Construction continues in Eastgate with major projects beginning, and ending, in 2014.
Projects including Eastgate Boulevard work and State Route 32 ramp work have been wrapped up, according to Clermont County Engineer Pat Manger, and things are improving.
“The bulk of the work is done,” Manger said about the construction in November. “Things are getting better.”
Manger said they have completed work on Eastgate Boulevard and have re-opened ramps onto State Route 32 from Eastgate Boulevard.
“Over the next several weeks the changes people will see revolve around 275,” Manger said in November.
Manger said those changes include switching the traffic lanes at the I-275/32 intersection in order to complete the other side of the I-275 bridge construction. The tunnel that will allow drivers to continue east on State Route 32 from I-275 without stopping will also open.
“Right now everyone comes to the light off 275,” Manger said. “Through the first of the year, the tunnel will be open to eastbound-only traffic.”
He said once that work is complete, contractors will begin building a raised ramp over I-275 to allow southbound I-275 drivers to exit east on SR 32 without stopping.
“That’s the last piece of the puzzle,” Manger said. “We are at a phase now where we are giving things back to the motorists,” Manger said.
2. Batavia Main Street construction is complete
A dedication ceremony was held in Batavia Tuesday, July 15 for the Main, Second, and Fourth Street Project.
The nearly $5 million project included a redesign of East Main Street, and the rebuilding of South Second and North Fourth streets.
Batavia Mayor John Thebout said that it was possible to realize the project only through the efforts and cooperation of many people. He recognized the efforts of the village administrator, council, and contractors. He also recognized that the cooperation of the state and local governments was necessary to make the project a reality.
“This bicentennial year is a good time to be the mayor of Batavia,” Mayor John Thebout said. “We’ve had the good fortune in recent years to see a revival of our village, and we are well on our way to making Batavia the best county seat in the state of Ohio.”
The redesigned East Main Street has wider sidewalks, a center turn lane, and stamped asphalt crosswalks.
The utility poles and overhead wires have been removed and new decorative streetlights have been installed.
The storm sewers have been upgraded, and the upgraded underground utilities include conduit for a future installation of fiber optic cables for high-speed broadband internet access in the village.
The streetscape features new landscaping, with planted center islands and trees along both sides of the street.
3. Huhtamaki operations underway in Batavia Township
A year ago, officials with Huhtamaki, a global packaging manufacturer, announced that the company would be opening a manufacturing center in the former Ford plant in Batavia Township.
This year, the plant is up and running.
Richard Mills, director of operations at Huhtamaki in Batavia Township, said extensive renovations were needed at the plant including tearing off every inch of the roof, making repairs to the floors, replacing 15 miles of sprinkler piping in the building, power washing all of the structures, using 30,000 gallons of paint, installing new lighting fixtures, and much more.
“We closed in February of last year,” Mills said in March of 2014. “Two weeks after the governor was there, we started the building renovation. The whole building is basically brand new, except for the structural steel.”
He said the size and design of the plant allowed them to be flexible with the space, but they didn’t have to construct a brand new plant, which could have cost twice as much.
“We’ve spent well over tens-of-millions of dollars,” Mills said about the investment. “It has been a great project.”
In addition, Mills said they have hired more than 100 employees with most residing in Clermont, Brown and Adams counties.
“One of the exciting things has been coming to Clermont County and bringing 145 families work,” Mills said.
Mills said they produced their first plastic cup at the plant in October of 2013. He said by the end of 2014, they will be producing 1.5 billion cups annually from the plant.
4. Stonelick Williams Corner Road historic bridge collapses
The historic covered bridge on Stonelick Williams Corner Road is nearing completion, despite the fact that it collapsed earlier this year during a rehabilitation project.
The bridge, which was built in 1878, collapsed while construction crews were working on it February 11, 2014.
Engineers and contractors took time to assess the damage of the Stonelick Williams Corner Road historic covered bridge after the collapse and decided to move forward with plans to continue rebuilding the bridge.
Clermont County Engineer Patrick Manger said after the collapse that they will continue with their project using as much of the original material as possible after the bridge collapsed.
By July, the engineer’s office had ordered the additional materials they needed and began work to rehab the bridge again, Manger said.
5. Bicentennial celebrations held
The villages of Batavia and New Richmond celebrated their bicentennials this year with events and festivities.
Batavia’s bicentennial celebration, which was held the second weekend in August was a fun, memorable weekend for residents in the village.
The celebration included several days of activities and entertainment for residents as well as an opportunity to look back at the village’s rich history.
Batavia Mayor John Thebout welcomed residents and visitors to the celebration after hundreds of participants marched down Main Street for the parade Aug. 9.
The village of New Richmond held events throughout the year, including the Bicentennial Bash Sept. 19-21.
Events at the bash included historical demonstrations, musical entertainment, shopping, theatrical performances, contests, fireworks, a parade, and more.
Historical events also went well throughout the weekend.
6. Batavia breaks ground for new elementary school
Hundreds of Batavia Elementary School students packed the high school gym on a rainy Wednesday June 4, 2014 to participate in a ceremonial groundbreaking for their new school.
Officials with the school district, the engineering firm, construction company, and local government and business leaders attended the ceremony and spoke about the new school.
“In a couple weeks we will start the construction process,” Superintendent Jill Grubb said during the ceremony.
Grubb told students that in August of 2016 they will be moving into the new building.
Before the building project began, the district campaigned to pass a bond issue to help pay for the new building.
Voters approved the bond issue in November of 2012.
7. Beckjord Station retires in New Richmond
After more than 60 years of operation, all of the coal units at Duke Energy’s W.C. Beckjord Station in New Richmond were shut down by Aug. 21, and local government and school officials are bracing for the loss of tax revenue from the closure.
Sally Thelen, communications manager for Duke Energy, said the last day coal units were in operation was Aug. 20, and the company is waiting for the regional transmission operator to honor the company’s request to keep the units offline.
Thelen said because new EPA standards would require expensive upgrades, the company decided to move forward with retiring the coal units. The company announced the decision in July of 2011 and expected to have the units retired by January of 2015.
“With the closure of Beckjord, the village of New Richmond will lose tax revenue,” New Richmond Mayor Ramona Carr said. “The general fund will lose 20 percent, the police and fire/EMS departments will lose 40 percent.”
New Richmond Exempted Village School District Treasurer Teresa Napier said the most recent estimate is that the school district will lose $1.7 million as a result of the closure.
8. County continues to work toward runway extension
Clermont County Commissioners have been working for more than a year on a project to extend the Clermont County Airport Runway.
In 2013, the county received a grant that enabled them to make a safety extension that took the runway from 3,600 feet to 4,000 feet.
Uible said with the new extension they are planning to take the runway from 4,000 feet to just under 5,000 feet.
He said that the runway has to be over 4,500 feet for most jets to land.
“We looked at lengthening (the runway) as an economic development tool,” Uible said.
Uible said the idea is to allow private jets to land in the county. He said many big companies use private jets to transport their presidents and CEOs when they are looking for a new location.
The county will receive $500,000 toward lengthening the airport runway this year thanks to state capital funds that are being administered by the University of Cincinnati.
The county has been working on acquiring the land they need to lengthen the runway, Uible said.
The county has already purchased 17 acres at the end of the runway, Uible said. He said they are working to acquire six more acres before construction on the extension can begin.
9. New organizations takes over animal shelter
The Clermont County Humane Society will no longer be running the animal shelter in the county, after Clermont County Commissioners awarded the contract to another organization Dec. 17.
Commissioners approved a contract with Clermont to the Rescue Humane Society, a Goshen animal rescue organization, to run the shelter.
The decision came after a process that included evaluations of proposals from the organizations as well as interviews with individuals from the organizations, Clermont County Commissioner David Uible said.
After reviewing the evaluations and completing the interviews, commissioners approved a contract with Clermont to the Rescue.
The estimated amount of the one-year contract is $360,000 and will begin Jan. 1.
10. Police and fire games held in Clermont
Hundreds of police and fire personnel from Ohio and beyond traveled to Clermont County June 8-13 for the 2014 Ohio Police and Fire Games.
Sheriff A.J. “Tim” Rodenberg said the games, which featured multiple days of sports competition, went well.
“It went very smoothly,” Rodenberg said. “We got a lot of positive feedback from the competitors. Some said it was the best they ever experienced.”
Rodenberg said hosting the Ohio Police and Fire Games was a huge undertaking that took the collaboration and cooperation of many individuals.
“We had a lot of volunteers and coordinators that I really appreciate,” Rodenberg said.
Rodenberg said they estimate that they had around 500 participants at the games.