By Paula Pyzik Scott

On September 17 the Bluffton Lions and the Village of Bluffton held a ceremony dedicating the addition of a bike and pedestrian pathway along Jefferson St./State Route 103 from County Line Road to I-75, following close on the heels of a September 3 dedication of the new County Line pathway.

The S.R. 103 Lions Way segment improves access to housing, a hotel, restaurants, gas stations, shops and other businesses along this stretch of road. This is the busiest and fastest section of road in the Village. Some 20 businesses are located on or near the new pathway.

Jackie Bourassa, President of the Bluffton Lions Foundation, outlined why this pathway is special: “It’s so visible. People in Bluffton know where the other pathways are. People coming into Bluffton see this and get a glimpse of what we’re about. Because it connects all of our businesses, it’s really an artery not just for recreation but also for practical means.”

Bourassa said event gave her a fresh appreciation of how many people and partnerships are needed to make a project like this work and that this support stretches into Allen and Hancock counties, as well as to the state level. There are 27 major donors commemorated on a large sign near the new crosswalk that allows pathway users to cross from one side of SR 103 to the other.

The ceremony was attended by about 35 individuals including Bluffton residents, Pathway board members and stakeholders including the Ohio Department of Transportation, Hancock County Parks/Engineer, Ohio Department of Natural Resources and Lima Allen County Regional Planning.

Bluffton Pathway Board chairperson and council member Mitch Kingsley opened the program and introduced Bourassa as the emcee. Reverend Jeremy Mann provided an invocation and recounted being entertained by the sight of a young boy on the pathway who was struggling to ride his tricycle with an ice cream in hand. An ensemble of Bluffton High School singers performed under the direction of Kevin Gratz.

Village Administrator Jesse Blackburn provided a project overview including funding of over $1M. Mayor Richard Johnson provided his accolades for the project and Council president Jerry Cupples read a Village proclamation.

Chris Hughes, ODOT District Deputy Director, commented on the context of the pathway within state projects and remarked that the exceptional impact of this pathway was clearly reflected in the turnout and scale of the dedication event.

The event also included a ribbon cutting ceremony with Bluffton Area Chamber of Commerce director Jim Enneking and the unveiling of a recognition sign made by Masterpiece Signs and Graphics of Bluffton.

The sign recognizes the following project participants and major project donors:

LIONS WAY - STATE ROUTE 103 PATH

PROJECT LEADERS: BLUFFTON PATHWAY BOARD: Mitchell Kingsley - Chair, Gregory Denecker, David Smith, Travis Music, Phill Talavinia, Mark Bourassa, Jenny Pilarowski.

VILLAGE LIAISONS of BLUFFTON PATHWAY BOARD: Jesse Blackburn, Ben Stahl

MAJOR PROJECT DONORS

Richard and Elfrieda Ramseyer, Blanchard Valley Health System, Michael and Mary Burns,

1861 Wine Lounge, GROB Systems Inc., Corwin Croy and Rita Dietrich, Stan and Jo Clemens, Richard and Jayne McGarrity, First National Bank, John and Carolyn Rich,  Donald and Dimale Snyder,

The Pilarowski Family, Diamond Manufacturing of Bluffton, James Bemiller,  Ross and Anna Kauffman, Stahl Family, Ron and Alice Lora, Suzann and Stan Bauman, Bluffton Veterinary Hospital & Pet Care Center, Masterpiece Signs & Graphics Inc., Patricia and Harlan Basinger, Bluffton Shell, Hancock Park District, Ohio Department of Transportation, Taylor Steele Memorial, Lima Allen County Regional Planning Commission, Ohio Department of Natural Resources