Steve Wiser regards the land just south of Pleasant Ridge Manor, in Fairview Township and stretching into Girard Township, as some of the “best farmland in the county.”
And he should know. His family farmed it for decades.
But in the past two years, Erie County government, which owns the land and had been leasing it out to farmers like Wiser, effectively ended farming there. In fact, the county stopped maintaining the land altogether.
Whereas before, Wiser would use the roughly 200-acre property to grow sweet corn, pumpkins, tomatoes and other produce for local businesses and residents; now, the land is fallow, covered by a thick shroud of weeds and overgrowth.
Wiser, a Girard Township resident, said he can't do anything about it. In 2022, the county terminated his lease as Erie County Executive Brenton Davis readied plans to build a business park there.
The plan was controversial. Davis argued the park would attract businesses looking for real estate and help bring jobs and revenue to the county. Fairview and Girard Township residents pushed back, citing the loss of prime farmland and the prospect of heavier traffic, noise and effects to the environment.
When the plan fell through in August, Wiser hoped Davis would return the land to farming. But he didn’t.
When Davis in June announced a new business park in McKean Township, Wiser again hoped the land would become available to lease. But it hasn’t.
Instead, the land has been left to fester, particularly with marestail, a troublesome weed that can easily spread its seeds to other agricultural land and where, once grown, can reduce crop yields and attract crop-damaging pests.
For Wiser, the lack of action from the county has been baffling, even from an economic standpoint.
Wiser said his family started bidding to lease the property in the early 1970s, paying rates to the county that eventually spiked to roughly $37,000 a year.
He estimates he’s paid the county more than $800,000 to lease the property over the past 50 years.
"Now, they're losing that revenue," Wiser said of the county. "The people out here are completely confused. I don’t understand why the county won’t let us farm it."
Davis has no stated plans for the land
The Davis administration hasn’t released any specific plans for the land.
In March, Erie County Public Information Officer Chris Carroll told the Erie Times-News “the county executive is exploring all options for this property to best serve the interests of the taxpayers of Erie County.”
In a July 15 email, Carroll stated “our position has not changed.”
The administration has not responded to questions from the Erie Times-News about why the land hasn't been mowed or maintained, both of which were recommendations by the Erie County Conservation District and Fairview Township supervisors.
In an Oct. 3 letter to Davis obtained by the Erie Times-News, Erie County Conservation District Manager Tom McClure recommended that the county “mow all acreage to control weeds and overgrowth” to support future agricultural production on that land.
In a Jan. 11 letter to Erie County Council, McClure also stated the lack of maintenance or management of the land was “not an ideal practice” and that the land could spread weed seeds onto nearby agricultural fields.
In a Feb. 19 letter to County Council, Fairview Township Supervisors Justin Pacansky, Peter Kraus and Mark Gennuso further requested that the county restore the land to agricultural production.
“By resuming farming operations, the county could generate revenue that would offset one-time expenses incurred to restore the parcels to agricultural production,” the supervisors stated.
Kraus said he hasn't received a response.
“We’ve asked the county to mow it, but they don’t seem too responsive to that,” he said.
Erie County Council Chairman Terry Scutella told the Erie Times-News that council has "no authority to step in" and maintain that land. Rather, he said, it's the administration's responsibility.
Erie County Councilwoman Ellen Schauerman, who represents Fairview and Girard townships, did not respond to an email inquiry sent by the Erie Times-News.
Citizen group wants land in agricultural preservation program
Valerie Pesta, a Fairview Township resident and one of the founders of the West County Citizens Coalition, a group that rallied against the proposed business park, said she's also heard "crickets" from the county about the land's future.
She described the neglected farmland as a "waste."
"I just want to see this land used productively and intelligently as it's supposed to be used," she said.
The land, which has been farmed for 100 years, sits just north of Pleasant Ridge Park between Daggett and Dobler roads. The bulk of the land — about 130 acres — is located south of U.S. Route 20 in Fairview Township with an additional 25 acres extending into Girard Township. Another 30 acres extend north of Route 20.
The land is a mix of residential, light industrial, commercial and agricultural zones.
Pesta said she hopes County Council and Fairview Township rezone the property parcels as agricultural, then eventually have the property registered in the Agricultural Preservation Program. The program would help to permanently preserve the land for agricultural production and guarantee a food supply for future generations.
The first step, she added, is to simply mow and maintain the land, so that, in time, it can be used "for what it was meant for."
A.J. Rao can be reached at arao@gannett.com. Follow him on X @ETNRao.
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