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RESS November 17, 2014
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Second wave of home demos coming to ‘05 By J. Patrick Eaken Press Staff Writer news@presspublications.com
Painting on loan
The Toledo Museum of Art has asked the Oregon-Jerusalem Historical Society for permission to borrow the Gilbert Gaul painting “Battery H, 1st Ohio Volunteers Light Artillery in Action at Cold Harbor, VA in 1864” to use for their Spring 2015 exhibit commemorating the 1865 end of the Civil War. Top left, Ed Hill, curator of the Civil War exhibit, prepares to remove a second floor window where the painting will be lowered by a mechanical lift. Top right, Jason DePriest and Russ Curry lower the painting. Bottom photos, conservation crew members Jeff Boyer and Marissa Stevenson carefully separate the painting from its ornate frame. (Press photos by Ken Grosjean)
Senior Center
City likes building on Navarre Ave. Oregon in the next two weeks will be negotiating to purchase a building on Navarre Avenue across from Pearson Park for a senior center. The First Insurance Group Building at 4350 Navarre Avenue has up to 13,500 square feet. Approximately 6,500 square feet will be devoted for senior activities. “We think it’s an excellent location for our seniors,” said City Administrator Mike Beazley. “It’s centrally located, it’s visible, it’s an attractive property, it’s in excellent condition, and it has the spacing and room size that will allow us to meet our senior needs.” Members of the Senior Advisory Committee have been meeting every couple of weeks since April, 2014 to discuss and
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For this location, we have received support from every group we have talked to –
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By Kelly J. Kaczala Press News Editor kkaczala@presspublications.com
decide the best options for distributing revenue from a new 0.5 mill five year senior levy for Oregon seniors, which was passed last November. “It’s interesting, if you look over time in Oregon, we probably had lots of different opinions about where the location could
be,” said Beazley. “For this location, we have received support from every group we have talked to – from the folks who are operating our current senior center in the South Shore Park area, to the folks who have not liked that location. They all seem to like this site on Navarre. That’s one of the reasons we felt good about it. There was strong support from residents and those who participated in the process.” The city’s Parks & Recreation Committee held a meeting last Monday to discuss a senior services plan and recommendations for a facility. The James “Wes” Hancock Senior Center on Bay Shore Road, a former pumping station owned by the city, is cramped with only 2,800 square feet, which limits the availability of certain programs. “We focused on senior services at the meeting, but then we discussed a new locaContinued on page 4
Once a second wave of demolitions by the Lucas County Land Reutilization Corporation (land bank) is complete, over 150 razed homes will no longer blight neighborhoods in East Toledo’s 43605 zip code, commonly referred to as the ’05 or “The Nickel.” Earlier this year, the land bank was awarded a $6 million grant from the Ohio Housing Financing Agency, the secondhighest total of 11 land banks statewide receiving a combined total $49.5 million to tackle blighted communities. That provides funding for a second round of home demolitions. The land bank is a community improvement corporation designed to strengthen neighborhoods throughout the county by returning vacant and abandoned properties to productive use. About 60 homes were demolished during the first wave, and a second wave already underway will bring, at last count, 96 more, says One Voice for East Toledo leader and East Toledo Family Center community builder Jodi Gross. Gross says that by now, the second wave count could even be over 100 homes scheduled for demolition, and then she estimates an additional 10 homes will be demolished in a third round. For residents wishing to see a map of the homes already demolished, scheduled for demolition, or under consideration for demolition, the East Toledo Club will host the Lucas County Land Bank this Thursday, November 20 in the Family Center gymnasium starting at 6:30 p.m. At Thursday’s forum, land bank representatives Wade Kapszukiewicz and David Mann will speak about the land bank’s efforts to raze dilapidated houses in East Toledo. The meeting is open to the public. Gross says a big reason for the land bank’s list of dilapidated properties is because of a volunteer-driven survey of East Toledo properties that concluded in late August. The volunteers met at Michael’s Café Continued on page 2
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We’re like Paul Revere at this point. We’re just letting people know it’s coming. John Szozda See page 5
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