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Preserve & Protect Camp Springs

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Historic Kentucky Community Faces Eminent Domain Battle.

Who We Are:
Camp Springs, Kentucky, an unincorporated community located ten miles south of Cincinnati in Campbell County, primarily along the Four Mile Creek. Originally settled by German immigrants from the Rhine River Wine District in the early 1800s, the settlers started Camp Spring’s rich and multi-generational history of agriculture and wineries that exist today. This unique historic community has many stone masonry properties listed on the United States National Register of Historic Places. The buildings were primarily built from rubble limestone from the creek and surrounding valley areas. At different times in history the properties have served the region as a stage coach stop, taverns, inns, and a grocery store, to name a few. Started in the early 1800s the area remains vibrant in agricultural production today, participating and producing a full range of agriculture products. This unique and proud community continues to serve as a place of welcome for tens of thousands of people each year that visit during special events, purchase agricultural products and services, and use its scenic routes for bike riders and leisure drives.


Why Are We Raising Money:
Camp Springs way of life and continued historical value is in grave danger of complete erosion or extinction due to an uninformed and destructive local government decision to place a raw sewer pipeline along the Four Mile Creek without community support.  This forced decision is causing the residents, many who have been on their properties for generations, to defend their rights through expensive legal proceedings and threat of imminent domain. 


How Will The Money Be Used:
We are being forced to take extraordinary defensive efforts due to the actions of Judge Executive, Steve Pendery and the Sanitation District (SD1). The monies will be used to cover necessary legal cost to preserve and protect Camp Springs. The attorneys supporting the community are committed to assist so much so, they have significantly discounted their rates. Also the community has formed a legal alliance under the name “Preserve and Protect Camp Springs” against this and other assaults that could cause significant harm.


When Do We Need The Money:
The community is in need of immediate support to prepare and maintain a sound legal approach demonstrating the environmental impact on Camp Springs and the larger community, lack of sound judgment in the decision, lack of benefit to the larger community, and other relevant issues.


Why This Means So Much To The Community:
In 2008, the Northern Kentucky Sanitation District #1 in isolation began plans to address sewer overflows in Silver Grove, Kentucky, a neighboring community. While this significantly impacted property owners in Camp Springs, members of the community first learned of the proposed plans in 2010, and there were no public hearing until 2013. The community believes the design they have chosen is not the best option for multiple reasons, chief among which is the destruction of a historic and agricultural community. The pressurized raw sewer pipeline is proposed to run from Silver Grove through Camp Springs Valley along Owl Creek and Four Mile Creek. Some of the major concerns about the project identified by property owners:

· Decisions were made without timely public input

· Decision were made with no regard to long-term effects on farming and agri-tourism business to property owners.

· There will be Damage to historic buildings

· Great potential for sewer fumes due to the valley

· Erosion due to loss of trees and the Loss of trees will diminish the look and feel of our historic community

 The community is in support of progress for a cleaner environment yet better options are available to the sanitation districts (SD1) which have largely being ignored. Additionally there is an enormous cost to this project, which will ultimately fall to the taxpayers and with a clear lack of multi-tier benefit. We believe there are better, less costly options with greater community benefit.

How Thankful Will We Be:
Gratitude for your contributions will be felt by past, current, and future generations that live and visit this cherished historic and agricultural land called Camp Springs.

“There was a time when meadow, grove and stream,
The earth and every common sight
To me did seem
Apparell’d in celestial light,
The glory and the freshness of a dream.
It is not now as it had been of yore;
Turn whereso’er I may,
By night or day, the things which I have seen I now can see no more." - William Wordsworth

Thank You - The Community of Camp Springs.
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Donations 

  • Angela Dill
    • $25 
    • 6 yrs
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Organizer and beneficiary

Rick Neltner
Organizer
Melbourne, KY
Tony Vogel
Beneficiary

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