QTS update is coming; council members hear request

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent editor

Residents of Van Wert can expect to receive a mailer from QTS with a broad update on plans to construct a $10 billion dollar data center.

Councilman At-Large Dewaine Johnson, who heads Van Wert City Council’s Economic Development Committee, shared QTS’s plans during Monday night’s meeting and said the mailer will go out within the next couple of weeks.

“It’s intended to give residents a clearer picture of where things stand, what the next steps look like and how the project will move forward,” Johnson stated. “This will be the first community-wide communication from QTS since their initial announcement and it should address a lot of the questions circulating in the community.”

Johnson also said the Wert Area Economic Development Corporation is finalizing the setup of two governance boards that will oversee the city and county community benefits package tied to the QTS project. However, the boards will not determine how funds meant for the city will be spent – Van Wert City Council will have the final say.

The city will likely receive PILOT payments from QTS in lieu of taxes, but the amount is currently unknown.

Safety-Service Director Jay Fleming informed council that he received a request from the Ohio Department of Transportation approve legislation for Phase II of the Leeson Ave. project, which is scheduled for 2027.

Flming said the legislation must be returned to ODOT by October 28. The legislation is expected to be ready for a vote in time for the next meeting. 

Fleming also said storm sewer work is planned as part of the Leeson Ave. project. He noted that stormwater begins flowing in a different direction near Rose St., contributing to drainage problems near Smiley Park and Woodland Cemetery. Plans call for a storm sewer to be built near the Van Wert County Regional Airport, extending to near U.S. 224.

During his report, Mayor Ken Markward said Fleming is approaching retirement and has purchased property just outside the city limits, where he plans to build a new home before he retires. The safety-service director is required to live wihin the city limits, but city council has the ability to approve an exception, leading Markward to request such an exception. Council members agreed to have Law Director John Hatcher to prepare an ordinance for the exception. It could be ready for a vote in time for the next meeting.

Various supplemental appropriations were approved by council, and members heard the second reading of an ordinance amending a city ordinance pertaining to traffic rules and noise, along with a new noise ordinance. Both have been revised multiple times and even though both had their second reading, the ordinances will be the subject of a Council of the Whole meeting prior to the next meeting.

A scheduled executive session to discuss appointments to the city’s Tree Commission was postponed due to the excused absence of Councilman At-Large Hall Block, who pushed to retain the Tree Commission.

The next meeting of Van Wert City Council will be held at 6:30 p.m. Monday, October 12, in Council Chambers on the second floor of the Municipal Building, 515 E. Main St. The Committee of the Whole meeting will begin at 5:45 p.m., also in Council Chambers.