Ottawa County news. (Port Clinton, Ohio) 1931-1956, 1948-08-06
CIVIC GR0uPST0
AID FUND drive
BUY A Load of Dirt" Cam
paign is Planned To Beau
tify LakefrOnt Area

Port Clinton's lakefront in the
near future will become the show
place of this Vacationland area,
if ambitious plans announced on
Tuesday evening at special meet
ing of the village council material
ize.
Mayor Carl Becker announced
that campaign is under way for
all local civic groups to sponsor
"Buy Load of Dirt" fund drives,
with an immediate goal of 5000
loads.
Attorney Oliver True's plan for
the formation Of a Board of Park
Trustees has been accepted by the
city fathers" and an ordinance
will be drawn up for approval at
the regular council meet next
week.
Under this plan, True and the
officials hope to clear up all exist
ing legalities concerning owner
ship of lakefront property, and to
deed the waterfront acreage to
the Board of Park trustees.
At the present time, the city
has ownership for the property
from the east pier to Washing
ton street. Legalities concerning
ownership of the block from Wash
ington to Fulton are expected to
be cleared up in the near future.
Atty. True offered to help get
signatures of property owners of
the lakefront from Fulton street
east. Little or no opposition is
expected to this plan, as the prop
erty will be decided to the park
trustees for park purposes only.
During the past few months, the
st. Clair Brothers have cleared
and leveled the block north of
Lakeview park. Cost of this pro-
ject was paid by the city, Cham
Der of Commerce and several in
dividuals. Success of this work
enthused officials and civic lead
ers and led to the plans for beau
tification of the entire waterfront.
In recent weeks, the council paid
for hauling $50 loads of dirt from
the Celotex Corp. strip-mining
area to be used for fill behind
waterworks park. The Board of
Public Trustees paid for hauling
another $50 loads.
Tuesday evening, council decid-
ed to pay the cost of hauling an
other $50 loads to be used in the
area between the east pier and
Washington street, and the Board
of Public Affairs is expected to
duplicate this offer.
Plans for dumping tin cans in
the lakefront and covering with
dirt were killed as lakefront resi-
dents feared the dump would soon
become a nuisance from garbage
stencil.
Benefit Planned
Members of the Merchants AS
sociation and other civic groups
will sponsor a benefit later this
month, with funds to be used for
the "Buy a Load of Dirt" cam
paign.
Becker hopes to receive the
loans of dump trucks from Camp
Perry, Erie Ordnance Depot, the
township, city, county and state
so that hundreds of loads of dirt
can be hauled in to the area be-
tween the pier and Washington
street sometime next month.
Although it will take thousands
of loads of dirt to fill the lake
front, someday the city fathers
hope to have a park and beach
area 800 feet in depth and mile
in length.
Three or five citizens will be
named at the next council meet
ing for the Board of Park trus-
tees. Mr.. True suggested that no
lakefront property owner be
named to the board, and that at
least two members be residents oil
the city "south of the elevated.
Board members would be ap-
pointed for terms of two, four and
six years, and the board would De
a self-perpetuating organization.