From left, Commissioners Ty Pell and Diana Ward, plus outgoing Commissioner Brian Baldridge all are optimistic about opportunities for industrial growth in Adams County in 2019. (Photo by Patricia Beech)

By Patricia Beech-

Even though Adams County faced its fair share of challenges in 2018, members of the current Board of Commissioners say they’re feeling optimistic about the area’s continued growth in the coming year.
“We lost the power plants, but we still have many reasons to be hopeful,” Commissioner Diane Ward told the Defender in late December.
She says in 2019 her focus will be on sealing the deal to bring the natural gas company, Utility Pipeline, Ltd. into the county.
“We’ve worked hard over the past several years to attract a natural gas utility provider, and we have finally found a company that is willing to come here,” said Ward. “If we can make that happen it will help our farmers, our villages, and those who live in the villages – it will be a real game changer for Adams County.”
Bringing a gas pipeline into the county was a prime directive from the Board of Commissioners Office to be carried out by the local Office of Economic Development. Holly Johnson, Director of the Economic Development office, shares Ward’s enthusiasm for the project. She says with access to natural gas, Adams County’s possibilities can be unlimited.
“In past years we’ve had several businesses express interest in the 32 corridor, but we don’t have natural gas, ” Johnson says. “This natural gas line has the potential to bring business here, boost our economy, and offset some of the losses we’ve suffered in the southern part of the county.”
If plans to bring natural gas to the county are successful, gas lines will be laid along State Rte. 247 from Hillsboro to Seaman, then will go east toward the future Winchester industrial park location – along with a 12-inch water line scheduled to be installed in the spring.
Commissioner Ty Pell, who has a background in infrastructure development, says he will be working to move the Winchester Economic Development Project (WEPD) forward in 2019. Located at State Rte. 32 and Dorsey Road, the 36-acre WEPD site was purchased by the Adams County Community Incorporation (CIC) which acts as an economic development tool for the county.
Commissioner Pell says he’s looking at the newly-developed industrial park in western Clermont County as a model for the Winchester site.
The 250-acre South Afton Commerce Park near Batavia was purchased and developed by Clermont County Commissioners to attract industry to the area.
“They’ve got one company bringing in 500 jobs and another that’s built a massive warehouse – that’s my vision for Winchester,” Pell says. “There’s a lot of hurdles we’ve got to push through, but I think the vision and the energy are here to get it done this year.”
While there are skeptics and nay-sayers, Johnson says the industrial park and the natural gas pipeline have never been closer to becoming a reality.
“We are seeing this coming closer to fruition than it’s ever been,” she says, “It’s been seen as a pipe dream for so long, but if everything works out, it will put us on a level playing field for attracting industry and for growth.”
Ward says “it’s all about taking Adams County into the future”.
“We want to get businesses here, we want manufacturing jobs for our constituents so they don’t have to drive to the other side of Cincinnati to work,” she says. “It’s also about helping General Electric with their future plans, and working to make sure that no county employee will have to be laid off over the next couple years.
In addition to the natural gas line and the industrial park, Johnson says the widening of State Rte. 73 at the GE Test Facility on Jaybird Road near Peebles is a critical infrastructure development that signals the county’s willingness to support local businesses.
“Making the highway wider will provide assured clearance for GE’s new 18-foot-wide 9X jet engine,” she says. “At the same time, development at the Winchester site will probably end up being a $20 million project involving the natural gas line, the new water line, and a new spec building where companies can begin immediate production – that industrial park will be our welcome mat into the county.”
Former commissioner Brian Baldridge shares Pell and Ward’s optimism about the county’s future.
As the newly-elected state representative for Ohio’s 90th District, Baldridge will serve constituents in Adams, Scioto, and part of Lawrence County.
He says serving as an Adams County Commissioner for 12 years was a formative experience in which he learned to work with others for the common good.
“We’ve had our challenges as a county, but for me, the glass has always been half full,” says Baldridge.
“I’ve served with some awesome people – Commissioners Ward, Pell, Rhonemus, Cooper, Cluxton, Caraway, and Worley – it’s always been a unique experience sitting at the Commissioner’s desk. Our opinions differ at times, but at the end of the day we make our decisions for the betterment of the county and the future of its citizens.”
The Board of Commissioners on Jan. 21 will appoint Baldridge’s replacement. Applications for the vacated seat will be accepted until Jan. 16.