Nestlé Purina Pet Care Company has purchased the remaining 193 acres at South Afton Industrial Park in Williamsburg Township for $6.9 million. This will bring 300 quality jobs to our county.

See press release.

“Governments don’t create jobs; businesses do. Commissioners invested in South Afton Industrial Park to provide the infrastructure and space where private businesses could create jobs for our residents. Now, Nestle Purina will invest over $500 million in capital improvements at South Afton Industrial Park. Williamsburg Township and Williamsburg Village will benefit from income tax revenue. Williamsburg Local School District will receive negotiated payments in lieu of taxes for coming decades. And Clermont County will recoup its initial investment in South Afton. This is a win for Clermont County government, the Williamsburg area, Nestle Purina and the residents of Clermont County.”

“This finalizes the vision to bring a vibrant industrial complex to Williamsburg Township in Clermont County that will create meaningful jobs to sustain families for years to come. In a challenging time like we have seen in 2020, Clermont County never stopped working, and it has paid off. This will add to the momentum growing on the State Route 32 corridor – a key area of focus for the county’s economic development. I look forward to the continued development and investment that South Afton will encourage for years to come.”

“Managed growth creates jobs and prosperity. South Afton is a perfect example of managed growth. Nestle Purina will invest in capital improvements and help Clermont County realize its initial investment in the people of Clermont County. There are hundreds of great new jobs that have been created, and those jobs will keep Clermont County working for many years to come. I am very proud to be part of a team who was able to put together this great partnership between Nestle Purina and Clermont County. I am looking forward to many more great things in the future.”

Travel from Eastgate to Batavia without a traffic signal is a big step closer to reality thanks to a recent award from the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments (OKI). At their October board meeting, OKI approved a $5.4 million grant to the Clermont County Transportation Improvement District (CCTID), which will fund a significant component of the construction work planned for SR 32 between Eastgate and Batavia.  

Specifically, the money will support improvement work at SR 32 and GlenEste-Withamsville Rd., where a new partial interchange will be built. (Construction is expected to begin in 2024.) See map here.

Additional improvements – including a full movement interchange at SR 32 and Bach-Buxton Rd. – have been funded through a partnership with the Ohio Department of Transportation, the county, and other regional partners. Construction at Bach-Buxton is expected to begin in 2022.  

The CCTID is a central component of the county’s economic development and job creation strategy because it supports infrastructure improvements that not only ease congestion and improve safety, but also enhance access to employment centers and create employment opportunities for local residents.  

Lines of people snaked around the block In October at the Clermont County Board of Elections office as many took advantage of early voting. Other folks mailed in or dropped off absentee ballots. Yet others waited until election day, Nov. 3, to visit the polls, open 6:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m.

Early voting continues at the Board of Elections through Nov. 2. Visit the board's website for hours.

Ryan Patton, 42, of Union Township has always liked working with kids. But he says his step into parenting – adopting two teenage boys – came as somewhat of a fluke.

Patton has served as a school resource officer for the Clermont County Sheriff’s Office the past 12 years. He has been at Clermont Northeastern School District for two years, after serving Amelia High School for about a decade. Before then, he did road patrol duty for the Sheriff’s Office for eight years.

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Boys and girls of varying ages, ethnicities, and backgrounds are waiting to be adopted. Many of children are siblings who deserve to be adopted together. Visit Clermont for Kids

Clermont County has made a second round of $500,000 in Coronavirus Relief Act (CARES Act) grants available for small businesses. When combined with the first round, the overall relief for small businesses in Clermont County will reach $1 million.

Eighty-five businesses received a total of $480,000 in grants through the first round of funding, Assistant Director Greg Bickford said.

“Small businesses were definitely impacted by the COVID restrictions,” Commissioner David Painter said. “So anything we can do for small businesses, I believe we should do that.”

Commissioners Ed Humphrey and Claire Corcoran concurred with Commissioner Painter. Commissioners approved the second fund of grants on Oct. 14.

To apply, visit this link for an online application, or for a form to download, print and fax to 513-732-7366, or personally deliver to the Clermont County Department of Community & Economic Development, 3rd Floor, 101 E. Main St., Batavia, OH 45103.

Clermont County, along with the rest of Ohio, has seen a significant increase in the number of new cases of COVID-19 over the last few weeks.

Although the county remains in the “orange” under the public health advisory system as of Oct. 22, it is now classified as a high incidence county. A high incidence county is defined by the Ohio Department of Health as a county that has had more than 100 cases per 100,000 residents within the past two weeks.

 

For comparison, on Oct. 1, Clermont County had a rate of 62 new cases per 100,000 people. As of Oct. 22, the rate was 182 new cases per 100,000.

Steve Foster, Williamsburg Post 288 and 4th District American Legion Commander, will serve as Grand Marshall in the annual Veterans Day Parade on Main Street in Batavia at 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 8.

Lineup for the parade, which goes from Haskell Lane to Clermont Sun offices, begins at 1 p.m. (Lineup is on Haskell Lane.)

Foster is a 50-year member of the American Legion serving Williamsburg, Clermont County and the Department of Ohio. He currently holds the rank of Commander of the 4th District of the American Legion. He and his wife Connie live in Batavia. Foster’s most notable positions held with the American Legion are National Parade Chairman, National Security Council, Commander of Williamsburg Post 288, and Commander of the Clermont Council of the American Legion.

Clermont County has launched the first in a series of videos about small businesses.

Learn how Erin Christen has set Earthganics on a positive trajectory, selling healthy products that we use every day. See video here

Earthganics sells deodorant, lip balm, hand sanitizer and other items produced in Clermont County -- and sold online and at places such as Jungle Jim's and Findlay Market.

Clermont County Treasurer Jeannie M. Zurmehly is excited to announce that you may now pay by credit card or debit card in the office.

“It has been one of my goals, since taking office in 2017, for customers to be able to use credit card or debit card at the counter,” Zurmehly said. “I am happy to share this news with taxpayers who want to utilize this payment method.”

Zurmehly further stated that members of her staff, and others within County Administration, have worked very hard to make this possible. She also shared that this goal was accomplished without any cost to Clermont County, thereby saving taxpayer dollars.

As before, you may still pay by debit or credit card on the Treasurer’s website at www.clermonttreasurer.org (convenience fees apply).

Clermont County will place its COVID-19 time capsule in safe keeping for the next decade in the Municipal Court Building at 4430 OH-222, Batavia. The event takes place at 4 p.m. Dec.. 8. It will be streamed on the Clermont County, Ohio Facebook page.

County residents contributed a variety of items such as writeups, photos, masks and hand sanitizer to preserve history.

The project is co-sponsored by the Board of County Commissioners and the Coalition for a Drug-Free Clermont County.

The Clermont County Public Library is excited to offer the Principles of Professionalism (POP) and Favorable First Impressions Workshop in November.

POP is a dynamic, interactive workshop designed to empower everyone with the foundational accelerators of business etiquette that are essential in today’s society. Tiffany Adams, founder and president of the Cincinnati Etiquette & Leadership Institute, will present the program.

Adams has been trained and certified by the Protocol School of Washington and is nationally credited and recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Her client endorsements include: Macy's, GE Aviation, Cincinnati Bell, Business Leaders Alliance, Women for Economic and Leadership Development National Conference, Cincinnati Business Courier Bizwomen's Cabinet and many others.

This free program is 6-8 p.m., Tuesday, November 17, via Zoom. Visit Eventbrite to register, https://bit.ly/3iZc94G. Seating is available for 75 people.

For more information, visit the Library’s website, clermontlibrary.org.

2020 marks the tenth anniversary for the Good Fortune Awards, presented by the Clermont County Board of Developmental Disabilities. This event is usually a dinner that honors community members in several categories for the good work they do in the disability field. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic got in the way of the dinner; this year, Clermont DD decided to hold a smaller, in-person event for award winners on Oct. 27 at the Wildey Center in Owensville.

“We hold this event to recognize the kindness of the people in our community who support the individuals we serve,” said Dan Ottke, Clermont DD superintendent. “It is our ‘good fortune’ to have the opportunity to work with them throughout the year.”

Honoree categories included providers, direct support professionals, advocates, employers, staff, and self advocates. Among those honored were two county employees.

Commissioner Ed Humphrey was recognized with the Community Leader of the Year Award, for the impact he has made in the lives of people with disabilities in his community throughout his tenure as Clermont County Commissioner. He has worked with Clermont DD Administration and the Committee to Support People with Disabilities throughout multiple levy campaigns over the years. He has shown his support in various ways at numerous fundraisers and awareness events. While visiting with the public at the Clermont County Fair, he has even taken time to make announcements with Clermont DD staff at the Paging Booth. Commissioner Humphrey will be missed by those at Clermont DD when he retires at the end of the year.

Pamela Suldovsky was presented the Friends of DD Award. Pam is a caseworker with the Department of Job and Family Services. She helps over 500 people from Clermont DD process the components of the Medicaid Waiver Program. She goes above and beyond for the individuals served at Clermont DD. Through her exceptional work, she assists Clermont DD staff to do their job efficiently and effectively. Pam often works late nights to ensure her paperwork is submitted correctly, in order to process the information sent to her by Clermont DD.

Other awards given during the Good Fortune Awards are as follows:

• Scott Baker, Self Advocate of the Year

• BestNest, Employer of the Year

• Rachel Perlstein, Families Connected Advocacy Award

• Kathy Gibson, Volunteer of the Year

• Verna Goecke, Provider of the Year

• Kathy Lee, Direct Support Professional of the Year

• IPM Food Panty, United Way of Greater Cincinnati, and Clermont Y, Partnerships and Collaborations Award

• Maria Johnson, Triumph Award (Clermont DD Staff Award)