The fate of a $2.9 million grant to help construct a roundabout at Woodville and Lemoyne roads in Northwood is still undecided.
The city has not notified the Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments that council is rejecting the grant, Sandy Spang, TMACOG executive director, said on Thursday.
At its Jan. 23 meeting, city council voted 4-3 to not proceed with the project. Council also heard the first reading on a resolution reallocating the $2.9 million to build a Wales Road overpass at the Feb. 13 meeting.
There are some different scenarios to consider as to how this situation plays out.
If council does the usual two additional readings on the reallocation ordinance, it will come to a vote at the March 13 meeting.
The resolution states that the city has been awarded funds through the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement program, the U.S. Department of Transportation, the Ohio Department of Transportation, and the Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments for infrastructure improvements.
It notes two CMAQ grants from TMACOG for $2.9 million and $576,800, and a $500,000 Formal Safety Grant from ODOT to support the construction of the $5.3 million roundabout.
“After further assessment, it has been determined that the development of a third overpass in Northwood presents a significantly greater need for connectivity, traffic relief, and emissions reduction, thereby aligning with the core objectives of CMAQ and associated funding agencies,” the resolution states. “The City of Northwood formally requests that the funds initially pledged for the roundabout project be considered for reallocation towards the implementation of a third overpass project, which is expected to have a more substantial impact on congestion mitigation, air quality improvement, and overall community connectivity.”
Also at the Feb. 13 council meeting, while trying to convince council to move ahead with the roundabout, Mayor Ed Schimmel said he may have the authority to keep the roundabout project going and use the grant. He said council, almost unanimously throughout the last few years, has approved seeking grants and other work related to the roundabout.
Kevin Laughlin, city administrator, said the grant money cannot be moved from one project to another. This is a reimbursement project, meaning the city does not actually have $2.9 million for the project from TMACOG, he said in a Tuesday interview. The city would pay for portions of the project, then submit invoices to TMACOG for reimbursement.
Ms. Spang also said the funding cannot be transferred.
She said TMACOG does not make the decisions on funding this grant. Representatives from northwest Ohio communities get together and score each project, then award the money. This ensures regional cooperation on projects, she said.
“They score those projects, and they make a decision about the project that should go forward,” Ms. Spang said. “It is those regional communities that decide collectively which projects go forward.”
Northwood has this grant money because it was rejected by Perrysburg City Council, which had been planning to use it, plus another $1.7 million from TMACOG, to construct a $5.9 million Front Street roundabout.
When Perrysburg declined the grant money, it was early enough in the process that the money could be sent to another entity, Ms. Spang said. The Northwood roundabout was the highest score for a roundabout after Perrysburg’s proposed Front Street roundabout.
Perrysburg was one of 16 TMACOG applications requesting $21.4 million in October, 2023. The Perrysburg request was the largest amount funded of the total $12.3 million awarded toward nine area projects.
After intense discussions with residents about the roundabout, Perrysburg officials decided to reject it in favor of a $6 million downtown improvement project.
In April, TMACOG awarded the $2.9 million to Northwood, along with $1.05 million for a roundabout project at Sylvania Avenue and Herr Road.
Ms. Spang said if Northwood officially rejects the grant, it will not be given to the third scorer from 2023. It is too late in this grant cycle process, and the money would be used in this year’s CMAQ grant applications.
“It was little different with Perrysburg returning the money,” she said. “We are entering into a new cycle.”
“In this case it would go back into the pool of money for new solutions and new projects,” Ms. Spang said.
She was not critical of Northwood City Council reconsidering the roundabout.
“We respect communities’ decisions about what’s right for their communities,” Ms. Spang said.
However, she did note the “very unusual” situation of Perrysburg first being awarded the money, then rejecting it, and Northwood probably following suit.
“Roundabouts can be valuable,” Ms. Spang said. “They help with congestion and air quality.”
The councilmen who are against the roundabout project are Dean Edwards, Louis Fahrbach, Randy Kozina, and Mark Stoner. Pat Huntermark, Mike Melnyk, and Jim Barton were in favor of continuing the roundabout.
Mr. Edwards has said he has concerns about funding the rest of the $5.6 million needed to build the roundabout. The city is $1.5 million short currently.
The councilmen against the roundabout construction have also said their constituents have told them they do not like roundabouts.
Mr. Kozina has said all money should be directed toward the overpass, which should be a priority. “We need that much more than a roundabout,” he said.
Mr. Fahrbach hopes that if council’s resolution on reallocating the funds is approved, TMACOG will be able to act on it.
“Hopefully, that will bring some good grace in with different agencies, and potentially reallocate,” he said, adding that the overpass definitely falls into a congestion mitigation and air quality category. “Is it environmentally friendly to have semis over there waiting for trains?
“Is there a great chance? Probably not,” Mr. Fahrbach said of reallocating the funds. “At the end of the day, if they were actually looking at safety and logistics and the flow of traffic and connectivity, there’s so much more need [on Wales Road] than a roundabout.”
Mr. Laughlin said the overpass is “a dot on the map” right now, with years of planning ahead.
“I took us seven, eight years to put together the $4 million for the roundabout,” he said, adding, “74 percent of the project is funded — that’s big.”
There is no doubt that the overpass is needed in Northwood, but it’s a project for the future, Mr. Laughlin said. He has said previously that it could cost $30 million, although the latest number, reported at the council meeting, was $6 million. He expects it is much higher than $6 million.
“It’s a potentially great resource for the city,” Mr. Laughlin said of the overpass.
He hopes there will be more discussion about the roundabout funding at Thursday’s council meeting.
First Published February 22, 2025, 3:30 p.m.
