Road request denied, new plan offered

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent editor

A request by the Marsh Foundation Board of Trustees to vacate Stripe Road in Van Wert has been denied by the Van Wert County Commissioners, but an new alternative plan is in the works, one that appears to have the approval of the Commisioners and the Marsh Board of Trustees.

The Commisioners held a public hearing on the request Thursday morning and it was attended by approximately 40 people, with most voicing opposition to the plan. However, after hearing details of the modified plan, those who were opposed before seemed to be in agreement with the new one. 

After listening to feedback the Commissioners made the decision to turn down the request, then turned their attention to a modified plan to re-route some of Stripe Road, instead of closing it altogether. The proposal to re-route was formulated during an opening meeting between the Commissioners and the Marsh Trustees held on Tuesday.

“We will likely entertain this process again once our potential new entity signs on the dotted line to occupy the Mega Site,” Commission President Thad Lichtensteiger said after the meeting. “We would likely vacate a smaller portion of Stripe, but the Marsh Foundation would construct an access road from Stripe to Mendon at their cost and then turn over to the county, and allow an easement for the construction of a Bonnewitz extension that would connect with Stripe.”

“A new Bonnewitz extension would likely abutt the south side of Vantage Career Center and potentially afford them another ingress/egress possibility,” he added. “Funding that project would be a little complicated, but our economic development director Brent Stevens has some ideas.”

The half-mile access road between Stripe Road and Mendon Road would be built roughly 1,000 feet south of the U.S. 30 overpass.

While he couldn’t give specific information, Van Wert Area Economic Development Corporation Executive Director Brent Stevens was able to shed some light on possible future activity at the Mega Site.

“We have sold 220 acres of the Mega Site to a company to be named later,” Stevens said. “The contract is signed and ernest money collected. Based on the option wording that the Marsh put into place way back in 2007, we had to come up with a solution to Stripe Road and I think that this is a great compromise. It also has Marsh putting their money where their mouth is, by paying for the new road.”

Protecting Marsh Foundation students was a priority in the request to close Stripe Road, especially in light of increased traffic from the Mega Site.

“We are pleased with the process in which we all came together and came up with a potential resolution to the issue of closing Stripe Road,” Marsh Foundation Trustee Gary Clay said. “We’re looking forward to the opportunity to re-examine this if and when a company does decide to occupy the Mega Site.”

Stripe Road was closed to traffic for nearly six months, from May to October of 2024, after an over-height vehicle struck and damaged the overpass over U.S. 30.