NORTHWOOD – After months of discussion and debate, the Otsego Stone Hall will finally be
getting air conditioning.Wood County Park District Board of Trustees voted unanimously Tuesday to accept
a $92,900 bid from Marlin White and Sons, Fremont, to install air conditioning at the building.The
meeting was held at the J. C. Reuthinger Memorial Preserve on Oregon Road.The unit would be installed on
the front-west side of the stone hall, which was recently named in honor of longtime board president
George Thompson, who retired from the board last year.The vote caps nearly a year of wrangling over the
issue, in which a number of sometimes contentious discussions were held over the desirability,
feasibility and cost of the project. A series of options, including geothermal power, were considered.
The project was originally budgeted at $77,500, but a consultant later informed the board the cost would
be closer to $110,000.The Stone Hall is one of the Park District’s most popular rental venues.The board
also approved the $9,585 purchase of a district-wide VOIP telephone service, allowing calls to be made
over the Internet instead of over a standard landline. VOIP stands for Voice Over Internet Protocol.The
move is expected to save the district money on phone bills, and would allow it to cancel most
traditional telephone service – lines would still be maintained at the Park District headquarters on
Mercer Road, and at the W. W. Knight Preserve, for safety reasons and to maintain fax usage. At least
six other telephone lines would be eliminated.The board also:• Approved a $1,540 contract with Morlock
Asphalt, Bowling Green, for sealcoating at the headquarters.• Approved a $8,100 contract with Bowers
Asphalt, Walbridge, for work on the parking lot at William Henry Harrison Park, Pemberville.• Heard that
a sidewalk leading to a new shelter house at the Cedar Creeks Preserve has been finished.• Heard that
removal of asbestos siding at the Carter Historic Farm is being considered. Some of the siding is
reportedly beginning to flake off. If it is removed, the siding would be replaced with wood. The
district is also examining the possibility of moving the one-room Zimmerman School nearer to the Carter
Farm grounds to make it more convenient for visiting school classes.• Went into executive session to
discuss a personnel matter and then adjourned without taking action.