Farmers to Have Place for Retirement Years : Agriculture: Ohio grain elevator operator set up a nonprofit organization to build apartments.

Harold Bordner made millions from his farm and grain elevator, but he often worried how his less well-to-do friends would get by when they were too old to work their farms.

So Bordner set up a nonprofit organization before he died to build apartments for retired farmers and their wives.

He envisioned a place where retired farmers would feel safe and secure, where they would be among people with the same backgrounds and interests. Supporters said it would be one of the first housing developments in the nation to cater to farmers.

“He was a very generous man,” said Hugh Sheline, 66, a foundation trustee who lived next door to Bordner and his wife, Iva. “If neighbors wanted to borrow a piece of farm equipment, he’d say, ‘Sure, come get it.’ A lot of people went to him for money too.”

Bordner died in 1990 at age 84, just two years after his wife died.

Now the Bordner Foundation is ready to build a $2-million, 80-unit apartment complex on 22 acres along the western edge of Bowling Green, about 25 miles south of Toledo.

But the city Planning Commission has blocked the plan.

The project faced opposition from residents who want the land used to expand city-operated Winter Garden Park. The foundation’s land is adjacent to the 50-acre park. The city, however, has not expressed any interest in buying the property.

“I’m not against farmers. I just think they could have picked a different site,” said opponent Cindy Ellers. “We don’t have too many places like this left. Everything is being gobbled up by developers. We hope the city will eventually buy this property and expand the park.”

The property is zoned for single-family residential use, which means the foundation could build single-family homes for retired farmers there, trustee William Schmeltz said.

The foundation will decide soon whether to take that option or build elsewhere.

“Right now the project is on hold,” said Schmeltz, who was Bordner’s financial adviser.

Sheline said retirees need the complex.

“In the old days, a retiring farmer could stay on the farm because they would be close to family and friends who would help out. But it’s different now.

“They are much more isolated these days. Family members are moving more. The small towns are more or less drying up. A lot of small towns don’t even have banks anymore, (or) grocery stores. It’s rough for rural people to find this kind of housing and this kind of support system,” he said.

The complex would offer one- and two-bedroom apartments that would rent for about $600 a month. It would have nature trails, a clubhouse and land for tenants to plant gardens.

The foundation’s board would pick the tenants from a four-township area near Bowling Green. Tenants must be 55 or older.

The Bordners had given money to charities for years and created a Farm Beautification Program in Wood County,

But they wanted to do something special, Schmeltz said.

“That’s just the kind of people they were,” he said.

Bordner was unpretentious. His friends said he drove a beat-up Volkswagen Beetle, wore overalls and never carried more than a few dollars in his pocket.

He loved to sit on his front porch with his wife at night. He could play gospel and country songs on a saw. He also liked to fly planes and built a small landing strip on his property.

“He had a very easygoing personality,” said neighbor Gary Conklin, 47.