Toledo Mud Hens former roost targeted for demo

The stadium in Maumee, Ohio, that for several decades served as home to the Toledo Mud Hens baseball team will be demolished by the end of 2022 if commissioners in the building’s home county keep to their desired schedule.

The three-person body of Lucas County Commissioners, which includes the cities of Toledo and Maumee in northwest Ohio, voted unanimously to approve a plan to take down the stadium, according to Toledo-based WTOL-TV.

The Mud Hens, championed by Toledo native Jamie Farr in his role as Corporal Klinger in the 1970s TV series “M*A*S*H,” moved to a newly built downtown Toledo ballpark in 2002.

Prior to that move, the AAA minor league team played in Ned Skeldon Stadium, which sits within the larger Lucas County Recreation Center in Maumee. In addition to the 10,200-seat stadium, that 70-acre complex includes other playing fields and courts, a walking trail and a swimming pool.

The commissioners say a request for proposal (RFQ) will be issued to determine how to best repurpose the land cleared by Ned Skeldon Stadium’s demolition, as well as the rest of the recreation center property.

The county commissioner’s office estimates it will cost $1.1 million to dismantle the stadium and prepare the site for redevelopment. That redevelopment may not be restricted to recreational uses. The TV station says Maumee Mayor Rich Carr has indicated, but could also include residential or commercial structures.

The Toledo Mud Hens, who have been affiliated at different times with the Minnesota Twins, Cleveland Indians and Detroit Tigers, played at Ned Skeldon Stadium from 1965 to 2001.

The demolition process is likely to take place in the fourth quarter of 2022, after local amateur baseball and softball teams have had the chance to finish their scheduled games at the stadium, according to a county commissioner.