Forum set on TPS land swap

10/27/2009

Two Toledo councilmen plan to get the facts tonight on a proposed land swap between the city and Toledo Public Schools involving land at Bowman Park in exchange for that where Longfellow Elementary School sits.

The school district has asked Toledo City Council to approve the land trade so it can build a new Longfellow school - which would be encompassed into a campus-like setting with Start High School and the West Toledo YMCA, which are off Tremainsville Road.

Councilmen Lindsay Webb, whose district includes the Longfellow building, and Tom Waniewski, whose district includes the city park, will host a meeting on the plan at Augsburg Lutheran Church, 1342 West Sylvania Ave. at 7 p.m.

Ms. Webb said she has been contacted by neighbors who are unhappy about the proposed land swap.

"The most likely path the children will take to walk to and from school is through the old DuPont property and it's contaminated," Ms. Webb said.

"I'm concerned about taking the neighborhood school out of the neighborhood because that is taking out the cornerstone of the neighborhood."

Mr. Waniewski said some residents want to know what the city's intent is for the TPS property where Longfellow currently sits, at 4112 Jackman Rd.

"If we tear down Longfellow and we make the swap, what is that city property going to be and it is going to be to determined ahead of time?" he asked. "There is no guarantee, however before we make a swap, we should have an idea of what we can lock into that."

TPS Superintendent John Foley said the district intended to house Longfellow students at the former

DeVilbiss High School, but that is no longer possible.

"We approached the city of Toledo to use land that was adjacent to the YMCA in Bowman Park," Mr. Foley said.

"When we looked at the property on Jackman, we have had concerns about traffic since it is on a pretty busy thoroughfare," Mr. Foley said.