Downtown park proposal tabled

Findlay City Council has voted to table legislation that would have started the design work on the proposed downtown recreation area. The vote was 7-3 at Tuesday's regular council meeting, with council members Beth Warnecke, R-3, Brian Bauman, R-5, and Josh Palmer, R-7, opposed. The legislation would authorize city administrators to enter into a contract with Strand & Associates, Inc., Columbus. The contract is for $1.5 million. Should the project move forward, engineering fees for the full design are expected to be about $4 million. Early estimates put the cost of the park somewhere between $10 million and $40 million. A price tag of about $30 million was discussed most recently. Findlay's investment is expected to be about $10 million, with grants and donations making up the balance, Mayor Christina Muryn has said. There was considerable debate Tuesday about the cost of the park and environmental concerns with its location, with some council members saying they have received a lot of positive feedback on the idea. Others said they have heard concerns. Public comment at Tuesday's meeting was also mixed, with several residents saying the park is too expensive, and another saying the park is needed in the downtown area. Council member Holly Frische, R- said no one is opposed to the idea of the park, but more information and public input are needed. The city is about 45 days from having the results of additional environmental studies of the land completed. She argued that council should at least wait for those results. The area includes properties on North Main Street, Clinton Court, Jefferson Street, Taylor Street, Meeks Avenue, Meeks Court and North Cory Street. City Auditor Jim Staschiak also continued to argue for a delay until the environmental conditions are known. He also questioned council's approval of the park without knowing how it will be funded. Mayor Christina Muryn continued to argue that the initial design work is needed to provide the public with more information about the park, and its cost in order for the city to pursue grant funding. A motion by Frische to remove emergency language from the legislation to allow for a possible citizens' referendum on the decision was approved by a 7-3 vote, with Warnecke, Bauman and Palmer again opposed. Legislation approved with emergency language, which has become a routine procedure for council, becomes city law upon the mayor's signature, removing a 30-day stay that allows for a referendum to be declared on council's actions. There also was talk Tuesday of putting the park proposal on the ballot for a citywide vote. Known as the "Downtown North River Development Project," the recreation area would be designed to exist within the Blanchard River's flood zone and would include a skate park, gardens, shelter houses, picnic areas, a playable fountain area and an amphitheater, based on initial designs. More information about the proposal, including a full business case proposal, is available on the city's website at www.findlayohio.gov