PHOTOS BY BRENNA WHITE / THE VILLAGE REPORTER
PERMIT RENEWAL … The Village of Pioneer Solicitor Tom Thompson joined the Williams County Commissioners to seek a renewal of the right-of-way permit for AquaBounty.
By: Brenna White
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
brenna@thevillagereporter.com
Years after a lengthy legal battle over water lines for the proposed AquaBounty facility near Pioneer, the Village of Pioneer returned to the Williams County Commissioners to ask for a renewal of the permit it eventually won through the courts.
Pioneer Solicitor Tom Thompson appeared before Commissioners to discuss the county right-of-way permit for the water transmission lines associated with the AquaBounty project.
The permit was issued in October 2025 following years of disagreement between the village and county over whether the lines could be installed within the county right-of-way.
However, no construction took place under the permit, and now Pioneer is approaching the point where it will need to be renewed.
PROJECT’S FUTURE REMAINS UNCLEAR
Thompson told Commissioners that the village’s original agreement with AquaBounty remains intact and that the project has not been formally cancelled.
“The AquaBounty project has not been cancelled,” he said. “Everybody has read the paper, and understands that they may be looking at selling the property.
“But with regard to what is going to happen at the property – the village doesn’t know what is going to happen at the property.”
Construction of AquaBounty’s planned salmon farm was paused in 2023 after the company encountered rising construction costs and financing difficulties. Since then, the future of the property has remained unclear.
Despite that uncertainty, Pioneer is seeking to keep the authorization for the transmission lines active.
That raised questions from Commissioners at their Tuesday, Aug. 18, session, who questioned the purpose of renewing a construction permit when it remains unclear what project the infrastructure would ultimately serve.
Thompson did not provide Commissioners with a new or revised plan for the lines, instead explaining that the village’s original agreement with AquaBounty remains in place.
“Pioneer is going to control the transmission utility. As for what end-users are going to do with the closed transmission utility – the village doesn’t currently know.
Depending on how the site gets developed, it could be considerably less usage than what was intended for the aquaculture facility,” Thompson said.
“It’s a public utility. What the end-users do with it isn’t really something Commissioners, I believe, can control,” he said.
PERMIT’S LEGAL HISTORY
Pioneer originally sought permission to install two lines along County Road S as part of the AquaBounty development.
One was intended to carry groundwater from a wellfield to the facility, while another was intended to carry treated wastewater and stormwater away from the site.
The Williams County Commissioners denied Pioneer’s permit application, leading to a legal battle between the county and village.
The Williams County Common Pleas Court ultimately reversed the Commissioners’ decision, and the Sixth District Court of Appeals upheld that ruling in February 2025. The Ohio Supreme Court later declined to hear the county’s appeal.
Following the court battle, the county issued the right-of-way permit in October 2025.
RENEWAL TIMING CREATES COMPLICATIONS
Pioneer now finds itself returning to the Commissioners because construction never began under that permit. The timing also creates another complication.
Since the original permit was issued, Williams County has changed the length of its standard right-of-way permits to six months.
That change was made before Pioneer’s current renewal request and was not made specifically for the AquaBounty project.
If Pioneer receives another permit but does not begin construction during the six-month period, the village could once again have to return to the county for another renewal.
That process could continue until construction begins or the village no longer seeks to maintain the permit. “My concern is that there is no project at hand,” said County Engineer Todd Roth.
“What we are giving is a blanket permit for ‘at some point we are going to do something, we don’t know when, but we’re going to do something.’ So I’d be a little careful.”
Even after the Commissioners pressed Thompson for what the end-goal project was, Thompson affirmed that the village does not know, but still wants to move forward with the water transmission lines.
The transmission lines could withdraw up to 5.25 million gallons of water per day.
For now, Commissioners stopped short of making a decision.
With roughly two months remaining before a renewal becomes necessary, Commissioners agreed to discuss the matter with their attorney before moving forward.
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business, Williams County Commissioner Terry Rummel announced Aug. 18 that he will resign from the Board of Commissioners, effective Oct. 17, 2026. A replacement will be instated to serve the rest of his term, although the details remain unknown at this time.
“I’m going to publicly announce that my last day as a Williams County Commissioner will be October 17,” said Rummel. “With the headway we have made, I wasn’t planning on being here longer than eight years.”
Commissioners also approved a resolution formally stating that the Williams County Courthouse and its surrounding lawns, sidewalks, parking areas and grounds are not open for camping, sleeping, storing personal property or remaining overnight.
Under the resolution, individuals who remain on courthouse property after posted closing hours without authorization, or refuse a lawful order from law enforcement to leave, may face citation, arrest and prosecution for criminal trespass.
“We’re trying to keep people from sleeping on the benches and doing their laundry in the fountain,” explained Commissioner Scott Lirot.
A pavement-marking project is now accepting sealed bids by the County Engineer. Bids will be accepted until 10:30 a.m. on Sept. 3, 2026.
With no further business, the meeting adjourned at 11:12 a.m.
Story updated August 24, 2026 at 10:14 a.m.
