Humanists Ask Lucas County To Get Something In Return For Rec Center

Earlier this week it was report­ed in the news that the Lucas County Board of Commissioners and the City of Maumee were talk­ing about the coun­ty giv­ing the Lucas County Recreation Center to Maumee. If a sale or trans­fer takes place, the Secular Humanists of Western Lake Erie thinks the coun­ty should get some­thing in return­like afford­able hous­ing.

President Douglas Berger sent a note to the Commissioners and copy to the Mayor of Maumee urge the coun­ty to add some con­di­tions to any sale or trans­fer.

Here is the full text of the note:

I am writ­ing to you on behalf of the mem­bers of the Secular Humanists of Western Lake Erie (SHoWLE) con­cern­ing the plan to give the city of Maumee the Lucas County Recreation Center prop­er­ty at 2901 Key Street.

We are con­cerned that the coun­ty is con­sid­er­ing giv­ing away this valu­able piece of prop­er­ty so that the city of Maumee can sell it to the high­est bid­der for high end homes and con­dos.

We believe this is unfair to the cit­i­zens of Lucas coun­ty. Large sums of coun­ty tax dol­lars were spent and have been spent on the struc­tures and oth­er ameni­ties on the prop­er­ty.

We do agree that if the coun­ty does­n’t have the funds to con­tin­ue the upkeep then the Commissioners should con­sid­er dis­pos­ing of the prop­er­ty, but we feel that Lucas coun­ty cit­i­zens should get some­thing in return.

SHoWLE has some sug­ges­tions on any dis­pos­al of the prop­er­ty:

1. Any sale or trans­fer should include a require­ment that there be some afford­able hous­ing in the devel­op­ment mix. The coun­ty needs afford­able hous­ing and the Commissioners should do what they can to cre­ate more afford­able hous­ing.

2. Any dis­pos­al should be done at the mar­ket rate. Why should the city of Maumee make a prof­it off the coun­ty giv­ing the land away? If they build hous­es on the land the city will gain tax dol­lars.

3. It would be bet­ter for the cit­i­zens of Lucas coun­ty that the coun­ty sells the land direct­ly to a developer(s) at mar­ket rates, so the peo­ple of the coun­ty get back some of the mon­ey invest­ed in the prop­er­ty over the years.

4. The coun­ty could con­sid­er putting the new jail on the Rec Center prop­er­ty.

SHoWLE hopes the coun­ty will take our ideas and con­cerns into con­sid­er­a­tion espe­cial­ly about includ­ing afford­able hous­ing in any sale or trans­fer.