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Ridge land transfer in question

MINERAL RIDGE — Weathersfield trustees want to build a community center on a piece of land off state Route 46 owned by Weathersfield Schools, but district officials said a land transfer won’t happen overnight.

The township, which is seeking funds from the 2018 state capital budget for the estimated $500,000 project, has already made a number of improvements to the land that once housed Mineral Ridge Middle School, including construction of a gazebo through grant funds.

The district previously granted the township a small portion of the parcel to accommodate the gazebo and an entrance, but it has retained ownership of the rest of the land leading some to dub the gazebo as “peninsula park.”

Dave Rouan, Weathersfield administrator, attended a Monday school board work session where he requested the remaining land be transferred to the township. However, he was met with little response from the board other than a sentiment that more joint meetings are needed. After the meeting, Rouan said he felt this was still a positive step.

“The two boards are going to work together, and we’ll come to an agreement to get the property transferred to the community,” he said. “I absolutely believe that’s going to happen.”

During a break after the work session, Joshua Garris, school board president, said he thinks a community center is a great idea, but the board must ultimately decide the land’s fate based on what’s in the best interest of the students.

Giving the land to the township and building a community center is a great idea, he said, until residents question why the district gave the land away and whether it could have been sold and used to bolster district coffers.

Garris said Ohio law stipulates school districts must first offer the property to any community schools in the district. Although there aren’t any such schools in Mineral Ridge, the district must make sure it takes all the proper legal steps as it moves forward in a land transfer to the township, he said.

“I think the idea behind this is that when public schools no longer need buildings, instead of tearing them down offer them to charter schools,” Garris said. “But we’re not talking about a building, we’re talking about grass.”

Weathersfield Schools Superintendent Damon Dohar said a number of things need to be done before the land can be transferred. The land must be appraised, he said, because public property worth more than $10,000 must be publicly auctioned. The previous “sliver” of land granted to the township for the gazebo was worth less than $10,000 so it didn’t require an auction, he said.

Dohar said the land might be able to be sold or transferred to a public entity without an auction, although the district needs to seek further guidance on the matter. According to Trumbull County Auditor records the three-quarter acre piece of property has a value of $33,330.

“We are very open to discussion, and we’ll see how this whole thing turns out,” Dohar said.

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