Wayne C. Gerdeman Memorial Dedication, 8-10-10

On August 18, 2005, Wayne C. Gerdeman, Allen County Engineer, passed away after an extended illness.  He had worked at the Allen County Engineer’s office for 37 years including being Allen County Engineer from 2001 through 2005.   Wayne was hired by Allen County in 1967, had served as County Bridge Engineer from January 1974 through 1999, and had served as Chief Deputy Engineer from April, 1977 through 1999.  During his 37 years at Allen County, Wayne had supervised the replacement of 252 bridges in Allen County, which is 59% of all the bridges maintained by Allen County.  He had personally designed 109 bridges, which is 44% of all bridges designed by various engineers for Allen County since 1968.

James L. Schmenk, P.E., P.S.	Clayton T. Bacon, P.E., P.S.
Allen County Engineer (1997-2000)	Allen County Engineer (1975-1996)

The 109 bridges personally designed by Wayne represent one of every four bridges existing in Allen County today.  The other 143 bridges were designed by 10 other design engineers or consultants, and constructed under Wayne’s supervision.  Major bridge projects designed by Wayne are the Metcalf Street bridge replacement over the Ottawa River and the Collett Street bridge replacement over the Ottawa River.  In the field of Civil Engineering which now uses computers to design and draw plans, Wayne had hand drawn over 1500 detailed drawings for bridge and road projects in the performance of his duties in the last 37 years.

Norman R. Redick , P.E., P.S.	Raymond R. Kolhi , P.E., P.S.
Former ODOT District 1 Deputy Director	Allen County Engineer (1963-1975)

Wayne had also designed and supervised construction of the McCullough Street Extension project, Sugar Street Improvement, American Avenue-Phase II project, Cole Street & S R 115 Improvement, Collett Street Improvement, and Berryhill Road Improvement. He is also responsible for the planning, procuring funding and initiating the three Eastown Road widening projects.

Keith Cheney	Zach Gerdeman
Allen County Republican Party Chairman	Wayne's Son

During Wayne’s 5-year tenure as Allen County Engineer he was responsible for reducing the number of bridges posted with weight limits or closed from 39 bridges in 2001 to 14 bridges in 2005, a 64% reduction.  As Allen County Engineer, Wayne obtained over $21 million of federal and state funds for bridges and roads programmed for construction from 2001 through 2009.

Sam Bassitt	Wayne's Family Unveiling
Allen County Commissioner	Special Memorial Highway Sign

Wayne C. Gerdeman has made his mark on Allen County and will be remembered for his great contributions to keeping our county and township roads open and safe for the citizens of Allen County.

Click here for the video of the ceremony.

This planter box and memorial plaque would not have been possible without the generous support of the following sponors:

Tom Ahl Family of Dealerships	Allen County Engineer’s Office Staff	Allen County Fair
Allen County Fair Directors and Staff	Allen County Republican Party	Allen County Township Association
Asphalt Technologies	Clayton & Mary Bacon Family	Sam Bassitt
Robert & Andrea Bimonte	William Bimonte & Archer Bimonte	Bluffton Precast
Buckeye Truck Center	Keith & Jan Cheney Family	Brad & Brenda Core Family
Bill & Nancie Cochensparger	Degen Excavating	Robert & Teresa Dillhoff Family
Rich & Rose Ellerbrock Family	Fat Jack’s Pizza	Roger & Dianne Gerdeman Family
Joyce Gerdeman	Zachary Gerdeman	Norbert & Jane Gerding Family
Glandorf High School Class of 1963	Norman & Mary Grigsby	Chris & Janelle Hardesty Family
Stan & Emily Karhoff Family	Kohli & Kaliher Associates, Inc.	Rick & Kathy Keller
Mike & Ruby Logan	John & Marilyn McPheron Family	Northwest Oil Company
Tim & Corinne Piper Family	Bruce & Suzanne Plumb	Raabe Ford
Radio Hospital	Norman & Susie Reddick	Dan & Judy Reiff and Family
Brion & Julie Rhodes Family	James & Carol Schmenk	Shelly Materials, Inc.
Jeff & Debbie Snyder	John & Becky Stains	U. S. Bridge Corporation
Jack & Auda Wetherill	George & Marilyn Woolley

Commissioners Approve Final Change Orders for Eastown Road Phases 2 & 4, 4-21-10

On April 14th, the Board of Allen County Commissioners approved the final change order with the Shelly Company for Eastown Road Phase 2 between S.R. 81 and S.R. 309.  That change order decreased the original contract amount for Phase 2 from $5,678,340.07 to $5,619,415.16 which is a decrease of $58,924.91.

Today, April 21st, the Board of Allen County Commissioners approved the final change order for the Eastown Road Phase 4 Project between Elm Street and S.R. 117.  The original contract amount with Anderzack-Pitzen Construction Company was $3,557,500.00.  The adjusted contract amount is $3,622,635.22 for an increase in the contract of $65,135.22.  It is due to additional work that came up as the contract went across open ground to construct the new section of roadway of Eastown Road.

Between the two Eastown Projects completed last year, the total work done by both contractors totaled $9,242,050 and was only $6,210 over the original contracts or 0.07% over the original contract amounts.

A breakdown of final funding amounts from federal, state and local funds for the three Eastown Road widening projects will be available in about 3 weeks.

Congratulations to Matt & Laura Mumma, 1-7-10

Congratulations to Matt and Laura Mumma for the birth of Landon James Mumma. Matt is a member of our Culvert Crew. Landon was born at 1:27 pm January 1, making him the first 2010 Delphos baby.

Allen County Crews Repair Ridge Road Flagstone Arch, 1-4-10

Allen County Crews were busy in December repairing the flagstone arch on Ridge Road just west of Defiance Trail. The southeast wingwall had settled and was leaning away from the roadway.

After the flagstone wingwall was removed, a concrete footer was poured to prevent settling in the future.

Once the footer was cured, the tedious process of relaying each piece of flagstone began.

The repair took about three weeks and the crews gained new respect for the craftsmanship of the original arch builders.

 

Brion Rhodes Named CEAO Employee of the Year, 12-22-09

Brion Rhodes has been named the County Engineers Association of Ohio (CEAO) Employee of the Year. The award was presented in Columbus at the 129th joint annual winter conference of the County Engineers Association of Ohio and the County Commissioners Association of Ohio. Brion has been instrumental in working with CEAO on programs for the Bridge Workers Conference and the Bridge Engineers Conference. Brion has been with Allen County since 1997 and has been the Bridge Engineer since 1999. Earlier this year, he was promoted to Chief Deputy Engineer.

Cotner Road Bridge Opened, 11-23-09

The Cotner Road Bridge between Wapak Road and Fraunfelter Road was opened today.

The bridge was closed September 10, 2009 due to deteriorating beams and flooring.

Allen County Forces replaced the old steel beams and wood deck with a new concrete deck.  New guardrail was also installed.

Fruend Road Bridge Opened, 11-18-09

On Wednesday, November 18, 2009 the Allen County Engineer opened the newly replaced Fruend Road Bridge over Jennings Creek in Spencer Township.  This bridge has been closed to traffic since 01/21/97, when the structure was determined to be unsafe for the traveling public.  Construction of this project began on September 22, 2009 and was performed by Jutte Excavating of Ft. Recovery, Ohio.  The new structure is a prestressed concrete box beam bridge measuring 28 feet wide and 60 feet in length and is located just south of Landeck, Ohio between Kill and Acadia Road in Spencer Township, Allen County Ohio.

The bridge was replaced utilizing ODOT’s Local Bridge Replacement Program to cover 80% of the estimated $403,997.34 construction cost.  The remainder of the expenses will be paid for by the Allen County Engineer using Motor Vehicle and Gasoline Taxes.

Dan Hanjora Promoted to Road Maintenance Superintendent, 11-4-09

Tim Piper, Allen County Engineer, announced the promotion of Daniel A. Hanjora to Road Maintenance Superintendent.  Dan took the place of Steve Dunlap who retired on Friday, October 30, 2009.

Dan has been a full time employee of the Allen County Engineer’s Office for over 23 years.  For the last 3 years, Dan has served as Highway Maintenance Supervisor for the West Side Road Crew.

Dan started here in 1986 as a laborer and worked his way to Highway Maintenance Worker II holding that position for 10 years and then was promoted to Highway Maintenance Worker IV in 1996, holding that position for 10 years before being promoted to Highway Maintenance Supervisor in October of 2006.

As Road Maintenance Superintendent, Dan will be responsible for maintaining over 870 miles on the county and township roadway system for the Allen County Engineer and the township trustees, which includes overseeing road crews, overseeing the County & Township Road Programs and directing snow removal operations.

Dan and his wife Merri live in Shawnee with their children: Corey, Chelsea, Noah and Nick.

Congratulations to Dan on his appointment.

Eastown Phase 4 Opens, 10-29-09

Eastown Road, from Elm Street to SR 117 opened to traffic Thursday at 11:00 A.M.   Anderzack Pitzen Construction, Inc. of Metamora, Ohio began construction on Phase 4 in April of 2009 and worked diligently to complete the project ahead of schedule. The required project completion date was June 15, 2010 with a required date to open the road to traffic no later than November 25, 2009.  Anderzack completed the project eight months ahead of schedule and opened the road to traffic four weeks ahead of schedule. The project consisted of building a four-lane road between Elm Street and SR 117, crossing through both Makley Drive and Springview Drive. Also included was the installation of a new traffic signal and widening at SR 117, construction of a new railroad crossing at the Spencerville & Elgin railroad and installing turn-lanes at all four intersections.   

One feature on Eastown Road that is not found anywhere else in Allen County is the allowance of U-turns (see photo above) at Elm Street, SR 117, Makley Drive and Springview Drive.  The allowance of U-turns at intersections is needed because the raised grassed median strip does not allow for left turns on Eastown at any locations except at intersections. At Makley and Springview Drives motorists may make a U-turn after stopping and yielding to on-coming Eastown traffic and cross-traffic on Makley or Springview.  At Elm Street and SR 117, vehicles in the left-turn lanes only may make a U-turn when the green left-turn arrow on the traffic signal is in their favor.  Motorists are also asked to use caution while driving Eastown Road since many deer have been seen in the area and they are not yet familiar with vehicles driving on the roadway.  Deer-crossing signs (see photo below) have been installed to warn motorists of the danger.

The final cost of the project is still being tabulated but should be close to the contract amount. The contract amount of the project is $3,557,500.  Eighty (80) percent of the road construction cost is being paid by federal grants obtained by the Allen County Engineer.  Seventeen (17) percent of the construction cost is being paid by Ohio Public Works Commission funds obtained by the Allen County Engineer. The Ohio Department of Transportation is participating in paying for the work being done at SR 117 (Spencerville Road).  The remaining cost for the roadway is being paid from the Allen County Engineer’s license plate and gas tax revenues.  No county general fund revenues or real estate tax revenues are being used for this project.

In addition to receiving funds from federal and state grants for construction, the county engineer’s office has performed the inspection of the project in-house with their own personnel.  By performing the inspection in-house the county engineer has saved the cost of hiring a consultant and at the same time the county engineer has been reimbursed for 80% of his employee’s time for the inspection.

The Allen County Engineer wishes to thank the residents along Makley Drive, Springview Drive and SR 117 for their cooperation and understanding during the construction of this project.  Local access was maintained during construction for local residents.

Click here to view pictures of the Eastown Road Construction.

Brion Rhodes Promoted to Chief Deputy Engineer, 10-28-09

Tim Piper, Allen County Engineer, announced the promotion of Brion E. Rhodes to Chief Deputy Engineer.  Brion will be replacing Mark Stockman who left the engineer’s office to take a new job.

Brion is a graduate engineer, a registered professional engineer and a registered professional surveyor.  After graduation Brion worked with the Warren County Engineer’s Office, Ohio Department of Transportation and in June of 1997 became the Assistant Bridge Engineer at our office.  In 1999 Brion was promoted to Bridge Engineer.

As Chief Deputy Engineer, Brion will administer all aspects of design, construction and repair of the local roadway system, bridges and culverts in Allen County; while also providing administrative support to the county engineer in setting long and short term maintenance goals and budgeting activities.  He will also manage the activities of the office in the absence of the County Engineer.

Brion and his wife Julie live in Bluffton, Ohio with their two children; Logan and Lauren.

Congratulations to Brion on his appointment.

Steve Dunlap, Road Maintenance Superintendent, To Retire, 10-28-09

Tim Piper, Allen County Engineer, announced the retirement of Steven L. Dunlap who has been Road Maintenance Superintendent since October of 2006.

Steve has been an employee of the Allen County Engineer’s Office for 30 years. 
He started here in 1979 as a laborer and worked his way to Highway Maintenance Worker III holding that position for 7 years and then was promoted to Highway Maintenance Worker IV in 1996, holding that position for 4½ years before being promoted to Highway Maintenance Supervisor in March of 2001. As the supervisor for the west side of the county Steve was responsible for paving, tar & chip operations and snow plowing of the roads on the west side of the county.

As Road Maintenance Superintendent, Steve has been responsible for overseeing the maintenance of over 870 miles on the county and township roadway system for the Allen County Engineer and the township trustees.  This includes overseeing road crews, overseeing the County & Township Road Programs and directing snow removal operations.  During the February, 2007 blizzard in which Allen County received over 12 inches of snow, Steve coordinated snow removal efforts with townships and other agencies to clear roads of snow in a safe and timely manner.  Steve has also coordinated efforts to post “road closed” and “high water” signs on flooded roads during major floods and for clearing roads of debris after wind storms.  Steve has worked closely with all twelve boards of township trustees and with the eight incorporated villages in Allen County.

Steve and his wife Sue live in Elida with their two children Meghan and Nick. Congratulations to Steve on his retirement.

Bill Cochensparger Hired as Personnel Director, 10-7-09

Tim Piper, Allen County Engineer announced the hiring of Bill Cochensparger as Personnel Director for the engineer’s office.  Mark Stockman, previously Chief Deputy Engineer and Personnel Director, left the engineer’s office last week to take a new job.

Cochensparger has worked in administration with the Ohio Department of Transportation District Seven for the last twelve years.  Before that time Cochensparger worked for nine years with the Allen County Engineer’s office as Personnel Director. Cochensparger has a diverse background handling personnel issues and project management.

Cochensparger will be in charge of all personnel duties including reviewing and finalizing a new employee handbook, employee safety programs, trouble-shooting employee issues and helping set policies involving employees.   

Cochensparger and his wife Nancie live in Allen County.

Allen County Chief Deputy Engineer Leaving, 9-30-09

The Allen County Engineer announced today that his Chief Deputy Engineer, Mark Stockman, P.E., P.S., will be leaving to take a new job as a consultant with the County Engineer's Association of Ohio (CEAO) as the CEAO "Bridge Engineer" doing Quality Assurance Reviews on the inspection and load rating of county bridges.  He will cover all 88 counties in the next 3-4 years on behalf of CEAO.

Stockman was hired in October of 2005 as Chief Deputy Engineer.  As part of his job, Stockman became the Project Manager for the last two phases of construction for the Eastown Road Project and has been Personnel Director since 2006.  His expertise and state qualifications allowed the County Engineer’s office to perform the inspection and administration in-house for the last two phases of Eastown.  By doing this work in-house, Allen County realized a savings of over $300,000 on these two projects.  Stockman’s expertise as Project Manager has allowed all three phases of Eastown to be constructed on-time and under contract costs.

Stockman’s previous experience as Paulding County Engineer helped Allen County receive additional state and federal funds for the Eastown project and other projects and helped get funding to repair the Eastown and Allentown intersection after a tragic accident destroyed the intersection.  His experience in procuring state and federal funding for the County Engineer has saved local taxpayers millions of dollars.

Stockman has three grown children and is married to wife, Christine.

Congratulations to Josh & Michelle Foster, 9-30-09

Congratulations to Josh and Michelle Foster for the birth of Oakley Braden Foster. Josh is a member of our Ditch Maintenance Crew.

Eastown Road Phase 2 Opened September 3, 9-2-09

Eastown Road, from SR 81 (Allentown Rd.) to SR 309 (Elida Rd.) was opened to traffic on Thursday, September 3.  The Shelly Company of Lima began construction on Phase 2 in June of 2008 and worked diligently to complete the project three weeks ahead of schedule.  The project consisted of widening Eastown Road from 2 lanes to 5 lanes between SR 81 and SR 309, installing a new traffic signal at SR 309, constructing a new railroad crossing, relocating waterlines, relocating sanitary sewers and constructing a new bridge over Dug Run. The total contract amount of the project is approximately $6,130,000.  The final cost is still being tabulated but it is expected that the cost will be around $40,000 under the original contract amount.

The cost of the roadway portion of the project is approximately $4,654,000.  Ninety-three (93%) percent of the road construction cost or approximately $4,328,000 is being paid by state and federal grants obtained by the Allen County Engineer’s office.  The remaining cost of $326,000 for the roadway is being paid from the Allen County Engineer’s license plate and gas tax revenues.  No county general fund revenues or real estate tax revenues are being used for this project.   The remaining costs of relocating waterlines and sanitary sewers are being paid for by the Allen Water District and the Allen County Sanitary Engineer respectively. The Ohio Department of Transportation is paying for the work at SR 309 (Elida Road) including the installation of a new traffic signal.  

In addition to receiving funds from federal and state grants for construction, the county engineer’s office has performed the inspection of the project in-house with their own personnel.  By performing the inspection in-house the county engineer has saved the cost of having a consultant perform the inspection and at the same time has been reimbursed for 80% of his employee’s time for the inspection.

The Allen County Engineer wishes to thank the residents and businesses along the project area for their cooperation and understanding during the construction of this project.  Local access was maintained during construction for local residents and businesses. The result of the project is a much safer road with a higher capacity for carrying traffic.

The last phase of construction of Eastown Road between Elm Street and SR 117 (Spencerville Road) is on schedule and should be open to traffic in late October or November.