TOLEDO, Ohio — Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz's administration is requesting Toledo City Council's approval to transfer ownership of International Park to Metroparks Toledo.
The mayor believes this will result in a net savings for Toledo taxpayers through the reduction of maintenance costs such as major infrastructure repairs and grass mowing.
"It will allow the regional park system to drastically improve the property," a news release from the city said Friday.
"I think a lot of things have come together in recent years," Metroparks director of public relations Scott Carpenter said.
Carpenter added the group is thrilled at the idea of bringing International Park into the fold of its plans for the riverfront.
"By transferring International Park from the city over to Metroparks, we could seek funding sources and fully plan out what this park could be," he said.
Right on the other side of the Main Street bridge, phase one of Glass City Metropark is on schedule to open by next spring or possibly this fall. That will include a large assembly building and outdoor area to hold up to 5,000 people, a sledding hill, fire pits and of course, a bike and running trail.
"We know trails are the number one reason that people come to Metroparks," Carpenter said, "so definitely a trail system that would connect Glass city with international park will be a priority."
Some community members at the park Saturday believe it's a great idea to add International Park to the Metroparks family. Joshua Martin uses the park often and hopes Metroparks can bring something unique to the development.
"Like I know at Westwinds they do archery," he said, "something like that like some sort of unique activity that they put here that would be cool."
Martin said he thinks Metroparks has the right resources and knows how to further develop the park.
<"I think it really bolsters the community's morality for one," Martin said, "and two I think it's going to be a really strong driver factor for commerce in this area as well as tourism."
Carpenter added that parks are always a great investment. And we're seeing that now more than ever.
"We've discovered here during our national health crisis, the metroparks and outdoor spaces are more important than ever before," he said. "They're an investment that pay us back in so many ways."
The city of and Metroparks Toledo continue to jointly work on the development of the riverfront in East Toledo, which represents a significant investment and improvement of the waterfront property that stretches from the I-280 Bridge to International Park.
“The city of Toledo has played an important part in the planning for the riverfront and we believe this will allow more access to the waterfront, increase tourism, and promote economic development,” Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz said. “This is a major investment moving forward for East Toledo and downtown despite the COVID-19 pandemic right now. These improvements were also essential for the nearby, and nearly complete, mixed-use Marina Lofts development to occur.”
The mayor added: “The city is a proud partner with Metroparks Toledo on this development, which represents an important opportunity for significant investment in Toledo, and it will result in a sustained public park.”
Glass City Metropark Phase 1 is currently under construction and is expected to be completed by this fall, while planning for the next phase is already underway.
The Phase 2 development agreement before city council also addresses rights-of-way vacations, curb cuts, Front Street pedestrian improvements, and a shared parking agreement.
International Park was included in the master plans previously presented at public meetings, and is an essential piece of the future vision for the riverfront. An option to acquire the property will allow Metroparks Toledo to pursue grant funding and proceed with planning for future improvements. Those improvements have not yet been determined, but will continue the riverfront beautification and add additional amenities.
Glass City Metropark and International Park will be connected with a bike/pedestrian bridge over Main Street, which will be completed next spring.
NOTE: The attached video discusses the creation of another east Toledo metropark, Glass City Metropark, which is to connect to International Park with a bike/pedestrian bridge over Main Street, which will be completed next spring.
“This is similar to our earlier partnership with the city that transferred ownership of Toledo Botanical Garden to Metroparks,” said Dave Zenk, executive director of Metroparks Toledo. “In both cases, the property remains a public park forever under the umbrella of a regional park agency. Planning, developing, and managing parks are what we do every day.”
“As we have already seen with Phase 1 of Glass City, just the announcement that the property was going to be a Metropark prompted a private development right next door,” Mr. Zenk said. “We are confident that we will continue to see significant private investment as we keep the progress going along our riverfront. We think it’s critically important for East Toledo, downtown, and our entire region to create a gateway to northwest Ohio that we are all proud of.”
Toledo District 3 Councilwoman Theresa Gadus said Metroparks Toledo’s planned improvements for International Park are an important part of attracting new businesses and residents to the neighborhood.
“We are excited to see the Glass City Metropark and the Marina Lofts development come together,” Ms. Gadus said. “These are great and overdue developments for the future of East Toledo.”
“Metroparks Toledo and the city continue to jointly work on a comprehensive strategy to revitalize the Maumee riverfront,” said Brandon Sehlhorst, Toledo commissioner of economic development. “The plan is based on best practices observed in other benchmark cities of how to redevelop a riverfront and ensure the downtown development momentum continues into adjacent neighborhoods. We are moving forward on this important project despite the impacts of COVID-19 to maintain the city’s development momentum.”