The folks at the Pioneer Village attraction in Wheelersburg, OH could soon be getting a nice chunk of land from the county to help them complete a planned project.
The Scioto County Commissioners Cathy Coleman and Bryan Davis voted in favor of a public viewing and hearing on vacating a stretch of land on Ohio River Road in Porter Township that’s currently a county right-of-way. (Commissioner Mike Crabtree was absent due to a death in the family).
Commissioner Bryan Davis says Scioto County Engineer Darren LeBrun tells him that the county doesn’t need that property for anything. “It’s a really, really wide right-of-way in front of Lowe’s.”
Davis said Pioneer Village was actually built on part of that right-of-way years ago. A report from LeBrun said the right of way would not affect Ohio River Road and no longer served any purpose to the public.
Twelve property owners in the area submitted a petition voicing their approval for the idea of vacating the land.
Davis says he hopes that the property may be able to be transferred to Pioneer Village to use for future projects. “Neat Stuff. People are moving and shaking.”
When I spoke to Davis earlier in the week about an orphaned stretch of road in Harrison Township, he said it was not uncommon for right-of-ways and pieces of road to be forgotten or no longer needed and that the county is working to solve the problem. He cited the example of roads that are still on maps, but no longer in existence. Once it’s confirmed the road is no longer needed, it can be split up and divided among adjacent property owners.
Here is a wonderful book to read about the interesting origins of the Pioneer Village attraction in Wheelersburg, OH
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