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Clean Ohio program likely to be on Nov. ballot
By Larry Limpf
News Editor
news@presspublications.com
Ohio voters this November may again decide the fate of a $400 million bond issue that would fund the Clean Ohio program if passed.
State Senator Mark Wagoner (R-Toledo) and Representative Barbara Sears (R-Sylvania) have introduced companion resolutions to place the bond issue on the November ballot to renew the program, which its backers credit for preserving more than 27,500 acres of farmland, the development of 223-plus miles of recreational trails, and the revitalization of 1,896 acres of brownfields.
If approved by voters, the bond issue will provide an additional $200 million to support the preservation of green space and farmland and $200 million to continue assisting communities which remediate brownfield sites for economic development.
Voters first approved the Clean Ohio program in 2000.
Sen. Wagoner and Rep. Sears said funding from the program also leveraged private and federal monies totaling more than $2.7 billion and created 14,770 jobs.
“The Clean Ohio program has been a success in rural, urban, and suburban Ohio, where we are enhancing our green space and recreational facilities, preserving farmland and giving new life to abandoned industrial sites,” Sen. Wagoner said. “With the voters’ approval we can continue this good work in our communities and create more Ohio jobs in the process.”
Locally, some of the projects receiving funds from the program include a stretch of the North Coast Inland Trail between the village of Elmore and city of Fremont, preservation of farmland in Sandusky County, and the marina project in Toledo.
Lt. Governor Lee Fisher last week said about $11.4 million is available this funding cycle for brownfield redevelopment in priority investment areas through the Clean Ohio assistance fund.
The Ohio Department of Development’s Urban Development Division will begin accepting grant applications July 1.
To date, 109 projects have been awarded $39.1 million through the assistance fund.
Stimulus package
Committee hearings were scheduled to start last week in the Ohio House and Senate on the $1.57 billion economic stimulus package unveiled last month by Governor Ted Strickland and legislative leaders.
In addition to the Clean Ohio proposal, bills introduced in the legislature provide $300 million for new and emerging industries, including $50 million for bio-based products, $100 million for biomedical research, and $150 million in renewable energy.
An additional $620 million would be invested in the state’s infrastructure.
To help the state deal with “brain drain” and the loss of recent graduates who relocate, about $250 million has been included in the package to establish a program to link Ohio students with internships, cooperative education programs, and jobs while they’re still working on their degrees.
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