Perrysburg
Politics
Elevating Orleans Park: Perrysburg council approves $923,733 multiuse trail
An Orleans Park improvement has been approved, with Perrysburg City Council planning for more work in the future. Council voted last week to spend $923,733 for an elevated multiuse trail from Green Lane through the wooded area to the end of the existing path on the north side of the parking lot at Orleans Park. The park stretches along the Maumee River. Weber Contracting of Archbold, Ohio, will do the work for $839,757 plus a 10 percent contingency. Councilman Kerry Wellstein said the work is slated for next summer.
Perrysburg public hearing on rezoning for rumored Topgolf will likely change
The Perrysburg City Council will likely hold a public hearing on a land rezoning rumored to be for a Topgolf facility later in November. At Tuesday’s meeting, the council discussed moving the public hearing on the rezoning from Nov. 5, which is Election Day, to its second meeting of the month on Nov. 19. Bethel Assembly of God is asking for 24 acres adjacent to Costco off Eckel Junction Road be rezoned from R2 (medium-density residential) to C4 (commercial district). The planning commission, before a packed crowd who spoke against the change, voted 3-2 to reject the request at its Sept. 26 meeting. Flyers dropped at area residences say if the property is rezoned and then sold by the church, it would be a Topgolf entertainment facility.
How are Toledo area hospitals handling IV fluid disruptions from Hurricane Helene?
TOLEDO, Ohio — The impacts of Hurricane Helene are being felt across the country, including here in Toledo. Local medical facilities are now being more selective and cautious with their medical supplies. This comes after one of the largest suppliers of IV fluids was recently flooded in North Carolina.
Road Warrior: South End intersection closing cuts off practical access to I-75 interchange
I was particularly unhappy to hear about the delay to Toledo’s project to rebuild Broadway Street in the South End because I had checked not too long before the announcement on its progress and was told it was right on schedule. The series of water main breaks that have caused completion to be delayed more than six months, however, happened within days of that inquiry. Broadway’s reconstruction started out nearly a year ago with water-main replacement between Danny Thomas Park and South Avenue, but city officials believed such replacement was not needed between South and Western Avenue. The water main had other ideas, with three breaks in early August. Its replacement will chew up valuable construction time, causing the street reconstruction that follows to be delayed until spring.
Clay High School to hold controlled burn on school property Tuesday: 'No need for concern'
OREGON, Ohio — Clay High School will conduct a controlled burn on school property Tuesday, the district said in a message to parents, and assured that there was no need for concern. According to the message, the controlled burn will occur at approximately 2:45 p.m. under the guidance of...
Enduring beauty: Mural fest enlivens East Toledo streets
The East Side never looked so bright as on Sept. 28 at the first River East Mural and Art Festival, as approximately 60 artists — some as far away as the West Coast — showed up to paint murals. With the East Side art space River East Gallery, located at 601 N. Main St., serving as their headquarters, the artists painted, sprayed, and applied chalk throughout the day on walls all around the surrounding area. As the gallery’s website indicated, the artists were “turning forgotten walls into canvases of artistic expression that not only beautify the city but also foster a renewed sense of community pride and engagement.” According to the event organizer, local artist and River East Gallery co-owner Chris “Chilly” Rodriguez, the inaugural festival was a raging success.
Powell: Apple Butter weekend comes to Grand Rapids
Here in Grand Rapids, Ohio, we’re getting ready for company; lots of company, some say 40,000 visitors. Next Sunday is Apple Butter Fest when the village on the Maumee River rolls out the welcome mat with a variety of attractions. Visitors can expect plenty of good food, musical entertainment, shopping from vendors, local history experiences, and, of course, apple butter. The Apple Butter Fest is sponsored by the Grand Rapids Historical Society. Funds support various year-round events. According to Steve Kryder, who is co-chairman of the festival with Chuck Thomas, the preparation of the apple butter from apples to jarred spreads requires the dedication of volunteers who gathered at the Old Fire Station to peel bushes of apples into slices.
Medical debt relief delivered to Toledo, region as other Ohio cities pick up model
In 2020, Alexandria Delikat-Hinze broke her ankle. Eight months later, she broke her arm as she tripped and fell while hiking. That broke the bank. As a graduate student, Ms. Delikat-Hinze was not working and what little health insurance she had through the open marketplace did not cover all her medical expenses. Her medical debt piled up to $25,000, an insurmountable amount for the now 30-year-old woman. Looking for a job upon graduation was hampered by a poor credit rating. Being able to move forward seemed impossible. Then, in April, she got a letter in the mail: Her entire medical debt had been paid for by Undue Medical Debt through a partnership with Toledo and Lucas County. The governmental entities had allocated $1.6 million to the nonprofit.
Children and senior services, port authority levies on Nov. 5 ballot
Lucas County Children Services had hoped to put its request for 1.5 mills in additional property-tax funding on the same ballot as renewal of an existing 1.8-mill levy. But the agency learned several months ago that the renewal couldn’t go on the ballot until next year, while its leaders believe they need to tackle rising costs and a growing caseload right away. So the new tax, expected to generate about $13.7 million per year, will appear on the Nov. 5 countywide ballot as a stand-alone item, alongside operating-levy requests from the Area Office on Aging of Northwest Ohio and the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority. The senior services’ agency also is seeking a revenue boost but will do that by renewing an existing 0.75-mill tax while adding on another quarter mill. The port authority’s request is a strict renewal of an existing 0.4-mill operating levy that it principally uses for its economic-development efforts.
Community leaders, organizations ask for community to vote in favor of tax levies in November
Community faith leaders came together to show their support and asked residents to vote “yes” for Issues 19, 29, and 30 at a news conference hosted by the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance of Toledo and Vicinity on Monday at Mount Nebo Baptist Church. Three local institutions — Toledo Public Schools, the Area Office on Aging of Northwest Ohio, and Lucas County Children’s Services — are requesting various tax levies to keep the money coming and their individual services running. Randy Muth, executive director of Lucas County Children Services, advocated for Issue 30, a 1.5-mill, five-year levy which would cost the owner of a $100,000 home $52.50 annually. “We know that adverse exposure to adverse childhood experiences actually changes the physiology of your brain,” Mr. Muth said. “It makes kids more susceptible to obesity, anxiety, [and] heart disease. We also know that if we get comprehensive, intensive and early treatment, we can reverse all of those negative outcomes and that’s what we want to provide for these kids.”
Toledo Fire and Rescue has plans in place to ensure construction doesn't disrupt response times
TOLEDO, Ohio — Dozens of construction projects are happening across Toledo this year. Projects causing detours, delays and headaches. For emergency services, it's important to have a plan in place to get around when seconds count. Toledo Fire and Rescue has seen a change in response time, but Deputy...
To the editor: City’s interest in Vistula better off elsewhere
It would be wonderful to see the Vistula neighborhood restored to a mixed-income residential neighborhood. This is not the first attempt at reviving what is unquestionably Toledo’s most rundown census tract. Previous efforts fell flat or were marginally successful. An argument must be made that resources should be concentrated on existing projects before we are distracted by another attempt at reviving Vistula. Toledo has a problem with “development attention span.” The Warehouse District has been a success but is not completed. The Historic South End, once street improvements to the Broadway Corridor are completed, is in the early stages of recovery. The Uptown Area has seen mixed success. The Museum-Monroe Street corridor is already in the planning phases. Let’s not forget the biggest hole in the heart of the city, Westgate, and the Colony area redevelopment. Submit a letter to the editor All of this is taking place in a metro area that is not growing, either in population or jobs. Our political leadership, civil servants, and the community in general, do not have the depth of human and financial resources to make certain that all these projects end in success.
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