From the Editors How to Contact Us Filson Park Pool Re-opens! Mt

V o l u me 10, Issue 1
July 2010
From the Editors
вЂњAh, summer вЂ“ what power you have to
make us suffer and like it!вЂќ
Welcome to the summer edition of the
Mt. Auburn Town Crier! The quote
listed above from American Pulitzer
Prize-winning writer Russell Baker truly
says it all about our love of summer!
Temperatures have already climbed into
the 90вЂ™s this summer, yet itвЂ™s still one
the most celebrated times of year. With
school being out, children are able to
enjoy the warm months with plenty of
outdoor activities, such as swimming,
bike riding and spending time with
family.
With all these fun family activities comes
added precautions and safety measures.
Inside this issue of the Town Crier, youвЂ™ll
find tips for summer safety, information
on the local pools and some cool
activities to do this summer.
LetвЂ™s not forget to check on our
neighbors during these hot summer
months, especially the elderly and those
without air-conditioning. There are
many cool centers in Cincinnati for
when the temperatures get too high,
including the Community Center in
Mt. Auburn located at 270 Southern
Avenue. The cool center is open M-F,
10 a.m. вЂ“ 7 p.m. (6:30 p.m. on Friday).
Whatever the temperature outside, and
whatever your activity, we wish you a safe
and enjoyable summer!
Filson Park Pool Re-opens!
Once again, Cincinnati Attorney Stan
Chesley has raised enough private
donations to keep some of CincinnatiвЂ™s
pools open again this year. One of those
pools is located here in Mt. Auburn at
Filson Park! Mt. Auburn has been one of
the few communities in the city to have
more than one swimming pool. Due to
the high cost of needed repairs and recent
budget cuts, the Cincinnati Recreation
Commission announced several months
ago that Filson Pool and Inwood Pool
would not operate this summer. Thanks
to the dedication and generosity of private
and corporate donors, four pools located
throughout Cincinnati reopened the third
week of June and will stay open until
mid-August. Some of the donors include
U.S. Bank and Castellini foundations;
Mr. and Mrs. Stan Chesley; Kroger; Fifth
Third Bank; Procter & Gamble; Hamilton
County Municipal Court Judge Brad
Greenberg; Downtown Cincinnati Inc.
President and CEO David Ginsburg.
You may purchase a pass to Filson
Park pool for $10 at the Mt. Auburn
Community Center located next to Taft
Elementary at 270 Southern Avenue.
For more information, please call
513-381-1760.
Mt. Auburn Community Center offers fun
activities for the summer!
The Mt. Auburn Community Center has
lots of fun activities planned this summer for
children ages 6-12 years old and teenagers,
too! From now until August 13, the Center
is offering a variety of activities throughout
the week including track, arts & crafts,
games, fishing, Reds Rookie Baseball, clay
hand building, swimming, public library
program, karate, boxing, swim lessons, swim
team, scuba and water polo.
A paid membership of $10 is required for
participation. Activities for children
6-12 years old are from 10 a.m. вЂ“ 3 p.m.
and 3 вЂ“ 6 p.m. for teenagers. For more
information, please contact the Center
by calling 513-381-1760.
How to Contact Us
We welcome your comments and story ideas by U.S. mail, e-mail, fax or by phone.
Annulla Linders, 513-421-2757,
[email protected], or Antionette Jones,
513-684-9115
Dona Grant, The Christ Hospital
2139 Auburn Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45219
513-585-4952 вЂў 513-585-0017 FAX
[email protected]
www.HistoricMtAuburn.org
The Chamber News
Mt. Auburn Chamber
of Commerce Officers
Holly Dorna, MA, LPCC, President
Heather Adkins, VP of Marketing
Jenny Heizman, SPHR, Secretary
Stanley Broadnax, MD, Treasurer,
Laurie Housemeyer, VP of Business
Development
How to contact us:
Holly Dorna, MA, LPCC | President
2404 Auburn Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45219
513-333-4770 вЂў [email protected]
Safety Update
In April, the Mt. Auburn Safety
Committee and Uptown Consortuium
conducted a safety survey of the
businesses located within Mt. Auburn.
The purpose of the survey was to gauge
how Mt. Auburn business owners saw
the overall safety of the neighborhood
and how it affected their ability to
conduct business. The responses
were overall very positive. Most
businesses felt that the Mt. Auburn
business district was a somewhat safe
environment for visitors frequenting
the business and that their employees
were safe when commuting to their
place of business. For the full safety
report, visit the Mt. Auburn Web site
at www.HistoricMtAuburn.org
New Kroger and
Walgreens Planned
for University
Plaza in Corryville
Both Walgreens and Kroger have
announced plans to build newer and
larger stores in Corryville in 2011.
Both stores will close in January
of 2011 for construction and are
rescheduled to re-open in the fall of
the same year. The stores plan to offer
more variety and selection of both
goods and services.
www.HistoricMtAuburn.org
Streetcar Route in Mt. Auburn Meets
Challenge of Steep Hillsides
On Friday, May 7, Mt. Auburn
representatives, Holly Dorna, President
of the Chamber of Commerce, Dr. Stan
Broadnax, Chairman of the Board of the
Mt. Auburn Community Council and
Bill Wehking, Director of Planning with
The Christ Hospital, attended the first
public meeting to address the streetcar
route to Uptown Cincinnati with the CityвЂ™s
Department of Transportation. At that
meeting, the cityвЂ™s consultants described
the Phase I loop of the streetcar, which is
designed to run from downtown to Over
the Rhine. A second phase would extend
from downtown to uptown.В There are two routes being considered for
the downtown to uptown course. The first
potential route would include Vine Street.
This route meets the design standards, but
has the least potential economic benefit
because it parallels parkland that cannot
be redeveloped into businesses. The
alternative route is West Clifton, which has
a potentially higher ridership extending
through student residential areas; however,
the lower level of West Clifton has slope,
turning and hillside stability issues. During
the meeting, the feasibility of extending
the streetcar connector down Auburn
Avenue was discussed. Unfortunetly, the
steep grades of Sycamore, Dorchester and
McGregor exceed the design capability
of the streetcars being considered for the
project. However, Dr. Stan Broadnax
proposed the idea of an uptown bus
circulator that would link to the uptown
streetcar nodes in Mt. Auburn, Corryville,
and CUF.В This idea was well received by
the group.
In the end, there was no consensus on a
preferred route and the group made no
recommendations.В More meetings are
scheduled to discuss these routes and
other ideas.
Over 100 residents came out
to participate in the annual
Clean-up Mt. Auburn Day on
Saturday, April 24. Over 50 bags
of garbage were cleared from the
street! Thanks to everyone who
participated!
Ways to Join
If you are considering joining as a member,
we invite you to visit one or two meetings to
become acquainted with our group and the work
we do on behalf of Mt. Auburn businesses and
our community. Meetings are held on the 1st
Thursday of every month, noon to 1 p.m.
(lunch is served), at the Hamilton County
Mental Health & Recovery Services Board,
2350 Auburn Avenue, 3rd floor (corner of
Auburn & McCormick)
Membership dues are based on a 12-month
calendar, beginning Jan. 1 of each year.
For more information, please contact
Holly Dorna at 513-333-4770 or by
e-mail at [email protected].
Individual Member (no business affiliation/
resident): $15
Businesses, Community Organizations
& Churches:
$25 Under $249,000 in annual revenues
$50Over $250,000 and under $499,000 in
annual revenues
$75Over $500,000 and under $749,000 in
annual revenues
$100 Over $750,000 in annual revenues
The Council News
Updating the 1992 Mt. Auburn
Plan-status report
The Mt. Auburn Community Council is
continuing efforts to update the
Mt. Auburn Community Development
Plan by forming a steering committee. The
steering committee consist of residents,
business owners, property owners,
neighborhood institutions including The
Christ Hospital, Gods Bible School and
College, and Taft Elementary School and is
being chaired by Dr. Stanley Broadnax. The
second meeting of the steering committee
included presentations by the Director of
City Planning and Vice Mayor, Roxanne
Qualls. The ultimate goal is to have
the updated plan approved by the City
Planning Commission. The next phase of
the project will involve sub-committees
that will address the housing, traffic
and parking, commercial and economic
development, recreation-parks-open space
and zoning issues.
Officers:
President: Freeman McNeal
The sub-committees will present
preliminary recommendations in a series
of public meetings open to the general
public to obtain community feedback.
After these public meetings, draft reports
will be presented to the Mt. Auburn
Community Council for approval before
being submitted for final approval by the
City Planning Commission. This plan
will guide future development and public
improvement requests to support new
housing, businesses, jobs, and economic
revitalization for Mt. Auburn. We want
to make Mt. Auburn a great place to live,
work, shop, visit and play.
Vice President: Penny Carnes
Weatherization Program
to Lower Utility Bills
Many residents are still paying off high
gas and electric bills from last winter and
now is the time to act to reduce your
heating bill for the upcoming winter.
Weatherization services are being provided
for low-moderate income residents with
federal stimulus dollars provided by
President Obama to the Hamilton CountyCincinnati Community Action Agency
(CAA). The goal of the program is to help
residents reduce their energy cost and
utility bills; both home owners and renters
are eligible for this program. The following
Mt. Auburn Community
Council Board
services are provided: furnace cleaning
and tune-up and in some cases replaced;
domestic water heater tune-up and in some
cases replaced; seal all holes and leaks in
supply and return ducts to improve air
flow throughout the residence; seal all
major air leaks; insulate the attic spaces;
insulate exterior walls of frame houses;
and perform diagnostic testing to ensure
the house has been property weatherized.
For more information call the CAA Home
Weatherization Program at 513-569-1840.
Secretary: Nick Shaver
Treasurer: Anthony Thompson
Board of Trustees:
вЂў Stanley Broadnax, Chair
вЂў C. J. Gunn
вЂў Anna Linders
вЂў Jay Nachod
вЂў Pauline van der Haer
Council Meetings:
The third Monday of each month, except in
January and February when, due to holidays,
the Council meets on the Tuesday following the
third Monday.
Board Meetings:
The second Tuesday of each month.
Meeting Place:
William Howard Taft National Historical Site,
2038 Auburn Avenue, south of The Christ
Hospital, 7 p.m.
How to Contact the Community Council:
P.O. Box 19138, Cincinnati, OH 45219
President: [email protected]
Board Chair: [email protected]
513-390-1245
Newsletter: [email protected]
513-421-2757 or 513-684-9115
How to Join
Mt. Auburn Community Council (MACC) is
the official representative of the Mt. Auburn
community. Membership is open to all
residents ($3), property owners and business
organizations ($25) within the boundaries of
Mt. Auburn. MACC provides a number of
services to the neighborhood and its residents:
it represents the community in the city;
organizes events and beautification projects;
distributes information to residents; helps solve
neighborhood problems; works with other
neighborhood organizations, the city and the
police to try to ensure that Mt. Auburn is
clean and safe; and it raises funds for initiatives
that benefit the community and its residents.
For more information about Mt. Auburn
Community Council, please come to a Council
meeting, held every third Monday of the
month at the William Howard Taft National
Historical Site, 2038 Auburn Avenue, south of
The Christ Hospital, at 7 p.m. For additional
information, please contact the Council
president.
Non Profit Org.
US Postage
Paid
Cincinnati, OH
Permit # 9952
PO Box 19138 | Cincinnati, OH 45219
community features
Mt. Auburn Day Celebration 2010
Plans are underway for the 30th Annual
Mt. Auburn Day Celebration at Jackson
Hill Park on Saturday, September 11
from noon until 5p.m. This celebration
is being funded in part by a grant from
the Center for Closing the Health Gap
and will be hosted by The Mt. Auburn
Community Council and The Mt.
Auburn Chamber of Commerce. It
is expected that the same community
partners who participated in the event
in 2009 will be part of the celebration
in 2010. These partners included The
Christ Hospital, The Mt. Auburn
Health Center, and The Mt. Auburn
Community Center. There will be food,
fun, games, music and health screenings.
Mark your calendars for this celebration.
CincinnatiвЂ™s National Park Open Late on
Thursdays Through the Summer
From now until August 26, the William
Howard Taft National Historic Site will
stay open until 6 p.m. and will be available
for tours through 5:30 p.m. on Thursday
www.HistoricMtAuburn.org
evenings. Be sure to stop by and take a
tour of the historic birthplace and boyhood
home of William Howard Taft. There is no
charge for tours.
Brussels sprouts growing in
The Mt. Auburn Community Garden!