Boy Scout helps make trail crossing safer

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

New warning gates that Van Wert Park District and Van Wert city officials hope will warn bikers to slow down prior to reaching the crossing over U.S. 224 are now in place on a local bike/walking trail, thanks to a local Boy Scout working to make Eagle Scout.

Cole Gorman, son of Lincolnview Local Board of Education President Michelle Gorman and her husband, Shawn, and an eighth-grader at Lincolnview Junior High School, contacted Van Wert Safety-Service Director Jay Fleming back in November 2016 seeking an Eagle Scout project. Cole is a member of Troop 32 in Middle Point.

Fleming suggested doing something to make the bike/walking trail crossing at U.S. 224 safer for bicycle riders and walkers. Prior to installing the gates, only a couple of signs warned trail users of the upcoming crossing at one of the busiest stretches of highway in the area.

“I gave him a sketch on a napkin, basically, and he took it from there,” Fleming said of Cole’s involvement. “He lined everything up, and I think that’s how an Eagle Scout project should be. He did great for an eighth-grader.”

After deciding on a project to place a pair of yellow warning gates on each side of the crossing to warn trail users to slow down prior to reaching the crossing, Cole then began raising funds to pay for it. However, thanks to the generosity of Van Wert Rotary Club members and several area businesses, that process was relatively easy.

After Cole made his first presentation at a Rotary meeting, club members reached in their pockets and generously came up with $549 to fund the project. It was $549 more than was needed.

When Cole went out to purchase materials needed for the project, each business donated the items to him. Krendl Machine and Unverferth Manufacturing were involved in getting the gates made, while Industrial Mechanics students at Vantage Career Center welded the materials, based on specifications provided.

Others who assisted with the project included Statewide Ford Lincoln, Alspach-Gearhart Funeral Home & Crematory, Lee’s Ace Hardware, Century Trading, Taylor’s Auto Sales, Foster Family Chiropractic, Cool Machines, and Rotary Club members Linda Stutz and Cindy Hurless.

After the gates were made, Fleming had Van Wert Street Department workers install them at the crossing on Friday.

“I’m glad it got done,” Cole said after the gates were installed Friday. “It took a while to get done.”

While completing the gate project will go a long way toward helping Cole make Eagle Scout rank, he still must complete requirements for three more merit badges before actually earning the rank.

As for the $549 he raised, and didn’t spend, he plans to donate that to the Van Wert County Parks District, which will maintain the gates.