HUMBOLDT The fate of a piece of land near the summit of whats commonly known as Humboldt Hill will be decided Tuesday by Allen County commissioners.
At issue is David Gants desire to use a portion of the land as a limestone rock quarry.
Because the land is zoned agricultural, the county must approve a conditional use permit before crews from Mid-States Materials, LLC the aggregate materials company that would partner with Gant to open the quarry can begin mining the rock.
The commissioners will have with them a recommendation from the Allen County Planning board to deny the request. Planning Board members voted 4-0 three others were absent on May 24 to recommend denial.
It was a series of comments voiced by others at the Planning Board meeting, ranging from the proximity of neighboring homeowners and traffic safety along Old 169 to the economic condition of the county, that has Gant objecting.
There were a few false narratives, Gant told the Register.
ENTREPRENEURS
Gant grew up in Petrolia, south of Humboldt, and has had a hand in several business ventures along the way.
He started as a salesman for Amway, which inspired me to want to work for myself, Gant said.
That led him to buying Beachner Grains propane division in 1991.
From there, he delivered propane across much of Allen County for about five years before buying a second propane dealership, CLB, out of Yates Center.
Over the next several years, his company expanded into hauling multiple types of fuel and liquefied petroleum (LP).
In 2001, he bought the old U-Do filling station at the intersection of Ninth and Bridge streets in downtown Humboldt to serve as D&D headquarters.
Since then, hes acquired filling stations in Erie and Yates Center, and is eyeing two others in the area.
Humboldt is blessed with innovative entrepreneurs, Gant said, pointing to business leaders such as Joe Works, Walter Wulf Sr. and Walter Wulf Jr.
Thats the part I want to drive home about being an entrepreneur and an innovator, he said. Thats so key in all this. Im for job creation and job growth.
HILLTOP ROCK
Gant also owns about 2,000 acres of farmland scattered across Allen and Woodson counties. He contends the 100 acres of land he owns just south and west of 1100 Street (Old 169) atop Humboldt Hill has little suitable use for agriculture because of vast deposits of limestone just below the surface.
