The Mirror Newspapers Reflecting Life Along The Maumee River
BY MIKE McCARTHY | MIRROR EDITOR — Maumee City Council has approved a $362,200 contract with Comte Construction Company for the construction of two new ADA-compliant restroom additions at the Monclova Country Church, located on the grounds of the Wolcott House Museum Complex in Maumee.
The contract approval took place at council’s May 16 meeting and includes an Ohio Facilities Construction Commission (OFCC) Cultural Facilities Grant in the amount of $200,000. The city will pay the remaining $162,200 for the project.
According to a report by Matthew Miles, the city’s capital project manager, The JDI Group was retained by the city to provide design and bidding services relative to the construction.
In October 2021, a request for bids was published according to state guidelines, and four companies bid on the project. The report stated that The JDI Group found minor inconsistencies with two of the submitted bid packets, but otherwise found all bids to be responsive. The Dotson Company was found to have submitted the lowest and best bid for the project.
Miles’ report stated, “Unfortunately, scheduling issues with the OFCC Community Grants program caused a delay in the award of this contract, which required the re-bidding of the work.”
A second request for bids was published following state guidelines in April 2022, and only one response was received. As a result, Miles recommended that the contract be awarded to Comte Construction Company of Toledo.
Council members discussed the merits of the project at length during the earlier Committee of the-Whole portion of the meeting. Council member Philip Leinbach expressed his concern about the negative effects of rapidly rising construction costs, remarking that he experienced a case of “sticker shock” when he saw the new price tag on the project. Leinbach said he wondered if it was the best use of this large sum of money relative to how comparatively few people will benefit from the project.
City administrator Patrick Burtch explained that part of the price includes re-roofing the existing church to match the historical character of what’s being done with the bathrooms. Burtch stated that these bathrooms “might normally be $50,000 or $60,00 cheaper, but the structure they’re in has the same siding as the church and it’s meant to match an almost 200-year-old structure.”
“It’s built that way on purpose to match,” Burtch noted. “I think that probably has a lot to do with the cost of this project. I think that’s where you’re seeing a lot of the dollars going.”
“It’s not a small structure,” Burtch continued. “It’s got a long hallway, windows, the outside access, heating and air conditioning, a separate ramp and the rebuilding of the church steps so that it all matches.”
In other matters on the consent calendar, council took the following action:
• Authorized the summer schedule of monthly council meetings to take place on Monday, June 6; Tuesday, July 5; and Monday, August 1. Normally, council meets on the first and third Monday of each month, but Article III, Section 5(a) of the city charter allows for monthly summer meetings to allow for vacations and other summer activities.
• Approved the first reading of Ordinance 028-2022, which sends certain city charter amendments, recommended by the Charter Review Advisory Committee, to the Lucas County Board of Elections for placement on the November 8 General Election ballot in Maumee.
• Authorized an agreement with Snow’s Nursery for the purchase of 25 trees in the amount of $7,750 for the spring planting season.
In new business, council took the following action:
• Approved Resolution 013-2022, amending Resolution 014-2020, which authorized “the provision of certain tax exemptions within the Community Reinvestment Area No. 095-2535-01, Spartan Chemical Company Inc., for the purpose of encouraging economic development within the area, authorizing the execution of the related Community Reinvestment Area Agreement and income tax agreement,” and declaring an emergency.
According to the resolution, Spartan Chemical Company Inc. is planning to invest approximately $36 million to construct a new facility at 1020 Maumee Western Rd. and additional warehousing at its current 1110 Spartan Dr. location. In consideration of the related employment opportunities, the city is granting the company a 15-year, 100-percent real-property tax exemption.
• Approved Ordinance 029-2022, which includes recommended changes to Chapter 1125 and 1134 of the City of Maumee Zoning Code and declaring an emergency. This legislation will “allow certain development of property to proceed in a timely manner and to regulate other types of hotel and extended-stay hotel development,” according to the ordinance.
In the earlier Committee of the Whole meeting, council listened to a 20-minute presentation by Laura Koprowski, the CEO of TARTA, regarding changes that TARTA will be implementing this year.
A total of seven members of the public were in attendance for the meeting. Nobody spoke during the citizen comments portion of the meeting.
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Editor’s Note: The next meeting of Maumee City Council will take place on Tuesday, July 5 at 6:15 p.m. in council chambers at the Maumee Municipal Building, located at 400 Conant St. in uptown Maumee. The public is invited to attend.
