buildingcincinnati

Topic merged.

From the 3/1/07 PD: City weighs ban on police racial profiling Thursday, March 01, 2007 Susan Vinella Plain Dealer Reporter The chairman of Cleveland City Council's Public Safety Committee intends to introduce a law to eliminate racial profiling by city police. Councilman Kevin Conwell said his committee is likely to propose routine monitoring of traffic stops. One option, he said, would be to require police to log the race and gender of drivers and pedestrians they stop. The law might also require an independent expert to analyze who is being stopped and how often. "It's a very sensitive" issue, he said Wednesday. ... To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: [email protected], 216-999-5010 http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/117274218073470.xml&coll=2

From the 2/2/07 PD: Cleveland man, 23, dies just hours after arrest Friday, February 02, 2007 Patrick O'Donnell Plain Dealer Reporter A 23-year-old Cleveland man died in police custody Thursday, just hours after his arrest. Dewayne Carter died at St. Vincent Charity Hospital about 1 p.m. After a traffic stop on the East Side just before 11 a.m., Cleveland police arrested him on possible charges of possessing drugs and criminal tools and of tampering with evidence. ... To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: [email protected], 216-999-4818 http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/1170410173299160.xml&coll=2

From the 1/27/07 PD: White officer gets $800,000 in racial-bias suit Saturday, January 27, 2007 Jim Nichols Plain Dealer Reporter A federal court jury awarded $800,000 to a white police officer Friday, finding the city of Cleveland racially discriminated against him after he shot a black youth. Patrolman Edward Lentz Jr. won the verdict five years after he wounded 12-year-old Lorenzo Locklear to end a confrontation that began outside the home of Mayor-elect Jane Campbell's Shaker Square home. ... To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: [email protected], 216-999-4111 http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/1169890647197260.xml&coll=2

From the 1/25/07 PD: Cleveland officer investigated on claim he beat suspect Drug suspect suffered cuts, bruises Thursday, January 25, 2007 Mark Puente Plain Dealer Reporter A Cleveland police officer is under investigation over allegations he beat a suspected drug dealer to find out where he hid a package of cocaine. Narcotics Detective Jamal Ansari, a 22-year-veteran, is accused of dragging Damon Alexander, while handcuffed, around his Shaker Heights home last April until Alexander told him where he hid the cocaine. ... Plain Dealer reporter Gabriel Baird contributed to this story. http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/1169717595242570.xml&coll=2

From the 1/19/07 PD: System to track police conduct City hopes to spot problem officers Friday, January 19, 2007 Gabriel Baird Plain Dealer Reporter After promising it for nearly seven years, Cleveland police are beginning a program to identify problem officers. The system will alert supervisors when officers receive complaints, abuse sick time or break department rules more frequently than other officers. It also will track uses of force, which include any struggle with a suspect, even if no one is hurt. ... To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: [email protected], 216-999-4141 http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/116920806749660.xml&coll=2

All from the 1/14/07 PD: Issues still surround use-of-force probes Sunday, January 14, 2007 Gabriel Baird Plain Dealer Reporter The U.S. Department of Justice launched an investigation in 2000 into allegations that Cleveland police routinely violated people's civil rights. Two years later, federal investigators found systemic problems with how police scrutinize officers who use force on suspects. In a letter to the city, the chief of the Justice Department's Special Litigation Section criticized police, suggesting that police investigations into the incidents were biased and incomplete. ... To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: [email protected], 216-999-4141 http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/116876726211290.xml&coll=2 Cleveland police always justify using force Sunday, January 14, 2007 Gabriel Baird Plain Dealer Reporter Cleveland police supervisors reviewed 4,427 incidents in which police used non-deadly force in the last four years and determined the officers were justified in every case. The only way police could rule that every single use-of-force incident was justified, some experts said, was to rubber-stamp rather than to investigate them. ... To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: [email protected], 216-999-4141 http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/116876845311290.xml&coll=2 About this story Sunday, January 14, 2007 The Plain Dealer used public-records laws to obtain more than 238,000 electronic records and 2,000 paper records from Cleveland Police and the Office of Professional Standards. These records included arrests, complaints and uses of force from Jan. 1, 2003, to Sept. 9, 2006. The databases were joined and analyzed. http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/116876835011290.xml&coll=2

From the 1/11/07 PD: 44 indicted in gang, drug crackdown 18-month investigation targeted high-crime area Thursday, January 11, 2007 Mike Tobin Plain Dealer Reporter When Cleveland police took out a street map and charted where the most serious crimes occurred, their decision about which gang to target in 2005 was easy. With colored dots denoting each murder, robbery and drug arrest, the area from East 70th to East 79th streets between St. Clair and Superior avenues, became a jumble of green, red and blue circles. ... To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: [email protected], 216-999-4128 http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/1168508069313960.xml&coll=2

From the 1/10/07 Tri-County Press: Property owners, Sharonville officials want answers on railroad project BY ANDREA REEVES | COMMUNITY PRESS STAFF WRITER SHARONVILLE - Property owners affected by a planned railroad grade separation project on Reading Road, as well as council members, still want answers to when and if the project will happen. A public meeting with officials from the Ohio Department of Transportation and Sharonville council was conducted on the issue Jan. 9. After conducting a feasibility study on the project, which would construct the road beneath the railroad tracks, eliminating a railroad crossing, the Ohio Department of Transportation began engineering work for the project in 2003. Read More...

^ Don't forget about this one! Coffee shop's move a welcome jolt By Joe Wessels Post contributor It's not often that a business leaves Northern Kentucky and finds greener pastures in Over-the-Rhine. But that's exactly what Enzo's Over-the-Rhine, a new coffeehouse on Race Street set to open around March 1, did - thanks, in part, to a new program offered by that neighborhood's chamber of commerce. http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AE/20070222/NEWS02/702220378/

From the 3/1/07 Mount Vernon News: Mount Vernon News: Heritage Centre taking steps to solve downtown issues (2/26/07) Mount Vernon News: HCA to identify areas for revitalization (2/26/07) Ohio Heritage Group assesses downtown By Dylan McCament, News Staff Reporter Thursday, March 01, 2007 MOUNT VERNON — Wednesday, members from the Ohio Heritage Group concluded a two-day visit with local community leaders and members of the Heritage Centre Association. The purpose of the visit was to assess the issues and challenges facing the downtown area, and identify where and how revitalization goals may be accomplished. The downtown assessment resource visit is a preliminary step for the HCA to enroll in the Ohio Main Street program. If accepted into the program, HCA will receive a number of benefits, including design consultation from Ohio Heritage as well the group’s aid in locating sources of funding for the city’s downtown. During the day-long workshop, a list of assets of and challenges facing the community were enumerated and posted on the wall. Assets listed included the architecture of homes and buildings, colleges, brick streets, the Woodward Opera House, parks, community pride, the chamber of commerce, the convention and visitor’s bureau, the variety of businesses, the library, churches, schools, the newspaper and the radio. The challenges facing the downtown and the community as a whole were also numerous, and included the perception of a lack of parking downtown, empty store fronts, business turnover downtown, vacancy of upper floors of downtown buildings, Coshocton Avenue development, the lack of a downtown image, financing riverfront development and graffiti. Read more at http://www.mountvernonnews.com/local/07/03/01/heritage.assessment.html

Norwood: Edwards Road office development The five houses north of the Gold Star Chili (Edwards and Williams) have been demolished. A two-story office building will be built there. No tenants have been announced. Round-up: City of Cincinnati CLIFTON 3545 Vinecrest Pl is going into pre-prosecution hearings. The two-family home has been ordered vacant and the trustees of the property, who are relatives of the deceased owner, have failed to obtain a VBML. COLLEGE HILL Working in Neighborhoods will be demolishing the troubled house at 5836 Saranac Ave and will rebuild on the site. No date is known for demolition or construction, though demolition will likely be rather soon due to the threat of prosecution by the city (should the current property not be kept up). COLLEGE HILL Glenview-Meryton group calls for speed bumps Cincinnati Enquirer, 3/4/07 Residents near the intersection of Glenview and Meryton avenues in College Hill are fed up with drivers treating their streets like a set of racetracks. So, they have formed the Glenview-Meryton Speed Control Group. Their goal: To have the city of Cincinnati install speed bumps while the intersection is being repaved. For more information on the group, contact William J. Pellman at [email protected]. COLUMBIA TUSCULUM 4191 Eastern Ave was razed by the City. This 648-square-foot house, built around 1875 as part of the Undercliff subdivision, was first ordered vacant in late 2004. PPH papers were issued with no response. The deteriorating house became the home of squatters and was finally condemned in March 2006. It was declared a public nuisance 4 months later. There was no response, so the City took action. COLUMBIA TUSCULUM Across the street, 4192 Eastern Ave was also razed by the City. This house was destroyed by a fire in July 2004. Somehow it took TWO AND A HALF YEARS for the City to get this torn down. EVANSTON 3056 O'Bryon St has been rehabbed as affordable housing. This home suffered quite a bit of fire damage last summer. EVANSTON 3347 Bonaparte Ave has had a total makeover. EVANSTON 3039 Hackberry St has been razed by New Christian Life Baptist Church, which is next door. This property had a long history of vacancy and of being used as a drug house. PRICE HILL Dunham to feature new aquatic playground Price Hill Press, 2/22/07 The sounds of children laughing and splashing around in water will soon replace the noise of bulldozers and construction equipment at Dunham Recreation Center. Cincinnati Recreation Commission is in the process of building a new water playground at the 80-acre complex off Guerley Road. "This will be the biggest water facility Cincinnati Recreation Commission has," said Jeff Koopman, supervising engineer for the recreation commission. "It will be a first-class facility." He said depending on the weather, R.E. Schweitzer Construction Co. should have the water park completed and ready for use sometime late this summer. RIVERSIDE The condemned house at 3602 Hillside Ave is being prepped for demolition and should be down within the next few weeks. WALNUT HILLS The new townhomes at 2904-2910 Park Ave are on the market again. The listings mention "elegance" but they're all listed at around $140,000. All three also show as pending. I don't even know if these have started construction yet. I know that I had my doubts about them as of last June. LAST UPDATE (6/20/06) WALNUT HILLS 3036 Gilbert Ave has been rehabbed. Round-up: Metro ANDERSON TWP Playground honoring Marcus in works Cincinnati Enquirer, 2/25/07 Efforts to raise money for an Anderson Township playground that will memorialize Marcus Fiesel have been so successful that construction to finish the playground will begin this spring. Nearly $400,000 has been raised to build the playground in Beech Acres Park on Beechmont Avenue. It will accommodate children with physical and mental disabilities. Part of the playground will be dedicated to Marcus, the 3-year-old developmentally delayed boy whose foster mother, Liz Carroll, was convicted last week of murdering him. The murder trial of his foster father, David Carroll Jr., is scheduled for March 19 in Clermont County Common Pleas Court. "Not in our wildest dreams did we think we'd get the money we needed this quickly," said Duffy Beischel, an Anderson Park District commissioner. About $70,000 was raised in a campaign initiated by Clear Channel Cincinnati and WLWT television for a memorial for Marcus in Anderson, Beischel said. ANDERSON TWP Anderson approves Target store additions Forest Hills Journal, 2/27/07 Anderson Township will soon have a bigger Target Store on Beechmont Avenue. The township's zoning commission approved two additions to the store at 8680 Beechmont Ave. during its Feb. 26 meeting. The additions will be on the front and west side of the store, said Steve Sievers, township director of development services. Sievers said the building will be expanded to about 135,000 square feet. "Part of (Target's) desire is to get more storage under their roof and enlarge the sales portion," Sievers said. BATAVIA Homeless shelter finds new home Community Journal Clermont, 2/26/07 The James Sauls Homeless Shelter is on the move. Batavia Township Trustees donated two acres of land by the fire department, which will allow the shelter to move from trailers they are currently housed in on Hospital Drive. "Batavia Township just really stepped up to the plate," said Billie Kuntz, executive director of Clermont County Community Services. For the last two years, Kuntz and other staff members have been seeking a new location for the shelter. When Batavia Township Trustee Archie Wilson became more aware of the needs at the homeless shelter, he felt compelled to help where he could. BETHEL Bethel council narrows choices for municipal building engineers Clermont Sun, 3/2/07 The Bethel village council has unofficially narrowed their choice of engineers for the construction of the new municipal building. After a presentation by McGill Smith Punshon, Inc. at the Feb. 26 meeting, the council made a decision to narrow the field from five to two. McGill Smith Punshon representative Randy Merrill presented his company to the village. "Our roots really run deep in Bethel," said Merrill. "Not only am I from Bethel, but over our history, we've employed over 55 people within an eight mile radius of Bethel. Not only that, but four of our owners are from Bethel. I can't tell you how excited I am to do this. This project means a lot to us." Previous projects described included the Union Township Public Library. Merrill said that community involvement is "crucial" to the process, noting that it is the community that is left to utilize the product once the construction is completed. "I don't want to disappoint you," said Merrill. "I don't want to disappoint them. I expect to try the hardest on this project than I've tried on any other project." CHEVIOT What is planned for old Hillebrand building? Western Hills Press, 2/21/07 Q: Milt Stevens and Kerri Stowe Danner both wrote in inquiring about the old Hillebrand nursing home in Cheviot. ... A: "The building is going to be a nursing home again," said Cheviot Mayor Samuel Keller. He said the new nursing facility is scheduled to open in April, and the city is looking forward to the property once again being a viable part of the Cheviot community. James Troehler, a project manager who specializes in health care facility renovation and design, is overseeing the construction for Ron Bommer, who opened the original Hillebrand nursing center and has owned the property since. Troehler said crews have been working at the building since August, completely renovating the space and adding new electrical systems, new windows and a security system. A new generator has also been installed, as well as new sewer lines. CLEVES Pro-tax push starts Sunday Cincinnati Enquirer, 3/2/07 The Three Rivers School District will kick off its "New Schools" initiative with a program at 2 p.m. Sunday at Fernbank Park in Sayler Park. The district has placed a 1 percent earned-income tax on the May 8 ballot to build a pre K-6 school. The program will include speakers, Miami Heights students leading the Pledge of Allegiance, C. T. Young students singing patriotic songs and Three Rivers Middle School cheerleaders leading cheers. Residents can sign up to volunteer for the school-issue campaign, as well as sign an attendance sheet to become eligible for prizes. Information will be presented, and residents can pick up literature about new schools. Children's activities, supervised by Taylor High School's football team, will be provided. Western Hills Press: 3 Rivers hosting meeting on new facilities (2/22/07) EDGEWOOD School planning inclusive Cincinnati Enquirer, 3/2/07 Now is the time for staff at Turkey Foot Middle School to dream big - and some of those dreams could come true. Kenton County School District officials met in the cafeteria with all the school's employees Wednesday, the first of several meetings that will result in the construction of a new middle school behind the current one. The process, known as "quality school design," gets school staff involved in the vision from the beginning. "The architects are going to follow the lead of the people who work here each day," said Superintendent Tim Hanner. The firm Piaskowy & Cooper of Covington has been hired to design the building. It designed Caywood Elementary, which opened next door in August 2005. FORT WRIGHT Fort Wright council unveils design plans for Battery Hooper Park Erlanger Recorder, 3/4/07 It's been five years in the making, but big-time improvements appear to be headed to Battery Hooper Park. After collecting citizen input, securing property right of ways and easements, and hiring a design firm, CDS Associates, the city is on the verge of bringing the park "full circle" to become the "signature park" the city has long deserved, said Mayor Gene Weaver. Design plans for the park were presented during a special meeting at the city building on Wednesday, Feb. 28. The centerpieces of the park will be a replica Civil War-era battery located at the front entrance and a 350-capacity amphitheater. But city administrator Larry Klein said the park would embody more than just an amphitheater, park shelter, picnic shelters, walking trails, and ample green space with plenty of views. "It will create community pride," he said. GREEN TWP Celebration begins Rybolt Rd. project Cincinnati Enquirer, 2/25/07 After being delayed by snow, rain, sleet and ice, the official groundbreaking ceremony for the Rybolt Road realignment project in Green Township is set for 10 a.m. March 1. The ceremony will take place on Hearne Road, just to the west of the intersection of Hearne Road and Harrison Avenue. The $6.6 million project is designed to add lanes and move Rybolt Road to ease traffic congestion and erase gridlock in this growing section of the township. Construction is to be completed by December. HAMILTON City OKs selling of Hanover Street land Hamilton JournalNews, 3/2/07 A local business and property owner is allowed to sell a portion of his Hanover Street land, Hamilton City Council decided Wednesday night. Late last year, Community Behavioral Health — a subsidiary of Fort Hamilton Healthcare Corp. specializing in alcohol, drug and mental health treatment — purchased the vacant Ringel's warehouse on Hanover Street. The warehouse is adjacent to a lot owned by Brohet, a company affiliated with Bob Brown, president of Robert M. Brown Construction and Development. CBH wanted to buy the 12,000-square-foot adjacent property to build a parking lot, but Brown needed permission from council first, according to a purchase agreement he entered in 2000 after buying three city-owned lots along Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard between Walnut and Hanover streets. City council amended the agreement Wednesday to allow the sale to take place. INDEPENDENCE Fire station to go up on Cox Road Cincinnati Enquirer, 2/27/07 Century Construction has received a $1.16 million contract to replace Fire Station No. 2 on Cox Road. Completion is scheduled for this year. The Independence Fire District plans to staff the station around the clock in early 2008 with an engine crew, Chief Richard A. Messingschlager said. The station, designed by Robert Hayes and Associates, will be similar to Fire Station No. 3 on Richardson Road, which was replaced last year. The latest fire station is part of a 3-year-old plan to improve fire and EMS service. The plan also calls for more staff, advanced life support service and equipment. INDPENDENCE Asking price $1.3M for former library Kentucky Post, 2/27/07 Now that the Kenton County Public Library has settled into its new location on Walton-Nicholson Road, the old library building in Independence is on the block. The Independence branch closed just before the new year, and it took weeks to move all the books and sundries to the new, $8 million William E. Durr branch near the intersection of Ky. 17 and Ky. 16. Now the library is looking to sell the vacant old branch for $1.3 million. The 7,000-square-foot space is little more than a decade old, perfect for retail or office space, said library director Dave Schroeder. METRO Baseball fields get manicure in snow Cincinnati Enquirer, 3/4/07 It's a rare sight to see people on a baseball diamond when heavy snow is falling. But on Saturday, about 250 people descended on 46 Greater Cincinnati fields to recondition them. "It's an uplifting feeling to have people come out in the snow to do something outdoors," said Jared Simmons, Give Back Cincinnati New Opportunities director. Simmons' organization partnered with the Reds Community Fund, National City Bank and the Cincinnati Recreation Committee, investing nearly $600,000 for Reds' Field Day. National City Banks also presented the Reds Community Fund with a $364,000 donation. Before the renovations you could see the footprints around home plate where kids were practicing and there was glass and rocks everywhere, said Charley Frank, executive director of the Reds Community Fund. "The fields were devoid of hope," Frank said. MT ORAB Mt. Orab develops TIF map Georgetown News Democrat, 3/4/07 The county's fastest growing area depends heavily on a program for funding infrastructure known as Tax Increment Financing, and Mt. Orab is taking steps to ensure that its numerous TIF districts are being handled properly. At their meeting Tuesday, Feb. 20 Mt. Orab Village Council unanimously approved Sheila Lung as the village TIF director, on the recommendation of Mayor Bruce Lunsford. Lunsford also told council about a map of the village TIF districts and discussed a computer system, or lack thereof, designed to deal with that type of zoning. Lunsford informed council the village is required by Ohio to appoint a director over TIF activities, and he said a qualified candidate already worked in the Mt. Orab administrative offices. According to Lunsford, Lung will continue to act as a BPA Clerk and Assistant Tax Clerk for the village while serving as TIF director. He said Lung has had some experience with TIF districts in Clermont County and will be a contact for state correspondence . The appointment of a TIF director not only fulfills a state requirement, but is important to keep the growing number of TIF districts in order, Lunsford said. "It is important to keep that stuff straight," said Lunsford. "There's a good bit at stake." NEWPORT Newport has received a $1,300 grant from the Campbell County Conservation District. This money will be used for the planting of trees and shrubs in the city's upgrade of Phelan Park, which will occur later this year. SILVERTON Silverton to Conduct Comprehensive Plan Cincinnati.com, 2/21/07 The City of Silverton has contracted Kleingers & Associates to facilitate a comprehensive land use plan. A steering committee composed of residents and merchants has been formed to study land use practices in the City and make recommendations for short, intermediate and long-term land use objectives. Specific attention will be directed to the City’s gateways; its downtown; and overall economic development. The Silverton Downtown Revitalization Study, commissioned by Silverton Development, Inc. in 2004, will be incorporated into the comprehensive plan document. The process will take nine to twelve months to complete. The plan will be offered for public feedback prior to official adoption by City Council. SYMMES TWP Symmes master plan recommendation set for March Northeast Suburban Life, 2/27/07 Trustees are anxiously waiting for a recommendation by an ad hoc steering committee that will lead to the creation of a master plan for Symmes. The township master plan will serve as a management tool, with a list of overall goals and objectives for every aspect of the local government, from roads to cemeteries. The plan will be evaluated each year, but is considered a 10-year "living document." During the steering committee's Feb. 22 meeting, five teams of companies gave presentations in hopes of being given the reigns to Symmes' master plan conception. The committee will choose one of the five teams to help create the township's master plan. Trustee Ken Bryant, who attended the meeting as an observer, said the presentations went well. He said the committee, which consists of township residents, has put a lot of thought into the criteria with which they will base their decision. "I am pleased with the process and I am pleased with the caliber of the people on the committee," Bryant said.

From the 3/4/07 DDN: Warren County's growth equals busy year of road work By Tiffany Y. Latta Staff Writer Sunday, March 04, 2007 LEBANON — — Good news if you're a commuter — there will be fewer orange barrels on Warren County roads when road repairs and new construction start in a month. Last year, Warren engineers handled about $12 million in construction projects. They expect this year's work to total more than $4 million. The other good news — more projects are in the works and will begin as early as 2008 to expand roads to keep up with the county's fast-growing population. http://www.daytondailynews.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/03/04/ddn030407w4roads.html From the 3/4/07 Enquirer: Trustees to vote on Wal-Mart Supercenter Trustees will vote Wednesday on plans for a Wal-Mart Supercenter, the first large-scale commercial development in this heavily residential Warren County community. The 184,212-square-foot center would be built on the southwest corner of Ohio 48 and Grandin Road. Plans can be viewed at www.hamilton-township.org/zoning_commission.php. The meeting will be at 12:30 a.m. at the township offices, 7780 S. Ohio 48. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070304/NEWS01/703040390/1056/COL02

From the 3/3/07 Newark Advocate: Granville Twp. trustees seek to re-evaluate land strategy Officials scheduling public forum to address open space acquisition By CHARLES A. PETERSON Advocate Reporter GRANVILLE -- In November 2006, Granville-area voters backed renewal of a 1-mill tax levy to buy land for open space by a large margin. On Feb. 6, they soundly rejected a 2.8-mill bond issue, 58 to 42 percent, that also would have procured property to be saved as greenspace. Those occurances, along with Newark's westward progression into southeastern Granville Township, thwarted by a major annexation into the village, are prompting Granville Township trustees to reevaluate the township's strategy for acquiring open space. Full story at http://www.newarkadvocate.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070303/NEWS01/703030312/1002/rss01

From the 3/2/07 Enquirer: Kentucky Post: Neighbors want industrial park buffer (3/1/07) Kentucky Post: Industrial park faces opposition (2/22/07) Cincinnati Enquirer: Committee to debate industrial park (2/9/07) Cincinnati Enquirer: Industrial parks take heat (1/22/07) Zone change still in debate Industrial park traffic worries commissioners BY BRENNA R. KELLY | [email protected] BURLINGTON - An industrial park with 3.6 million square feet of warehouse space in six buildings may be too big for the 208-acre parcel where it's planned, some Boone County planning commissioners said this week. But if it is built, developers will have to plant more trees than normally required to try to screen the development, commissioners decided at a committee meeting Wednesday. Read more here: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070302/NEWS0103/703020402/1059/rss13 From the 2/28/07 Enquirer: Cincinnati Enquirer: Kroger store put on ice (2/14/07) Cincinnati Enquirer: Kroger center up for a vote (2/11/07) Boone approves Kroger zoning BY BRENNA R. KELLY | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER HEBRON - The first Kroger Marketplace in Northern Kentucky will be coming to Hebron next year. Boone County Fiscal Court approved a zone change Tuesday for a shopping center, which will include the store and five out lots at Ky. 237 and Ky. 20. The vote was 3 to 1. Read more here: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070228/NEWS0103/702280401/1059/rss13

From the 3/2/07 Enquirer: PHOTO: Fort Thomas began negotiations with Veterans Affairs to buy 10 vacant homes that housed officers years ago. They likely will be auctioned in the fall. Enquirer file City to buy historic homes BY SCOTT WARTMAN | [email protected] FORT THOMAS - The city of Fort Thomas plans to make Tower Park a destination. The park is the site of an old military fort. Remaining are homes and a mess hall that has been converted into a community center. Across South Fort Thomas Avenue are the buildings that housed the bars and stores that catered to the soldiers 100 years ago. It's called the Midway Business District. The buildings still house bars and restaurants, but the large officers' homes, which still belong to the U.S. government, sit vacant. The city this week began negotiations with Veterans Affairs to buy the 10 homes. They likely will be auctioned in the fall. The city also will attempt to designate the Midway buildings a National Historic District. MORE: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070302/NEWS0103/703020381/1059/rss13 From the 3/3/07 Enquirer: Firms want offices in Carnegie BY SCOTT WARTMAN | [email protected] Four companies want to use the former Andrew Carnegie-endowed public library in Newport as office space. The city will pick one of them soon. City officials and business owners see the ornate 1902 library as a key piece of real estate about a block away from Newport on the Levee. Proposals have been submitted to the city by a law firm, an architect, a developer and a warehousing and moving business. All want to use the library for administrative offices, said Ryan Wyrick, Newport economic development director. Newport's city manager will recommend one of the proposals to the city commission this month, Wyrick said. The proposals would take from a few months to 1½ years to complete, he said. MORE: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070303/NEWS0103/703030384/1059/rss13

Planning efforts for new jail proceeding Findlay Courier, 3/3/07 Planning for a new jail building in Hancock County is still in the early stages, but a sketch of a new facility may be drawn up soon. The Jail Expansion Committee, a group that consists, in part, of city and county representatives, is planning to hire a consulting firm to draft a “rough” sketch of a possible jail facility to house misdemeanor offenders. “We would like to build the (new) jail west of the current jail,” said Hancock County Sheriff Michael Heldman. The property in question, however, is city property, so city officials have been closely involved in the early stages of planning the potential facility. For now, the committee is waiting for First Choice, a Findlay consultant company, to offer a proposal to create the sketch.

From ThisWeek Licking County, 2/25/07: Construction starts on new east side homes Sunday, February 25, 2007 By LORI WINCE ThisWeek Staff Writer A representative of the Woda Group LLC told members of the East Mound Community Development Corp. and local officials last week the company has started construction of 40 single-family homes, 35 of which will be built on the east side of Newark. The new homes will be built in a neo-traditional style, which will fit in with the existing architecture in the area, Woda officials have said. Wray presented slides of other Woda projects to show the group what the homes on the east side will look like. She said they will be built on vacant lots and will be leased to approved tenants in a rent-to-own type of program. Each home will be rented for up to 15 years with a lease-to-purchase option. Rents are expected to be between $475 and $680 a month, with $100 of that going toward purchase, she said. Homes can be purchased after 15 years. Read more at http://www.thisweeknews.com/?story=sites/thisweeknews/022507/LickingCounty/News/022507-News-310921.html

From the 2/9/07 Enquirer: Fernald radiation data to get review Worker's daughter's petition may expand benefits eligibility BY PEGGY O'FARRELL | [email protected] MASON - Sandra Baldridge's fight just entered Round 2. A federal advisory board panel voted Thursday to get a second opinion from an independent consulting firm on the petition the Monroe woman filed seeking special compensation for thousands of people who used to work at the Fernald uranium foundry. The board's vote came after health physicists with the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health recommended rejecting the petition. Baldridge, whose father worked at Fernald before dying of cancer, wants former Fernald workers who developed cancers that might be related to radiation declared a "special exposure cohort." Full Story: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070209/NEWS01/702090406/1056/COL02

From the 2/8/07 Enquirer: Fernald petitioners win 2nd review BY PEGGY O’FARRELL | [email protected] MASON – A federal advisory board today asked for a second opinion on a petition seeking special compensation status for former Fernald workers. The Advisory Board on Radiation and Workers Health today asked independent consultants Sanford, Cohen and Associates of Vienna, Va., to review the petition filed by Monroe resident Sandra Baldridge on behalf of workers employed at the old uranium foundry in Crosby Township. The firm also will review documents and data presented by the National Institute on Occupational Safety and Health, which determines whether workers at Fernald and other former Department of Energy sites were made sick because of radiation and other toxins they were exposed to on the job. NIOSH officials today recommended denying Baldridge’s petition, saying they had sufficient information to properly determine how much radiation Fernald workers were exposed to. Full Story: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070208/NEWS01/302080035/1056/COL02

From the 2/7/07 Enquirer: Fernald workers, families state case Federal panel weighs cancer claims at nuclear plant BY PEGGY O'FARRELL | [email protected] Sandra Baldridge still doesn't know what, exactly, her father did in all the years he worked at the Fernald uranium foundry. But whatever it was, the Monroe woman is sure it killed him. This week, Baldridge, former Fernald workers and their survivors will make their case for compensation for cancers they believe were job-related to a federal advisory board in Mason. "I know he had something to do with nuclear reactors, but I didn't know what it was all about," she said. "I was 5 when he started working there." The National Institute on Occupational Safety and Health's Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker Health opens a three-day public meeting today at the Cincinnati Marriott Northeast, 9664 Mason Montgomery Road. The meeting ends Friday. Workers at the Cold War-era foundry refined raw uranium ore and processed it into ingots, derbies and other products used for nuclear weapons and atomic power plants. Full Story: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070207/NEWS01/702070350/1056/COL02

From the 2/17/07 AP: Mall developer Mills accepts Simon bid Saturday, February 17, 2007 Stephen Manning ASSOCIATED PRESS COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Mall operator Simon Property Group Inc. and hedge fund Farallon Capital Management said yesterday that they will buy struggling mall developer the Mills Corp. for $1.64 billion after outbidding rival Brookfield Asset Management Inc. Simon and Farallon offered $25.25 per share in cash for Mills, higher than the $1.56 billion, or $24 per share, tender offer the partnership made earlier this month. Mills said yesterday that it has terminated a previous $1.35 billion, $21 per share agreement it reached in January with Brookfield, a Canadian conglomerate. Mills said Tuesday that it favored the higher Simon-Farallon proposal, but gave Brookfield three days come up with a better deal. A spokeswoman for Torontobased Brookfield did not immediately return a phone message seeking comment. Simon officials were not available to discuss the future of Mills’ properties, including the two in central Ohio. Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/business-story.php?story=dispatch/2007/02/17/20070217-C1-01.html

From the AP, 2/14/07: Mall owner Mills warms to higher bid Wednesday, February 14, 2007 Stephen Manning, ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON — Mall developer the Mills Corp. said yesterday that it now favors a $1.6 billion offer from Simon Property Group Inc. and hedge fund Farallon Capital Management LLC, a deal that tops an earlier takeover agreement Mills made with Brookfield Asset Management Inc. Chevy Chase, Md.-based Mills, co-owner of Columbus City Center mall and the Mall at Tuttle Crossing, said its board of directors concluded that the Simon-Farallon deal, at $24 per share, is "superior" to Brookfield’s proposed $21-per-share deal, valued at $1.35 billion. The board authorized Mills to end the Brookfield deal. Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/business-story.php?story=dispatch/2007/02/14/20070214-D1-02.html

From the 2/6/07 Dispatch: New suitor for City Center parent Mall developer Simon makes Mills an offer for its holdings Tuesday, February 06, 2007 Mike Pramik, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Simon Property Group made a bid yesterday to acquire Mills Corp., a move that could entrust ownership of Columbus City Center to the nation’s leading mall developer. Based in Indianapolis, Simon has ownership stakes in 285 U.S. properties and 53 properties overseas. It’s the nation’s largest publicly traded real-estate company and is a regional mall specialist that also develops lifestyle centers and outlet malls. That’s an intriguing proposition for Columbus officials, who have been trying for months to figure out a solution for the foundering Downtown mall. "It’s another positive sign," said Guy Worley, chief executive of Capitol South Urban Redevelopment Corp., City Center’s developer. "It’s too early to speculate but there seems to be an interest in Mills’ portfolio." While it’s no sure thing that Simon’s bid will be accepted or that it intends to rebuild City Center, Simon at least has a track record of downtown mall development. Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/business-story.php?story=dispatch/2007/02/06/20070206-C1-02.html

From the 2/22/07 Wilmington News Journal: County: Dismiss claims Can’t sue county under NEPA, says Buckley Gary Huffenberger Staff Writer The Board of Clinton County Commissioners has filed a request in federal court to be removed as defendants in a lawsuit filed by Wilmington bypass opponents. The Clinton County Citizens for Responsible Development's (CCCRD) complaint against the county commissioners should be dismissed because the CCCRD's lawsuit has no basis to make claims of a federal nature against the commissioners, according to attorney Daniel J. Buckley, the commissioners' legal counsel. ... http://www.wnewsj.com/main.asp?SectionID=49&SubSectionID=156&ArticleID=153205