Details of the proposed purchase will not be discussed publicly until a final contract is in place
The Russell Township Park District board said Monday it was time to move forward with the purchase of Modroo Farm.
Following a more than 30-minute executive session during their June 13 meeting, held at the E.O.U.V. Club on Pekin Road, park commissioners Linda O’Brien and Charlie Butters emerged with the news dozens of residents were anxiously awaiting.
“I am thrilled to tell you that the Russell Township Park District and the Western Reserve Land Conservancy have approached what looks to be a solid partnership in going forward with purchasing the Modroo property,” O’Brien said, triggering a round of applause.
“I must tell you this is a partnership. We have our side of responsibilities,” she explained. “Being good financial stewards, we will not borrow money to make this happen. Western Reserve has graciously basically come hand-in-hand with us and is willing to go out to their sources starting immediately.”
The land conservancy has requested details of the proposed purchase not be discussed publicly until a final contract is in place, O’Brien said, noting property owner Mary Modroo is unavailable until the end of the month.
WRLC Director of Acquisitions Joe Leslie told the audience the land conservancy has worked hard on the potential purchase of the Modroo property for years.
“The park district didn’t have sufficient funds for the amount of money that we need to spend on this project — and we knew that — so we will endeavor and we knew we would have to go out to the community and to our supporters to help us with this acquisition,” he said. “Hopefully within a very short period of time there will be trails, parking area and a nice amenity for your community.”
O’Brien invited residents to donate funds for benches in honor of loved one that will be installed at critical points along the trail.
“That’s our vision and having a vision was critical,” she said. “Those without a vision perish and we didn’t want the perish, we wanted to make something happen with this, so we have to go through the due diligence . . . so we could create this vision.”
Since the May 16 board meeting, O’Brien said the board had contacted several appraisers and was able to obtain one independent appraisal of the Modroo property.
“It was not an easy situation to obtain, but we’ve been gifted with his services, and we now have a second independent appraisal,” she said, adding the board had received a copy of the WRLC-commissioned appraisal as well.
O’Brien said she and Butters also separately walked the Modroo property recently.
“This was part of our being able to understand the property, to experience what the property provides and to get the beginning of a vision for how it might be used,” she explained.
In addition, the board obtained an estimate of $110,000 to install a one-mile walking trail on the property, similar to the trail at the Geauga Park District’s Frohring Meadows in Bainbridge Township.
WRLC has offered to cover the cost of parking lot with 8-10 spaces, estimated at $50,000, O’Brien said.
“To date, we have not seen the contract for this property,” she added. “We would need a clean environmental report . . . and a clean title, and we would need the land survey lines, obviously, in place.”
The park commissioner also said she had an extensive conversation with Joe Leslie, WRLC’s director of acquisitions, about their working relationship.
“We both agree on the fact that we need to be operating as partners. He would not represent us as an agent or a broker, but we would be partners going forward,” she said.
In other business, O’Brien said she has reviewed all township park district properties with representatives of WRLC. On Tuesday night, she was walking Russell Uplands Preserve to review some areas that might be in need of improvements.
Future meeting have been scheduled to review other township parks and their ongoing maintenance needs.
The board voted to retained the Akron-based law firm Buckingham, Doolittle & Burroughs, at a cost not to exceed $3,000, to advise it on the potential impact of Russell Township Trustees’ proposed creation of a parallel Ohio Revised Code Section 511 park district.
“It causes us to pause and ask, and think seriously about what we’re doing and how we’re doing it, and how we’re spending taxpayers’ money,” said O’Brien of the trustees’ action.
One township resident questioned whether it was premature to engage legal counsel in light of the board’s Modroo vote.
“Perhaps the board could approach or meet with the township trustees and discuss their vision for the park district,” he said. “They (park board) might find a receptive audience, which would make the whole exercise of retaining counsel moot.”
Township Trustee Jim Mueller said there is nothing in the Ohio Revised Code that prohibits a township from having two park districts.
“That is our intention, to create a second park district that is a mirror image of what you are,” he told O’Brien and Butters, adding trustees do not intend to try and dissolve the probate court-appointed park district.
The board also voted to purchase a digital recorder and gavel for a price not to exceed $450.
Butters reported West Geauga High School rising senior Olivia Pecharka has agreed to help update and manage the park district’s website.
He also said two Doggie Dooley dog waste disposal systems will be installed at Russell Uplands Preserve.
Finally, Butters said the board intends to revisit with trustees linking the park district and township websites. He added the park district’s website would not promote candidates, issues, levies or anything of that sort.
