After the meeting, Commissioner David Painter came to the hallway where Grailville supporters and Cardinal Land Conservancy workers had gathered and congratulated them for their efforts. (Photo by David Miller)
by David Miller
Batavia, Ohio – On Wednesday, Clermont County Commissioners Bonnie Batchler, Claire Corcoran, and David Painter voted their unanimous support for the Cardinal Land Conservancy seeking a grant from the State of Ohio’s Clean Ohio Conservation Fund that would be used to purchase 89 acres of Grailville land.
Both the City of Loveland and Miami Township have previously voted their unanimous support for the grant application. Cardinal needed an affirmative resolution from all three governing bodies that have jurisdiction over land use at Grailville.
Sharon Scovanner a leader with the grassroots, Grail Land Preservation Group told Loveland Magazine today, “Members of the community were pleased with the unanimous vote by the Clermont County Commissioners yesterday. This vote brings us one step closer to preserving 89 acres of Grail land in perpetuity.”
Another member of the group and also a Grail Member, Elizabeth Murphy sent this statement:
“For over 70 years the women of The Grail have tended this Grailville land. We have had the privilege and the pleasure of protecting and caring for this small piece of God’s Creation, and of sharing its peace and natural beauty with others. It is important to The Grail that the future of this land be in keeping with these values. We believe that Cardinal Land Conservancy will be an excellent steward of this property going forward, and it has been very good working with them to make this happen. We are grateful that all three government bodies – Loveland City Council, Miami Township Trustees, and the Clermont County Board of Commissioners have supported us. We look forward to having Cardinal as an active neighbor to our remaining Grailville property.”
Scovanner added, “Cardinal Land Conservancy will now be submitting an application for Clean Ohio funding. A decision should happen later this year. The partnership between The Grail, Cardinal, and the community has been instrumental in getting us to this point.”
There will be no direct local tax dollars used for the purchase.
The below LOVELAND MAGAZINE TV video is when Cardinal Land Conservancy’s Andy Dickerson spoke to the Commision on Wednesday, August 17 about Grailville and how they intend to use the grant funds if their request is approved.
The below LOVELAND MAGAZINE video is from Wednesday, August 17 when local residents made the trek to the Clermont County Commission meeting to urge support for a grant application to secure funding to preserve Grailvile acreage as permanent green space.
Clean Ohio Program
The Clean Ohio Green Space Conservation Program is dedicated to environmental conservation including acquisition of green space and the protection and enhancement of river and stream corridors. Grant recipients agree to maintain the properties in perpetuity so that they can be enjoyed and cherished for generations to come.
CLEAN OHIO FUND
DESCRIPTION
• The Clean Ohio Fund is a $400 million state bond initiative first approved by Ohio voters in 2000. It was overwhelmingly renewed in all 88 counties in 2008 with strong bipartisan support from the executive and legislative leadership.
• A public-private partnership, Clean Ohio restores, protects and connects Ohio’s natural and urban places by preserving open space and farmland, improving outdoor recreation, and cleaning up brownfields to encourage redevelopment and revitalize communities.
Four separate Clean Ohio programs run a competitive selection process so that Ohioans benefit from the very best projects:
– Clean Ohio Revitalization Fund: supports cleanup of brownfields for redevelopment; only public entities may apply.
– Clean Ohio Agricultural Easement Purchase Program: preserves farmland; local sponsors such as non-profit land trusts and soil and water conservation districts submit an application on the landowner’s behalf.
– Clean Ohio Open Space Conservation Program: preserves and restores open spaces, sensitive ecological areas and stream corridors; non-profit entities and local parks are eligible but not state agencies.
– Clean Ohio Trails Fund: improves outdoor recreational trail opportunities; any public subdivision or non-profit entity in Ohio may apply.
Clean Ohio Fund
An Investment In Economic Revitalization, Family Farms & Environmental Health 388, 708, 153, 246, Clean Ohio Projects by Program: Farmland, Trails, Brownfields, and Green Space.
Development of the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail in Cleveland was supported by Clean Ohio.
© The Trust for Public Land
Smith Farm, located in Fairfield County, was preserved with a Clean Ohio agricultural easement.
© SWCD
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
All 88 Ohio counties have received funding and benefited from the Clean Ohio Fund. This critical state investment has:
- Cleaned up nearly 400 abandoned, polluted sites.
- Preserved over 26,000 acres of natural areas.
- Protected over 39,748 acres of family farms.
- Created over 216 miles of multi-purpose, recreational trails.
- Leveraged additional investments to create a total economic impact of approximately $2.6 billion in public and private investments to date.
BENEFITS
• Helps catalyze economic activity in Ohio by creating new jobs and retaining existing ones in construction, goods, services, recreation, eco-tourism and high-tech industries.
• Helps secure our agricultural base, Ohio’s number one industry, by helping to preserve working family farms.
• Helps keep Ohioans’ drinking water safe.
• Protects Lake Erie and rivers and streams by creating natural buffers to keep them clean.
• Cleans and redevelops polluted abandoned industrial properties, protecting neighborhoods and spurring redevelopment.
• Protects natural areas and develops miles of multi-use trails for public access.
• Generates new tax revenues for schools and communities with redevelopment project spin-offs across Ohio.
• Leverages additional investments to create a total economic impact of approximately $2.6 billion to date.
• Does not raise taxes – each $25 million in Clean Ohio Fund bonds requires $2.3 million in annual debt service.
• Helps keep Ohio environmentally sound, economically viable, and poised for the future.
Clean Ohio Fund
The Nature Conservancy’s Kitty Todd Nature Preserve in Northwest Ohio is supported in part by Clean Ohio funding.
© Randall Schieber
The site for the current Ohio Valley Surgical Center in Springfield was revitalized using Clean Ohio funding.
© Ohio Development Services Agency
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