BREMEN, Ohio — A long-vacant, contaminated former petroleum site in the Village of Bremen will soon be transformed into a vibrant public park, thanks to a $1 million state grant awarded to the Fairfield County Land Reutilization Corporation.
The funding, announced by Governor Mike DeWine, Lt. Governor Jim Tressel, and Ohio Department of Development Director Lydia Mihalik, is provided through the State of Ohio’s Brownfield Remediation Program. The grant will bankroll the extensive environmental cleanup of the nearly 10-acre former Barclay Petroleum property, which has sat underutilized for years due to contamination concerns.
Clearing the Way for Recreation
The remediation project will tackle the remnants of the property’s industrial past. Crews will remove remaining concrete slabs and pavement, extract petroleum-impacted soils, dispose of historic gathering lines and concrete-filled drums, and install clean backfill to restore the land to safe environmental standards.
Once the cleanup is finalized and receives the state’s official “No Further Action” status, the land will be transferred to the Village of Bremen to be developed for public recreational use.
Planned upgrades for the future park space include:
Soccer fields and a softball diamond
Walking trails and ADA-accessible pathways
Future creek access opportunities for residents and visitors
“This investment represents a major win for Fairfield County and the Village of Bremen,” said Fairfield County Commissioner Jeff Fix. “By transforming a contaminated and unusable property into a safe, vibrant recreational destination, we are improving quality of life for residents, supporting economic growth, and creating new opportunities for families and visitors to enjoy our community.”
A Shared Mission for Local Progress
The project is being spearheaded by the Fairfield County Land Bank, a non-profit corporation dedicated to strategically acquiring properties and returning them to productive use.
“This funding will be helpful to us in fostering our mission here in Fairfield County by allowing us to transform this property into a beautiful, functional community space,” said Jim Bahnsen, Chair of the Fairfield County Land Bank. “We are grateful to Governor DeWine and our state partners, who helped make this opportunity possible.”
The grant is part of the broader Ohio BUILDS Initiative. Since 2021, the state’s Brownfield Remediation Program has awarded nearly $780 million to support more than 840 cleanup and assessment projects across Ohio.
