ROSSFORD — Since a March 13 announcement about the sale of the Rossford Lanes property and the plans for
a Dollar General, speculation and rumors regarding the bowling center continue to flourish.
At Monday’s City Council meeting, some official news was related via a correspondence from Thomas A.
Yoder, an attorney from Holland. He shared additional information on behalf of Rossford Recreation
Center Inc. which indicated a closing date and the hope of a sale of the business.
“They are building a Dollar General Store on the east side of the property, but wish to have the west
side continue to be a bowling alley for the foreseeable future,” Yoder said.
He said that that the lanes has retained ownership of all the trade assets relating to the operation of
the bowling center
“The owner of the real estate is amenable to entering into a lease with anyone who wishes to purchase the
remaining assets of the Rossford Recreation Center Inc. These include the liquor license, the lanes, the
machines and anything related to the continued operation of the business.”
According to Yoder, the business will continue to operate until May 15. The hope is to finalize the sale
of the assets and consummation of the lease by May 31.
“At the offering price for the business, it should generate enough revenue to be paid off in about three
years. I’m sure that the new owner of the real estate would be open to a lease with option to purchase
the real estate to a suitable buyer.”
He asks for any interested parties to contact him and prefers the contact come from another attorney
representing the interested buyer.
“Everyone concerned would like to have the 75-year-old business continue to operate rather than having
the assets sold off piecemeal,” Yoder said.
The business is located at 969 Dixie Hwy. near the downtown area of the city.
In other business, council approved the next step in ballot procedures for two, 1-mill levies to appear
on the ballot in November for parks and recreation. The council is looking to clear up the language as
they both read nearly identical. One will be used for programming and the other for capital needs. The
goal was to make the ballot language clear as to not confuse the voters on the two similar proposed
ballot items.
William Petruzzi, representing Hull and Associates Inc., a company which specializes in environment,
energy and infrastructure, gave a presentation update on the closed Wales Road Landfill for the council
members. The company became the engineers for the closed site in 2001.
“The city has always done a nice job of maintaining and assisting with the closed landfill. The good news
is the site is in complete compliance with all regulation. It is in perfect stand with the Ohio EPA
(Environmental Protection Agency),” Petruzzi said.
“We are winding down on the post-closure site. We are in the five-year wind down and there are no
violations at the site.”
The landfill operated from 1946-94 when it was closed. The EPA is overseeing the regulations and safety
of the closed landfill for 30 years, which expire in 2024.
That 30-year figure is a minimum and if there are problems the EPA can extend the time frame for
monitoring gases from the closed landfill.
Petruzzi said the closed site is now functioning much like a compost pile and has just a little gas being
omitted, which is to be expected. He said that once the 30-year term is finalized, there are various
possibilities for the site, including parks, or other businesses. The area directly connected to the
landfill will likely still have some regulations but there should be some flexibility for the city.
Also at the meeting, council
• Excused members Larry Oberdorf Sr. and Chris Heban.
• Suspended a third reading and passed an ordinance for replacement pages for the municipal code. This is
a housekeeping measure to get all the records up to date.
• Passed a resolution to join with the Ohio Department of Transportation for the contract for road salt.
The city will acquire 900 tons.
• Heart that the city’s spring egg hunt will be April 20. It’s a free event with 5,000 eggs for youth to
find.