July 14, 2022
North Bend River Development Competitive Grant Approved by County Commissioners
Mayor Doug Sammons received the news he and his council have been waiting for yesterday. The Village’s application to the Hamilton County Revitalization Grant has been recommended to and approved by the Hamilton County Commissioners.

In an email to Mayor Sammons from Marc Von Allmen on June 13, 2022, Von Allmen, who is the Senior Policy Manager for the Hamilton County Administration, said, “I apologize for a lag in communication on the 2022 Community Revitalization Grants, but our review process ended up being extended beyond what was expected. Part of the reason for that extension was that we received 16 excellent applications from 13 different communities with requests totaling nearly $7MM. Recommendations from the County Administration were presented to the Board of County Commissioners yesterday.” 
North Bend’s application was one of seven communities that had their grant approved for a total of $400,000. Other communities that received approvals were Cheviot, Delhi, Norwood, Golf Manor, Lockland, Springfield, and Silverton.  Each grant recipient’s application was based on the project’s impact, project need, project support, and applicant capacity.

The County will now draft and send a grant agreement to the Village of North Bend to be presented to its council.  The Council will have to pass a resolution or ordinance authorizing the execution of the contract and return it to Von Allmen. Once the contract has been returned it will be sent to the County Commissioners for final approval.

Securing the grant is the first step for the Village to develop the Ohio Riverfront property as part of its larger project to build am “Interpretive Center” for the William Henry Harrison Memorial.  Once the funds have been received, the Village will move forward with the purchase of about 13 acres from the Village of Cleves.

The Congressional Grant, which is the largest grant, is still in the appropriations committee in Congress.  A decision on it is expected later this year.
Jeff Swartout Memorial Cycling Race To Be Held Tomorrow-Friday June 15th
Queen City wheels will hold its Jeff Swartout Memorial Race this Friday at 6 p.m. Approximately 40 cyclists are registered, but up to 100 cyclists could participate in the race.  The race will begin near the William Henry Harrison Memorial on Brower Rd.

The race at this location has operated since 1975 but was recently renamed in honor of long-time Queen City Wheels member and Harrison resident Jeff Swartout who lost his battle against pancreatic cancer in 2020. Jim Nabor, fellow cyclist, memorialized Swartout at a recent North Bend Council meeting.
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Nabor said, “Jeff Swartout was truly a remarkable man.  Not only was he a member of Queen City Wheels, he also was an accomplished pianist, a competitive runner, a gold medalist at the Senior Olympics in 2017 and 2018 and received the Distinguished Career Service Award from the Environmental Agency. Our organization felt it was important to name this race in his honor.  It is the longest bicycle race in the United States.”

Jeff Swartout is pictured to the left.
The race is an official USA Cycling Event and participants must be licensed to enter. There is no mass start to the event. Cyclists will be timed individually and their placement in the event is based on their individual time. A cyclist will be started every 60 seconds and the entire event should be over about 7 p.m.
North Bend Contract with Rumpke Set to Expire
Rumpke’s Contract for garbage and recycling will expire this year.  The Village plans to enter into negotiations with Rumpke for a new five-year contract. “Council-person Dave Moorman reminded council members that the current contract has an acceleration clause to cover increased cost, but Rumpke only increased its cost one time during the last contract.” The Village plans to negotiate the lowest cost for service for residents that is possible.

Miami Township Aggregation Program on Hold
Miami Township residents should be aware by now that their aggregation agreement with Energy Alliance is on hold. Township residents were advised of the reasons in April, and it was reported on by the Dispatch in its April 29, 2022, edition.  Subscribers can read that story by clicking on the following link. https://conta.cc/3KebERV
 
This week Miami Township residents have started to received letters from Constellation offering natural gas for 9.9 cents a CCF. The Dispatch took a look at the Apples-to-Apples comparison of natural gas provider and found that the offer that residents have received is not competitive with other offers out there.
 
There is no timeline for when Energy Alliance will come up with a cost for residents that it feels is a good one to be offered.  The prices for energy are at historic highs, and the trustees have decided that it is better to wait than to enter into a long-term contract at high prices.  Due to the need to quickly enter an agreement when prices fall, the township trustees have authorized Township Administrator Dan Reid to sign a contract once Energy Alliance comes back with a contract that is in the best interest of residents.
 
Miami Township Administrator Dan Reid
Reid pictured to the left is now responsible for signing contract with Energy Alliance on behalf of the Miami Township Trustees.

The Trustees took this action because of the need to sign a contract quickly. This situation has been caused by the volatile costs of energy. The trustees wanted to lock in at the lowest price possible as quickly as possible to due to the request changes in costs.
Until then, residents may want to access the Apples-to-Apples site to compare offers there that will beat Duke’s natural gas prices. https://www.ohenergyratings.com/natural-gas-rates/msidxv2xs84xc40001xg1xa2?msclkid=b8cee411d1a110fe167286de910f0765

 
 Once residents have looked at the rates, they are advised to access the more information tab. This information will tell you if there is a cancellation fee. If you should choose that the township’s aggregation deal is a better one for their budget.
Stormwater issues to be corrected at French Avenue for new Fire Station
The Miami Township Trustees approved a change order in the construction plans for Fire Station 69 at its special meeting on June 28, 2022. There have been drainage issues on French Avenue for years. The clay pipes in the area have deteriorated and the size of the building exacerbated drainage issues that have existed in the area for years. The cost to correct it and to protect the new fire station cost $60,000. The following pictures show the work that has been completed through July 13, 2022.
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