The Mirror Newspapers Reflecting Life Along The Maumee River
Maumee City Council confirmed the appointments of three new city employees at the December 20 meeting. Pictured (from left) are Matthew Griggs, engineering inspection manager in the public service department; Dustin Sautter, assistant supervisor in the water department; and Jake Isaacson, assistant supervisor in the sewer division. All three men being work in January.
The former Citizens Bank building, located at 422 Conant St. in uptown Maumee, will receive up to $361,400 in exterior renovations in the coming months after Maumee City Council approved the expenditures on December 20. The city recently purchased the property and will renovate the building to the city’s standards before leasing it or selling it to a new restaurant or retail operator as part of the uptown Maumee improvement project. 
The Federal Inn, a new bed and breakfast operation located in this 200-year-old house at 219 E. Wayne St., will open this spring after owner Katherine Pettee was granted a special use permit by Maumee City Council on December 20. MIRROR PHOTOS BY MIKE McCARTHY BY MIKE McCARTHY | MIRROR EDITOR — The final Maumee City Council meeting of 2021 featured an agenda filled with hellos and goodbyes.
Saying goodbye were outgoing Maumee council members Tracey Elmore, Tim Pauken and Tom Wagener Jr., all of whom were in attendance for the December 20 meeting of council. Elmore lost her seat in a close council race in November, and Pauken and Wagener chose not to seek office after lengthy careers serving the city of Maumee.
Former council member Brent Buehrer was on hand to lend his support and to thank the outgoing members for their service to the city, jokingly assuring them “that there is life after Maumee Council.”
Also saying goodbye is Maumee Water Superintendent Jim Heckman, who will retire on January 31 after nearly 31 years of service in the city’s water department.
Maumee Ptl. Tim Roberts also announced his retirement and plans to leave the force on February 20 after serving the department for 31 years.
Saying hello to Maumee is Matthew Griggs, who was named to the position of engineering inspection manager in the city’s public service department, effective January 10.
Joining him will be newly hired Dustin Sautter as assistant supervisor in the water department, and Jake Isaacson as assistant supervisor in the sewer division.
Todd Walborn is being promoted to the position of water superintendent in the city’s department of public service, water division, effective January 31.
Also new to the city will be an uptown Maumee bed and breakfast operation and a 129-unit, single-story apartment complex to be constructed near the Ohio Turnpike.
Council approved a conditional use permit to allow for Maumee’s first officially approved bed and breakfast business, to be operated on the property located at 219 E. Wayne St. in uptown Maumee. The 200-year-old building, to be known as the Federal Inn, will be operated by homeowner Katherine Pettee, and will feature three guest rooms in addition to her own living area.
On December 9, the Maumee Municipal Planning Commission unanimously recommended approval of the conditional use permit under the following two conditions:
• The first three guest vehicles must use the available off-street parking located at the rear of the property off the alley. On-street parking will only be used if more than three spaces are required.
• Increased landscaping and screening around the guest parking area must be implemented and maintained.
The B&B will serve an upscale clientele and Pettee will remain on-site when guest rooms are rented. Guests are limited to two persons per room and are not permitted to stay for more than six consecutive nights. The Federal Inn is expected to open sometime in the spring, following final construction updates.
Council also approved the first of three required readings of Ordinance 066-2021, which was a recommendation from the Municipal Planning Commission for a requested zoning code change from C-2 (General Commercial) to R-4 (Multi-Family Residential District) for the property located a 1610 Market Place Dr. in Maumee.
The property, which is the present site of the driving range, miniature golf course and batting cage complex owned by Robert Mix, is being sold to Redwood Apartment Neighborhoods, which plans to construct 129 single-story, two-bedroom apartments with two-car garages and private driveways. Six different models of apartments will be offered to tenants on one-year leases, according to Patricia Rakoci, of Redwood Acquisitions, who made a presentation to council at the earlier Committee of the Whole meeting.
Monthly rent fees will run between $1,575 and $1,900 and the primary audience consists of young professionals, empty-nesters and seniors who wish to move out of their current house without leaving the city of Maumee. The average age of Redwood Apartment Neighborhood tenants is slightly over 50 years, according to Rakoci.
The 22.56 acres of property is bordered by Market Place Drive, Reynolds Road, the Ohio Turnpike and Rolf Park. Since there is no room for access on Reynolds Road due to the site’s proximity to the turnpike bridge and the turnpike exit bridge, the only access to the apartment complex will be via Market Place Drive.
During the Committee of the Whole meeting, council also watched a presentation by Travis Lattimore and Matt Miles on the development of the city’s new Environmental Sustainability home page, which is currently under construction on the city’s website. The page will be interactive and will address the city’s water and sewer concerns with educational and regulatory information that can be readily accessed by the public.
In the Petitions and Communications portion of the council agenda, the following action took place:
• A report of a $1,000 cost overrun for the White Street Park waterline project was brought to council’s attention. A broken bore head caused by an encounter with rocks on the hillside was responsible for the cost overrun. The Underground Systems Corp., of Holland, performed the work.
• An invoice from Griffin Pavement Striping, of Fremont, was presented for $9,000 worth of striping work performed in uptown Maumee with the exclusion of the 200 block of Conant Street, which was unavailable due to the curb and sidewalk construction that took place throughout much of the past few months.
• The Parks and Recreation Committee report of the December 8 meeting was presented.
In the Consent Calendar portion of the meeting, council took the following action:
• Authorized a one-year renewal agreement with P&R Communications Service Inc. in an amount not to exceed $8,553 for radio equipment maintenance for the Maumee Fire Division in 2022.
• Approved the purchase of an Access System LDAP software license from Redshift Technology LLC for Maumee city access control systems in the amount of $3,180.
• Authorized a one-year service and preventative maintenance agreement with Redshift Technology LLC for city security cameras and access control systems in the annual amount of $4,900.
• Authorized the purchase of an additional virtual host and Storage Area Network (SAN) for all city departments from vTechio in the amount of $72,049 and agreed to amend the 2021 budget and appropriate the necessary funds.
• Allowed the city administrator to enter into an agreement with Seagate Office Products for the purchase and installation of office furnishings for three offices in each of the administration and building/service areas of city hall in a price not to exceed $39,000.
• Authorized a change order with Stantec Consulting Services Inc. to finalize the GIS mapping data for storm water and sanitary mapping in an amount not to exceed $20,000 and authorized the city administrator to approve all change orders not to exceed 20 percent of the total contract amount.
• Authorized the city administrator to approve the necessary construction expenses and facilitate the exterior renovation of the old Citizens Bank building at 422 Conant St. in an amount not to exceed $361,400 and appropriate the same in the IT B capital fund. The city purchased the property this year with the intention of renovating it for a possible restaurant or retail use.
• Confirmed the appointment of Candace Gillen to the ADA Advisory Commission for a two-year term.
• Authorized the payment of $136,464.93 to the Lucas County 911 Regional Council of Governments (RCOG) for the 2022 first-quarter EMS, fire and police dispatch services.
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The next scheduled meeting of Maumee City Council will take place on Monday, January 3 at 7:00 p.m.
