PERRYSBURG – A handful of Fort Meigs Road residents are upset that they weren’t notified until recently
that 2011 plans to widen the roadway are designed to require some of their property.
The group told city council members Tuesday that it would make more sense to widen the road to the west,
which would most affect undeveloped farm land, rather than the east, which would call for property
acquisition from as many as 24 homes in the area.
The widening and resurfacing between Five Point and Roachton roads is funded 80 percent by the Ohio
Department of Transportation.
Jason McCulloch, a Fort Meigs Road resident who is also an arborist, said the project will devalue homes,
affect leech fields, call for removal of trees that serve as windbreaks, and also result in the death of
other trees.
McCulloch and other residents suggested a few alternatives with less impact and requested an extension
for those options to be considered. They said they knew nothing of the project, which has been in the
works since 2011, or the effect it would have on their property until several weeks ago, when they were
invited to view a plan that had already been designed.
City officials said ODOT is managing the project, and whether residents were involved in the engineering
is part of ODOT’s process. Residents were dismayed that other ODOT projects, such as the recent
proposals for a new Waterville bridge, included public meetings to solicit input, but the Fort Meigs
widening apparently did not.
Several city council members regretted that the ODOT project was approved while residents had not been
involved in the discussion.
"Without hearing any objections, who am I to say it’s incorrect? I went with the knowledge I
had," said councilor Todd Grayson.
"When you’re taking someone’s property, I would hope that at some point before we get to the bottom
of the ninth inning that those residents would be notified," Grayson continued. "I put myself
in their shoes, and I’d be pretty freaking hot right now."
Council member Tom Mackin said council wouldn’t have further action on the project, but he suggested city
administrators sit down with residents to consider their proposals and see if any adjustments can be
made, if appropriate.
Also Tuesday, city council approved a 2-percent raise for 50 employees, as well as a 75-percent tax
abatement for a medical business that plans to construct a new building at 702 Commerce Drive.
The pay raise is for members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME)
union. The raise is effective for the next year, the final of a three-year contract that included a wage
re-opener for 2014.
City Administrator Bridgette Kabat said the two sides will likely be back at the table at the end of the
year to work on a new contract.
Council granted the property tax abatement, which provides 75-percent relief for 10 years, for Mitchell
Dermatology to construct a new, 5,000-square-foot building within a Community Reinvestment Area.
The business has reported it will create three new jobs, and it will receive a $358,200 tax break over 10
years. Payments to school districts will total $54,916.22 to Perrysburg Schools and $3,765.26 to Penta
Career Center.
Separately, council approved Mayor Mike Olmstead’s appointment of Alice Godsey as director of public
utilities.