BATAVIA, Ohio — The Ohio General Assembly last week introduced capital bill legislation that, once passed, will provide $1.06 million in funding for six community projects in Clermont County.
Every two years, the Ohio General Assembly typically enacts a capital appropriations bill to fund community projects. For the last year, the Clermont County Port Authority worked closely with State Sen. Joe Uecker and State Reps. Doug Green and John Becker to create a process to identify, evaluate and recommend community projects that met the requirements for funding, as well as aligned with the current General Assembly’s public policy priorities.
Sixteen projects from throughout Clermont County were submitted to the Port Authority for its evaluation — a significantly greater number of projects than were submitted from organizations in the County in previous years. The Port Authority proposed seven projects for funding, and six were selected.
The projects slated for funding include:
| Project | Sponsor | Funded Amount |
| Dental Residency Facilities | Mercy Health | $500,000 |
| Empower Youth Long Barn | Empower Youth | $50,000 |
| Opiate Addiction Supervised Visitation Facilities | Child Focus | $50,000 |
| Valley View Outdoor Classroom | Valley View Foundation | $125,000 |
| Leming House Renovations | Miami Township | $60,000 |
| Pierce Park Learning and History Trail Project | Pierce Township | $275,000 |
| TOTAL | $1,060,000 |
To evaluate the submitted projects, the Port Authority assembled a team that included representatives from the county, townships, villages, and the business community.
The projects were evaluated under the following criteria:
On Feb. 26, HB 529 and SB 266 contained the $1.06 million in funding for six Clermont County projects, all of which had been recommended for funding through the Port Authority’s process.
About the Clermont County Port Authority: The Clermont County Port Authority, established by Clermont County Commissioners in 2012, facilitates economic development in the county.
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