WOODSFIELD — Monroe County Treasurer Taylor Abbott is slated to speak at two upcoming statewide conferences to share the success story of Monroe County’s land bank in securing over $9 million in brownfield grants.

These grants have been instrumental in demolishing the former Clarington and Beallsville schools and preparing the former Ormet site at Long Ridge Energy for future economic development and construction.

On April 25, Abbott will serve as a panelist at the Ohio Land Bank Association’s conference in Akron, Ohio. He will join industry experts including Aaron Clapper, Greater Ohio Policy director of Outreach and Projects; Shantae Brownlee, senior vice president for Operations of the Lucas County Land Bank; and Ashley Yuhasz, Trumbull Neighborhood Partnership Land Bank administrator. Together, they will discuss the pivotal role brownfield site remediation and redevelopment has played in their respective counties.

Following this, Abbott will be participating in the Ohio Brownfield Conference on May 7 in Dublin, Ohio. At this event, he will present with Barret Thomas, director of Economic Development of the Richland Area Chamber of Commerce, and Mollie Fitzgerald, executive director of the Athens County Port Authority, and discuss case studies of brownfield remediation and redevelopment to address community priorities, offering insights into successful projects that have addressed unique challenges within their counties.

Expressing his enthusiasm for the upcoming conferences, Abbott said, “I am honored to be participating in these conferences and look forward to sharing the success of Monroe County’s land bank brownfield program. Our efforts, supported by over $9 million in funding, have been pivotal in cleaning up and preparing the Long Ridge Energy site for new developments. This initiative will not only expand our county’s tax base but also create much-needed jobs, furthering economic growth in our community.”