11/17/05
On November 15, 2005, Cinergy Corp. awarded Clermont County a $15,000 Community Success Grant. Karen Wehrman, East Area Manager for Cinergy, presented Clermont County Economic Development Director Andy Kuchta with a check for the grant award during a regular meeting of the Board of County Commissioners.
Cinergy created the Community Success Grant program to stimulate and support Greater Cincinnati’s economic vitality. The company had approximately $100,000 available in 2005 to support projects that would have a measurable impact on development in CG&E’s service area. Projects were evaluated based on their ability to create new jobs, foster capital investment, and leverage other development dollars.
Clermont County applied for a $15,000 grant as part of a larger $400,000 road improvement project being undertaken in preparation for expansion by the Midland Company. The Midland Company, which provides specialty insurance, currently occupies a 275,000 sq. ft. facility in Batavia Township. It is planning to expand its current campus by building a 220,000 sq. ft. office building adjacent to its current building. This $24 million investment is expected to create 240 new white-collar positions.
Undertaking such a significant expansion requires road improvements along Bach-Buxton Road in Union Township to improve access to the company’s campus. The County is planning to place a traffic light at the intersection of Bach-Buxton Road and Midland Boulevard. It also will undertake construction to remove a dangerous dip just north of the intersection. The cost of these improvements is estimated at $400,000 and the Cinergy grant is one of several funding sources that will make this work possible.