Frustrated Russell Trustees Vote To Organize Own Park District
In a possible checkmate move, Russell Township Trustees voted June 1 to form their own park district that would operate independently of the current probate…
In a possible checkmate move, Russell Township Trustees voted June 1 to form their own park district that would operate independently of the current probate court-approved park district overseen by Geauga County Probate Court Judge Timothy Grendell.
“By creating our own park district, we can bring local control back to our township,” Trustee Jim Mueller said when reached by telephone June 3. “Our goal is to press forward, preserve green space and do what our residents have asked us to do.”
Also, by forming its own park board, the township could place a levy on the November ballot and allow residents to decide if they want to fund the purchase of approximately 52 acres of Modroo Farm, which could cost up to $30,000 per acre.
That decision presently rests with a Grendell-appointed park board, currently consisting of commissioners Charlie Butters and Linda O’Brien. The judge appointed O’Brien on Dec. 28, 2015, to replace former Park Commissioner Terry Reis, whose term had expired. Butters was appointed Feb. 12, after 16-year Park Commissioner Roy Podojil resigned Feb. 3.
The third member of the former park board, 31-year member Sanford “Sandy” Siegler, recently resigned. Grendell said he has been interviewing Russell residents to fill the seat and hopes to have the person appointed before the park board’s June 13 meeting, which will be held at the E.O.U.V. Club on Pekin Road.
Over the past month, some residents have argued that Butters and O’Brien were both rejected by voters in past elections for trustee seats and are not representing their interest in the Modroo Farm property.
According to Mueller, the Ohio Revised Code allows for establishing a “511 park district.” Trustees voted unanimously June 1 to have their legal counsel Kate Jacobs draw up a petition to start the process.
“Only about 400 signatures of registered voters in Russell are needed to validate the petition,” he said. “That’s about 10 percent of Russell residents who voted in the last election. After that, the petition goes to a county common pleas court judge to decide.”
Mueller said the timing is tight, but if the court permits the move, a 0.5-mill land acquisition levy could be placed on the ballot to purchase the entire farm property.
“The existing 1-mill levy for park land acquisition sunsets next year,” explained Mueller. “Because it doesn’t appear that Grendell’s board is serious about purchasing the land, we would petition the county to give those funds back to the taxpayers so they are not paying for two levies.”
Mueller said his hope is to eventually roll both park districts into one when Grendell leaves office.
“Hopefully, calmer minds will prevail then and we can keep Russell’s green, semi-rural landscape intact until Grendell is out of office,” said Mueller. “He’s upset so many people.”
In recent meetings, Podojil indicated the former board planned to purchase the Modroo Farm if it was available and if the funds were available. He said the board had been saving money from the land acquisition levy and would have about $1.4 million by the end of 2017.
Butters and O’Brien argue they are new to their positions and did not know of a possible long-standing decision from the previous board to buy the property.
“If that was such an important decision, why did two of the former members resign before their terms expired?” Butters asked. “They could have stayed on to approve the purchase by a majority vote.”
Butters said he and O’Brien are seeking other appraisals on the property. He believes the proposed price of $30,000 an acre is too high.
“I’m told by a developer that $16,000 an acre is more in line,” he said. “And, I’m told that developers are not lining up to buy it at the higher price. We’ve also been approached by other people with other properties.”
When reached Monday, Grendell said the Russell Township Park District already is controlled locally by township residents on the park board.
“Residents should be patient and allow the current park board reasonable time to do their due diligence and work with the Western Reserve Land Conservancy and Modroo family to see if they can reach a reasonable agreement on the Modroo property purchase,” Grendell said.
The Russell park district owns roughly 340 acres. When the township trustees’ park land and the joint recreation district land are included, the total township greenspace exceeds 422 acres. This acreage does not include Geauga Park District’s The West Woods, which also is located in the township.
