Progress on Maui Sands stalls

PERKINS TWP. — Perkins Township trustees, unhappy that the owners of Maui Sands apparently aren't ready to move quickly to secure and upgrade the property, have put demolition back on the table. During Tuesday's public meeting, trustees Jeff Ferrell and Tim Coleman voted 2-0 to conduct a public hearing on the demolition of the dilapidated property, located on Milan Road (U.S. 250) just north of Ohio 2. Trustee Jim Lang was unable to attend Tuesday's meeting but said afterward he supported the decision. Among its most notable issues, the former water park's buildings have significant water damage and also have been vandalized, according to township officials. Perkins police have repeatedly been called to the scene to deal with trespassers. Trustees wanted the current owner, Sinmier LLC, of Farmington, Michigan, to move on securing the property. Instead, trustees received a proposal that further delayed any action, Ferrell said. Ferrell said he was taken aback. "I was very surprised, and I was very disappointed," Ferrell said. "Actually, I was angry." Ferrell explained that, under the law, trustees must allow for at least 30 days before hosting a public hearing on demolition. So the earliest such a hearing can take place would be in late June. Ferrell said he expected a date for the hearing to be announced soon. Ferrell said he won't rule out negotiating an agreement to avert demolition. But Ferrell indicated he's losing patience and will protect the interests of Perkins Township and of nearby property owners who have had to deal with trying to do business near a dilapidated property. "We're willing to sit down and try to work out a consent agreement that's good for both parties. Our first thing is we're going to protect the township," Ferrell said. "We're not going to let a property degrade and become unsafe." "They made a conscious decision to let that property deteriorate. That was their decision," Ferrell said. Where the situation stands Since earlier this year, when Perkins Township began taking steps toward demolishing the property, officials and the owners of Maui Sands have been discussing terms to secure the property. Ferrell said he had expected to make progress this week. "I think we went backward," he said on Tuesday. Lang said he supports the decision at Tuesday's meeting. "We've been putting up with this for four years," Lang said. "Nothing has really been done." Richard Gillum III, the Sandusky attorney representing Sinmier, did not attend Tuesday's meeting. Ferrell said he understood Gillum had a scheduling conflict. In fact, no one showed up at the meeting to represent Sinmier, Ferrell said. Gillum could not be reached for comment Tuesday. Gillum has said Sinmier was in the process of trying to sell the property. No new developments occurred on Tuesday regarding the possible pending sale, Ferrell said. Ferrell said trustees wanted: • The property totally boarded up in 14 days • All combustible materials on the property to be dealt with in 30 days with more time granted for other work. Instead, Sinmier responded with a proposal late Monday to double and triple those deadlines, Ferrell said. "They basically resisted all the time frames we set forth in the proposal we sent them," Ferrell said. Sinmier also resisted posting a bond to guarantee it will carry out its promises, Ferrell said. Ferrell said he would like to see the property repurposed for a positive use. Doing nothing when the property is in bad shape lowers property values, he said. "It's like looking at a dilapidated house," he said. "You're not going to pay top dollar for it."