Nearly $1.75 million in federal funds have been targeted for a variety of projects to benefit communities and non-profits throughout Clermont County, ranging from home repairs for seniors to a program that teaches about gardening and healthy food preparation.

The Clermont County Board of Commissioners on June 28 selected the 2023 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME) projects to be included in the Action Plan to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

CDBG projects were selected from 2023 CDBG applications as submitted from local jurisdictions and non-profits. Projects were awarded based on the overall benefit to low and moderate-income areas and persons.

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The Clermont County, Ohio - Government Facebook page surpassed 20,000 followers in July!

We provide regular news and informational updates related to county government on the page. It's a great source for updates on a variety of topics ranging from job openings and water line repairs to adoptable pets and economic development projects.

Clermont County also has a presence on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn and the new Threads. You can find them by searching in the social networks or find links on our website.

The Clermont County Juvenile Court is developing a mentoring program to serve non-violent youth involved in the court system.  The mission of the project is: To take two individuals and bring them together to create a worthwhile and lasting relationship, which will benefit and enrich both lives with limitless outcomes.  

According to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, there are 46 million young people, age 8-18 who live in America. Sixteen million of them are growing up without a mentor. That’s one out of every three young people who don’t have a trusted adult who they believe they can turn to for advice and guidance. Mentored youth are 46 percent less likely to initiate drug use, 27 percent less likely to use alcohol, and almost one-third less likely to use physical aggression. In addition, they skip half as many days of school, feel more confident about doing school work, and show gains in their GPA. The quality of their relationship with family and peers improves as well.  

If you would like to become a mentor or would like more information about the program, please contact Susan Stark, mentoring coordinator, at 513-732-7692 or sstark@clermontcountyohio.gov.  

Clermont County participated in Ohio’s BRIDGE Day, in support of the first national Day of Deflection, on Wednesday, July 19. The event served to educate the public about the work of law enforcement and treatment partnerships to address mental health and substance use challenges.

The Ohio Department of Public Safety (DPS) in collaboration with other state, local and private entities drove the statewide community outreach day called BRIDGE Day.

Bridging Recovery Interdiction Data Gathering Enforcement (BRIDGE) combines law enforcement and substance use treatment resources in a coordinated effort focusing on reduction of supply and demand, simultaneously prioritizing treatment for those who qualify. Deflection Teams, also known as Quick Response Teams (QRTs), are comprised of first responders and mental health professionals who assist in pre-arrest diversion and post-overdose response.

Deflection is when first responders, social workers and recovery support professionals connect individuals experiencing mental health or substance use challenges to community-based treatment and/or services as an alternative to arrest or taking no action.

Clermont County has been in the forefront of these trends since the Opiate Task Force (now called the Clermont Addiction and Recovery Partnership) helped created QRTs in 2017. Greater Cincinnati Behavioral Health Services provides QRTs under a contract with the Clermont County Mental Health and Recovery Board (MHRB).

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On Saturday, July 15, Clermont Transportation Connection (CTC) held a refresher training session for drivers. Topics included proper pre-trips on buses and safety on the bus and in the building (what to do in dangerous weather, where to take shelter, etc.).

This training session was put together by supervisors Lisa Workman, Teresa Wagoner and Tony Range.  

Join Clermont County Public Health to honor and remember the lives we have lost to overdose. There will be a remembrance ceremony, and treatment, recovery, and support groups will be present to offer resources to families with loved ones in treatment or living with substance use disorder.  

Overdose Awareness Day

Thursday, August 31

5-8 p.m.

Batavia Township Park

1535 Clough Pike

Batavia, OH 45103

For more information, visit https://bit.ly/ODAD2023

Don’t forget to include vaccines on your child’s back-to-school list. If your student is entering Kindergarten, 7th or 12th grade, they may need their vaccines updated.  

Clermont County Public Health offers all routine childhood vaccinations. Visit https://ccphohio.org/back-to-school-immunizations/ for more information or to schedule an appointment. 

People in Clermont County can now text 911 for emergency help. This could be especially helpful for people with a language barrier, or hearing or speech impairment. It also could help when a caller feels unsafe making a voice call due to a domestic situation, burglary in progress or prowler.

The Clermont County Department of Public Safety Services asks people with emergencies to call 911 if they can, but text 911 if they can’t.

“We always prefer voice calls, but text-to-911 offers a helpful alternative when that may not be possible or work very well,” said Jessica Wiederhold, Director, Clermont County Department of Public Safety and Services. “We appreciate the support of the county commissioners in starting this new service.”

Read more here

The Clermont County Public Library will be the place to meet some local authors this fall. Mark your calendars.

• Gary Knepp, author of Beyond the Names, at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 18, at the Williamsburg Branch. Between July 24, 1965, and Oct. 3, 1972, 39 men from Clermont County died in the Vietnam Theater of Operations. Knepp will discuss their stories and the stories of the families who still grieve for them.

• Jessica Strawser, author of A Million Reasons Why and Not That I Could Tell, at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 26, in the Miami Township Branch. Locally based, nationally bestselling novelist Jessica Strawser will discuss the new paperback edition of her latest novel, The Next Thing You Know, which was a People Magazine "Best New Novels," pick, all set at least partially in the Cincinnati area. Bring a friend and find out why her novels are such popular book club selections, with plenty of Q&A time.

•.JT Townsend, author of Queen City Gothic and Summer’s Almost Gone, will present JFK: Conspiracy or Coincidence? at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 26, in the Owensville Branch. It was the greatest crime in American history: the murder of our vibrant, handsome president on Nov. 22, 1963. And it’s still a mystery. Was John Fitzgerald Kennedy killed by a lone gunman? Or was he the victim of a conspiratorial coup? Townsend will discuss his biggest investigative challenge yet – the JFK Assassination.

• Kristen Green, author of The Devil's Half Acre: The Untold Story of How One Woman Liberated the South's Most Notorious Slave Jail, at 11 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 28, in the New Richmond Branch. Green will discuss her research of Mary Lumpkin, who was enslaved and separated from her family when she was a child, and was later forced to secretly marry and have the children of the brutal slave-trader Robert Lumpkin, owner of the notoriously cruel slave jail in Richmond, Virginia, known as the "Devil's Half Acre." When Robert Lumpkin died, he left his jail to Mary, she rented The Devil's Half Acre to a Baptist missionary and helped transform it into "God's Half Acre," a place where freed Black men could be educated. These same grounds where enslaved people were tortured and held before slave auctions eventually became the cornerstone for Virginia Union University, one of the nation's first historically black colleges and universities, which is still open today. Mary Lumpkin is buried in New Richmond's Samarian Cemetery.

And there is more planned for October. Watch the library's website and Facebook page for more information soon.

The Clermont County Mental Health and Recovery Board awarded 12 mini-grants to local organizations for the period of July 1, 2023 – June 30, 2024. The Mental Health and Recovery Board plans, funds, and monitors mental health and addiction services locally. The grants will fund evidence-based programs that enhance mental health and/or prevent addiction in Clermont County. The grant applications were initially reviewed by a three-member committee. A total of $30,000 was allocated, with maximum funding per project of $3,000.

The organizations selected for a mini-grant are: Click here

The Adams-Clermont Solid Waste District will be hosting a scrap tire collection event on Friday, Sept. 8, and Saturday, Sept. 9, at the Clermont County Fairgrounds in Owensville. Hours of operation will be 8 a.m.- 2 p.m. on both days. This event is funded by an Ohio Environmental Protection Agency grant with matching funds contributed by the Adams-Clermont Solid Waste District. Residents are encouraged to take advantage of this service to rid their property of accumulated tires which are not only unsightly, but can pose an environmental and potential health risk.  

The following disposal fees will be collected in cash from the resident at the time of unloading:

$1 for car/SUV/light truck/trailer/ATV tires

$10 for commercial-type vehicle tires (semi tractor-trailers, dump trucks, etc.)

$20 for tractor tires (must be cut in half if larger than 48″ in diameter)

No additional fees will be imposed for tires that are mounted on rims, but participants should separate on-rim tires and off-rim tires in advance for ease of disposal at the drop-off site. 

During the event, traffic can enter the fairgrounds at the State Route 132 gate and follow posted signs to the tire drop-off site. Residents may be responsible for unloading any tires they bring to the location. 

Tires can only be accepted if they are originating from a Clermont County household, meaning tires accumulated by private companies (auto dealers or repair shops, trucking companies, etc.) during the course of their business are not allowed. A maximum of 10 tires per resident will be accepted unless prior arrangements are made with the Adams-Clermont Solid Waste District. 

For additional information visit www.OEQ.net, email DSNYDER@ClermontCountyOhio.gov or call the Adams-Clermont Solid Waste District at (513)732-7744.

Join the Clermont County Park District for Forest and Friends at Sycamore Park on Saturday, Aug. 19, to celebrate and learn about all things trees. It’s a chance for everyone to connect with our forests on in our 158-acre park and nature preserve. Try your hand at identifying or measuring a tree, walk the tree challenge trail, learn how to care for trees on your land, and enjoy watching woodcarving, tree climbing, and sawmill demonstrations. Kids will have fun with forest-inspired crafts and activities. For lunch, they'll be grilling hot dogs.

Event lasts from 10 a.m .to 2 p.m. and is free with no registration required. Email rgreen@clermontcountyohio.gov for questions or if you’d like to be a part of Forest and Friends.

As a follow-up to the Spring Litter clean-up, Clermont Soil & Water Conservation District along with the Adams-Clermont Solid Waste District assist with the Ohio River Sweep. It’s an annual volunteer-led clean-up event that extends the entire 3,000-mile length of the Ohio River. Volunteers from six states remove litter at multiple locations along the Ohio River and many of its tributaries. Partnering with ORSANCO (Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission) on Saturday, June 24, Clermont County hosted four staging locations for this event. Funding for these local clean-ups come from ORSANCO, the Adams-Clermont Solid Waste District, and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. We would like to give a big thank you for all the support from our volunteers, communities and site coordinators. These events would not be possible without you!

But you don’t have to wait until a special event to make a difference with litter. Litter is an epidemic worldwide. Even small pieces of trash can wash into storm drains which lead to waterways and accumulate into unsightly messes that can harm wildlife. It’s never too late to start taking simple steps in your daily life to stop litter. Using reusable shopping bags, making sure to dispose of waste in the correct place and not littering when you’re driving are just a few things that can be done every day to help stop litter. Taking it one step further and picking up an errant piece of trash you see in a parking lot will affect change by demonstrating pride in your neighborhood and inspiring others to do the same.