V o l u me 10, Issue 1 July 2010 From the Editors “Ah, summer – what power you have to make us suffer and like it!” 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 90’s this summer, yet it’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, you’ll find tips for summer safety, information on the local pools and some cool activities to do this summer. Let’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. – 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 Cincinnati’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. – 3 p.m. and 3 – 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 • 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 • [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 City’s Department of Transportation. At that meeting, the city’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. 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. 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. 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: • Stanley Broadnax, Chair • C. J. Gunn • Anna Linders • Jay Nachod • 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. Cincinnati’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!
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