Payment is on its way to the contracting company that repaired the waterline break that closed Imagination Station.
The Toledo City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to approve a $350,000 payment to Kokosing Construction, Inc. for repairs of a waterline break that closed the center for about a month. The funds will come from the city’s Capital Improvement Fund.
The council was previously scheduled to approve the payments at its Feb. 11 meeting, but the absence of five members because of illness and travel rendered the governing body short of the eight-member requirement to hold an emergency vote. At Tuesday’s meeting, ten members were present. Councilmen Sam Melden and Vanice Williams were absent.
The city of Toledo owns the property at 1 Discovery Way and has been contracted with the science center since 1994. The city is responsible for maintenance and property insurance as a part of the lease agreement with Imagination Station, which put Toledo on the hook for repairs following the Jan. 22 waterline break.
In an emergency procurement process, the city contracted with Kokosing which allowed the contractor to begin work immediately. Kokosing, a Toledo company, was the lowest bidder and available to begin the repairs.
Imagination Station reopened Feb. 19, after work by the contractor was completed.
In other business at Tuesday’s meeting, the council sent a request to rezone a property on Executive Parkway back to committee, saying councilmen needed more information before a vote to allow construction of a fast-food restaurant.
The drive-through restaurant would be built by Lewandowski Engineers, a Verdantas Co.
Greg Ungerer, who spoke at a previous meeting on behalf of the engineering company, said the restaurant will complement the proposed hotel that is being built on the right side of the property.
The property is currently split-zoned as office commercial and regional commercial, and developers are requesting a change to all regional commercial. While the exact restaurant is still to be determined, Mr. Ungerer has said it could be a Dunkin’ or Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers restaurant.
Members of the plan commission recommended approval of the request, sending it to the council’s zoning and planning committee. However, that committee did not recommend approval or disapproval of the request before sending it on to the council for a vote.
Tom Gibbons, director of the city’s plan commission, has said the plan staff recommended that the plan commission disapprove of the project.
“Staff has had some issues with going this far back with regional commercials on Executive Parkway,” Mr. Gibbons said at a Feb. 19 meeting. “There’s concern it’s going to start trickling down even more.”
At the previous zoning and planning committee meeting, members expressed concerns about the drive-through development. Councilman Cerssandra McPherson was concerned about increased traffic the area could attract, especially since there are offices and a senior living apartment in the area.
“I wouldn’t want to see Executive Parkway looking like Secor [Road],” Ms. McPherson said last week. “I don’t have anything against Dunkin’ Donuts, but when we get to doing drive-throughs and pop-ins, ... it just makes traffic an issue.”
First Published February 26, 2025, 12:32 a.m.
