Latest phase of $18M site is under way

Ground broken for warehouse at Ironville Dock in East Toledo

Crews work along the site of the warehouse being built at the $18 million Ironville development in East Toledo.

THE BLADE/AMY E. VOIGT
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Crews work along the site of the warehouse being built at the $18 million Ironville development in East Toledo.

Construction that began Monday on a warehouse at the 180-acre Ironville site in East Toledo will mark one of the final pieces of an $18 million development that readies the property for more potential Great Lakes shipping, said Paul Toth, Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority president and chief executive.

“The redevelopment of this land will provide new space for unloading ships and new lay-down areas for cargo, which will allow the Port of Toledo to continue as a leader on the Great Lakes,” Mr. Toth said.

“Without the help of local, state, and federal agencies who believed in this project and administered the programs to help with its financing, the redevelopment of this riverfront site would have not been possible.”

Betty Sutton, administrator of the St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corp.; U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D. Toledo), and Carol Contrada, president of the Lucas County Board of Commissioners, praised the project before taking part in a ceremonial groundbreaking.

“Phase one with the rail connectivity is extremely important … but the warehouse is also a culmination of a vision that makes this port an even more important part of the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation,” Ms. Sutton said.

The port authority’s board of directors last month approved a resolution to contract with Industrial Power Systems of Maumee to build the warehouse that will be served by rail and trucks and handle bulk material from ships.

IPS’ bid of $1,345,900 was the lowest of five and lower than the original estimate, board member James Tuschman said.

The Ironville development was financed with a combination of public and private money. The project included $15.5 million in tax credits.

Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority President and CEO Paul Toth, Jr.,

he first phase included installing about 15,000 linear feet of rail, connected with the nearby Norfolk Southern rail line. The second phase included improvements to the river channel and shoreline to prepare a deep-water marine dock to accommodate barges and vessels that operate on the Great Lakes and oceans.

Phase three includes a “multimodal delivery system,” Mr. Toth said. It consists of the new 19,000-square-foot warehouse, which has a clear height of 39 feet and will contain two rail spurs and an overhead crane.

Ironville Terminal is along the Maumee River and was formerly known as the Chevron property. It was bought by the port authority in 2008 for $3.4 million.

The port authority formed a public-private partnership with Midwest Terminals of Toledo through a long-term lease for the property.

Contact Ignazio Messina at: imessina@theblade.com or 419-724-6171 or on Twitter @IgnazioMessina.