Knox County hearing draws dozens as recreation groups, residents oppose vacating Bats Nest Road
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Summary
At an open hearing commissioners heard hours of public comment urging them not to vacate Bats Nest Road, with recreation and business representatives citing tourism and a landowner saying he needs access and may invest in repairs; the board said no decision would be made that day and expected a decision within a week.
Knox County commissioners held a public hearing on Jan. 13, 2026, to gather testimony about a petition to vacate (close) Bats Nest Road. Dozens of residents, recreation-industry representatives and one adjacent landowner spoke; the board said it would not decide the matter at the meeting and expected a decision within about a week once all three commissioners are present.
Speakers representing recreational riders and local businesses emphasized the road’s role in tourism and the regional adventure trail network. Laura McCartney of Adventure Riders Ohio said a survey of 249 respondents put the economic impact tied to visitation at “approximately $256,000,” and offered volunteer help for signage and trash pickup rather than asking the county to fund maintenance. Grama McBattenell, founder of Lost at Last Adventure Travel, said the route is a link in the proposed Great Ohio Adventure Trail and that keeping the road public costs the county little while supporting regional tourism. Bob Davis, representing the American Motorcyclist Association, said organized riders travel responsibly and contribute to local fuel and restaurant sales.
Some commenters and one citizen-speaker (Dave Powell) framed their opposition to vacating the road in legal terms. Powell said he had filed complaints with the attorney general’s office and cited Ohio Revised Code sections (verbatim in the transcript, with wording unclear) to argue that vacating the road would cause injury to public convenience and welfare. Powell also asserted that the road has been in public use since the 1800s.
An adjacent landowner who spoke said he purchased roughly 60–80 acres next to the road and has been unable to drive a pickup to his property in its current condition. He said he would be willing to invest in repairs (he mentioned $20,000 as an example) if the county required the road to be fully maintained, and pressed that, if left open, the road needs improvements to allow emergency vehicles access. Several speakers urged law-enforcement engagement to address vandalism and safety issues; commissioners noted the Knox County Sheriff’s Department is short-staffed and that routine enforcement could be challenging.
The board’s chair repeatedly emphasized that the hearing was for information-gathering and that no vote would be taken that day. At the close of public comment the chair said the county would conduct research and investigation and expected a decision within about a week, with all three commissioners participating.
The hearing record includes multiple, sometimes inconsistent spellings of the road in the transcript; this article uses the form "Bats Nest Road" for clarity. The transcript also records several verbatim statutory references that are not consistently transcribed (these are cited as the speakers offered them rather than verified legal citations). The county did not take formal action at the hearing; the next steps are administrative review and a forthcoming decision by the full board.
