Township trustees won't buy Ponderosa building

by DALE SHEFFIELD

Enterprise reporter

The people spoke, and the Wellington Township trustees listened. Last Tuesday, the trustees - Dale McAvena, Calvin Woods, and Virginia Haynes - voted unanimously to withdraw an offer to purchase property at 712 N. Main St., the former Ponderosa restaurant. But that decision came only after three days of meetings at which township residents expressed their opposition to the purchase.

"It's ridiculous that it had to get to that level," stated McAvena, who was never in favor of the purchase. "They (Woods and Haynes) have known for two months how people felt, and they ignored the people. It's a shame that it had to go that far and that long."

The trustees had an option to buy the property for $550,000 from owners Wellington Auto Wash Associated Partnership. The tax value of the property according to the county auditor is $615,000, but it had been appraised for only $450,000. The trustees planned to use the property for records retention, an office for the fiscal officer, offices for the Southern Lorain County Office on Aging, and a community meeting room. They had also discussed renting a portion of the property to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles. The township has $750,000 in a building fund to use to buy or build a building or to repair the existing garage on Maple Street. The money is generated from a railroad sound abatement program and inheritance taxes.

The concerns expressed by residents were many. Some were concerned at the amount of money the trustees were willing to spend on the property.

"It's a big waste of the taxpayers' money. This building is not the place," said resident Sandra Jones at a public meeting last Monday night. "I resent that you would take our hard-earned money and the money of our deceased relatives and just blow it."

Other residents were worried the trustees had not planned for the extensive renovations that would be needed on the property, and others thought that it unnecessary to buy a property so large that it could be shared with other government organizations. Many also stated that another community meeting room is unnecessary when there are other such places already available for rental, and one resident stated that the Penfield Township trustees are "barely able to keep their heads above water on rentals."

Village councilman Guy Wells and district fire chief Bob Walker both expressed concern about the loss of tax revenue that would occur if the trustees bought the building.

"After investigating the options, it became obvious that (the purchase) was not the wish of the residents," Woods said. "I'm very pleased with the residents' input. I'm glad they came out (to the weekend meetings)."

McAvena thinks the trustees need to go back to discussing plans for a new building with an architect. The trustees had been in this process, but halted it in May when Woods suggested pursuing the purchase of 712 N. Main.

"We need to go back to where we were in May," McAvena said. "We listened to people's ideas, and an architect was there to hear what people wanted. The township residents should be involved. This is practical and necessary."

McAvena also said, "We need to take our time on this. We don't need to jump from the frying pan into the fire. We don't need to ramrod things through. Just because there is money to spend doesn't mean we need to spend it immediately. Calvin acts like he's won the lottery and is on a spending spree."

Woods is already considering another property that is for sale, the former K&L Construction at 44847 State Route 18. This idea was suggested by a resident at one of the weekend meetings.

"I did go out and get information and looked at the property," Woods said. "There's five acres of land, and room for meetings and offices. It's a very nice building and it's only five years old."

McAvena also contends that Woods has a personal reason for wanting to purchase a property rather than building a new facility on the land the township already owns.

"Calvin is still hell bent on putting in an 18-hole unsupervised putt putt golf course in the area where we have been considering building for three years," McAvena stated.

Woods, however, denies this is his reason for looking at property elsewhere. "It's sort of crowded," he said of the property on Maple Street. "With the garage, and the salt bin, and the stone yard. I think it would be good to find property in the unincorporated township."