By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Doug and Mary Ellen Pratt sat on the porch of their farmhouse as people started showing up for the Wood County Park District meeting Tuesday. They gazed out on their cornfield as they talked about their plans to donate their property to the park district to preserve it for future generations.
“We didn’t want it to turn into that,” Doug Pratt said, pointing at the roofs in a nearby housing subdivision. They guaranteed that won’t happen by turning over 160 acres of fields and farm homestead to the park district.
Bob Hawker, park board president, praised the Pratts for their generosity and appreciation of parks. After Tuesday’s park board meeting, the board members toured the land and house that the Pratt’s were leaving to local citizens.
For nearly two centuries, the farm settled by William Pratt in Perrysburg Township has stayed in the family’s care. The 160 acres of fields and farm homestead are split by Hull Prairie Road, just north of Roachton Road. The farmland is almost completely surrounded by housing developments, and will soon be neighbor to the newest Perrysburg school.
The Pratts asked that the park district dedicate about 40 acres for sports fields, then use the remaining 120 acres for trails, trees, a pond, cross country skiing and picnic areas.
The couple asked only that the park district be good stewards to their land. “Preserve it as open land and provide a place for recreation for years to come,” and preserve the family name, Mary Ellen Pratt asked.
The 160-acre park area will be the second largest county park, next to the Bradner Preserve, and is estimated to be worth millions of dollars to the district.
In addition to the acreage, the couple is also leaving their historic Hull Prairie home to the park district. The land and home will remain in the Pratts’ hands as long as they live.
In other business, Park District Director Neil Munger reported that the park district will be working to restore a small portion of the Great Black Swamp with a grant received from the North Coast Regional Council of Park Districts. The grant will be used to help transform a 40-acre portion of Reuthinger Park off Oregon Road into a wetlands.
The park district is the first recipient of such a grant in Ohio, Munger said. Work will begin next year.
“I’m really excited to get this up and running,” he said.
The program helps replace wetlands areas in regions where wetlands have been disrupted. The process entails taking the topsoil off the area, excavating a “pan,” then putting the topsoil back so the original plant species return.
Dikes with paths will allow people to walk through the wetland, according to Jeff Baney, the park district assistant director.
“These generally make real nice areas for wildlife,” Baney said. “They are great educational opportunities.”
Also at Tuesday’s meeting, the board approved pay raises recommended by an outside group which performed a compensation study. The raises will be granted to 20 park employees in three phases starting this month and be completed next April.
Munger will see his salary go from $71,697 to $86,587. The assistant director’s salary will increase from $55,224 to $67,572; the operations manager’s will go from $49,982 to $59,167; the field operations manager’s will go from $49,982 to $60,714; and the chief ranger from $48,360 to $55,300. Most of the other raises range from $1,000 to $2,000 annually.
