Sutterlin not giving up on park land purchase

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April 23, 2007

By Jane Smith The Meadville Tribune Mon Apr 23, 2007, 11:47 PM EDT

04/24/07 — Gregory Sutterlin of Conneaut Lake spent all day Sunday as a volunteer putting a new roof on the Dockside building at Conneaut Lake Park.

Then Monday, he learned the court had rejected his proposal to purchase 3.3 acres of land to build condominiums at the park.

However, he’s not throwing in the towel just yet. He said he is modifying his proposal to address all the concerns the judge listed in his order rejecting the sale.

“We’re hopeful we can keep this park from the wrecking ball,” said Sutterlin, adding that without the land sale he is concerned about the park’s future. And he believes the negotiated sale was in the best interest of the public trust, admitting it did have clauses to give him some protection for his $1.7 million investment.

But, “we are not giving up our quest,” he stressed.

In his new proposal, Sutterlin is willing to waive most of the requirements of the first sale proposal. He agreed to:

n Present the court with architectural sketches of the plans, including construction description and as much detail as needed;

n Present a time schedule for the building construction to be implemented;

n Continue with the sale even if the park doesn’t open on schedule; and

n Modify his requirement for a five-year development ban. His original proposal called for no other lakefront/lakeview condominiums to be constructed for five years. He said as long as the park remains a public trust, he would waive that ban. However, should the trust be liquidated by a future board of trustees, he would again seek that ban on future development to protect his interests.

The other concern Sutterlin said needs to be addressed is the perceived restriction against selling Conneaut Lake Park land to private developers. Attorney Dana Watson has argued the restriction still exists from former agreements. Sutterlin said if that restriction can’t be changed, there’s no way he can proceed.

However, court-appointed park overseer LeRoy Stearns and others believe the property in question isn’t an integral part of the park’s operation in that it has always been a private residence. They would argue against any such restriction, they have said.

“Time is of the essence,” said Sutterlin. “We need to get this done and the park opened.”

He hopes to have the petition ready this week for Stearns to present to the court for consideration.

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