By Debbie Rogers

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The Wood County Park District has an opportunity to create an island of recreation in a surrounding sea of development.

But it comes with a price.

At Tuesday’s Wood County Commissioners meeting, park district officials asked for $400,000 to put toward a $1.2 million total purchase of 33 acres to expand JC Reuthinger Memorial Preserve in Perrysburg Township.

“I know it’s not the norm, but we’re reaching out to other leaders in the community to help us,” said Chris Smalley, park district director.

So far, the park district has obtained financial commitments from the Wood County Port Authority of $80,000 and the Friends of the Park for $17,000. They plan to also ask Perrysburg Township Trustees for money, Smalley said.

The park district will put $200,000 toward the purchase.

If the county gives $400,000, that will allow the park district to apply for a Clean Ohio Greenspace Conservation grant for the rest of the purchase, he said.

The park district needs to show it has a significant portion — about two-thirds of the $1.2 million — to contribute, in order to be highly prioritized for the grant, Smalley said.

“I recognize that this is an extraordinary request — the park district has never come before the commissioners before,” he said. “But we’ve never, quite frankly, had an opportunity like this before.”

The new land would be an addition to the Reuthinger park that was donated in 2005 by the late Lucille Reuthinger Knepper. The stewardship department’s shop and office is located here, as well as two greenhouses and the native plant nursery. Tens of thousands of native plants are grown here and sown throughout the parks.

“We’ve worked hard over the last 20 years to activate that site,” Smalley said.

The improvements include a 20-30 acre wetlands-wet meadow restoration and a 5-acre pond.

“It’s also home to our stewardship department,” Smalley said.

Jeff Steed, who is part of the Reuthinger family, which operated a dairy farm on the land, approached the park district about the property, Smalley said.

“It’s one of the last parcels in that area, and it’s pretty much the only parcel in that area if we were ever to expand,” Smalley said. “The family approached us. They’ve sold off all the other acreage around there, but they came to us … to save that last portion of the homestead.”

People who are living in that area will be able to go birding, hike trails and kayak in the pond, he said.

‘I believe this 33.24 acres is very important to the future of the park district and Perrysburg Township and the northern portion of the county,” Smalley said. “It will allow us to create an oasis, an island if you will, surrounded by a lot of development, industrial.”

It will also allow access off Reuthinger Road, instead of Oregon Road, which is located near Owens Community College and Interstate 75 and is very busy.

The property would come with a large brick farmhouse from the 1900s, a large white barn and a farmfield.

“It’s a blank slate,” Smalley said.

Andrew Kalmar, park district assistant director, said if this land isn’t purchased, the property will be developed.

“To be clear, the park district is not opposed to economic growth,” he said. “It’s just when this is gone, it’s gone, there’s no other way to look at it.

“We think this is a great opportunity to save this piece of property and it’s something that will have a benefit for decades to come for a lot of people.”

Doris Herringshaw, chair of the commissioners, said this was a big decision.

“I think we may have to think about it a little bit,” she said. “We really have to determine where this money would come from and if we really can or should be doing this, in fairness to everyone else.”

There is a Sept. 8 deadline to apply for the Clean Ohio grant.

“It looks like it would be a wonderful expansion, but it would be a big ask,” said Commissioner Craig LaHote.

Carri Stanley, Wood County administrator, said she researched if the county could make this type of contribution.

“This is a lawful expenditure, if you decide to do so,” she said.

After the meeting, Kalmar said the he knows firsthand how unusual this financial request is.

He was park district director from 1989-2000 and county administrator from 2000-20.

“In all of that span, the park district has never come to the commissioners for anything like this, but we feel this is an extraordinary opportunity,” Kalmar said.

If this is acquired, the Reuthinger Preserve will become one of the top three county parks, in size, Smalley said.

He was asked about the future Pratt property in Perrysburg that has been promised to the park district from that family. When developed, that 168-acre parcel on Hull Prairie and Roachton roads will become the largest county park.

The Reuthinger property addition will not put a huge burden on staff, because there is already park in operation there, Smalley said.

Also, if the purchase goes through, the park district can apply for additional grants to open it, he said.