Uncertain future for electric railway collection after lease issue at Avon Lake museum

AVON LAKE — After a lease-related issue cast uncertainty on plans for the Beach Park Railway Museum in Avon Lake, other options are being considered for the wide-ranging collection of railroad memorabilia kept at the property. Avon Lake resident Tom Patton, whose collection is featured at the Beach Park Railway Museum, said Thursday that the museum received an eviction notice Jan. 31 and was told the collection must vacate its space by March 1. "They gave us 28 days to get everything out," Patton said. The museum, located in the Beach Park Station plaza off Lake Road, has hosted multiple introduction events was planned to open publicly this year. Records from the Lorain County Auditor's Office show the shopping plaza was sold in December to Stop 65 LLC for $1.59 million. A copy of the eviction notice viewed by the Chronicle-Telegram, which was addressed to TBP Avon Lake LLC stated the lease agreement "is defective and the lease is therefore void and defaulted to a month-to-month tenancy," going on to state that the lease and right to possession of a month-to-month tenant may be terminated at any time by either party with written notice. "Stop 65 LLC has determined it is necessary to terminate this month-to-month tenancy," the notice said. Asked by email for an explanation of the lease issue, Nate Gamellia of Stop 65 LLC wrote that the issue "is with TBP Avon Lake LLC, not the non-profit railway." "We are actively working with the City of Avon Lake, as well as The Avon Lake Historical Society to ensure the area's rich history is well taken care of," Gamellia wrote. TBP Avon Lake LLC is the entity that owned the plaza until 2020. TBP Avon Lake is the limited liability corporation of Tomie Patton, who is the wife of Tom Patton. She sold the property to another family member's TSH Commercial Holdings LLC in 2020, according to Tom Patton. TSH Commercial Holdings then sold the property to Stop 65 LLC in December. Tom Patton said TBP Avon Lake LLC signed a long-term lease for the museum in 2018 that was supposed to last until 2032. A long-term lease was a requirement of the state because they issued $175,000 in matching grant funding for the museum, he said. Patton said the issue with the lease seemed to be that it was not notarized. "The attorney that handled it never told us it needed to be notarized. Obviously, we would have notarized it," he said. "We'd notarize it today." Patton said he contacted the Ohio Attorney General's Office about the situation because the museum had received state grant funds, and "they are looking into the matter." Discussions are also being held between a representative of the museum and Stop 65 LLC about a potential new lease, Patton said. A variety of pieces related to the Lake Shore Electric Railway are featured in the museum and on the property, including actual rail cars. Donating the railway memorabilia to the city is an option that has been proposed. Mayor Greg Zilka said the city has had several discussions about the matter. "We're trying to work out a situation where we can accommodate all the concerns involved," he said. The city is looking at what it could do with the collection and how it may be processed, Zilka said, adding that a curator may be needed to identify and catalog everything. Contact Dylan Reynolds at (440) 329-7123 or dreynolds@chroniclet.com. Follow him on Twitter @drey1357.