By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
A zoning change was approved Tuesday evening that will not only make way for a new business, but also allow for a second road in and out of the Wood Bridge Business Park.
Bowling Green City Council approved the rezoning of nearly 40 acres east of Meijers on East Wooster Street, from B-2 general commercial to M-3 business park zoning.
Clouse Construction is under contract to purchase the property, which is currently a farm field. The plan for the acreage is the construction of a 100,000-square-foot speculative building that would then be marketed to prospective manufacturers by the city.
“We’re really excited about this opportunity,” Kati Thompson, the city’s economic development director, said to the city planning commission about the project in December.
“There’s a huge need for speculative manufacturing buildings in Northwest Ohio,” she said.
The zoning change will also give the city space to open up a second entrance and exit for the business park off East Wooster Street. And it will allow for a looped waterline and sanitary sewer extension into the business park, Thompson explained.
A second access to the business park is critical, Thompson said. The sole access to the business park currently is off Dunbridge Road.
“That can create a dangerous situation at times,” Thompson said.
Major traffic congestion is typical and problematic at Wood Bridge, due to a lack of turn lanes, high traffic volumes on Dunbridge Road, and the large number of vehicles coming and going during shift changes at businesses within the industrial park.
In other business Tuesday evening, Public Services Director Joe Fawcett reported that the construction fencing is expected to go up next week for the new city administration building project. The $11 million project will begin with the demolition of the house owned by the city that sits just to the north of the existing city building on North Church Street.
Next to come down will be the former senior center building at 305 N. Main St. – with care taken to preserve the historic front of the building.
The plan then is to construct the new city building, while operations continue in the existing building just to the west of the new site. The goal is for city offices to move into the new building in August of 2023.
After that, the current city administration building will be demolished to make room for a city parking lot.
Also at the meeting, council gave first and second readings of an ordinance increasing the maximum hiring age for police officers to 40. The Ohio Revised Code sets the maximum hiring age at 35, however, it also allows municipalities to set a different maximum age.
There are two primary reasons for the recommendation. First, the city is seeking to improve its recruiting of qualified police officers. So increasing the age would open the door to more applicants.
Second, it creates consistency within the city’s safety department, since the maximum hiring age for firefighters is 40.
The city hired numerous safety personnel in the mid and late 1990s, and anticipates several retirements this year, and the next several years.
In other business, council:
- Heard Municipal Administrator Lori Tretter suggest that local residents familiarize themselves with the “snow street” rules. Snow streets are designated by blue and white signs, and require people to remove their vehicles from street parking after two inches or more of snow.
- Learned from Director of Public Utilities Brian O’Connell that Daryl Stockburger retired as assistant utilities director.
- Heard from Public Works Director Brian Craft that the city has plenty of road salt, and is working on rebuilding equipment this winter.
- Adopted resolutions honoring former City Council members Sandy Rowland and John Zanfardino.
- Authorized the city to apply for a grant from the Ohio EPA for the use of recycled scrap tires for the inclusive playground project planned in Carter Park. The EPA program is designed to help communities while diverting tires from landfills.
- Heard the first reading of an ordinance authorizing the city to advertise for bids and enter contracts for sidewalk improvements, pavement striping, de-icing salt, and improving streets, alleys and other public ways in the city. The work includes paving the roadway and parking lots in City Park, plus adding a side-use path in the park.
