CANFIELD With $2.4M, city buys much of Red Gate Farm

The city wants to do what is best for Canfield, the township and schools.
CANFIELD -- The city has purchased most of Red Gate Farm for $2.4 million.
Canfield Mayor Lee Frey said no decision has been made on what to do with the land, but officials hope it will be used for what is best for the city, Canfield Township and Canfield Schools.
The 298-acre farm north of Lydia Lane and west of Palmyra Road in Canfield Township was auctioned Saturday.
Auctioneer Ken Baer said the city bought 288 acres of land. The rest went to another buyer. The Canfield Township trustees were unsuccessful in their bid to buy five to 10 acres for a park.
The farm is separated from the city by the Lanterman farm, Frey said.
The city had earmarked money to purchase land before the Red Gate Farm went on the auction block.
The city's revenue is declining and the population is getting older, said the mayor, and most of the land within the city has been developed. The city's general fund was $3.1 million in 2001, dropped to $2.7 in 2002 and is estimated at $2.4 million this year.
As the township continues to grow, Canfield, "Could have let it go and not bought it, and be content and be done," Frey said.
Instead, the mayor said city officials decided philosophically that change is progress and bought the land with the goal of generating some sort of income for the city.
But, the mayor stressed, the idea is to better the city, the township and the school district.
Frey said the city's engineering firm, MS Consultants, would prepare a report on development possibilities.
The farm has ties to two prominent Mahoning Valley families, the Manchesters and Kilcawleys.