Council hears request to annex land, gets QTS update

Behavior at council meetings addressed

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent editor

It’s probably an understatement to say some of this year’s Van Wert City Council meetings have been tense and at times, a bit chaotic. While much of the acrimony has centered around council’s approval of annexation and zoning of land for QTS’s planned $10 billion data center, there have been other topics that have drawn sharp criticism from some who attend council meetings. That criticism and other sharp remarks have come from city residents and those who live outside the city. Other times, discussion has strayed from business related to the city.

Shortly after the start of Monday night’s meeting, Council President Thad Eikenbary addressed some of the behavior at recent meetings and he laid out expectations moving forward.

“The purpose of a city council meeting is to conduct business of the city following the approved consent agenda,” Eikenbary explained. “These meetings are open to the public, they are not meetings of the public. Your comments to the administration and/or the council should pertain to items related to council and the business that we have at hand.”

Contrary to popular belief, there is no law that requires time for public comment but Eikenbary noted that at each council meeting, there are four specific opportunities for the public to speak. It’s different than the vast majority of other governing boards, which typically offer one chance to speak at a meeting.

“Following those four times that you have address council and/or the administration, please do not continue to just repeat points that have been made over and over and over again in the past,” he said. “We can hear you – it’s in the record, so please don’t spend the time repeating things over and over again.”

He also reminded those in attendance that they are only to address council if they are recognized by the president (of council) to do so. When that happens, he said each speaker is to state his/her name and address for the record, then will have two minutes to speak. Each person will have one opportunity to address council once in each of the four opportunities provided.

Fire dept. battles Race St. house fire

VW independent staff

The Van Wert Fire Department was dispatched to a working house fire in the 400 block of N. Race St. Monday afternoon. Check back later for more information.

Roundabout work, other projects continue

VW independent staff

As the summer season begins to wind down, crews are continuing work on a number of planned road construction projects. Here is the latest Van Wert County work list from the Ohio Department of Transportation District 1 Office.

U.S. 127 between U.S. 224 in Van Wert County and Road 162 just north of the village of Paulding will be restricted to alternating one way traffic through the work zone today through October 1 for resurfacing. Work will occur during daytime hours Monday through Saturday. Traffic will be maintained by flaggers.

This week, Ohio 116 between the Auglaize County line and Wren Landeck Road will be restricted to one lane through the work zone for pavement.

Pavement repair work is also slated for U.S. 30 near Chenowith Road (mile marker 18.5) in Ridge Township.

Construction of a new single lane roundabout at the intersection of U.S. 224 and Lincoln Highway continues just west of the Van Wert city limits. Work began on July 30 and the closure is expected to last approximately 60 days. The official detour is U.S. 30 to Ohio 49, back to U.S. 224. That roundabout will become the second one in Van Wert County, with the other being at U.S. 224/U.S. 127/Marsh Rd. Future roundabouts are planned at the intersection of Ohio 118 and Wren Landeck Road and the intersection of U.S. 224/Van Wert Decatur Rd.

At the same time as roundabout construction, nearby U.S. 224, between U.S. 30 and Lincoln Highway is closed for rehabilitation of the bridge over the railroad. That project also began on July 30 but will take longer than the roundabout, with an estimated completion time of six months. The official detour is the same, U.S. 30 to Ohio 39, back to U.S. 224.

Ohio 697 between the city of Delphos and Ohio 116 recently re-opened following a closure for full-width paving. However, lane restrictions or moving operations may take place for finish work.

Man injured in area motorcycle accident

VW independent staff

The Lima Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol is investigationg a Saturday evening crash that left a Paulding County man with serious injuries.

Troopers were dispatched shortly after 8:15 p.m. after the Post received a call of a motorcycle accident on Ohio 634 near Road J, in Putnam County’s Perry Township.

Louis Wannemacher, 42, from Cecil, was northbound on Ohio 634 riding a 2008 Harley Davidson Street Glide. Troopers said Wannemacher drove off the left side of the road, struck a telephone pole, and overturned. He suffered life-threatening injuries and was transported from the scene by Continental EMS to Putnam County Ambulatory Care in Glandorf. He was later taken by life flight to Mercy Health, St. Vincent’s Medical Center in Toledo, Ohio. He was not wearing a helmet at the time of the crash.

The motorcycle sustained severe damage and was towed from the scene.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol was assisted at the scene by the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, Putnam County EMS, Continental EMS, Continental Fire, and Jim Schmidt Towing.

The report stated alcohol appeared to be a factor in the crash.

Majority of drivers think speeding is ok

VW independent staff/submitted information

“No one actually drives the speed limit.” 

Three in ten drivers agreed with that statement in a study from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, highlighting how speeding has become normalized on today’s roads.  

While most drivers agreed that posted speed limits are appropriate, many also considered driving 10 miles per hour over the limit acceptable, and nearly half believed keeping up with traffic is safer than obeying the posted limit. 

Those attitudes matter because speeding continues to have deadly consequences. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, speeding was a factor in nearly 30 percent of traffic fatalities in 2024. 

“Findings from this research show that some drivers in the United States view speeding as a normal part of driving,” said Dr. David Yang, President and Executive Director of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.” When people take cues from surrounding traffic instead of following posted speed limits, it creates a culture that makes crashes more difficult to prevent and roads less safe for everyone.” 

The findings suggest many drivers aren’t speeding simply to save time, they’re often convincing themselves that speeding is the right choice for the situation.  

Drivers’ top reasons for speeding: 

• To get around slower drivers (31 percent)  
• To reach their destination faster (25 percent)  
• To avoid holding up traffic (21 percent)  

Church to host annual Welsh festival

Submitted information

VENEDOCIA — The 109th Gymanfa Ganu Welsh Festival of Song will be held at 6:30 p.m. Sunday, September 6, in the sanctuary of Salem Presbyterian Church in Venedocia. The community is invited to an evening of music and congregational singing featuring 13 traditional Welsh hymns.

The program will include distinctive melodies and harmonies of the Welsh hymn tradition. Local guest artists will include Gregory M. Pysh, conductor; Jake Wilder, tenor; Connie O’Neill, organist, and Alyse (Evans) Latham, flute. Together, the guest musicians and congregation will fill the historic church sanctuary with music during an evening centered on worship, tradition and community.

For more than a century, the Gymanfa Ganu has brought generations of families, friends, musicians and visitors together in Venedocia. Congregational singing remains at the heart of the celebration, with everyone in attendance encouraged to participate regardless of musical experience.

The event is free and open to the public.

City trash vouchers now available

VW independent staff

Trash vouchers are now available to city residents in Van Wert but Mayor Ken Markward said there’s no need to rush to get them.

Information on the vouchers was included with August water bills but in nutshell, one free voucher per household can be picked up at the Van Wert Municipal Building during normal business hours, Monday through Friday. The vouchers can be picked up in the Water Office or via the drive-through window. They’ll be available into September, and each voucher is good for a load or large item to be taken to Young’s Waste Service on E. Jackson St. next month.

Residents with vouchers are responsible for transporting the items to Young’s.

Markward said last year, about 40 percent of the vouchers that were picked up at the city building went unused.

School in session, focus is on bus safety

VW independent staff/submitted information

COLUMBUS — With students across Ohio returning to classrooms, the Ohio Traffic Safety Office is urging all drivers to make safety their top priority during back-to-school season. OTSO is highlighting two statewide education efforts: the Stop Means Stop school bus safety campaign and Buckle Up with Brutus, Ohio’s child passenger safety program for elementary-aged students.

Stop Means Stop

OTSO’s Stop Means Stop campaign reinforces one of Ohio’s most critical traffic safety laws – drivers must stop for school buses when they are picking up or dropping off students. This public awareness initiative was launched in 2024, following a recommendation from Governor Mike DeWine’s School Bus Safety Working Group. Under this initiative, OTSO provides schools, law enforcement agencies, and community partners with posters, fact sheets, rack cards, social media materials, and an educational video to help strengthen safety messaging.

Data from the Ohio State Highway Patrol shows the need for continued awareness:

• In 2025, the Highway Patrol issued 879 citations to drivers for illegally passing a stopped school bus – a six percent decline from 2024.
• There have been 6,414 traffic crashes involving school buses on Ohio’s roadways since 2021, six of which were fatal. Those six fatal crashes resulted in the deaths of six individuals, with one being a school-aged student.
• In 2025, there were 17 fatal and serious-injury crashes involving a school bus – up from 14 the year before.
• 85 percent of fatal and serious-injury crashes involving school buses are caused by other drivers.

As buses return to neighborhoods, OTSO reminds all drivers to:

• Slow down in school zones.
• Never drive distracted and watch for children approaching or leaving bus stops.
• Stop Means Stop when a school bus activates its red lights and stop arm. This applies to all vehicles traveling in both directions on two-lane roads and roads with a center turning lane.

New employees introduced to board

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent editor

With the new school year underway, the Lincolnview Local Schools Board of Education addressed a number of agenda items during Thursday’s monthly meeting.

15 new employees were hired for the 2026-2027 school year and some of them were in attendance and introduced themselves. The list of new employees includes:

• Bruce Thomas, fifth grade
• Reagan Boley, elementary intervention specialist – cross categorical
• Anne Myers, elementary intervention specialist – cross categorical
• Ellen Jones, elementary STEM teacher
• Jennifer McElroy, elementary computer sciences-media/library specialist teacher
• Kimberly Bates, bus transportation secretary
• Aaron Dunn, custodian
• Carrie Turnwald, junior high/high school secretary
• Jaime Hernandez, cook
• Melissa Nava, elementary secretary
• Ian Setili, full-time substitute bus driver
• Kathy Wortman, part time cook
• Jodie Vasquez, paraprofessional aide (Western Buckeye ESC)
• Suzanne Rahrig, paraprofessional aide (Western Buckeye ESC)
• Hailey Acheson, paraprofessional aide (Western Buckeye ESC)

There was one resignation on the agenda and it didn’t sit well with board member Eric Germann, who voted against it. Elementary intervention specialist Damaris Murphy’s resignation took place on Tuesday, August 18, one day before the start of school. Murphy left for an out-of-state opportunity.

“The July 10 deadline (for resignations for the upcoming school year) exists for a reason,” he said. “I know her situation changed but I’m little disappointed that it came this late in the summer and put us in a bind to find a new teacher.”

Agenda items that were unanimously approved included bus routes for the new school year, agreements with Van Wert City Schools for the high school CEO program and the Van Wert School at the Goedde, an agreement with the Van Wert County Health Department for school nurse services, plus an agreement with Midwest Regional Educational Service Center for vision impaired services.

During his report, Superintendent Jeff Snyder said despite social media rumors to the contrary, he has not received monetary numbers as they relate to the Mega Site/data center, which will be located in the Lincolnview Local Schools district.

“We have not received an official negotiation piece,” he stated. “I know people say they already know but I wish they would just call me and I could tell them nothing has happened. Right now we’ll just go about our business and it’ll happen when it’s supposed to happen but as of right now there’s been no official piece from the company itself.”

Snyder also said key fob renewal for the community center is underway.

A chunk of the meeting centered around student-athletes and the state’s new SAM Act (see story here).

The board will meet in special session at 6 p.m. Wednesday, August 26, to approve the latest financial forecast as required by law. The next regular monthly meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday, September 22. Both meetings will take place in the Neubrecht Lecture Hall.

Football Friday!

Van Wert and Crestview opened their respective football seasons Friday night and the Cougar defense (above) gang tackles Bryan quarterback Jake Arnold while below, Crestview’s Cash Hammons catches a pass against Paulding. Van Wert won 41-6, but the Knights lost 18-6. Full game stories can be found on the Sports page. Monica Campbell/Bob Barnes photos