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Toledo council considers next phase of funding in Levis Square reconstruction

The total bill to reconstruct Levis Square by 2021 is estimated at nearly $1.5 million. Toledo City Council will vote Tuesday on allocating $400,000 of that amount.

TOLEDO, Ohio — Changes will soon be on the way to Levis Square in downtown Toledo as city council considers spending $1.5 million in repairs and improvements to the park.

About 25% of that amount, or $400,000, could be allocated as soon as Tuesday.

This comes as the square is two months away from getting a face-lift. 

City officials said a three-phase project is set to begin in four to six weeks. It is supposed to turn the central square into a more modern gathering place. 

"We're gonna revamp all the sidewalk layout, new sidewalk, more conduit, drainage," said Doug Stephens, Toledo's administrator of engineering services. "We're gonna come in and we're also gonna be putting in new furniture so that people can sit out there. It's gonna be something very nice, very durable."

Stephens said the park, which was built nearly 50 years ago, will undergo major renovations with the exception of the fountain that is stationed in the center of the park on St. Clair Street.

Credit: WTOL

Construction could affect food truck vendors during Lunch at Levis next year, Stephens said.

Some Toledoans said the project is a worthwhile investment, but others think it's a steep price tag.

"I think $400,000 is a lot to put into this park," Toledo resident Beverly Meyer said. "It is very attractive, but it most definitely could use some clean-up, and I would think something far under $100,000 would spiff it up real quick."

"I really like all the investment they're doing in downtown Toledo and it shows how big it's grown," Vincent Betts, also a Toledo resident, countered. "I think something like that's just gonna attract more people."

Credit: WTOL

Stephens argued the investment is smart because it enhances the downtown Toledo landscape.

"At some point, you know, you have to put something back into the community to make it a liveable community," he said. "I mean, there's quality of life and there are things that people need to enjoy the community they live in."

Toledo City Council will vote on the $400,000 at its next meeting Tuesday. 

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