Council adopts emergency ordinance to contract Veterans Memorial Park shelter and sidewalk improvements

The Defiance City Council on May 6 adopted an emergency ordinance authorizing a contract for Veterans Memorial Park shelter-house and sidewalk improvements, with the mayor saying most of the work will be paid for with grant funds.

The ordinance matters because it moves forward improvements to Veterans Memorial Park (also called Laddies Grove), including new shelter-house floors, new sidewalks, benches with concrete pads and grills tied into concrete paths — work the mayor said is intended to reduce muddy conditions and improve accessibility.

Mayor Mary McCann described the plans: “the plans for Veterans Park also known as Laddies Grove are to do what we did at Kingsbury. New floors in the shelter houses, improvements to the shelter houses, sidewalks, meandering through the park,” and she added details about benches and grills tied to concrete slabs.

Council placed the project budget at $240,000 and staff said the expected total cost is $230,369. The mayor said roughly $200,000 of the funding comes from strategic community investment funding awarded to the city in 2024. Staff also told council the project must be completed by June 30, 2026, to meet grant requirements.

Council moved to suspend the rules and adopt the emergency ordinance during the meeting; council members voted in favor and the ordinance was adopted. The clerk had presented the legislation as a first reading before the motion to suspend and adopt.

The council also received two purchase-order reports from the clerk earlier in the meeting: a sanitary sewer lining on Hague Street for $20,520 and a $48,000 equipment payment to Stryker Corporation for fire equipment replacement. Those purchase orders were presented as routine administrative items and separate from the park contract.

With the ordinance adopted, staff will proceed to finalize the contract and begin scheduling work to meet the grant deadline.