LIME CITY – Perrysburg Township has taken the final step for construction of a new administration building.
At its June 5 meeting, trustees agreed to have Administrator Jon Eckel negotiate a contract with Rudolph Libbe to do the work.
“We’re confident they can do the work,” he said.
Eckel had submitted a resolution at the May 15 meeting to hire Rudolph Libbe, but trustees requested a three-week delay to review the documents.
“This has been a long time coming,” said Trustee Bob Mack. “We punted for years and years on this and could we have saved money if we’d done it (years ago), yes we probably could have.”
The township has to use $1.6 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds by the end of the year or lose them, he said.
Mack said the building will transform the way the township presents itself to the community.
Talks about a new building began on April 26, 2007, according to a previous report by Eckel.
Trustee Gary Britten said if they had constructed the building five years ago, they’d be kicking themselves now knowing there are issues with the dispatch center.
“This is one of the reasons the price tag is a little high on this because we need to incorporate that as well as a bomb shelter,” he said.
The new building will be 9,000 square feet and be located to the south of the existing structure. The single-story facility will include a meeting room, conference room, communication center, offices, kitchenette and restrooms.
The estimated cost of the project is $3.6 million with completion in 2025. The township plans to use the $1.6 million in ARPA funds plus funds set aside for the project.
The resolution passed, 2-0, with Trustee Joe Schaller abstaining.
The existing building at 26609 Lime City Road, where trustees meet and have offices, is aging and no longer suited to current needs. The structure, which is about 16,000 square feet, was built in 1962.
Repairs totaling $51,100 will be made to the existing building, including roof repairs and new gutters, with its continued use for the food bank and possible rentals.
Also at the meeting, trustees heard Britten report Eckel sent a letter to Rossford’s mayor and city administrator about an incident involving a township and a city firefighter.
“Guess what, folks. It ended up on Facebook” Britten said.
The letter appeared on Rossford Mayor Neil A. MacKinnon III’s Facebook page.
“Here we are in the middle of negotiations, they want something from us, and he can’t keep his nose out of it,” he said about MacKinnon. “It’s really sad, but the people need to know … the antics that this man pulls.”
Britten said he has had reservations about the plan to join the two fire departments and it’s because of something like this.
Eckel said he didn’t post it because “I’ve never been on Facebook in my life.”
He explained he was told the incident included a Rossford firefighter telling his counterpart in the township that there was no way Perrysburg Township would ever take charge of the Rossford department.
The township’s initial proposal had its chief overseeing both departments.
Putting his letter on Facebook was not what we intended to do, Eckel said.
He couldn’t say if this will affect negotiations.
“We have yet to sit back down and have an actual draft proposal,” he said. “There’s nothing at this point to talk about.”
Also at the meeting, trustees:
Accepted the resignation of Alexa Miller from the police department.
Heard Recreation Director Bob Warnimont report receiving some strange requests for recycling in the township.
“They think we are a scrap yard,” he said.
He has handled questions about what they pay for aluminum and where can a load of dirt be taken.
A township resident called and wanted to know why the township doesn’t take televisions.
Warnimont said he explained they have nowhere to take them.
“We get a lot of stuff left out here we’ve got to find a place to take,” he said.
A lot of people really appreciate the 24-hour drop off, he said.
