TOLEDO, Ohio — Toledo City Council voted Tuesday to approve the settlement of a nearly $1 million lawsuit between the city and Block Communications over the cost of Summit Street beautification and construction ahead of the 2021 Solheim Cup golf tournament.
Per the settlement, Buckeye Broadband will pay the city $300,000 and the city will dismiss the lawsuit it filed against Buckeye's parent company, Block Communications.
Council member Nick Komives said the city is better off for an aesthetically pleasing downtown, "but no one is better off than Block Communications who expects the residents of this city to pay for their utility costs."
The city used taxpayer money to cover the cost of moving Buckeye fiber optic cables as part of the construction and paid Block Communications $973,000.
Komives called the settlement "shameful" and said it was "likely the only chance we had at getting any money back from the Blocks."
Following the project's approval in 2020, multiple council members raised concerns that about $600,000 in costs incurred by Summit Street construction from other utility companies -- including AT&T, Toledo Edison, Columbia Gas, Verizon and the Zayo Group -- were not reimbursed.
Council president Matt Cherry and council members Cerssandra McPherson, Sam Melden, Theresa Morris, George Sarantou, Tiffany Preston Whitman, Vanice Williams and Theresa Gadus voted in favor of the settlement on Tuesday. Council members Katie Moline and Komives voted against the settlement. Council members Carrie Hartman and John Hobbs abstained from the vote.
Komives: I am not pleased that we are not moving forward with this lawsuit, I am pleased that we'll be getting something back. "Our downtown looks incredible. I think that the improvements on Summit Street were beautiful. Our city is better off for it, we're better off for it, but no one is better off than Block Communications ... It's likely the only chance we had at getting any money back from the Blocks with this project and that is shameful ... they demanded the residents foot the bill for their utility lines being moved. They put the mayor and many of our employees in a tough spot due to their absurd demands ...
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