The Washington County Plan Commission voted unanimously to vacate multiple platted streets and alleys shown on an 1837 Hamilton’s edition plat that the commission found exist only on paper and run through property owned by Samuel N. Wingard. The action, presented as a petition to the commission, is intended to clear interior title issues for Wingard’s farm.

Surveyor Daniel Bland, representing the petitioner, told the commission he compared the historic 1837 Hamilton’s edition plat with a current field survey and found that several rights-of-way and alley lines were never constructed and now run through pastures on the Wingard property. “We’re just basically cleaning up the technicality of this plat in order to help clear the title of his farm,” Bland said, explaining that the Wingard deeds still refer to the original 1837 lot numbers and that no new deeds had redescribed the property.

Bland said the applicants provided certified notice to adjoining landowners and that the survey team received two letters from adjacent owners Lauren and Beverly Shepherd. He said their primary concern—that vacating would change where the official property line falls—was largely eased after Bland explained that the vacated right-of-way would make the longstanding fence line the recorded boundary. Bland also reported a separate title issue for an area marked “no record deed found,” which he characterized as a historic title gap unrelated to the vacation itself.

Donna Cook, an adjacent property owner who appeared before the commission, raised concerns that recent site work and a missing survey stake or rebar near her driveway increased the risk of erosion and mud affecting her yard. “My stake got pulled down. My rebar, I can't find,” Cook said, asking whether vacating the plat might allow construction that would worsen drainage. Commissioners and Bland replied that public-right-of-way vacations would be recorded but would not change the status of existing paved New Philadelphia Road; Bland noted that ditch maintenance and any required erosion-control permitting remain county responsibilities and separate from the 1837 paper-rights vacation.

After addressing questions about adverse possession, recordation, and whether vacating paper streets would permit development in currently maintained county road right-of-way, a commissioner moved to accept the plat vacation as presented; the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote. Bland said the recorded plat will require two signatures (chair and secretary) to file the vacation with the recorder’s office.

The commission’s vote approves vacating the identified platted streets and alleys as shown on the presented plat; neighbors and property owners were advised that future surveys and deeds will reflect the recorded vacation and that separate title or erosion-control issues may still require additional, distinct action.