Property owners claim local road belongs to them

MILAN TWP. — A group of Milan Township property owners wants a court to declare that a local roadway belongs to them and not the county or township. In a civil suit filed on Friday in Erie County Common Pleas Court, five people and a corporation are seeking to have McIntyre Road declared a private road. They named Milan Township trustees and Erie County commissioners as the defendants. McIntyre Road runs between Ohio 113 and Seminary Road. Most of its length is in Erie County, though a small portion at the southern end is in Huron County. The northern end of the road empties near Edison High School. The plaintiffs claim McIntyre was never intended as a public lane, but an access road for farming equipment, according to the suit. They claim that the defendants have no right to the use of the road, either by deed or by easement. The plaintiffs claim that because the road is narrow, winding, and has no posted speed limit, it is dangerous for drivers. The suit asks for five things for the court to grant the plaintiffs: • Titles that say they own the portion of McIntyre Road abutting their properties • A declaration that McIntyre Road is private and not public in nature • Compensatory damages • Punitive damages • Any other relief the court deems fit As of late Monday, neither defendant has filed an answer to the suit.