TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) – The University/Parks Trail stretches seven miles from the University of Toledo campus to Sylvania Township. Much of the fence along the trail is collapsing.

“The fence is dry rotted,” said Sherman Sweeney, whose yard backs onto the fence. “There’s a hole right there. You can see through it. So yeah, it’s just… it’s time.

Sweeney said he had to replace part of his fence himself, at a cost of $200, after part of the fence collapsed. He says having a fence is important for homeowners who live along the trail.

“It keeps people from walking on your property or looking into your yard,” he said.

The I-TEAM spoke with several neighbors who said they contacted Engage Toledo about the problem but saw no results.

“You pay taxes, and you know, they make all these changes and everything and you want, you ask for one little thing and you can’t get it,” Sweeney said. “That’s why we called you guys, get results.”

The I-TEAM has asked the city of Toledo for answers. He responded in a statement:

The University/Parks Trail is owned by the City of Toledo and Lucas County and maintained with support from Metroparks Toledo. The fence was installed by the city when the trail was built in 1995 to address concerns about potential criminal activity the new trail could bring. Thirty years later we know that these concerns were unfounded and as a result new railways were built without fencing to reduce ongoing maintenance costs.

The County, City and Metroparks are actively working on long-term solutions for effective management of the trail, but at this time we do not have funding to replace the existing fencing. In the short term, neighbors who want the existing fence removed but not replaced can call Engage Toledo to request removal.

We understand this has been a source of frustration for trail neighbors and we continue to work on this issue. If anything changes, we will contact neighbors directly to inform.

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