By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
The Wood County Park District was once again asked Tuesday to fill in the missing link of bike trails stretching from Cleveland to Indiana.
Former park board commissioner Frank McLaughlin asked that the board work to provide more bike trails in the county – including paving the section missing in the North Coast Inland Trail.
McLaughlin, of Bowling Green, has repeatedly brought the subject to the park board.
“I just want to make sure this is an issue that stays ahead of the board,” he said on Tuesday.
Bike trails are very popular, he told the board. The Slippery Elm Trail between Bowling Green and North Baltimore gets a lot of use, especially on weekends.
“It’s like a freeway down there,” of bicyclists, joggers, walkers and inline skaters, he said.
While expensive to construct, bike trails bring economic benefits to areas, McLaughlin said. He referenced the bike trail in Holmes County and the North Coast Inland Trail through Elmore, which bring customers to places like coffee shops, ice cream shops, and bike repair businesses.
“Businesses have sprung up along the trail down there,” he said of the Holmes County trail.
“I know this stuff isn’t cheap, but it would be a real boon to see Wood County do it,” McLaughlin said of paving the missing miles of the North Coast Inland Trail.
Currently, the North Coast Inland Trail runs from Cleveland, into Lorain and Huron, then to Elmore and Genoa – where it ends. Efforts are underway in Ottawa County to get the trail extended to Millbury in Wood County.
But then the trail goes cold – with Wood County being the missing link as the bike trails run along Ohio’s northern border from Cleveland to Indiana.
Once in Lucas County, the Wabash Cannonball Trail begins in Side Cut Metropark, then runs for 63 miles through Lucas, Fulton and Williams counties.
The right-of-way for a bike trail has reportedly already been secured between Millbury and the W.W. Knight Preserve in Perrysburg Township, where the park board met Tuesday, McLaughlin said.
From there, the Chessie Circle rail corridor extends from Bates Road and Ohio 65 in Wood County, to River Road and Laskey Road in Toledo. The Chessie Circle Trail in Lucas County runs along an 11-mile stretch of abandoned railway.
The Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments acquired the property from the CSX railroad in 2011 for $6.6 million. Partnering to help purchase the corridor were the University of Toledo, the city of Toledo, Metroparks Toledo, Wood County Park District, and the Wood County Port Authority.
Ideally, McLaughlin said, the Wood County Park District could also extend its bike trail system from the south tip in North Baltimore, north to Perrysburg.
Though bike trails in the past have been the victim of “not in my backyard” complaints, McLaughlin said those concerns have been unfounded.
In other business at Tuesday’s meeting, Director Chris Smalley reported that the Wood County Park District was named second place winner by the Ohio Parks and Recreation Association for its geocache program.
“Thanks to the programming staff for their efforts,” Smalley said. “This is a great indication of the quality work our program department does.”
A total of 125 park programs had been nominated.
Also at the meeting, the board voted to purchase new vehicles and equipment for the park stewardship department, including:
- $49,761 for a 2022 Ford F350 that has towing capacity.
- $16,324 for a Kubota utility vehicle.
- $15,260 for a tilt-bed trailer capable of transporting a Caterpillar.
Board members Bill Cameron and Tom Myers questioned the purchase of the trailer from a Michigan dealer. Myers stressed the need for the park board to be fiscally responsible to Wood County residents.
Bids had been sought from seven dealerships, but only two were submitted, Smalley said, and the bid from Michigan was the best. Due to the approaching mowing season, the board voted to purchase the trailer, instead of seeking more bids.
In other business, the board agreed to change its meeting times to 3 p.m. on the second Tuesdays of each month.
