Entler Excavating’s request to rezone 10 acres southeast of Heyworth for an asphalt plant is officially dead.

Without comment, the McLean County Board denied the request Tuesday. The item was on the board’s consent agenda and was not removed.

The McLean County Zoning Board of Appeals originally recommended rezoning the property from agriculture to manufacturing to allow the plant, but reversed its decision in a second hearing last month after hearing from Heyworth school officials, the Heyworth mayor and several citizens who opposed the change.

Safety was cited as the number one concern since the asphalt trucks would have used U.S. 136, which runs in front of the junior and senior high schools. Heyworth school Superintendent Randy Merker said as many as 98 percent of the district’s junior and senior high school students cross the highway each day to get to and from schools.