Serving Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky and Wood Counties
The village of Gibsonburg has received additional help with financing its downtown revitalization project through a $250,000 grant from Ohio’s congressionally directed spending with the assistance of Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur.
After two years of back and forth with Washington, D.C., village administrator Marc Glotzbecker wasn’t certain they would receive the money. When he did receive the word, he said officials locally were “ecstatic.”
“We're very, very thankful, (and) very, very appreciative to Congresswoman Kaptur for believing in our vision and our project,” he said. “We're excited to add it into the other funding that we have.”
Glotzbecker received word in early February of the good news, which has been a process that began in 2024 and continued into 2025, where village officials submitted proposals for the downtown project through Congresswoman Kaptur’s office for consideration. Specifically, the money is coming through the Ohio Department of Transportation’s Highway Infrastructure Programs.
The project, which will encompass new sidewalks, curbs, streetlights, crosswalks, and traffic signals, is estimated to begin in late spring, early summer 2027.
“(We’re) just essentially changing the face of the downtown area,” Glotzbecker said. “It will all be a part of that project.”
The project’s funding was previously assisted with other grants as well, and Glotzbecker said the village has received approximately $1 million in grant funds. He is confident the project will ultimately be fully funded.
One of those funding sources was federal money through ODOT’s Transportation Alternative Program.
“It’s basically funds designed for the same thing,” Glotzbecker said. “It addresses elements of pedestrian bicycle safety and surface transportation issues. Those funds will be used for specific parts of the overall project. And then some Gibsonburg funds, not associated with any of the grant monies, will be used for the other parts.”
Village officials are still finalizing what the project will look like.
“In the coming couple of months, we'll be rolling that out to the community so they can see what we've been working hard on,” Glotzbecker said.
In additional positive news in the community, village officials are awaiting word from Jobs Ohio on another potential grant they’ve applied for — the Vibrant Communities Grant.
“Once we receive word on that, we're confident that a pharmacy will be reopening in Gibsonburg in 2026,” Glotzbecker said.
