buildingcincinnati

From the 2/8/07 DDN: Great Lakes protection not in budget By Steve Bennish Staff Writer Thursday, February 08, 2007 A coalition of environmental groups took aim at President Bush's proposed budget Wednesday, saying it doesn't go far enough to protect the Great Lakes from outdated public sewage treatment plants and invasive species and doesn't adequately help restore aquatic wildlife. "The short story is that the president's budget leaves Great Lakes programs treading water, when what's needed is a full-scale rescue," said Jeff Skelding, director of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition. The coalition includes the National Wildlife Federation, Sierra Club and the National Parks Conservation Association... http://www.daytondailynews.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/02/07/ddn020807lakes.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=16

From the 1/29/07 Blade: IN THE PUBLIC EYE Environmental group to tackle Great Lakes By TOM HENRY BLADE STAFF WRITER CHICAGO - The Natural Resources Defense Council, one of the nation's largest environmental groups, set up shop in the Great Lakes region Jan. 16 from an office at 101 North Wacker Drive here. Established in 1970, the NRDC claims a membership of 1.2 million people and online activists, including 217,526 in eight Midwestern states. Based in New York, its other offices are in Washington, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Beijing. According to its Web site, the NRDC is a not-for-profit group that spent about $60 million in 2005. So why has it come to the Great Lakes region?... http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070129/NEWS06/701290314/-1/NEWS

From the 2/9/07 Defiance Crescent-News: Legislation for U.S. 24 project okayed February 9, 2007 By TODD HELBERG [email protected] Legislation for Defiance County's further participation in the U.S. 24 widening project was okayed by county commissioners Thursday. Approved was a resolution agreeing to cooperate with the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) on issues that affect county roads from Ohio 424 to where the new U.S. 24 will enter Paulding County between Ashwood and Whetstone roads. This primarily affects Krouse, Ashwood and Powers roads. ... http://www.crescent-news.com/news/article/1585461

From the 2/1/07 Defiance Crescent-News: Tree cutting begins for new U.S. 24 route Todd Helberg February 1, 2007 Tree cutting to clear the way for construction of the new U.S. 24 in Paulding and Defiance counties is underway. Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) officials said the trees are being cut within the rights-of-way purchased for construction of two sections of U.S. 24 that are scheduled to be bid this spring. ... http://www.crescent-news.com/news/article/1551181

From the 12/24/06 Defiance Crescent-News: Spring dates set for bidding on U.S. 24 project sections December 24, 2006 By TODD HELBERG [email protected] LIMA -- The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) has set bid dates for construction on two more sections of the U.S. 24 widening project. According to project manager Kirk Slusher of ODOT's District I office here, two segments in Paulding and Defiance counties will be bid this spring. ... http://www.crescent-news.com/news/article/1207222

From the 1/3/07 Enquirer: Lincoln Heights complex seeks proposals for rebuilding BY JANE PRENDERGAST | [email protected] LINCOLN HEIGHTS - Continuing with their new motto, "The train is rolling," the residents' board of Valley Homes voted Tuesday night to ask developers for proposals detailing how they would replace the World War II-era complex with new housing. In spite of some questions about whether enough residents knew the meeting was happening, the board went ahead with a plan to send out the requests for proposals. They asked for the developers' plans by March 15. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070103/NEWS01/701030345/1056/COL02

From the 12/31/06 Enquirer: Plans for Valley Homes to be aired THE ENQUIRER LINCOLN HEIGHTS - The new board members of Valley Homes, with the complex's development task force, will unveil their plans and hopes for the 350-unit neighborhood at a meeting at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Medosch Avenue office. A year ago, residents were begging then-Cinergy not to cut off their heat and lights, after learning that the previous property manager had not paid the utilities. Since, a court ordered the property into receivership. And while there's still about $350,000 owed in back utilities, residents are pleased with regular trash pickup and improved maintenance. The place was built in the 1940s. Jackie Hawkins, a resident of the complex since 1978, wants all residents to be part of what she hopes will turn Valley Homes into a combination of rentals for seniors, rentals for families and some owner-occupied homes. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061231/NEWS01/612310391/1056/COL02

From the 12/28/06 Enquirer: Grants to help build affordable housing BY JON NEWBERRY | [email protected] The Federal Home Loan Bank of Cincinnati has awarded $3 million for affordable housing projects that will create 175 units for low-income residents in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, the bank said Wednesday. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061228/BIZ01/612280317/1076/BIZ

From the 12/26/06 Enquirer: Big plans growing bigger Complex rescued, wants more BY JANE PRENDERGAST | [email protected] LINCOLN HEIGHTS - Residents of Valley Homes who had to fight to keep their heat and lights on a year ago are working now on something unimaginable then - a plan to redevelop the long-troubled place with new housing. A task force of residents envisions 40 to 150 units of housing for older people, some rental townhouses mostly for families and 40 townhouses to be available for sale. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061226/NEWS01/612260377/1077/COL02

From ThisWeek West Side, 1/14/07: Macy's set to leave Westland Mall Sunday, January 14, 2007 By CARLA SMITH ThisWeek Contributor What was once a permanent fixture on the West Side for over four decades, the former Lazarus now Macy's Department Store is closing its doors for good this year. Westland residents found out last week that because of its underperformance in sales, Macy's will pull out of the Westland Mall sometime this spring. Macy's leaving is just one store in a series of major retailers that have left the West Broad Street retail corridor inside the I-270 outer belt. Toys-R-Us and Media Play are just a few of the major retail stores that have left. ... http://www.thisweeknews.com/index.php?sec=west&story=sites/thisweeknews/011407/West/News/011407-News-290730.html

From the 1/5/07 Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: Macy's to close its doors in Lancaster River Valley location meets the same fate as Newark, Zanesville stores By TAMARIA L. KULEMEKA The Eagle-Gazette Staff [email protected] LANCASTER - Macy's shoppers will have to go to Columbus to shop at the retail department store come spring. The department store's parent company, Federated Department Stores Inc. announced Wednesday it will close its River Valley Mall location, in addition to another store in Columbus based on store performance. "I'm shocked," said Logan resident Bobbi Enderle, who was about to go into Macy's at River Valley Mall on Thursday. "It's the only store I shop at in Lancaster." ... http://www.lancastereaglegazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070105/NEWS01/701050301/1002/rss01

From the 1/4/07 Dispatch: Macy’s to close two area stores Mall locations not performing, Federated says Thursday, January 04, 2007 Mike Pramik THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH A decision by Federated Department Stores to close its Macy’s stores at two central Ohio malls was not part of a grand plan. The reason was more basic: The locations weren’t performing. Federated said yesterday that it will close the Macy’s stores at Westland Mall and at River Valley Mall in Lacaster sometime in the spring. But the company also said yesterday that it plans to keep its Columbus City Center location open as it evaluates the store’s future. Ed Holman, chairman and chief executive of Macy’s South, said yesterday that the Westland and River Valley stores don’t fit Macy’s long-term plans. ... [email protected] http://www.dispatch.com/business-story.php?story=dispatch/2007/01/04/20070104-F1-01.html

From the 12/25/06 Cincinnati Business Courier: Big hope for small markets Akron, as well as New York, star of Federated holiday Cincinnati Business Courier - December 22, 2006 by Lisa Biank Fasig Staff Reporter To an important degree, the sales performance of Federated Department Stores this Christmas depends on how well it does in Akron. It is in the dozens of markets such as this one, where Macy's is a new and welcome brand, that Federated has much to gain after converting some 400 May Co. stores in September, analysts and industry veterans say. Sure, shoppers in Chicago are grabbing headlines with complaints about losing the Marshall Field's brand, but in smaller markets - like Akron, Tulsa, Okla., and Rochester, N.Y., - shoppers are waiting, credit cards poised, for Macy's to lift their mediocre shopping experience. ... http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2006/12/25/story1.html

From the 12/25/06 Dispatch: Vets Memorial still awaits a fix Months-old plan for task force stalls; new manager to take reins at venue Monday, December 25, 2006 Robert Vitale THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Five months after declaring it’s time to "cut bait" on Franklin County Veterans Memorial, county commissioners have yet to take the first promised step toward deciding whether the financially struggling auditorium stays or goes. A task force proposed in July to study the future of the deficitridden county-owned venture has yet to be appointed. Commissioner Paula Brooks said the plan "stalled out" when the November election campaign kicked into gear, and it was further delayed by county budget deliberations, which began immediately afterward. The hall is faring no better, though, than when Brooks proposed the review after a $200,000 bailout request during the summer. Commissioners wrote another check this month — this time for nearly $208,000 — to cover expenses for the auditorium and exhibition hall. It brings the total cost of Veterans Memorial subsidies to more than $1.8 million since a string of annual losses began in 2002, nearly depleting a fund created when the federal government bought a piece of the auditorium’s land for the Franklinton floodwall. Full story at http://www.dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/12/25/20061225-C1-02.html

From the 2/8/07 Enquirer: West 13th St. residents cheer demolition plans BY SCOTT WARTMAN | [email protected] NEWPORT - Age, neglect and the elements have rendered some homes along West 13th Street uninhabitable. Property owner and nearby resident Jerry Newberry this week will start tearing down 10 of the vacant houses he bought in recent years to rid the street of the eyesores. Time has been rough on these homes. Floors have caved in. Yellowed newspapers, decades old, hang from walls covering gaping holes. Broken glass and signs of vagrants and drug use litter floors. Newberry bought the properties to renovate and improve Newport's Clifton neighborhood where he lives. He rents some of his buildings, but others are beyond rehabilitation. MORE: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070208/NEWS0103/702080406/1059/rss13 From the 2/9/07 Enquirer: Team hired to redesign Devou Park Goal: More attractive, better traffic access BY CINDY SCHROEDER | [email protected] Covington City Commission has approved hiring Human Nature Inc. to update the 9-year-old Devou Park master plan. The Walnut Hills-based landscape design and consulting firm specializes in developing recreational projects and parks. It has done work for a number of Greater Cincinnati communities. The Devou Park Properties Board, which operates the Drees Pavilion, is paying for the $125,000 study, said Denny Bowman, Covington recreation director. MORE: http://news.nky.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20070209/NEWS0103/702090380

From the 12/25/06 Dayton Business Journal: Kettering Tower fire leaves its mark on tenants Some tenants still in temporary locations Dayton Business Journal - December 22, 2006 by Tracy Kershaw-Staley DBJ Staff Reporter Two months after a fire shut down its highest floors, Kettering Tower continues to work to recover. Among the changes are a new tenant -- the law firm of Skilken and Dankof -- and Merrill Lynch has been able to move back into its home on the 25th and 26th floors. ... http://dayton.bizjournals.com/dayton/stories/2006/12/25/story4.html

City is making it easy for you to hike or bike 5 new paths are created By TOM TROY BLADE STAFF WRITER New ribbons of asphalt were added to Toledo's public landscape this year - not the paved surfaces used by Jeeps, Hummers, and Harley-Davidsons, but the kind favored by Schwinns, Rollerblades, and Adidas. Toledo's choices of biking/hiking paths expanded this year with the addition of five new trails in city parks. The paths only marginally contribute to the long-term plan for a network of bike routes in Toledo, but they do provide new opportunities for neighborhood outdoor exercise. More at: http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061225/NEWS16/612250308/-1/NEWS

From the 2/9/07 Hamilton JournalNews: Smoking ban still up in the air While many places follow the rules, some flout law By Christopher Magan Staff Writer Friday, February 09, 2007 There are two types of establishments in Butler County since a voter approved smoking ban went into effect — places that once allowed smoking and places that still do. The Ohio Department of Health is still working out the rules for the indoor smoking ban that won't be enforced until spring. Since it went into effect two months ago, many businesses are abiding by the regulations to remove ashtrays, post no-smoking signs and prohibit smoking. Others have decided to flout the law until enforcement begins. "We cannot legally enforce the law until the rules are in place. That is why some businesses are not following the law," said Jay Carey, spokesman for the department of health. Read more: http://www.journal-news.com/news/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/02/08/hjn020907smoking.html

From ThisWeek Upper Arlington, 2/8/07: No big changes expected with state smoking ban Thursday, February 8, 2007 By CHRIS BOURNEA ThisWeek Staff Writer When enforcement of the statewide smoking ban begins later this year, local residents and business owners aren't likely to see much difference from the ban that the city of Upper Arlington enacted in February 2005. "The good news is, the one Upper Arlington passed is very similar to the state law," said Franklin County health commissioner Susan A. Tilgner, whose agency is responsible for enforcing the Upper Arlington ban. Read more: http://www.thisweeknews.com/?story=sites/thisweeknews/020807/UpperArlington/News/020807-News-300886.html

From the 2/7/07 Newark Advocate: Newark's smoking hut to be removed By KENT MALLETT Advocate Reporter NEWARK -- The city's environmental health director has ordered the Licking County commissioners to remove the smoking hut from the rear of the county administration building. The commissioners received the order Friday in a letter dated Jan. 26 from Harry Ballinger, the city's director of environmental health. The letter stated the city health department had received complaints about the location and construction of the smoking hut. Smoking regulations approved by Ohio voters Nov. 7 and that took effect Dec. 7, prohibit smoking in virtually all indoor public places as well as outside near the entrances to public places. Read more: http://www.newarkadvocate.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070207/NEWS01/702070310/1002/rss01

From the 2/6/07 Warren Tribune Chronicle: Public to help punish smokers By BILL RODGERS - Tribune Chronicle Restaurants, businesses and watering holes that were allowing indoor smoking while the state department of health crafted rules for Ohio’s smoking ban may not be able to bend the rules come spring. Ohio Department of Health spokesman Kristopher Weiss said the rules that set fine schedules and give the ban its teeth could be in place as early as April. As part of the final approval process, the draft rules were filed with the secretary of state and the Legislative Service Commission last week. Read more: http://tribune-chronicle.com/articles.asp?articleID=14262 From the (YSU) Jambar, 2/6/07: Student smokers ignore SmokeFreeOhio Jeanette DiRubba Issue date: 2/6/07 Section: pageone It's a brisk afternoon at Youngstown State University. Walking throughout the campus while trying to stay warm, the familiar essence of cigarette smoke infiltrates the air. Someone is exhaling the evidence, and it's not just innocent breath in the cold air, because a cigarette is spotted in hand. What happened to the SmokeFreeOhio and the adoption of this policy at YSU? Signs were put up, ashtrays were removed and students were instructed to smoke only on street sidewalks far away from any campus building. Read more: www.thejambar.com/media/storage/paper324/news/2007/02/06/Pageone/Student.Smokers.Ignore.Smokefreeohio-2700890.shtml?sourcedomain=www.thejambar.com&MIIHost=media.collegepublisher.com]http://media.www.thejambar.com/media/storage/paper324/news/2007/02/06/Pageone/Student.Smokers.Ignore.Smokefreeohio-2700890.shtml?sourcedomain=www.thejambar.com&MIIHost=media.collegepublisher.com

From the 2/5/07 Springfield News-Sun: Future hospital is sign of renewal City erects signs to remind residents why houses in the downtown project area are boarded up. By Samantha Sommer Staff Writer Monday, February 05, 2007 Large signs in the urban renewal area proclaim the city of Springfield's intentions for downtown. The project is "Redevelopment for Our Future," the signs say. The city erected three signs more than a week ago, two on North Plum Street and one on North Street. The signs say the urban renewal project is a partnership between the city and Community Mercy Health Partners. As part of the urban renewal project, the city is buying property in about 45 acres downtown near Buck Creek to make way for a new hospital. Nearly 80 percent of the property in phase one and more than half in the entire hospital area is owned by the city. MORE: http://www.springfieldnewssun.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/02/04/sns020507hospitalsigns.html

From the 2/2/07 Springfield News-Sun: Speaker encourages preserving, restoring downtown By Samantha Sommer Staff Writer Friday, February 02, 2007 The latest movement in development is new urbanism. To Mayor Joseph Riley Jr. of Charleston, S.C., that's what Springfield already has. "What you have here is what every new development is trying to achieve — a sense of place, a sense of scale, liveability, housing relatively affordable, with texture and history," he said. Preserving and restoring that is hard work, Riley said at the Center City Association's annual meeting Thursday. Riley has been mayor of Charleston since 1975. In that time he has worked to build a waterfront park, create attractive affordable housing and revitalize the historic downtown. "There's lots of controversies and easy frustrations and things don't happen overnight," he said. Riley urged cities to keep the bulldozer out and save historic structures. He showed several examples of where the city refused to let a historic building be razed and instead restored it. That spurred other private development nearby. "It's the history, it's the memories," Riley said. "Every time you take it away, it's forever gone." MORE: http://www.springfieldnewssun.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/02/01/sns020207centercity.html

From the 1/17/07 Springfield News-Sun: City's heart could be greener, attractive Green spaces and a nice blend of architecture highlight the city's downtown unified plan. By Samantha Sommer Staff Writer Wednesday, January 17, 2007 A downtown unified plan could blend requirements and strong recommendations for development. Heather Whitmore, planning and zoning administrator, updated Springfield city commissioners on the plan Tuesday night. The unified plan could include requirements such as rear parking and recommendations for design and exterior building materials. Downtown developments would be reviewed case-by-case; those that significantly deviate from the plan would go through a review process. "What we're trying to do is create an environment that is attractive," said Whitmore, who is in the process of writing the plan. The plan will go to the City Planning Board in February or March, then the CEDA Planning Board before coming to commissioners. MORE: http://www.springfieldnewssun.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/01/16/sns011707citycommission.html

From the 12/30/06 Springfield News-Sun: Governor signs bill putting moratorium on specialty hospitals By Kelly Baker Staff Writer Saturday, December 30, 2006 A moratorium on the creation of specialty hospitals in Clark County will begin March 29. The moratorium was inserted into Substitute Senate Bill 116 that Governor Bob Taft signed into law on Friday. The bill prohibits discrimination in the treatment of mental illness and prohibits "for ninety days, the establishment of special hospitals in counties with a population of more than 140,000 but less than 150,000." Ohio Rep. Ross McGregor, R-Springfield, introduced the moratorium specifically to address a movement by local physicians to create a surgical hospital in Springfield. Opponents of the surgeons' plans, specifically officials from Community Mercy Health Partners, said it would siphon Community-Mercy's main source of income — surgeries — creating a deficit that could not sustain the hospital's planned $300 million hospital to be built downtown. Proponents say competition would improve the quality of care. They added giving patients a choice would reduce the number of people who leave the county for their health care. A national ban on specialty hospitals expired in August. MORE: http://www.springfieldnewssun.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2006/12/29/sns123006hospitalbill.html