Monclova to purchase 22-acre site for recreation

3/22/2005

Monclova Township trustees yesterday voted to move ahead with buying about 22 acres along Keener Road that they plan to convert into a recreation area.

The trustees set aside money for the land purchase and put down a $1,000 deposit. The land will cost $11,000 an acre for a total of about $242,000.

"There is a need for recreational land within the township," Keith Trettin, trustees chairman, said. "I think this is a very cost-effective way of providing a needed recreational service."

Final sale of the land will not go through until the township pays for a survey to determine the exact acreage of the parcel it plans to buy, officials said.

The land, which is just south of Monclova Road, is owned by Thomas and Mary Zwyer. It has frontage on the Wabash Cannonball Trail and surrounds the site of the township's maintenance facility, which township officials plan to renovate.

"This land will give us flexibility as we go forward on those renovations," Mr. Trettin said.

The township plans to use most of the land for sports fields and possibly a parking area that would give access to the Wabash Cannonball Trail.

The money to purchase the land will come from an estate tax revenue fund.

"I'm very excited about the potential purchase of that land," Mr. Trettin said. "It will enhance the lives of our young people."