Boone County Water Rescue is a step closer to having greater access to the Ohio River.
The Boone County Fiscal Court has agreed to purchase 3.8 acres of property at 4114-4134 River Road in Hebron from Heritage Bank for $485,000.
“The county administration became aware in the last few weeks that a parcel of property located on the Ohio River had become available for purchase and the county had an opportunity to acquire it if there was an interest,” Boone County Administrator Matthew Webster said during Tuesday’s regular Boone County Fiscal Court meeting.
The parcel served as a topic of discussion in recent months, with Boone County Water Rescue having a high level of interest because it provides water frontage, water access, a dock and a boat ramp, Webster said.
“The current facility is located on East Bend Road, very far from the river,” Webster said. “It requires members to travel in the opposite direction from their destination when responding to calls for service. Rescue boats are currently docked at Manhattan Harbour in Campbell County, on the far eastern edge of our service area.”
The location also provides potential for public access, considering the county is interested in providing boat launching and fishing capabilities along the Ohio riverfront, officials said.
“When the property became available at a very reasonable price, staff was positioned to quickly engage the fiscal court with the potential benefits and value of acquiring property with river access – both to meet the needs of water rescue and again for the potential for public access in the future to the water,” Webster said.
An appraisal from 2022 indicates the value of the property as is to be $756,000, inclusive of both real and personal property. The purchase is contingent on a refreshed appraisal and title search and the value of the property will be required to be equal or exceed the offer for the county to move forward with the purchase at closing, according to the county.
Once the land is acquired and the Boone County Water Rescue team moves into the area, the county will explore selling the property on East Bend Road that currently houses the rescue team.
“We are very excited for the opportunity to move our operations closer to the heart of the Ohio River,” Boone County Water Rescue Captain Jason Geiman said via a county media release. “This will provide enhanced access for our team to deliver life-saving services to anyone who finds themselves in need of support when they are out on the river and other local waterways.”
The property acquisition will allow Boone County Water Rescue to execute duties more efficiently and safely, Boone County Judge/Executive Gary W. Moore said.
“We’ve heard from water rescue for years that greater access to the river, better response times, better services offered, all of the things that are very clearly attached to this property that we’re discussing – would help us meet,” Boone County Judge/Executive Gary W. Moore said. “We know it’s important to you and that means it’s important to us as well. I’m strongly in support of this.”
The fiscal court voted 4-0 to approve the property purchase.