Park District Buys Disputed Well Field

By Bart Mills, The Lima News, Ohio

Jan. 17–DELPHOS –The land at the center of a seven year lawsuit has changed hands. Johnny Appleseed Metropolitan Park District paid the city of Delphos $200,000 for the 50-acre Amanda well field. The field had been the subject of a lawsuit filed by the Johnny Appleseed Metropolitan Park District against Delphos in 2000. The park district originally sued the city over its construction and use of a water well on the property. Park officials said pumping water from the well hurt the quality and quantity of water in area private wells, harmed nearby wildlife and foliage, and drained an artesian well. The Park District put its lawsuit on hold while Delphos officials discussed building a reservoir. Now that the reservoir is almost completed, the lawsuit will be dropped and the property sold to the parks. “We were talking about selling the property so we went to them first. They’re a neighbor and a government body so it made it easier,” said Gregory Berquist, Delphos safety service director. Bequist said he was told the district planned to eventually find recreational uses for the land, which border’s the district’s 310 acre Kendrick Woods. The district is also working with Delphos to improve recreational opportunities in the city, Berquist said. Park District Director Kevin Haver said the land is currently being leased out as farm land. The district will continue to lease the property for at least the next year, but eventually hopes to turn the area into a grasslands that could be used for nature trails and a sportsman area. They are exploring a possible partnership with the hunting and conservation group Quails Forever and considering creating a space where hunters could train their dogs. “That would be a unique opportunity for us. Not even the Ohio Department of Natural Resources has something like that in this part of the state,” Haver said. “We’ve always gotten along very well with the Johnny Appleseed Metropolitan Park. We’ve explored many opportunities over the last three years, how can we improve recreation in Delphos,” Berquist said. Berquist said the city expects to have its reservoir completed in the spring. Officials said they hope to have the water treatment plant completed in September and will begin providing water soon after.

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Copyright (c) 2007, The Lima News, Ohio

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