LOVELAND, Ohio — Southern Ohio communities are hoping to get tens of millions in state funding to revitalize downtowns and boost tourism to recover from the closure of shuttered coal-fired plants that once fueled their economies.
The Ohio Department of Development plans to award more than $420 million early this year to projects in the state’s 32 Appalachian counties, including Adams, Brown, Clermont, and Highland counties.
“The west side of the county, Loveland and Milford, there is a lot going on. The farther east you go, the less opportunity you have,” said Josh Torbeck, executive director of the Clermont County Park District.
Torbeck is asking for $17 million from the state Appalachian Community Grant Program to improve two parks and extend a bike trail from Williamsburg to Batavia, through the East Fork Lake area.
“You look at the role the parks played in the development of downtown Cincinnati… You look up in Blue Ash and you see what the park has done up there,” Torbeck said. “I don’t know why we can’t do the same thing here in Clermont.”
Torbeck wants to develop Clingman Park near Owensville which was once a horse farm. He hopes to add an amphitheater for concerts surrounded by meadows, a mountain bike training course, a renovated horse barn for events and miles of nature trails.
At the Grailville Preserve in Loveland, he hopes to add solar-powered work pods and shelters that are embedded in nature. They will have Wi-Fi and electricity for remote workers and students to work and learn in meadows and overlooking forests.
He also hopes an extended bike trail will bring tourists to Batavia and Williamsburg, and prompt restaurants, ice cream shops and stores to open in their small downtowns.
“A bike trail would have a transformational effect on the entire county,” Torbeck said. “Our future plans for the bike trail aren’t just to end at Batavia. We’d love to expand that further until we eventually make it to Milford or Loveland where now you’ve got a huge bike system that goes north and south and starts heading out east through Clermont County and out towards some of our other neighboring counties. “
Loveland City Manager Dave Kennedy said the bike trail through his downtown brings in 100,000 visitors each year. He’s asking the state for $4 million to improve the worn-out streetscape.
“We have sections of our sidewalk that have decayed that are really in need of repair. Its new curbs, new gutters … new street lighting,” Kennedy said. “We are largely void of street trees that is a real missing element of our downtown district.”
This would be part of a larger project to revitalize Loveland’s downtown area. The city is creating a new park on the site of an old gas station, adding a new parking lot, and revitalizing Nisbet Park with an amphitheater and pedestrian connection to the Little Miami River.
“The bike trail is part of the whole experience … It really is an economic benefit. It is much more than people simply passing through,” Kennedy said, who hopes Loveland can become a regional destination for weekend travelers with a boutique hotel.
But these Clermont County projects have stiff competition for state funding. Twenty-five lead applicants have requested almost $2 billion, which is nearly five times the amount grant money available.
Clermont, Brown, Adams, and Highland counties submitted their historic and heritage project requests with Ross County as the lead applicant.
Ross County officials hope that the recent naming of Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks as 2023 UNESCO World Heritage Sites bring global attention to the area. The county, city of Chillcothe, and its earthwork sites (Mound City, Seip Earthworks, Blackstone House, Hopewell Mound Group, Hopeton Earthworks) have asked for tens of millions in state funding to prepare for the expected influx of new visitors.
“There is currently no appropriate visitor infrastructure at three of the four sites to handle anything more than a few visitors at a time. With these improvements, each site will be able to handle to hundreds more visitors at a time, opening them to larger group visits, especially with the expansion of parking lot areas and driveways that can accommodate shuttles and tour buses. While the numbers project a 70%-100% increase in visitation to each site over the next three years, the current infrastructure at these sites cannot handle that traffic,” according to their application.
In Adams County, the Ohio History Connection asked for $651,000 to repair the observation tower at the Serpent Mound Historical Site. Officials closed the tower more than two years ago because it needed significant repairs.
The nearby village of Peebles is asking for more than $4 million for street improvements to improve its Main Street as the southern gateway to Serpent Mound.
In Brown County, officials want to add a visitor's center for the boyhood home of Pres. Ulysses Grant and two other of his childhood historic sites, plus fund upgrades.
The village of Georgetown is hoping for nearly $6 million in state funding to transform its downtown courthouse square and create a more walkable area.
“Together, these projects have the potential to turn Georgetown into one of Ohio’s premier historical destinations, and catalyze a new economic future for the county seat of Brown County …. This project will transform the downtown core of the Village Georgetown into one of the nation’s premier national destinations for Civil War history,” according to their application.
Brown County officials are also asking the state for $5 million to help build a new medical center near the village of Mt. Orab on U.S. 32. The Adams County Medical Center wants to build on a site that is big enough for future expansion into a regional hospital.
“In 2014, the county’s sole hospital closure created a significant health care accessibility void where residents have been forced to travel 40 to 60 miles or even more to receive treatment by medical specialists … This project is more than construction; it’s an opportunity to revolutionize health care access, boost economic growth, and enhance Brown County’s overall quality of life,” according to their application.
In Highland County, the City of Hillsboro asked for more than $5 million to build a new “central park,” Crossroads Park, in the heart of its downtown across from the courthouse.
The Village of Leesburg asked for more than $1 million to transform a currently defunct park into recreation space with a footbridge, splash pad, playground area, new lighting, a restroom facility and walking paths.
The Village of Lynchburg also asked for more than $1 million for downtown park improvements such as a shelter house, walking trail, pedestrian bridge, swing set and playground, and raised gardening beds. The proposed shelter would allow for a regular farmers market in a community that lacks a grocery store.
The Ohio Department of Development is expected to announce the grant winners by June.
“There’s been days where I put my head down on the desk and I’m like there’s no way we’re getting this, and other days where I’m like there’s no way we can’t get this,” Torbeck said. “Fingers crossed, I think we have some really good projects. I’m excited about it. I would be surprised if we didn’t get any funding.”
