Grailville's 'spirit-filled land' could be preserved after all

A beloved property in Loveland could be saved, thanks to a local land conservancy and money from the state.

The Grail, a Loveland-based women's nonprofit organization, announced a plan to sell 89 acres of its Grailville property to the Cardinal Land Conservancy, which would preserve the land as green space and make it publicly accessible. The sale is not official yet – the conservancy hopes to use state funding for which they'll need local government approval.

Loveland residents are passionate about the Grailville property, which has been described as a "sacred space."

Sharon Scovanner, a Loveland resident who's part of a group with about 70 members that's worked to save the property said the group is really proud of any part they played in getting to this point.

"It's a legacy that we hope to leave to future generations of Loveland," she said. "When you have that much land together, that protects a lot of things, plants and animals, insects. It's just amazing to think that right outside of Loveland, we’ll be able to potentially do this."

The land was originally part of a purchase agreement with a Northern Kentucky developer Drees Homes, but the agreement ended after the Loveland Planning and Zoning Commission denied an application the developer submitted for the property.

“The Grail as a whole deems this a worthy use of this much-loved and spirit-filled land. We encourage the greater community to support what will become another valuable asset to the region, as they have supported—and continue to support—The Grail’s mission nationally and at its current campus and headquarters," Grail Executive Director Terry Puckett said in a news release.

What is the Grail?

The Grail began as a Catholic women's organization in the Netherlands in 1921, before 16 women moved to a horse farm in Loveland in 1944. That farm became Grailville, the Grail's national headquarters.

The organization focuses on spirituality, the arts, environmental action and social justice. The Grail hosts art exhibits and meetings for prayer and meditation. It also has a work and leadership program for young women.

What's happened with the land?

The Grail originally owned 315 acres in Loveland and Miami Township. In 2014, members decided to lease or sell some of that land.

Here's what happened to the parcels:

• The Grail kept over 70 acres on the north side of O'Bannonville Road.

  • That property is kept accessible to the public and includes the Oratory, an event and worship building.

• The Clermont County Park District bought 113 acres in two parts in 2015 and 2016.

  • Those parcels of land are in state-regulated conservation easements, which are legal agreements that protect natural areas by limiting their use.

• Approximately 20 acres were put in another conservation easement under the Little Miami Conservancy.

• More than 110 acres are still for sale.

  • This is the land the Cardinal Land Conservancy hopes to preserve.

The parks district received a $1.9 million Clean Ohio grant for 73 acres, originally, to create a publicly accessible nature preserve. This includes forests along O'Bannon Creek and Osage Orange Creek. The parks district later received a $1.8 million grant for an additional 40 acres, which protects over 1,600 feet of stream of a tributary of O'Bannon Creek, according to a list of Clean Ohio funding recipients.

What is the Cardinal Land Conservancy?

The Cardinal Land Conservancy is a Southwest Ohio nonprofit organization that works to protect natural habitats, agricultural lands and waterways in Hamilton, Warren, Clermont, Clinton, Highland, Brown and Adams counties.

The Milford-based conservancy is the result of a merger between three land trusts in 2015.

Executive Director Andy Dickerson said the conservancy was first interested in purchasing the Grailville property back in 2015 but opted to have the Clermont County Parks District take the lead.

Dickerson said they plan to purchase 89 acres, with the goal of getting all of the 110 acres that are for sale. He said the conservancy plans to raise separate money to purchase the remaining land.

What is the plan for Grailville?

Dickerson said he hopes to save four of the buildings on the property that he said are the most important to the community. He hopes to raise money to restore the House of Joy, the large Victorian house which at one point housed the Grail's art collection, buildings called the Hodie and the Caravansary, which once housed visitors, and the Dining Room.

The conservancy hopes to use the buildings for offices and community meeting space. There are also plans to restore the pond on the property and allow fishing.

“Our goal is to combine these acres with Clermont County and work with the community to get folks out there and enjoy the place with a couple of miles of hiking trails and restored forest. restored prairie," Dickerson said.

He said he is hoping the land can even be used as medicine.

"I'm also seeking a relationship with two local hospitals to actually prescribe nature as treatments for some of the more common ailments and mental health stuff like anxiety and depression, even things like diabetes as well. People can get out and exercise more," he said.

What about the community?

Dickerson said he's been in contact with the Grailville Land Preservation Group, a group of Loveland community members who advocated against the sale of the land to Drees Homes and have worked to preserve it.

"We are all thrilled. It's not about us individually, but it's what brought us together, which was saving this land. And it's amazing and some of the things that Andy has planned are awesome too," Scovanner said.

What is the Clean Ohio program?

The Cardinal Land Conservancy hopes to purchase the land with funding from the Clean Ohio program.

The 23-year-old program is meant to conserve green space by providing grants to organizations that agree to purchase properties and maintain them perpetually for the public to enjoy.

To be eligible for Clean Ohio money, all the local government bodies involved need to pass a resolution. The land is in both the city of Loveland and Miami Township, so both governments and the Clermont County Board of Commissioners have to pass a resolution.

Loveland City Council and the Miami Township trustees have unanimously approved resolutions in support. Dickerson said he anticipates bringing it before the county this week. The Enquirer reached out to Bonnie Batchler, president of Clermont County's board of commissioners, to ask if she anticipates the resolution passing, but did not receive a response.

How much does the Grailville property cost?

Dickerson said he can't share the estimated cost of the land or how much the grant would cover, but he said the conservancy will apply for the majority of the funds that are in the Clean Ohio grant this year. The program has $37.5 million in available funds.

The Grail said in a news release it will reduce the price of the property by 25% of the land's appraised property values, as required by Clean Ohio guidelines.

“It is a competitive grant so we're not looking at doing any kind of victory dance," Dickerson said, but he is hopeful.

Dickerson said the grant application is due in early September and the conservancy should know if they are a grant recipient by early November.

Erin Glynn is the watchdog reporter for Butler, Warren and Clermont counties through the Report For America program. The Enquirer needs local donors to help fund her grant-funded position. If you want to support Glynn's work, you can donate to her Report For America position at this website or email her editor Carl Weiser at cweiser@enquirer.com to find out how you can help fund her work. 

Do you know something she should know? Send her a note at eglynn@enquirer.com and follow her on Twitter at @ee_glynn.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Loveland's Grailville property could be sold to local land conservancy