Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Cincinnati to create account for Blue Ash Airport cleanup

Cincinnati City Council is considering creating a new capital improvement program project account to help fund lead remediation at the Blue Ash Airport, a project that is necessary to put a property sales agreement into effect.

The City would gain access to $200,000 from a surplus account to develop a lead remediation work plan and to pay expenses relating to the $35.7 million sale of 130 acres of airport property to the City of Blue Ash.

Approximately 7.5 acres of the triangular site, which borders Plainfield and Glendale-Milford roads, contains lead-contaminated soil.

Soil remediation is scheduled to begin in 2009, and control of the property will be transferred to Blue Ash by August 2010.

Cincinnati will continue to operate the airport, which will move to a 100-acre site at the southern edge of the airport property.

In 2007, Blue Ash announced conceptual plans that included a new park with a performing arts and conference center, but is waiting on the airport relocation before drafting a final development plan.