Whitehouse Village Council votes to approve land sale to library

WHITEHOUSE – Planning for a new Whitehouse Branch library on the northwest corner of Finzel Road and S.R. 64 can now move forward; Whitehouse Village Council voted 4-3 on Sept. 15 to approve the $620,000 sale of 6 acres of village-owned land to the Toledo Lucas County Public Library (TLCPL).

“At the end of the day, I think this will be a tremendous asset to the community,” said TLCPL CEO Jason Kuscma, following an hour-long, sometimes tense public comment session prior to a tie broken by Mayor Rich Bingham‘s yes vote. “I appreciate the council’s deliberation and the community members’ input.”

For resident Rebecca Rude, who over the past six weeks has pushed for answers on why the library won’t be located in Blue Creek Metropark as originally discussed, the final vote was a disappointment.

“I knew there was no changing their mind,” said Rude, who has spoken with representatives from the library, Metroparks and every single council member, urging them to build the Whitehouse Branch at Blue Creek or somewhere other than the roundabout.

In fall 2024, just prior to a countywide vote on a bond levy to raise $153 million for improvements and new construction for the entire library system, TLCPL announced plans to partner with the Metroparks on a combination library and Oak Openings conservation center. That bond issue passed, with 51 percent of Whitehouse voters approving it.

In March 2025, the two entities held a community forum in village council chambers, soliciting ideas for the combined project. But then, the state legislature slashed the Ohio Library Fund, cutting $2 million from the TLCPL budget. So instead, the library began looking at other options.

“We had to take a hard look at how far over our skis we were getting with building a location here in Blue Creek and the vision we had for that plan,” Kucsma said, motioning out the window at the park that surrounds village hall. While TLCPL values its relationship with the Metroparks and will continue working together, Kucsma said it didn’t make sense to lease property from them at Blue Creek.

But the library is committed to opening a branch in Whitehouse, in order to meet the needs of a growing population and to alleviate pressure on the landlocked Waterville Branch, which has the second highest TLCPL circulation behind Main.

After looking at several sites in and around Whitehouse, the land at the roundabout was determined to be the best fit, he said.

But several residents, including Rude, have voiced opposition to placing a library at the roundabout, citing concerns about safety due to traffic, the loss of the green space where wildflowers have grown for the past several years, and the feeling that the change was a “bait and switch.”

“We voted on and approved it to be in the park,” Rude said. “Build a facility there. It just seems more feasible and accessible. I think it’s a danger to put it at the roundabout – for vehicles and for kids trying to get there. This is for the public. Make it accessible to the public.”

Lisa Morrison, Agnes Finfera, Bruce Robertson, Felix Rude and Joyce Petrie also shared their opposition to the location, with Felix Rude asking that council form a special committee to look at options. Petrie wondered why Whitehouse wouldn’t require a traffic study and renderings before making a decision, but Council Member Joe Bublick said it’s untenable to ask any developer to invest thousands of dollars into studies before securing land.

Joe Urenovitch, an attorney, asked Law Director Kevin Heban whether there are any contingencies on the sale of the property. Heban said the only contingency is that if the library decides not to build on that site, the village would have the first right of refusal to purchase the land back. 

Only one person spoke in favor of the village’s sale of the land to the library. Former council member Rebecca Conklin Kleiboemer, who is also a board member of the nonprofit Toledo Free Press, parent of Anthony Wayne Free Press, shared an email that Council President Steve Fine read aloud during the meeting.

She recalled how the village bought the corner parcel in 2016 in order to provide right-of-way for the state to build the roundabout, and that the plan was always to sell that land to an appropriate project and recoup its costs. Over the years, the village has waited for the ideal project for the village’s gateway, and Bingham said it’s been eyed by developers looking at installing a gas station or hotel.

“We are so fortunate that the system is keeping its commitment to creating a branch in our village, and sale of this parcel to make that happen checks a lot of boxes,” Conklin Kleiboemer said.

She also noted that the pollinator habitat on the site could be relocated elsewhere in the village, and that would not be financially prudent to reserve a $600,000 parcel of viable real estate for wildflowers.

Council Member Dave Riggenbach was visibly irritated when he shared his comments prior to voting on the sale. He noted that the village has taken flak for investing funds in flowers, but now hears complaints from those who want to keep a valuable asset as “a weed field.”

Reading a summary of survey results over the last several years, Riggenbach said that citizens have asked the village to pursue economic development opportunities so they don’t need to pay more in taxes to maintain excellent services. The library project will bring in jobs and generate income taxes. Replacing that $620,000 in revenue would require a company with a payroll of $41 million to locate in the village, he calculated.

But in the end, Riggenbach said with no one except Conklin Kleiboemer voicing her favor for the sale, he was obligated to represent those who did speak out, so he voted no. So did Carrie Tuohy and Larry Yunker. 

Initially, Yunker asked to table the issue, in order to give the library time to have a public forum and explain why this is the best option. 

“The thing I really get out of all this is that everyone would like more information from the public library on why things fell through with the Metroparks,” he said.

Tuohy said she also understood residents’ disappointment that a partnership with the Metroparks didn’t come to fruition.

“As a council member, I can’t make the library negotiate with the parks. I do know the Metroparks don’t sell land. They give easements and lease land, but do not sell. I can see where the library stands on that,” Tuohy said. “But I vote on how the people of the village tell me to vote. It breaks my heart. I think the library is most needed.”

Bublick, Fine and Nikki Hartbarger voted in favor of the sale. Whitehouse now has an opportunity to welcome a new, beautiful library that will be well-used and for the village to recoup funds that it invested a decade ago, Bublick said, adding that he thinks it will be a beautiful addition to the entryway.

“We could be offered $650,000 next month for a car wash,” he said. 

Concerns about traffic and safety can be addressed during the traffic study and site plan review process, Fine said. And Hartbarger said she knows that while it’s not an ideal location, she believes the library being located close to the Anthony Wayne campus will be beneficial for students and the community.

With a 3-3 vote, Bingham was asked to break the tie, and immediately voted yes. Unlike other municipalities, the mayor only votes in the case of a tie. 

With the sale approved, Kucsma said the TLCPL board will vote as well, and then begin the process of holding community listening sessions for input on the design and services for the branch.

During the meeting, the board also:

-Thanked Yunker for his service on council, after he turned in his resignation as he is moving out of the village. Council received seven applications to replace outgoing member Louann Artiaga and selected four for the interview on Sept. 8: Jeff Haney, Nikki Hartbarger, Jake Heilmann and Melissa Morrison. Hartbarger was sworn in on Sept. 8.

The remaining three were considered to fill Yunker’s position, but Morrison dropped out. Heilmann was sworn in to fill that seat. The appointed members will serve through the end of 2027 and need to file to run in the November 2027 election. After the meeting, Haney said he still planned to attend meetings and possibly run for office in 2027. The deadline for candidates to file petitions with the Lucas County Board of Elections is March 5, in order to provide time for a May primary, if needed. 

-Approved the purchase 2.3 acres at 10125 Waterville St. from the estate of the late Gary Pennell.

-Listened to Brian Brooks, a lay leader with Hope United Methodist Church, invite council and residents to participate in a community charrette Oct. 8-10. The purpose is to seek ideas for the use of a five-acre parcel of land owned by the church behind the Whitehouse Fire Department. The central public session will be held Thursday, Oct. 8, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. 

“At the heart of this effort is a shared commitment: we want every person in the Village of Whitehouse to know that they are welcome to participate in imagining the future uses of five acres connected with Hope United Methodist Church,” Brooks said. “This is not only a church conversation. We hope it will be a Whitehouse conversation—one that welcomes longtime residents, young people, families, business owners, civic leaders, neighbors, and all who care about the future of our community.”

-Approved, on a third reading, a new site plan for Country Meadows South, after the developer agreed to alternations to plans originally approved by the Planning Commission.

-Approved several policies related to vacation pay, pay classifications and benefit steps, comp time and more.

-Authorized the administrator to purchase new Stryker EMS equipment for use by the fire department.

-Heard that the village is working on plans for two murals: one by Dean Davis on the side of the CycleWerks building, and another on a village-owned storage building along the Wabash Cannonball Trail.