Press Room >> 2009 Press Releases FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE BARBASH ANNOUNCES 2009 CLEAN OHIO FUND IMPACT AWARD WINNERS COLUMBUS – Mark Barbash, Interim Director of the Ohio Department of Development, today announced winners of the 2009 Clean Ohio Fund Impact Awards, which recognize for the first time exemplary Clean Ohio brownfield projects in the areas of downtowns, economic development, and environmental cleanup. Winners were recognized on Tuesday evening at the Ohio Brownfield Conference which continues through today at the Roberts Centre in Wilmington, Ohio. "The liveliness of Ohio’s cities and towns are driving forces of our state’s economic future," said Barbash. "Congratulations to this year’s Clean Ohio Fund Impact Award winners who exemplify an outstanding commitment to brownfield revitalization in their respective communities.” The Clean Ohio Fund Impact Awardees were nominated and then selected by a committee of representatives from the Ohio Department of Development’s Urban Development Division, Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, and the Ohio Department of Agriculture's Farmland Preservation Office. Award recipients were selected in four categories: Best Downtown Success Story; Best Site Redevelopment in a Major City; Best Site Redevelopment in a Small City or Town; and Environmental Stewardship. The Clean Ohio Fund Impact Award recipients are: Best Downtown Success Story Developer: Gowdy Partners LLC (Waggenbrenner/Daimler) Gowdy Field was a 19.5-acre unregulated landfill on a primary corridor along Olentangy River Road. In 2007, the Columbus Regional Airport Authority received a $3 million Clean Ohio Revitalization Fund grant to assist in the remediation and redevelopment of the site. Today, Gowdy Field is home to Time Warner’s Regional Headquarters, a 160,000 square-foot building, and soon to be the home of The Ohio State University’s new Eye and Ear Institute which will be 140,000 square feet. Linden Pointe on the Lateral, City of Norwood (Hamilton County), Developer: Al Neyer Linden Pointe on the Lateral was a vacant brownfield for which the Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority received a $750,000 Clean Ohio Assistance Fund grant in 2004 to remediate contaminated portions of the site. The site has been redeveloped into a center of new-economy commerce, with a planned total of 600,000 square feet of Class A office space, retail space, and two free-standing restaurants in a park-like setting, located in the urban center of Norwood. Best Environmental Stewardship Whittier Peninsula, Metro Parks, City of Columbus (Franklin County) Whittier Peninsula was once a 160-acre brownfield property. The City of Columbus and Metro Parks included the property in the 2000 Riverfront Development Plan which included a commercial/residential component with tangential park development. In 2005, Metro Parks received a $742,500 Clean Ohio Assistance Fund grant to clean up the site. Today, Whittier Peninsula is undergoing a transformation into an urban park with wetlands, walking trails, and a new environmental education center. The Clean Ohio Fund, which restores, protects, and connects Ohio's important natural and urban places, by preserving green space and farmland, improving outdoor recreation, and by cleaning up brownfields to encourage redevelopment and revitalize communities. For more information on about the Clean Ohio Fund visit www.clean.ohio.gov. The Urban Development Division assists communities with place-based redevelopment which creates wealth from personal, business and community successes. The Urban Development Division works to identify the resources and financing necessary to enhance the economic viability of local communities. Working with our partners across business, state and local governments, academia, and the non-profit sector, the Ohio Department of Development works to attract, create, grow, and retain businesses through competitive incentives and targeted investments. Engaged every day in marketing, innovating, investing, and collaborating, the Ohio Department of Development works at the speed of business to accelerate and support the teamwork that is absolutely necessary for success by providing financial, informational, and technical assistance to those making an investment in Ohio’s future. # # # Media contacts: Eileen Turner at (614) 728-6674
May 14, 2009
Fort Piqua Hotel, City of Piqua (Miami County) The newly refurbished Fort Piqua Hotel, located in the heart of downtown, is a four-story building that is now home to the Piqua Public Library and a conference and banquet center. The $21 million public renovation project included a $1.4 million Clean Ohio Revitalization Fund grant to the City of Piqua in 2003 for the removal of asbestos.
Best Site Redevelopment in a Major City
Gowdy Field/Time Warner Cable Regional Headquarters, City of Columbus (Franklin County),
Best Site Redevelopment in a Small City or Town
or the Communications & Marketing Office at (614) 466-2609