By Peter Kuebeck
Resident Chuck Codding, a West Wooster Street resident, raised concerns about deer and turkeys in that area at Monday’s Bowling Green Council meeting.
They are becoming a “huge problem,” he said. “The deer run wild,” causing issues on properties, eating flowers and bushes, and carrying ticks.
Codding said that the city’s own ordinances view deer as a “dangerous animal,” and that he’s concerned for the safety of children in the area, and the possibility that the deer could cause a traffic accident.
“I would like the city to start a discussion to somehow get rid of these deer,” or relocate them, Codding said. “I think something needs to be done with these deer.”
Also at the meeting, council:
• Heard from Mayor Mike Aspacher that, earlier this month, a number of city departments participated in a full-scale emergency planning exercise facilitated by Wood County agencies. The participating city departments were the fire division, police division, office of the municipal administrator, the public works department and the communications department. The exercise, Aspacher said, centered on a train-related hazardous materials incident warranting a response from first responders.
“By all accounts, the exercise was very successful,” Aspacher said, “and to me this is just another example of why we should be proud every day of our safety services” in the city, and of the partnered agencies that also participated.
• Saw Nathan Hossler sworn in as a new firefighter.
• Introduced, gave three readings to, and passed as an emergency legislation authorizing Utilities Director Brian O’Connell to finalize a property purchase agreement with the Bowling Green Community Development Foundation for the purchase of approximately 2.57 acres in Bellard Business Park.
According to the legislative package document prepared for council, in 2020 council and the Board of Public Utilities authorized the transfer of the acreage to the BGCDF; it was sold to a local business that planned to move to the property.
However, “due to COVID and other changes to the business over the past three years, the owner has not been able to complete the plans of developing the property. There have been inquiries for 10+ acres which have brought attention to the issue of having a different owner of the undeveloped parcel in the middle of the remaining city owned Bellard Park property. A purchase agreement was negotiated with the owner of the 2.57 acre parcel and the foundation has acquired the property.
This now results in a total of 15.5 contiguous acres for development which is more marketable and can potentially fit a larger number of development inquiries. It is recommended that property be transferred to the city as that is consistent with how property in the business parks have been handled in previous years.
The property can then be marketed to potential buyers under one owner. It will also be easier to manage the property for farm leasing if the city owns the property.” The recommendation was for the city to purchase the property for $10,000 per acre, to be paid from the city’s Electric Capital Reserve Fund.
“The arrangement with BGCDF has been for the city to receive a $10,000/acre credit on our annual dues after a city owned property is sold for business development,” the document stated. “In 2020, the city received a $10,000/acre credit on our 2021 annual dues from the sale of the 2.57 acres. By paying $10,000/ acre for this property, the city is essentially reimbursing the credit received in 2021. In the future, when this property is sold, the city will again receive a $10,000/ acre credit on the annual BGCDF dues.”
