$300,000 Donation Made to Bridge Company

05/08/2026

During the Historic Harmar Bridge Company’s monthly meeting in April, Heather McCarter, local chiropractor, owner of The Gateway Healing Center, and HHBC board director, had a momentum shifting and surprising announcement for the rest of the board. Dr. McCarter’s dear friend, Laurie Hadler, local philanthropist and former owner and operator of McDonald’s, announced in a letter addressed to the board on Tuesday, April 28th that she would be donating $300,000 to the construction of the Harmar Bridge in honor of her mother, Elizabeth (Betty) Hadler.

In the letter to the board, Hadler sited her love of the structure and her commitment to our community being amongst the reasons for the generous gift. She also applauded the organizations dedication to historical storytelling and the significant economic impact of reopening a shared use path in a local and regional trail network.

Earlier this year, bridge evaluation costs were secured through U.S. Department of Transportation's (USDOT) Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) grant program, and separately, the engineering inspections of the swing span were conducted which will provide the tools to begin construction on both the swing span and east approach using the Ohio Department Of Transportation (ODOT) Transportation Alternative Program (TAP) grant award of $1,000,000.

The HHBC knows that as a construction timeline is fast approaching, the need for additional funding is also on the horizon. Ms. Hadler is a longtime activist and supporter of the bridge efforts and she answered the request for help beyond what anyone imagined. In a call with the HHBC board, Hadler said, “I am honored to get the chance to lift this project up. And I challenge other members of our community to do this as well”, she concluded.

While the results from the swing span and east approach are not yet available, this transformative gift gives the HHBC a chance to pivot and begin planning for the next phase of the construction project. The board cannot thank Laurie enough for her generosity. She is truly helping us on our mission to bridge the gap over the Muskingum River and to provide a pedestrian only artery to the community of Marietta.