Tag: Loretta Rokey

Council endorses request by residents for Grailville grant application filing

The request must still go before Miami Township and Clermont County leaders

David Miller is the Managing Editor of Loveland Magazine

by David Miller

Loveland, Ohio – On Tuesday the Loveland City Council approved a request by the Cardinal Land Conservancy to put their mark of support on a plan that could save 89 acres at Grailville as dedicated green space in perpetuity. Andy Dickerson, on behalf of the Conservancy, appeared at the meeting requesting a vote of support for a grant application that would be submitted to the Clean Ohio Conservation Fund, for funding the purchase of the 89 acres of Grail property that is within the city’s corporation boundaries.

After their successful effort to convince Loveland Council to support the plan they worked on for a year, some members of the Grailville Land Preservation Group posed for a photo. Laurie Kiley, Kevin Kiley, Sharon Scovanner, Andy Dickerson, Elizabeth Murphy, Elizabeth Robinson, Mary Lu Lageman, Jamie Smith, and Loretta Rokey.

After Council unanimously approved the request Dickerson expressed caution because the Conservancy will still need the support of the Miami Township Trustees and the Clermont County Commissioners.

This is the site where Drees Homes was denied the zoning change they requested in 2022 after local residents filled Planning and Zoning chambers to urge that the site be protected. The Kentucky home builder had requested the land become a Special Planning District which could have allowed 209 homes on the site. The same parcel is also where the Loveland City School District proposed building a campus until the funding they wanted was denied by voters in 2019. The site is bounded by O’Bannonville Road and State Route 48 (Oakland Road).

After the re-zoning Drees requested was denied, local Grail members and other local residents coalesced to find the solution that was presented to City Council on Tuesday. Many of them sat in council chambers to hear the presentation.

The Grailville Land Preservation Group worked together to stop the zoning change for Drees. Four members of the conservation subcommittee of the larger group consisted of Lauren Enda, Kevin Kiley, Jamie Smith, and Sharon Scovanner.

Sharon Scovanner told Loveland Magazine today, “I want to make it clear that both the big group and our subcommittee were very important to our success. This was a case of many members of the community coming together with the goal of preserving the land. We are grateful that ‘corporate’ Grail agreed to provide a 25% match for the grant and to the local Grail women, several of who worked alongside us wanted to find a solution. Of course, we have been honored to partner with Cardinal to help facilitate an agreement that is good for the Grail and the community.”

For background: History of Grailville – The Grailville Archive

If the grant application is successful, the 89 acres of land would be deeded as dedicated green space in perpetuity. The proposed purchase by the conservancy would be adjacent to the 100-acre Clermont County Park District property, which was also acquired from the Grail using Clean Ohio funding.

In this first LOVELAND MAGAZINE TV video, Andy Dickerson explains the details of the grant and what he was asking the Council to do.

In this second LOVELAND MAGAZINE TV video, Council members ask questions and vote on the resolution of support.

In this third LOVELAND MAGAZINE TV video, residents and Grail members spoke with cautious optimism about the first public step they made in announcing the plan they had worked toward since Drees first proposed building 209 homes on the site.

About Cardinal Land Conservancy

Their address is 790 Garfield Avenue in Milford.

Cardinal Land Conservancy is a private, nonprofit, 501c3 tax-exempt conservation organization, incorporated in September 1999 under the laws of the state of Ohio. Cardinal is a member of the Land Trust Alliance (LTA), a national organization, and Coalition of Ohio Land Trusts (COLT). Cardinal earned LTA accreditation in 2019 and uses LTA’s “Land Trust Standards and Practices” to guide our work as we grow. This accreditation confirms that Cardinal practices sound finances, ethical conduct, responsible governance, and lasting stewardship.

Cardinal Land Conservancy, formerly known as the Citizen’s Land Conservancy of Hamilton County (“the Conservancy”), is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) land preservation organization and land trust. Cardinal holds the title to 11 nature preserves.

Cardinal Land Conservancy is a land conservancy in Southwest Ohio whose mission is to preserve natural habitats, waterways, agricultural lands, and open space in Southwest Ohio.

We protect and restore natural lands with significant habitats that support native wildlife and create scenic vistas for public enjoyment, as well as agricultural lands suitable for the production of food, timber, or other cultivated or natural products. Cardinal acquires conservation interests in real properties which it then monitors and stewards in perpetuity. These include conservation easements, fee simple title, and other conservation interests which are acquired through donations and purchases guided by, and executed through, Cardinal. Once obtained, Cardinal monitors and otherwise stewards the properties and interests through regular oversight, periodic assessment and, if needed, protective action and legal defense. Our service area includes the Southwestern Ohio counties: Adams, Brown, Clermont, Clinton, Hamilton, Highland, and Warren.

Rinsky Woods Nature Preserve

Clermont County

There are few woods like this in the world. Those woods that exist are found only in Southwest Ohio and Southeast Indiana. Rinksy Woods is the second largest woods of this kind in the world. In fact, it has been designated as an Ohio Natural Landmark by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. These wet flat woods are adjacent to Stonelick State Park, adding to an admirable stretch of greenspace in the area. Details & Trail Map

Todd’s Fork Nature Preserve

Clinton County

Native prairies give way to a 100+ acre woods on this preserve, which also includes the Todd’s Fork of the Little Miami River. Cardinal has several stewardship projects ongoing here including maintenance of the prairie. Maintenance includes prescribed burning which is meant to discourage unwanted invasive plants on an annual basis. Details & Trail Map

Kope Hollow Nature Preserve

Brown County

In Southeast Brown County, the Kope formation (a bedrock formation unique to Southern Ohio and Indiana) runs through incredibly diverse woods. A recent native plant survey listed over 100 native species. This property is also graced with five waterfalls that contribute to Roup’s Run. This water flows into the Ohio River just beyond the bounds of the property. Details & Trail Map

Bortz Family Nature Preserve

Hamilton County

This 119-acre preserve offers respite in deep and cool woods along with views of the wide Ohio and of the Little Miami’s emerald shores. This land appeals to both humans and wildlife because of its diversity. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources determined that this land is likely the home of the endangered Indiana Bat and several endangered species of mussels. Overlooking the confluence of these two great rivers is an American Bald Eagle nest, atop a towering cottonwood tree. Our eagles can be viewed by our Eagle Camera from January to June! Details & Trail Map

Read about the other nature preserve of the Cardinal Land Conservancy.

Send email to lovelandmagazine@cinci.rr.com

Jun 29, 2023
“This deal is pure crony capitalism” – Port Authority approves bonds to support FC Cincinnati complex in Milford

Milford, Ohio – On September 9, the Clermont County Port Authority approved issuing $30 million in lease revenue bonds to finance the cost of building a training facility and youth academy in Milford for the professional soccer team, FC Cincinnati.

Chris Hicks

Self-described “Taxpayer Watchdog” and candidate for Clermont County Auditor, Chris Hicks told Loveland Magazine, “This deal is pure crony capitalism. It raises taxes, the hotel tax, specifically to support one private, for-profit, company. It buys land using tax dollars for that company. It then has the government issue bonds to finance it all for the private company and then has the government own the land and buildings so the private, for-profit, company never pays property tax.” Hicks also says that the City of Milford gets no new infrastructure such as road or sidewalk improvements. and it actually makes the citizens of Milford liable for $43,000 to 47,000 per year for 20 years, to pay for the land.

Under the arrangement between Milford, Clermont County, and the Port Authority, construction materials will be also be exempted from paying Ohio sales tax, estimated to be $1 million.

A recent increase in the Clermont County lodging tax will also provide $223,000 a year to support the project.

Because the Port Authority is tax exempt, FC Cincinnati will not have to pay property taxes. It has negotiated annual payments with the Milford School District to help compensate for what they might otherwise lose, however, other public agencies whose funding derives from property taxes will not be made whole.

Under the agreement, the Port Authority will lease the 24 acres of land on U.S. 50 in the City of Milford near Interstate 275, and the facilities to be built, to FC Cincinnati for $1 a year. The bonds will be privately purchased by FC Cincinnati. The Port Authority will receive a one-time fee of $105,000 and an annual average fee of $9,000, most of which will go to support various county levies.

The vote was 4-1. Port Authority Vice Chairman Loretta Rokey the Administrator of Pierce Township; Fiscal Officer Sam DeBonis an Assistant Vice President of Park National Bank, and members Greg DeFisher the President & CEO, Freeman Schwabe Machinery, and Rex Parsons the Administrator of Batavia Township; voted in favor. Member Greg Simpson a Principal with Key Transportation Inc., voted against the resolution.

In a statement released by Clermont County after the vote, Andy Kuchta, Executive Director and Secretary of the Port Authority, offered the following statement:

The structure of the lease answers all of the questions related to what the economic impact will actually be and if it is worth the level of incentives being provided. The Port Authority will have the choice to not renew the lease every 360 days for any reason. This is not a 20-year deal but a 360-day deal, full stop.

Within the next 3-5 years there will be a comprehensive evaluation of the actual economic impacts and benefits once the facility has been constructed and operational for a period of time. If that evaluation determines the economic impacts have not materialized, the Port Authority will be able to substantially renegotiate the terms of these agreements or simply not renew them and return the property to a fully taxable status.

On Aug. 22, Clermont County Commissioners approved an increase in the lodging tax in the county, from 6% to 7%. The revenue generated by the increase in the tax, approximately $223,000 a year, will be used by Milford to pay for the land. Commissioner David Uible said that “As a businessman, I love this deal. Clermont County incentivizes the City of Milford to buy this property for FC with a 1% lodging tax. This will result in $7 million in additional spending each year. The clear winners are the City of Milford, the county as a whole, and all the citizens who call Clermont County home.”

Hicks says that the statement by Uible is misleading because the $7 million figure pertains to all soccer in the region, not from the Milford practice facility. Hicks says in a fact sheet he released on August 29 that even if credible, their own study lists the actual impact at only $1.6 million per year.

Hicks has previously said that the 1% tax increase was not enough to cover the cost of the land. “To fund $3.5 million for land, based on Clermont County Convention & Visitors Bureau estimates, the hotel tax needs to be at least 1.2%, leaving Milford taxpayers holding the bag for $43-47 thousand per year.”

In an analysis of the deals, Hicks says that County agencies that rely on property taxes like library, safety services, developmental disabilities, senior services, mental health, the Park District, Live Oaks, the City of Milford, and the County general fund will all lose the funds they receive now, $1,144,160, because when the FC Cincinnati site is developed there will be zero property taxes assessed. Hicks says that a $30 million development should pay $866,744 per year.

Commissioner David Painter, who voted against the tax increase, said at the time of the vote, “I didn’t think the return was high enough to fully represent the stakeholders of Clermont County, who are the citizens of Clermont County.”

According to the County, the 1% increase in the countywide lodging tax will “sunset” in 2038 or when the balance in the lodging tax account is sufficient to pay off the debt, whichever occurs first.

The $30 million soccer complex is expected to include a 30,000-square-foot training facility and a 6,500-square-foot youth academy. FC Cincinnati said they hope to complete the training facility by next summer.

The Port Authority decision represents the last step before the project can begin. FC Cincinnati also entered into agreements with the City of Milford and the Clermont County Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Also according to the press release issued by the County, a study by Sports Facilities Advisory, a sports management consulting group based in Clearwater, Fla., estimated that the FC complex would generate “almost 65,000 visitor days” by out-of-town visitors and result in almost $7 million in direct spending annually. Hicks said, “Go deeper and find an economic study that has been misrepresented. It actually says a paltry $1.6 million in annual benefit will come from this site.” Hicks also claims that the economic study does not mention that FC Cincinnati will be selling “high dollar academy memberships for millions” as opposed to letting locals come and go as they please. “These type of facilities are money makers selling the ‘academy dream’ of your kid on a pro-soccer team,” added Hicks.

You can look at Hick’s August 10 breakdown of the cost of building the Milford facility: Massive incentives.

FC Cincinnati, whose owners were recently granted expansion status by Major League Soccer, will also build an estimated $200 million stadium in the West End of Cincinnati, which is expected to be open for the 2021 season. The team currently plays at Nippert Stadium at the University of Cincinnati. The City of Cincinnati is contributing 35 million dollars of public money to the West End Stadium.

Sep 10, 2018