The City of Toledo and the Toledo Public Schools have made a proposal to swap Bowman Park with the current location of Longfellow Elementary School.

“We’re still in negotiations with Toledo Public Schools. People have strong feelings on both sides,” said Lindsay Webb, Toledo City Council member for District 6. “We don’t want the proposal to get rushed through. I want to establish a process that allows both sides ample time to be heard before a decision is made.”

Building at the Bowman Park location would place the new Longfellow Elementary School near Start High School, in a campus setting. The current building would then be demolished and the property would be owned by the city.

Toledo City Council members Webb and Tom Waniewski hosted a public meeting on Oct. 27 for both sides to offer their points of view. Webb said she’d like to see at least one more open forum hosted.

Opponents of the switch include the group Citizens to Save Longfellow Neighborhood.

“I don’t think children, kindergarten through fifth grade, belong on a high school campus,” said John Wenzel, a member of Citizens to Save Longfellow Neighborhood.

Wenzel said members of the organization have a problem with the exchange of property between the city and the school district, and would rather see a new school built on the same property.

The city won’t be able keep up the vacant property if the school is torn down, Wenzel said.

“We would rather have the certainty of knowing there is going to be a school there, then the uncertainty of what the city will do with the lot,” said James S. Metcalf, another member of Citizens to Save Longfellow Neighborhood.

The final decision will be in city council’s hands, Webb said. The legislation has been drafted, but is not yet on the agenda.

This entry was posted on Thursday, November 19th, 2009 at 6:22 pm and is filed under City of Toledo, Community.
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