BATAVIA, OHIO (July 6, 2026) – Clermont County will begin cleaning up contamination at the site of a former school bus garage along the riverfront in the Village of New Richmond this fall thanks to a $400,000 grant from the State of Ohio.
The Clermont County Land Reutilization Corporation, known better as the Clermont County Land Bank, worked with its environmental consultant Patriot Engineering, the Village of New Richmond and the New Richmond Exempted Village School District to obtain the recently announced grant from the Ohio Department of Development Brownfield Remediation Program.
"This project addresses several community needs at once," said Clermont County Commissioner David Painter. "Working with the Village of New Richmond, the consultant, the school district and the land bank, we're going to eliminate an environmental liability and turn it into a community asset. The additional parking will support local businesses, tourism, and the Liberty Landing redevelopment for years to come."
Kathryn Bailey, administrator for the Village of New Richmond, said she is grateful to Commissioner Painter, Patriot Engineering and the land bank for helping the village find a solution and apply for the grant. “It’s been a great team effort."
The county will acquire the site and work with its contractor to demolish the former bus garage building at 229 Front St., remove contaminated soil, address groundwater impacts and prepare the site for redevelopment as a public parking lot.
The former garage served as the maintenance and fueling facility for the school district’s bus fleet between 1986 and 2020. The school district, which discovered soil and groundwater contamination after removing underground diesel tanks, worked with the village, county and state officials to develop a remediation plan.
The cleanup and remediation project, one of Clermont County's largest downtown redevelopment initiatives, is expected to take about six months once under way. Patriot will continue to take samples and monitor the site for two additional years.
Additional parking will help village efforts to boost tourism and support businesses along Front Street, which is getting a major facelift due to the $13.4 million Liberty Landing riverfront development. The state-funded Liberty Landing project includes an expansive streetscape in the business district and a public marina. Construction is expected to be finished by Nov. 1.
About the Clermont County Land Bank
The Clermont County Land Reutilization Corporation (Clermont County Land Bank) is a countywide community improvement corporation that acquires, remediates, and returns vacant, abandoned, tax-delinquent and environmentally impaired properties to productive use. The Land Bank partners with local governments and community organizations to eliminate blight, promote redevelopment, expand housing opportunities and encourage economic development.