Logan County and Bellefontaine marked a number of new milestones and achievements during 2022, including a grand celebration that was in order Nov. 4 to mark the city’s designation as one of Ohio’s Best Hometowns of the year, according to Ohio Magazine.
The magazine’s Editor Jim Vickers said during the event that presenting Bellefontaine with the honor of being named one of the publication’s Best Hometowns of 2022 was a “no brainer” after receiving scores of postcards from area residents nominating their city, and then paying a visit here this past summer.
During the visit, Vickers had the chance to meet with business owners, elected officials and community members and dined at a Bellefontaine restaurant that evening.
“I feel like I have one of the best jobs in Ohio. I get to go and explore all of these all of these different places around our state.
“Everyone was so welcoming and friendly throughout our visit. Thank you for your friendliness, your passion and for your families and neighbors; that’s what makes small town living so great,” he said to the crowd gathered in front of the Logan County Courthouse for the celebration during unseasonably warm temperatures and sunny skies.
Ohio Magazine’s annual Best Hometowns issue recognized Bellefontaine among its five great places to live, work and visit, along with the cities of Athens, Kent, Perrysburg and Versailles.
The magazine’s editors chose Bellefontaine for its impressive downtown redevelopment efforts, thriving sense of community and appreciation for preserving local history.
“We’re truly blessed in so many ways that we are able to come together and celebrate the achievements of our community,” said Bellefontaine Mayor Ben Stahler. “There’s a real sense of hometown pride in the air.”
Honoring local heroes
Military and law enforcement heroes also received new opportunities and prestigious honors this year, including five combat veterans with ties to Logan County who were inducted into the Ohio Military Hall of Fame during an April ceremony at the Ohio Statehouse.
Accounts of their service and their specific accomplishments detailing their bravery — putting service above self — in the face of the enemy were shared during each individual’s induction and medal presentation.
“These are not Hollywood scripts; these are the real stories of heroic actions that have brought us the freedoms we have today,” Master of Ceremonies Rick Colliver said in his closing remarks after presenting medals to the 17 recipients from around the state.
Two of the Logan County recipients — U.S. Army Pfc. Herbert S. Bechtel and U.S. Marines Sgt. Randall Leo Erwin — were accepted as posthumous honors by their family members.
Pfc. Bechtel, a 1964 Indian Lake High School graduate, was killed in action in Vietnam due to a gunshot wound to his chest during hostile ground action on Aug. 25, 1966.
Indian Lake area resident Sgt. Erwin survived his tour in Vietnam, but passed away last year, on Aug. 28, 2021, at the Dayton VA Medical Center.
A World War II veteran also was among the ranks of the Logan County honorees — Bellefontaine resident and Army Air Corps veteran Art Kemp received his medal on stage at the spry age of 98. He is a Distinguished Flying Cross recipient and flew 35 combat missions over locations including Germany, France and Poland during the war.
DeGraff resident and U.S. Army veteran Robert S. May also was among the medal recipients at the statehouse. Pfc. May served in the Vietnam War with the U.S. Army Company D, 1st Battalion (Airmobile), 8th Calvary, and earned a Bronze Star for Valor in Combat.
Fellow recipient Bellefontaine native Spec. 4 Franklin D. Moore, who now resides in Columbus, served the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. He was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for Valor in Combat for his exceptional heroism in Vietnam in January 1969.
A beloved Logan County tradition honoring service members also returned this year after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic. To make up for lost time, the Logan County Vets to D.C. organization completed two trips to the nation’s capital this year – one in May and a second trip in September.
Approximately 48 veteran guests attended the first trip in May, and nearly as many, 46 retired service members, attended the second trip this year, for the chance to see their memorials for the first time.
Among the ranks of those traveling in the fifth and sixth annual trips included a World War II veteran — 95-year-old Allie Schrader — along with several Korean War veterans and a number of Vietnam War veterans. They are treated to an all-expenses paid trip through the non-profit organization that is supported by various fundraisers and area donors.
“A long gap like that can make it difficult to keep the momentum going, but we are excited to be gearing up for a good trip,” organizer Scott Stewart said in May.
“The community has been behind us from day one, and it has been incredible to see all of that support continue to this day.”
The Village of West Liberty also honored the life of Marshal Sherman Ricketts this year, with events hosted on the 60th anniversary of his death on June 29, 1962.
Marshal Ricketts was investigating a break-in in the northwestern part of the village around Baird, Reynolds and Columbus Streets. He confronted the suspect, who fired numerous rounds at point blank range and the marshal was fatally wounded. Ricketts, while suffering those fatal injuries, shot the suspect twice to prevent him from fleeing.
At 3:30 a.m., a vigil took place in front of the West Liberty Presbyterian Church at the spot where the Marshal gave his life in the line of duty.
Then that afternoon, a ceremony took place at the newly established Sherman Ricketts Memorial Park and Trailhead, located on west State Route 245, attended by Ricketts’ family members.
The park’s new amenities (shelter house, water bottle filling station, and bicycle fix-it station) were dedicated during the ceremony as well.
Honda’s new investments unveiled
Honda unveiled new developments and major local investments this year as well, including the highly-advanced Honda Automotive Laboratories of Ohio (HALO) wind tunnel facility this spring. Then in the fall, Honda and LG Energy Solution joined together at the Ohio Statehouse to announce combined investments of at least $4.2 billion relating to electric vehicle production in Ohio.
During March, Honda hosted grand opening activities for the $124 million HALO facility, one of the world’s most advanced wind tunnel automotive testing laboratories, located in East Liberty at the Transportation Research Center.
The 110,000 square foot HALO building contains a 1/8-mile wind tunnel circuit, capable of reaching a max wind speed of 192.63 mph and powered by a 5-megawatt, 6,700 horsepower electric motor main fan measuring 8 meters in diameter, with 12 carbon fiber fixed-pitch blades.
Mike Unger, Automotive Development Center wind tunnel lead, said the site is revolutionary in its field for its ability to provide three separate, state-of-the art testing functions — aerodynamics, aeroacoustics and racing — all in one location.
Previously, the company would send vehicles all over the U.S. and the world to test for these separate functions for Honda and Acura products, as well as the company’s race vehicles.
“As an aerodynamics engineer, you don’t see bigger or cooler toys like this in your lifetime; it’s a big deal,” said North Lewisburg resident Unger, who has worked for Honda since 1992. “We learned from the last five wind tunnel facilities built and spent time in each of those locations.”
“This facility was built by the best of the best. We tapped into Honda’s global expertise,” said Chris Combs, Automotive Development Center wind tunnel business strategy lead, regarding the facility that first broke ground in 2017. “It was a multi-year, collaborative effort.”
Forty-five years ago in 1977, Honda leadership visited the Ohio Statehouse for an important economic announcement — the company would be building its first vehicle production facility in the U.S., the Marysville Motorcycle Plant.
On the same date this year Oct. 11, Honda and LG Energy Solution confirmed that their combined investments will create a total of 2,527 new jobs in Ohio between the establishment of a new electric vehicle battery plant in Fayette County and the retooling of existing Honda plants in Logan, Union and Shelby counties for electric vehicle production.
A total of $700 million will be invested by Honda to retool its East Liberty Auto Plant, Marysville Auto Plant in Union County and Anna Engine Plant in Shelby County, creating 327 new jobs on top of its current workforce.
Once transformed for EV production, the power source for the vehicles made at the Marysville, Anna, and East Liberty factories will come from the new battery plant in Fayette County.
Industrial solar examined
The proposed Fountain Point Solar Energy Center, and the future of other industrial solar and wind developments in the county, also dominated local headlines this year.
In January, Fountain Point Solar Energy LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Invenergy, hosted its first required public meeting on the project, a 280 megawatt facility proposed for Rushcreek and Bokescreek townships on 2,768 acres.
The company then filed an official application for the industrial solar farm with the Ohio Power Siting Board. The OPSB conducted its investigation and released its staff report just weeks ago in late November, recommending the project.
However, early in the year, a number of neighbors to the project and others in the county opposed to the industrial solar farm formed a grassroots effort — No Solar in Logan County — to voice their many concerns. As 2022 progressed, they officially formed an LLC and raised funds to hire a lawyer, who will help navigate through the upcoming Ohio Power Siting Board proceedings.
Dec. 14, the Ohio Power Siting Board hosted a public hearing about the project, with sworn testimonies from approximately 70 county residents continuing for six straight hours at the Benjamin Logan High School auditorium. A large majority called for the OPSB to deny the project, while some individuals also spoke up in support of Fountain Point and the future funding opportunities it would provide for Logan County.
The evidentiary hearing is the next step in the application process — set for 10 a.m. Jan. 23 at the Ohio Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, 180 E. Broad St., Columbus.
After the evidentiary hearing, a nine-member OPSB board will vote at one of its monthly meetings to either approve or deny the project application. Senate Bill 52’s provisions incorporate two local ad hoc members on the board who are able to cast their votes. The Board of Logan County Commissioners appointed Michael E. Yoder as its ad hoc member, and the boards of trustees of Bokescreek and Rushcreek townships appointed Jeff Spencer as its ad hoc member.
Throughout the year, the Logan County Commissoners also heard from area residents regarding the future of this type of industrial solar and wind projects.
Aug. 11, the commissioners took action in a split 2-1 vote to approve a resolution that designates 16 of the 17 townships in Logan County (not including Miami Township) as restricted areas, prohibiting the construction of industrial wind and solar.
Their action took place shortly after an Aug. 9 public hearing seeking public comment about wind and solar development. The hearing was a requirement of Senate Bill 52, which now gives more local control over these types of large-scale wind and solar developments.
The commissioners’ official action took place during an open meeting of the board, with President Joe Antram and member Paul Benedetti voting for the measure. Vice President Mark Robinson cast the dissenting vote.
The Logan County Commission considered this resolution after previously receiving communication from each of the 16 township boards of trustees, requesting this restriction for their respective townships.
Indian Lake updates
Cleaning up the aquatic weeds at Indian Lake also has been on the minds of residents, business owners and government officials during 2022, and it has been a major priority this year through efforts organized through the Indian Lake Watershed Project and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
During their May meeting, the ILWP Board of Directors approved a proposal from Shoreline Construction & Excavating Ltd. to operate a large open-water harvester. The proposal required the contractor to clear a minimum of 225 acres each week and a minimum of 600 cubic yards each week.
This open water harvester operated in addition to the harvesters operated by ODNR on Indian Lake this year.
The Indian Lake Watershed Project received a grant from Honda of America for weed harvesting in the amount of $50,000, which was utilized in addition to the funds approved through the state legislature.
“The current situation at Indian Lake is serous and many solutions are being researched,” ILWP President-Elect Dustin Wickersham said at the meeting. “Weed harvesting is the short-term immediate option available but the long-term solution has to include a multimillion dollar plan for privatized dredging on the lake.”
At the end of the 2022 season in August, Shoreline Construction reported a total of 18,340 cubic yards of aquatic material was removed, and 2,152 acres were covered in our two months of being out on the water.
“Thank you to the Indian Lake community- your positive vibes and constant encouragement has been unmatched. We appreciate everyone who has supported our endeavors,” Shoreline Construction representatives said.
“We’d like to thank Jon Cross, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, and the State Legislators for providing funding for the harvesting efforts.
“Most of all, we would like to thank the Indian Lake Watershed Project for consistently advocating for the betterment of our lake. We are hopeful for the future of this lake that we love so dearly.”
The ODNR also selected Certified Lake Manager Edward Kwietniewski, an aquatic biologist from Aqua Doc, Inc. to complete a study of the weeds on Indian Lake to determine best practices for the future. He will be studying the aquatic weeds and providing options for mitigation.
For updates on vegetation removal and dredging, visit the Indian Lake State Park website and look for the tab “Indian Lake Aquatic Vegetation Management” and follow updates by the Shoreline Construction and Indian Lake Watershed Project’s Facebook pages.
Also this summer, the Indian Lake Developmental Corporation (ILDC) and Logan County Board of Developmental Disabilities hosted a grand opening and dedication ceremony of the all-inclusive “Come Play at the Lake” playground at Fox Island.
ILDC President Dale Frymeyer kicked off the June ceremony by expressing appreciation to all of the people who made the playground and additional projects possible. Ultimately, he wished to thank those who stood about knee-to waist-high — the children.
“That’s why we’re here,” said Frymeyer, who gave credit to volunteers, the Logan County Board of DD, Ohio Department of Natural Resources and donations from the public.
ILDC member Cynthia Defibaugh spoke passionately about the project. She mentioned that this is the most inclusive park, and it will be even more so than what is currently seen, alluding to a handicapped ramp and restrooms in the works.
Superintendent Saul Bauer of the Logan County Board of DD explained that the accessible park began with a small group and a dream, “…and now everyone benefits,” he said.
