Former Lime City School may make way for park

Old Lime City School to benefit Perrysburg Twp. residents

The vacant Lime City School that Perrysburg Township purchased last year from Rossford Exempted Village Schools probably will be made into a recreation site once the building is torn down.

The old Lime City School that has been abandoned since 1990 will be demolished and then likely turned into a recreational park by Perrysburg Township.

When the land directly adjacent to the Perrysburg Township offices was up for sale by the Rossford Board of Education, Township Administrator Walter Celley saw the purchase as a good opportunity.

“We bought the property because it is a good investment at a good price because the building needs to be demolished,” he said. “It is in the perfect location too. And it helps the schools because they were looking to get rid of it and don't have to [mow it] anymore.”

Perrysburg Township Trustee Gary Britten said the township had been trying to get that land from Rossford schools for a long time because of its prime location.

“We want to develop some type of park there,” Mr. Britten said. “I’m not sure if it will have ball diamonds or soccer fields, but I want to see a walking track. Everyone loves a walking track for a nice day.”

Mr. Britten said the township did a study two or three years ago that showed its residents would be interested in additional recreational areas. This land would help add one.

An environment survey from Patriot Engineering and Environmental Inc. of Indianapolis showed it will cost an estimated $15,185 to remove asbestos. Mr. Celley said a rough estimate of $50,000 would cover demolition, filling, and grading the area.

Before the school closed in 1990, it housed kindergarten classes in its four rooms, said James Rossler, treasurer for Rossford schools. Since then, the district has used it for storage.

Patriot Engineering and Environmental found asbestos in the windows, tiling, thermal system insulation, and basement piping.

The roughly five or six acres of land, along with the abandoned building, cost the township $110,600. The purchase was made late last year.

“We haven’t started developing a plan on what to do with it yet. Step one is getting the thing torn down,” Mr. Celley said.

The building has windows smashed, typically three to four feet of water in the basement, no municipal water or sewer connection and is “unsalvageable,” he said.