., today, hoping to wow the jury and be named one of 10 All-America cities for 2006. Their chance will come at 8:25 a.m. Sunday, when the 48-member delegation presents its case to the jury. Results will be announced at an awards ceremony that evening. The jury will pick 10 winners. The 34 finalists, which range in population from 1,206 to 728,432, aren't broken down into geographic or size categories. Delegations have 10 minutes for their presentations, followed by questions from the jury. Criteria include involving a range of government, business, and nonprofit organizations in community projects with clear results. Maumee's delegation includes representatives from the city, the schools, and local businesses and organizations. MORE: http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060608/NEWS18/606080423/-1/RSS09
June 11, 200619 yr Subdivision planned near Chase school Toledo Blade, 6/1/06 When Toledo Public Schools started its $821 million construction project in 2004, community and business leaders banded together to form the New Schools New Neighborhoods Coalition to improve the neighborhoods around the newly constructed schools. The NorthRiver Development Corp., the community development corporation serving part of North Toledo, has begun creating a new neighborhood, called Edison Place, where there was none before, in connection with building the new Chase Elementary School. In a vacant strip of land originally slated for manufacturing and industrial use, officials from NorthRiver Development, the city, and other groups recently celebrated the groundbreaking for the infrastructure for the new subdivision across from the future Chase site. "I'm excited for the children at Chase because they will get to see everyone involved working to make their community better," said Kim Cutcher, the executive director of NorthRiver Development. NorthRiver plans to build 32 homes on vacant land. The first phase of home construction will start in late August, Ms. Cutcher said, which will include 15 homes.
June 12, 200619 yr MORE: http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060612/NEWS18/606120357/-1/NEWS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Article published June 12, 2006 Maumee honored as All-America City Delegation celebrates at California contest By JANE SCHMUCKER BLADE STAFF WRITER Maumee's revitalized Uptown, its school-city collaboration, and its neighborly work with Toledo and Monclova Township helped it earn the designation as a All-America City for 2006 last night. The city was one of 10 communities chosen from 34 national finalists in a ceremony in Anaheim, Calif. "Fantastic. Absolutely thrilled," exclaimed Mayor Tim Wagener moments after he got the news. Mr. Wagener and city administrator John Jezak said the judges noted the city's work with the Maumee schools on developing Rolf Park, and on joint economic efforts with Toledo and Monclova Township. "It was just almost like winning the lottery. Everyone went crazy," Mr. Jezak said in a phone interview from California. "It was electrifying."
June 12, 200619 yr Yeah, I remember when my previous city, Tupelo, Mississippi was awarded the "All-American City". Good times.
June 14, 200618 yr Construction of 32 houses draws looks at neighborhood Toledo Blade, 6/8/06 Verbena Douglas said when she is out in her yard in the 1700 block of Macomber Street, passing motorists will periodically stop and look at the newly constructed homes across the street. "People will stop by and admire them while I'm out there," said Ms. Douglas, commenting on two of the 32 new homes being built as part of a joint project between Toledo Community Development Corp. [formerly Toledo Central City Neighborhoods] and the Ottawa Community Development Corp. "I think [the new homes] will be a great impact. I think it will do more on the street that I live on because it will really add something. We have quite a few homes here that need to be taken care of and need to be looked after." West Central Homes, the first joint project between two organizations, is near completion and already leased, said E. Michelle Mickens, executive director of the Toledo CDC. She said that the leases are a sign of the strong interest of people who want to move into the central and West Toledo neighborhoods.
June 14, 200618 yr Oregon council clears land buy of 56 acres Toledo Blade, 6/13/06 Oregon City Council last night authorized the mayor and finance director to purchase 56 acres bordering the city’s recreation complex to ensure room for expansion. Council also authorized city officials to take out a loan for up to 10 years at 4.67 percent interest to pay for the property that costs $950,000, Finance Director Jim Austermiller said. Both measures were approved with a 6-0 vote. Council wanted to purchase the land, which is just east of the William P. Coontz Complex off Seaman Road, for future recreation or city needs. Toledo Blade: Oregon close to vote on purchase of 56 acres (6/6/06)
June 14, 200618 yr From the 6/13/06 Toledo Blade: ALL-AMERICA CITY National recognition tickles both visitors, residents of Maumee By ELIZABETH A. SHACK BLADE STAFF WRITER Being named an All-America City on Sunday in Anaheim, Calif., is magnifying a sense of pride in Maumee that residents and visitors have felt for years. "I'm really proud that they got it," resident Nancy Graham said. "Maumee deserves it." Ms. Graham was running errands yesterday with another resident, Ruth Edwards. The women cited the renovation of the Maumee Indoor Theater and the presence of restaurants and other businesses in a convenient setting as qualities that make the city a good place to live. Maumee was one of two Ohio cities bestowed the 2006 All-America City honor. Columbus also won the title, but Fairview Park outside of Cleveland, the third Ohio finalist, did not win. The award, established by the National Civic League in 1949, recognizes communities that have made major progress in meeting residents' needs. MORE: http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060613/NEWS18/606130429/-1/RSS
June 22, 200618 yr East Toledo turns a page Toledo Blade, 6/22/06 Because Nelle Larson was able to print her name when she was 4 years old, she earned a library card from the Locke branch of the Toledo-Lucas County Public Library in East Toledo. And for the past 83 years, the lifelong East Toledo resident visited the same building at 806 Main Street whenever she wanted to borrow a book to read. But a year from now, Ms. Larson will have to travel a bit farther from her home on Valleywood Drive to visit the Locke branch after it's been rebuilt on the riverfront in the same neighborhood. "I have mixed emotions for giving up the old building," said Ms. Larson, a member of the Locke Friends of the Library. "It's just been a large part of my life, but it needs more space for today's society." Plans for Locke represent the last project library officials will undertake with funds from a 10-year, $38.6 million capital improvements levy Lucas County voters passed in 1995.
June 22, 200618 yr From the 6/22/06 Toledo Blade: Maumee to show prize video All-America City film will be at Indoor Theater Monday Curious to see just how Maumee snared one of the nation's 10 All-America City awards this year? City officials are inviting the public to view the video of its successful June 11 presentation Monday evening. The city is also thinking of ways to use the award bestowed by the National Civic League. It carries no direct monetary value, but has historically led to increased economic development in the winning communities. "More than anything else, the All-America City award is something that you get out of it what you put into it," city administrator John Jezak said. The video, which includes the city's 10-minute presentation to the judges and a following question-and-answer session, will be shown between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. at the Maumee Indoor Theater. Details of the event are being worked out, but city officials and members of the delegation are expected to speak. MORE: http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060622/NEWS18/606220447/-1/RSS09
June 25, 200618 yr Part one of four: Diverse faiths turn Habitat house into a home for family Toledo Blade, 5/20/06 Hindus, Buddhists, Christians, Jews, Muslims, Sufis, B'hais, and more will join together in celebration tomorrow of something that members of these diverse faiths have in common: the desire to give their fellow human beings a helping hand. They will participate in a dedication ceremony at 1318 Crystal St. in East Toledo, the site of the fourth annual MultiFaith Habitat Build. Representatives of more than a dozen faith groups, plus several secular community organizations including the Boy Scouts and Lott Industries, will be on hand to dedicate the home they helped build for the family of James Robert Phillips, Jr., and Michelle Brant and their five children, ages 2 through 8. Following the dedication ceremony, an ice cream social will be held for the new homeowners and their neighbors in the East Toledo area known as the Ironwood Co-op. AUTO-LITE STRIKE MEMORIAL Toledo Blade, 5/25/06 Spectators surround the newly dedicated plaque honoring the bloody 1934 strike at the former Electric Auto-Lite factory in North Toledo. The ceremony yesterday was in Union Memorial park on Elm Street near Champlain Street, dedicated in 2001 and including bronze statues that cost $225,000. The strike, during which two workers were killed and 200 were injured, helped lead to federal laws giving workers the right to unionize. Funds are sought for senior center and food pantry Toledo Blade, 5/25/06 Several local officials have pledged to keep their eyes peeled for funding opportunities to pay for a new senior center and food pantry that would be connected to an elementary school in Jerusalem Township. U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D., Toledo) recently joined the Lucas County commissioners, several state representatives, Oregon school officials, and authorities from the Area Office on Aging of Northwest Ohio at the Jerusalem Township Food Pantry, 9501 Jerusalem Rd., to see how it operates. Food-pantry officials had invited them to ask for their support regarding the plan to build a $1.4 million food pantry and senior center onto an elementary school, said Bill Hoops, a township resident and a food-pantry director. "We wanted them to come and see our operation and get them involved and as enthused as we are," he said. But what they need is money. The Area Office on Aging has pledged to cover half the cost, and the food pantry has received some cash and labor donations. But that still leaves a little less than $700,000 left to find.
June 26, 200618 yr Part two of four: Oregon residents insist on trees, hedges to shield school Toledo Blade, 6/1/06 Officials from Oregon City Schools have been working with residents living near the site of what will be the new Coy Elementary School to appease them while balancing the district's budget needs with aesthetics and safety. The new elementary school is set to be built on 22.5 acres at 3604 Pickle Rd. near Schmidlin Road. After the school is constructed, district officials would be required to place a staggered double row of evergreen trees along with a single row of hedges around three sides of the building as buffering to satisfy the city's zoning code, zoning inspector Mike Rudey said. But when Superintendent John Hall appeared before the city's planning commission on May 16, he requested it allow the district to omit the buffering requirement for the new school, and he presented the board with a modified plan that included planting deciduous trees on the edges of the property. Toledo Blade: Oregon: Groundbreaking today for new Coy school (5/25/06) P-D-Y to hire architect for new school Toledo Blade, 6/1/06 Pike-Delta-York school board, which is hoping for state assistance to build a new elementary school and might ask for a local bond issue as soon as November, 2007, is expected this month to hire an architect for the proposed project. The board interviewed representatives of six architectural firms last month and is expected to hire one at its June 12 meeting. Word from the Ohio School Facilities Commission on helping to fund the project is expected next spring, district Superintendent Robin Rayfield said. He predicts the state will cover about 71 percent of costs, which likely will be about $26 million, not including interest. District leaders are considering constructing a new building for kindergarten through fifth grade near the middle school in Delta. WESTGATE CHAPEL GROWING Toledo Blade, 6/3/06 Construction crews work on a 25,000-square-foot addition to Westgate Chapel in Sylvania Township that is scheduled to be completed Aug. 1. The $5 million addition will include an expanded, glass-enclosed lobby, a multipurpose room, and space for youth and children’s programs. EDGY WORK Toledo Blade, 6/4/06 Calvin Grier lays floor tile at the Cato Fashions in a new 227,000-square foot retail center on I-75 in west Findlay. Anchored by Wal-Mart, the Independence Square complex will include seven other stores and open by July 19. HOMES GOING UP FAST Toledo Blade, 6/5/06 Doug McCracken of Barchick Custom Homes installs a block for a water heater. He is among volunteers from 15 area builders putting up seven homes in seven days with Maumee Valley Habitat for Humanity. Wal-Mart plans to add grocery at Glendale site Toledo Blade, 6/6/06 Wal-Mart Stores Inc. plans to add a grocery to its Toledo Commons discount center in South Toledo, resulting in the first Wal-Mart Supercenter in Toledo. And the City of Toledo has applied for a permit to build a boat dock and a public road to launch actual construction in the Marina District. The two projects are among 12 on the Toledo Plan Commission's agenda Thursday. The commission meets at 3 p.m. in Government Center.
June 27, 200618 yr Holy Trinity plans outdoor Mass Toledo Blade, 6/8/06 Holy Trinity Parish is to celebrate its first Mass "inside" its new school even before it breaks ground for the $5 million building. On Sunday, which is the Feast of Holy Trinity, an outdoor Mass is planned within the outline of the planned building. At the end of Mass there will be a groundbreaking ceremony that will include mixing soil into the school site that parishioners bring from their homes and farms. Construction is to start later this summer. By the beginning of the 2007-2008 school year, a new 14-room school with a combination gym-cafeteria is expected to be ready for the parish's preschool to eighth-grade classes. Then the oldest portion of the current school, which was built in 1915, will be razed.
June 27, 200618 yr Part three of four: West Toledo apartment complex in midst of $1.8 million facelift Toledo Blade, 6/16/06 In the postwar years, it provided stylish pads for returning GIs and their brides studying at nearby "TU." Later, the 305-unit apartment complex became one of the earliest finds of billionaire real estate investor Sam Zell. But with 130 vacant units and few improvements over the past two decades, the Village at Hampshire Heights has seen better days. Now, new owners are looking to turn around the troubled property on Middlesex Drive at Central Avenue. "It's a unique product within the Toledo marketplace," said commercial real estate broker John Aubry, lead partner in the investment group that bought the apartments this year. "I feel good about the Westgate market." The complex, renamed Georgetown Village, is in the midst of a $1.8 million facelift that the new owners hope will help boost occupancy to 90 percent from a recent dismal low of 55 percent. Maumee adds $460,000 to fire station project Toledo Blade, 6/21/06 Maumee City Council increased the funding for the city’s new fire station by about $460,000 to cover some minor changes and because the previous cost estimates only included six equipment bays instead of seven. The fire station is now expected to cost about $6.16 million, up from $5.70 million. The cost of the seventh bay makes up about $200,000 of that. The rest of the increase includes waterproofing in the basement, more concrete, voice and data wiring, an entrance tower, and rising costs of construction materials. The station, at 220 Illinois Ave. near Kingsbury Street, will replace Station No. 1 on East William Street.
June 28, 200618 yr Firefighters' last alarm pylon failing Toledo Blade, 6/26/06 The 20-foot-tall memorial stands simply but stately with the backdrop of downtown Toledo. Yet the 43-year-old marker, called "The Bone" by some firefighters because of its shape, has seen better days. Fire Chief Mike Bell said it best during the fire memorial service two weeks ago: The monument, in Chub DeWolfe Park at Beech and Orange streets outside Fire Station No. 1, looks like it's weeping. What was once stark white, now is streaked blackish-gray. The left side of the "F" in the red vertical letters reading "TFD" is nearly faded away. A streak travels south, weathering a plaque with the names of firefighters killed in the line of firefighting or military duty. The facade of the approximately 6-ton pylon has cracks. By next year's annual memorial service - which commemmorates the deaths in 1961 of four firemen at the Anthony Wayne Trail fire - Chief Bell wants to have something in place "to continue honoring firefighters in the way they should be honored."
June 29, 200618 yr Port agency is eager to clean Teledyne site Toledo Blade, 6/23/06 Twenty-nine acres on Laskey Road in West Toledo are home to a plant for production of engines for cruise missiles, jet trainers, and drones - and an environmental hazard. The Navy, which is responsible for the cleanup of a metal cleaning solvent leached into the ground over decades, could take up to 30 years to finish the job. The Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority, which now owns the property and leases it to Teledyne Technologies, thinks there is a better way. The property at 1330 West Laskey Rd. was owned by the federal government from 1942 until three years ago, when the port authority took it over. "Through that period of time this basic solvent that was used to clean metals was used by a number of different companies, in addition to Teledyne, at the direction of the government. ... Somebody, over some period of time, disposed of it down the drain, beneath the foundation of the building. That's how it got contaminated," explained Jerry Arkebauer, the port authority's finance director.
July 3, 200618 yr http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060703/NEWS08/607030365/-1/NEWS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Article published July 3, 2006 Suburbs also feel pain of recession Income declines exceed Toledo's By JIM TANKERSLEY BLADE POLITICS WRITER If we learned anything from June - from its mayoral spats and All-America honors and Census-supplied discouragement - it's that Toledo may be struggling, but its suburbs are smiling. Right? Maybe not. A study of state income tax returns released by a Cleveland nonprofit group last week shows the recent recession battered Toledo, but it hurt several suburbs more. The economists behind the research say there's a lesson for the region: When it comes to economic growth, we're all in this together. The analysis by the Center for Community Solutions, a nonpartisan group that tracks all sorts of economic data, found median incomes in the Springfield, Oregon, Rossford, and Sylvania school districts all fell further from 2000 to 2003 than in Toledo. More at link above:
July 4, 200618 yr When are the Ohioans going to realize its not a regional or local problem? It's a state problem. The corruptions, the outdated laws, and outdated tax codes is killing this state. Whatever happens in Cleveland it happens in Toledo, Dayton, Cincy, Akron, so on and so on.
July 12, 200618 yr UPSCALE SUBDIVISION IN MIDDLETON TOWNSHIP Toledo Blade, 6/25/06 A house nears completion in the Riverbend subdivision off State Rte. 65 in Middleton Township in Wood County. About 36 of 124 houses planned for the project’s first phase have been completed or are under construction. Prices range from $325,000 to $700,000. The subdivision is between Roachton Road and Five-Point Road. MORE: http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060625/BUSINESS07/60625051/-1/RSS04
July 13, 200618 yr Byrne revamp entering final stage of work Toledo Blade, 7/3/06 It was years in the making - and followed years of rough-ride complaints - but the reconstruction of Byrne Road is entering its final months. Two years after construction began, the busy artery linking the University of Toledo area with the city's southern reaches has been completely rebuilt between Airport Highway and Tedrow Road, and reconstruction of its aging bridge over the Norfolk Southern railroad is nearly finished. Work continues south of Tedrow and north of Hill Avenue, and a final stage of pavement reconstruction remains to begin between Hill and Airport Highway. "The new part is awesome, and the part still being worked on is bumpy but will soon be smooth," city Councilman Rob Ludeman, through whose South Toledo district most of Byrne passes, said Friday. "We knew it was going to be a couple-of-years project, but when it's done, it's going to be great." Starting in July, 2004, Archbold-based Miller Brothers Construction has rebuilt Byrne in sections, starting with the middle piece between Airport and Glendale Avenue. Its three contracts for the work totaled $20.3 million, and city officials said last week that it's too early to know what the final bill will be.
July 14, 200618 yr Lakeside set to open new welcome center Toledo Blade, 6/23/06 The new entrance, welcome center, and parking area for Lakeside is expected to open this weekend. The gate off State Rt. 163 was built as part of the Lakeside Association’s $3.25 million fund-raising campaign that includes other improvement projects. Lakeside, which marks 133 years of Chautauqua programing in education, religion, and culture, said it will begin a ticketing system to streamline the gate entrance process. All other gates will remain open. The association said the new gate and welcome center is designed to increase the gated community’s visibility from the state highway.
July 15, 200618 yr New kingdom hall complete Toledo Blade, 6/24/06 A new kingdom hall is just about ready, and a six-week district convention will begin next month for area Jehovah's Witnesses. The new West Toledo kingdom hall - the term the Jehovah's Witnesses use for a house of worship - was built on the same property as its previous facility, 3725 West Alexis Road. The old building was bulldozed. The new one, at 5,000 square feet, is twice as big as the kingdom hall it replaces. MORE: http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060624/NEWS10/606240316/-1/RSS
July 15, 200618 yr Some Sylvania residents putting up a fight over golf-club plan for green space Toledo Blade, 6/29/06 A preliminary plan by Highland Meadows Golf Club to turn city-owned green space into a chipping area is teeing off some residents. Opponents of the plan contend that the green space is a city park, and argue that the wooded area, home to deer, fox, and other wildlife, should be retained by the city, not sold off and clear cut to make room for a chipping area. Councilman Mark Bula is recommending that a public hearing be held to discuss the golf club’s interest in the city’s land, but no date has been set. Early this year, J. Michael Searle, general manager for Highland Meadows, sent Mayor Craig Stough a letter asking about the availability of city-owned land adjacent to the golf club’s property. After Mr. Searle sent another letter to the mayor recently stating that “We are now ready to move forward and begin dialogue for land acquisition,” the matter was referred to council’s building and grounds committee.
July 15, 200618 yr Gateway park idea advances Toledo Blade, 6/29/06 Oregon’s years-old proposal to create a gateway park on the northwest corner of Navarre Avenue and Wheeling Street may finally be gathering steam. Three years after the city acquired the site, members of two City Council committees — recreation and parks, and drainage, roads, buildings, and lands — agreed during a special joint meeting last week that such a park should be designed for “passive” use and feature a defining piece of art or architecture, perhaps a clock tower or a sculpture. “It should have a combination of art and landscaping,” said Sandy Bihn, the parks committee’s chairman. “It’s a really important corner, and art is something we don’t have a lot of in town.” But before settling on specifics, city officials plan to solicit public ideas about what might go in the park, and maybe consult with professional artists and architects too. They also plan to raise donated funds to pay for whatever is done there. MORE: http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060629/NEIGHBORS02/60629075
July 15, 200618 yr Oregon: School board OKs plan to build new Coy Toledo Blade, 7/6/06 The Oregon City Schools Board of Education approved contracts to build a new Coy Elementary School last week. Mechanical, electrical, and other utilities were among those approved. Treasurer Dennis Butler said the contracts were in the vicinity of $10 million. Officials broke ground in May for the new building at Pickle and Schmidlin roads. MORE: http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060706/NEIGHBORS02/60705012/-1/NEIGHBORS
July 20, 200618 yr ANOTHER WAY INTO THE GARDEN Toledo Blade, 7/7/06 Dick Meyers and U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur take the wraps off a sign at the new Bancroft Street entrance to the Toledo Botanical Garden. The second public entrance, a paved driveway with a wrought-iron fence that opened yesterday, was built with a portion of $268,000 in federal grant money, said Janet Schroeder, executive director for the garden. New signs and information kiosks were also purchased. Ms. Schroeder said garden officials hope the increased visibility of the second entrance will draw more visitors than the 120,000 the garden now sees annually. The garden’s only public entrance was off of a smaller road, Elmer Drive, Ms. Schroeder said. The Bancroft entrance was previously a gravel path that was used only by staff. Toledo Botanical is one of the few free public gardens in the nation, she said, and is funded through membership fees, special fund-raising events, grants, and private and corporate gifts.
July 20, 200618 yr New Wal-Mart expected to hurt area grocers Toledo Blade, 7/11/06 Wal-Mart Stores Inc. will open its first Toledo area Supercenter next week, and grocery industry experts say to expect casualties on the local supermarket scene a year from now. "There's a lot of musical chairs to be replayed. Kroger will come up smelling good because if anybody closes, it's not going to be them," said David J. Livingston, an industry analyst in Milwaukee who has studied the Toledo area grocery trade area. Bill Bishop, head of Willard Bishop Consulting, in Chicago, said he expects the greatest effect to be on stores owned by Meijer, which has battled Wal-Mart Supercenters all over the Midwest. Wal-Mart, of Bentonville, Ark., plans a July 19 opening for its 203,000-square-foot Supercenter, which carries a full line of groceries. The store is in Spring Meadows Place shopping center at Airport Highway and McCord Road in Springfield Township.
July 21, 200618 yr Waterville moves ahead with plans for business park Toledo Blade, 7/20/06 The village of Waterville held a ceremonial groundbreaking for the Fallen Timbers Business Park last week, and plans to call a special meeting in the next two weeks to discuss plans for the village-owned land south of the project. As part of a deal made a year ago, the village is paying for the infrastructure at the site, including a new road that will run from Dutch Road through the 30-acre business park to the village land. In May, village council awarded a $1.3 million contract for infrastructure work, including water lines, storm and sanitary sewers, and the new, two-lane Choctaw Drive. The work should be completed late this year.
July 21, 200618 yr Grant supported for Tracy growth Toledo Blade, 7/20/06 Lake Township trustees have voiced their support for a local company's quest to obtain state funding that may generate growth on Tracy Road. Trustees recently voted to support Tracy Development Ltd. as it applies for a grant through the Job Ready Sites Program to improve 300 acres owned by Rudolph Libbe Properties Inc. on State Rt. 795 at Tracy. Tracy Development is a holding company of Rudolph Libbe. The deadline to apply for the grant was yesterday. Trustee Richard Welling said the industrially zoned area has tremendous possibilities for the township, Rudolph/Libbe, and the Lake Local School District. "This property has been set aside by the trustees for decades for development possibilities," he said. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
July 21, 200618 yr Localities unleash ideas for dog parks Toledo Blade, 7/21/06 Is the Toledo area going to the dogs? Pet owners are making a pitch for the creation of bark parks, those fenced-in grassy places where pooches can romp and run. In the Sylvania area, two dog parks could leap onto the scene, and in Whitehouse, village officials are chewing over a proposal by Humane Ohio for a 15-acre bark park. Across northwest Ohio, dog parks are as rare as fleas on a well-groomed pup.
July 26, 200618 yr Grant for recycling site, park upgrades sought Toledo Blade, 7/26/06 Springfield Township is seeking a grant to help pay for a new recycling station and park improvements, including benches, picnic tables, and a boardwalk system. Total cost for the park improvements and the recycling station is about $70,000.
July 26, 200618 yr Monclova rezoning advocated Toledo Blade, 7/26/06 A zoning change for a proposed nursing home in Monclova Township was recommended for approval yesterday by the Lucas County Plan Commission. Otterbein Retirement Living Communities is planning to build a care center on a 9.5-acre parcel at 5083 Black Rd. The zoning change recommendation will go to the township's zoning commission for review. The commission will make a recommendation to township trustees, who have final say on the zoning change.
July 27, 200618 yr Oregon officials studying draft of city's master plan Toledo Blade, 7/27/06 After three years of studies, analyses, and surveys, a draft of the updated Oregon Comprehensive Master Plan has been released and is under review by city administrators and the plan's steering committee. A formal review session will take place at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday at the Oregon Municipal Building, 5330 Seaman Rd., said Matt Szollosi, chairman of Oregon City Council's economic development and planning committee. "The draft of the plan, as anticipated, is very detailed," Mr. Szollosi said. I believe this plan, if adhered to, will allow the city to maximize its economic potential while preserving its agricultural heritage." The master plan update is designed to provide city officials with a tool to help guide decisions about community growth and development.
July 28, 200618 yr Aldi plans new stores in 2 suburbs Toledo Blade, 7/15/06 The German discount grocery chain Aldi Inc. expects to open its sixth and seventh metro Toledo stores next year in Sylvania and in a fast-growing commercial corridor in Rossford. In selecting the middle-income suburbs, the grocer is straying far from the working-class neighborhoods where it first put down stakes locally more than 15 years ago. And the expansion comes at a time when U.S. retailing juggernaut Wal-Mart is expanding grocery offerings in Toledo and its suburbs. "We do fine with Wal-Mart," said Thomas Behtz, vice president of Aldi's northern Ohio division, which is based in Hinckley, Ohio.
July 29, 200618 yr HOTEL FOR NORTHWESTERN TOLEDO Toledo Blade, 7/23/06 Workers prepare stucco coating for the exterior of a Fairfield Inn and Suites under construction on at 5639 Benore Rd. near Alexis Road in Toledo. The 14,400-square-foot hotel will have 83 rooms and will be owned by developer Steve Roumaya, of Key Hotels & Property Management of Toledo. It is scheduled to open late this year.
July 29, 200618 yr REPLACEMENT FOR OFFICES LOST TO FIRE Toledo Blade, 7/9/06 Jeff Herman nails a section of a truss for a two-story office building at 3425 Executive Pkwy. in West Toledo. The 20,000-square-foot structure, which replaces one destroyed by fire this year, is to have professional offices for tenants including physicians, attorneys, and a dentist. It is owned by West Valley Management.
July 29, 200618 yr From the 7/29/06 Toledo Blade: Dairy-farm foes seek say over maps of manure use Opponents of large-scale dairy farms in Wood and Sandusky counties joined together yesterday in an attempt to intervene in a lawsuit regarding the release of maps that show manure application sites for three proposed dairy farms. Jeffrey Culver, attorney for Wood County Citizens Opposed to Factory Farms and Sandusky County Citizens Protecting our Resources, filed a motion in Franklin County Common Pleas Court in Columbus to intervene in a suit filed by Naomi and Green dairies in Wood County and Hillbex Dairy in Sandusky County. The dairies are appealing a decision by the Ohio Department of Agriculture to release maps that identify the property owners who would apply manure from the dairies if the dairies' operating permits are approved by the agriculture department. The dairies claim the information is a trade secret. http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060729/NEWS24/607290375/-1/NEWS
July 31, 200618 yr Golf course's interest in purchasing land triggers 'park' debate Toledo Blade, 7/27/06 More than 100 Sylvania residents have signed petitions to show their opposition to any attempts by Highland Meadows Golf Club to purchase city-owned land that for years has been considered a park. Earlier this year, J. Michael Searle, general manager for Highland Meadows, sent Mayor Craig Stough a letter asking about the availability of city-owned land adjacent to the golf club's property. A letter to the mayor in May saying that Highland Meadows was ready to begin dialogue for land acquisition sparked a flurry of telephone calls, e-mails, and letters from opponents. Residents hoped that mounting opposition would discourage Highland Meadows' plans, but last week city officials learned that the golf club intends to pursue the property.
August 12, 200618 yr Groundbreaking for new school set during festival Toledo Blade, 8/3/06 A groundbreaking ceremony in May for Gorham Fayette's new school that was postponed because of mud is rescheduled for Saturday, during Fayette's annual Bull Thistle Festival. If frequent, heavy rains continue, well, at least everyone who gets muddy shoes will go home instead of tracking dirt into school classrooms as students would have done in the spring, Superintendent David Hankins said with a laugh. The groundbreaking, which will include speeches from school, village, and state officials, as well as architects and construction managers, will be in the 55-acre, former farm field just southeast of the village limits, where the new school is to be built. A request to annex the site into the village so that the school would be connected to village water and sewer lines is before the Gorham Township trustees, who are awaiting paperwork from the county prosecutor's office. Bids for site development work, which is estimated at $1.6 million, are due Aug. 9. Mr. Hankins said he expected the board to award a contract in time for work to start this summer. By fall, he said, he hoped footers will be poured and walls will be up.
August 14, 200618 yr Mercy plans $15 million cancer center Toledo Blade, 8/4/06 A $15 million high-tech cancer treatment center announced yesterday could provide treatment options previously unavailable in Toledo, according to Mercy Health Partners. Steve Mickus, president and chief executive officer of Mercy Health Partners, said at a news conference that the center, expected to be completed in 2008, will have locations at St. Anne Mercy Hospital in West Toledo and St. Charles Mercy Hospital in Oregon and will have expanded outpatient treatment facilities. He said it also will provide devices designed to precisely detect and attack cancer. Dr. Gerald Marsa, a radiation oncologist affiliated with Mercy Health Partners, said the center will bring “additional specialized members” to the hospital staffs. Mr. Mickus told The Blade he did not know how many jobs the center would provide, because staff will be transferred to the facilities in addition to hiring.
August 14, 200618 yr Restored house was once home of activist for justice Toledo Blade, 8/5/06 The original green tile roof remained intact over the front porch, as did the fireplace, the staircase, and much of the interior in the large, attractive two-story brick home in the 1000 block of Lincoln Avenue. The Toledo Community Development Corp., formerly Toledo Central City Neighborhoods, tried to keep as much of the home, built in 1914, as it was while rehabilitating the structure. Records recently revealed that the home was once owned by Ella P. Stewart, a historic local civil rights activist who promoted justice for minorities and women around the world. The news came as a surprise to E. Michelle Mickens, the Toledo CDC's executive director. She said one of the group's board members, Robert Brundage, brought that fact to the corporation's attention after reviewing records of previous owners.
August 15, 200618 yr A series from the 8/13/06-8/14/06 Toledo Blade: PHOTO: Cows feed at the 2,800-head Vreba-Hoff dairy farm near Hudson, Mich. One cow produces the waste of 23 to 30 humans. ( THE BLADE/HERRAL LONG ) GRAPHIC: What is a CAFO? PHOTO: Stephen Vander Hoff leads a tour at his farm, during which a new manure-control waste-management system was demonstrated. ( THE BLADE/HERRAL LONG ) SPECIAL REPORT Ohio, Michigan megafarms spur clashes over air, water pollution By TOM HENRY BLADE STAFF WRITER First of two parts Travel some back roads and the pressing public-policy issue in those rural areas isn't necessarily $3-a-gallon gas or violence in the Middle East - it's more likely manure. As dairy and livestock mega-farms, known as concentrated animal feeding operations, or CAFOs, sprout across the country and region, an emotional debate over animal pollution and air and water quality is building. Clashes can be found in nearly every state, but it is especially vocal in the western Lake Erie region, where fresh water is abundant and the multibillion-dollar tourism industry relies on the health of the Great Lakes. Fifteen large-scale operations are in Hillsdale and Lenawee counties, and 30 operate or have permits within a 90-minute drive of Toledo. They are specialized, and each is home to thousands of dairy cows or hogs; chicken operations sometimes eclipse a million beaks. One cow produces the waste of 23 to 30 humans, giving some farms the sewage challenges of small cities. "I'm telling you these are not family farms. They are industrial farms, and they are producing industrial-sized waste," said Ron Wyss, a Hardin County farmer who is president of Citizens for Responsible Agricultural Environmental Policies. "It seems to me that all we're doing now is issuing permits to pollute." Full article: http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060813/NEWS06/608130304/-1/RSS PHOTO: A Wood County group lost a challenge of the state's approval of a permit for the 925-cow Reyskens Dairy on Cygnet Road. ( THE BLADE/LORI KING ) PHOTO: Jack and Choyce Quigley run a bed and breakfast located between two megafarms and praise the people who run them. ( THE BLADE/HERRAL LONG ) PHOTO: Farmer and Sierra Club activist Lynn Henning records the oxygen level in a stream near a megafarm in Lenawee County. ( THE BLADE/DAVE ZAPOTOSKY ) PHOTO: John Zachel, who has farmed for 58 years, says he and his wife are sickened by odors from a nearby 8,000-hog operation. ( THE BLADE/DAVE ZAPOTOSKY ) PHOTO: Clark Emmons, who runs his family's 250-cow dairy farm in Lenawee County, says opposition to large operations is based on fear of the unknown and the fact that lare farms are so visible. ( THE BLADE/HERRAL LONG ) GRAPHIC: Darw for the Dutch SPECIAL REPORT Megafarms find few friends in neighborhood Others say big operations no problem By TOM HENRY BLADE STAFF WRITER HUDSON, Mich. - By their sheer proximity to two of this region's biggest dairy farms, Jack and Choyce Quigley seem like candidates to lead the fight against concentrated animal feeding operations, or CAFOs. To the contrary, they claim to have suffered no loss of business at the bed-and-breakfast inn they own on Acker Highway in Michigan's Lenawee County, smack dab between Vreba-Hoff LLC's two facilities. They describe Stephen Vander Hoff and his family, who run the two facilities, as good neighbors - responsible enough to the bed-and-breakfast clientele that they'll even adjust the company's schedule for spreading manure accordingly. The Vreba-Hoff farms together house 6,000 cows and are three miles apart. Quigley's Log Home, designed and largely built by Mr. Quigley, is on a dirt road in the middle. Both started operating in 1998. So far, so good. Which begs the question: Is there hope for peace and harmony between megafarm owners and their neighbors? Not according to numerous other property owners across the tristate region of Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana, which has been identified as prime real estate for Dutch dairy farmers. Vreba-Hoff's affiliated business, Vreba-Hoff Development Authority of Wauseon, assists them with emigrating from the Netherlands and starting life anew here. The region has both selling points and ecologically fragile aspects: Affordable land, access to water, a favorable climate, and simpler regulations than the European Union. But much of it also drains to western Lake Erie, the warmest, shallowest, and most productive part of the Great Lakes for fish reproduction. Fishing is the hub of the region's multibillion-dollar recreation and tourism industries. Full article: http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060814/NEWS06/608140323/-1/RSS
August 15, 200618 yr New jail could be open by year’s end Paulding County Progress The vacant building overlooking the Flat Rock Creek, just south across the bridge from downtown Paulding, is in the process of becoming a state-of-the-art jail facility, to serve the needs of Paulding County. What was most recently an office and warehouse structure for American Electric Power, then unoccupied for several years, is now humming with construction activity. During a recent visit and tour, masons, electricians, plumbers and carpenters were all busy working to bring finality to the jail project. The demolition phase of the work is finished, and new construction is moving at an acceptable pace. Although Sheriff Dave Harrow doesn’t offer an actual date, he is hoping sometime near the end of 2006 will see completion. Once construction is finished, and all inspections are made and approved, “there will be a phase-in stage of 30 to 60 days. We will need to staff and operate both the old and new jails while the jailers study and walk through all procedures for handling and moving prisoners,” Harrow explained. Boaters' new launch comes at farmers' cost Cleveland Plain Dealer, 8/12/06 The east bank of the Huron River supported one way of life for years. Now farming is being pushed aside to allow another lifestyle to flourish. The closing of the ConAgra Foods grain elevator and its purchase by the state's Department of Natural Resources will be a boon for boaters when the state builds a free boat launch with easy access to Lake Erie. The ramp could be open by spring 2008. But farmers who for years took corn, wheat and soybeans to the grain elevator are scurrying to find other outlets and methods to sell their crops without spending a lot of money on trucks and fuel. "In the big picture of things, the closing is small. But it's another indication of the low priority agriculture has in the United States," Huron farmer Gordon Hahn said. The state announced it was purchasing the 20-acre site last month for $3.25 million. The keys were turned over today.
August 18, 200618 yr From the 8/16/06 Toledo Blade: Lucas County plans courthouse repairs Lucas County is negotiating a fee for the design and development of exterior repairs and renovations to the Lucas County Courthouse. The county chose Duket Porter Associates, a local architectural firm, for the engineering and design work. Earl Reid, the county’s director of facilities, estimated the services could cost $250,000. Mr. Reid said sandstone on the outside of the courthouse is starting to crumble, and the foundation needs repairs. Outdoor lighting would receive attention, and roof repairs are also possible. Renovations are not expected to begin until late next year. http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060816/NEWS33/60816008/-1/NEWS
August 19, 200618 yr Construction won't delay 1st day of school Toledo Blade, 8/17/06 Oregon City Schools students who are hoping that the first day of school will be postponed because of building construction are going to be out of luck. District officials said the 2006-07 school year is going to begin for students on Wednesday as scheduled despite ongoing construction on several of the district's seven school buildings. This means students at the elementary and high school levels will see a number of changes to their school buildings from work that's been going on all summer. And construction is slated to continue until at least the next school year. In the case of Clay High School, construction won't end until the 2008-09 school year, said John Gilliland, the district's assistant superintendent of business affairs and operations. MORE: http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060817/NEIGHBORS02/608160326
August 19, 200618 yr School from the past moving into present Toledo Blade, 8/7/06 It has separate entrances for boys and girls, wood and plaster walls, and it lacks a white board, library, computer lab, and cafeteria. It's not what comes to mind when one thinks "school," and with good reason - the one-room school house relocated yesterday to Maumee is a relic of a past era. "We've been looking for a school for a long, long time," said Marilyn Wendler, board member and former director of the Maumee Valley Historical Society. Historical society members said it's hard to pinpoint the age of the building, but estimated its construction could date back to before the Civil War. Mrs. Wendler said she first saw the building while driving with her husband a decade ago. The historical society was looking for a one-room school house for its Wolcott House Museum Complex, and she knew this could be it. "It's unusual to find a frame school house as intact," Mrs. Wendler explained.
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