buildingcincinnati

From the 12/20/07 Times-Reporter: Employees at BIPCO may not get paid By KYLE KONDIK, T-R Staff Writer BOLIVAR – Former employees of Best In Plastics Corp. might not be getting paid for their final days of work after all. BIPCO, a blow mold products manufacturer at Bolivar, was forced to shut down by Sky Bank at Cleveland last week, leaving its employees without jobs and without a final paycheck... http://www.timesreporter.com/index.php?ID=62176&r=1&Category=1

From the 12/16/06 Times-Reporter: BIPCO workers seek pay By KYLE KONDIK, T-R Staff Writer BOLIVAR – Of all the times to close a plant, two weeks before Christmas would seem to be the worst. “Fifty-two weeks, and you gotta pick the one week...” said Paul Stewart, a now former employee of Best In Plastics Corp., also known as BIPCO, which abruptly closed Monday... http://www.timesreporter.com/index.php?ID=62042

From the 12/13/07 Times-Reporter: Bolivar plant closes Best In Plastics idles about 120 workers By LEE MORRISON, T-R Business Editor BOLIVAR – Employees and customers are among those wondering what happened with the abrupt closing of Best In Plastics Inc., also known as BIPCO. Workers were sent home Monday by 7:30 a.m. or were turned away when they reported to work for later shifts. BIPCO manufactures a variety of blow molded products, such as orange highway construction safety drums and cones, fuel tanks, garden watering cans and disposal containers, at 10955 Industrial Pkwy. in the Lawrence Township Industrial Park, just south of Bolivar. A firm number was not available, but it is believed that at least 120 jobs are involved with the shutdown. The number of jobs was 150 in 2003, according to the Tuscarawas County Chamber of Commerce... (T-R Staff Correspondent Barb Limbacher and T-R Staff Writer Kyle Kondik contributed to this story.) http://www.timesreporter.com/index.php?ID=61905

^ HAHAHA....

I just passed it tonight. This is the post that did it: http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?topic=4392.msg154839#msg154839

PHOTO UPDATE Corryville: New townhomes on Rochelle, Eden and Vaughn These things are flying up. Two are still on the market. I'm also including the first rendering I've ever seen of the project. It looks like it will be clad in brick and will probably resemble the adjacent Stetson Square development. LAST UPDATE (12/18/06) PHOTO UPDATE Walnut Hills: 2101 Florence Ave The office building for Cornerstone Broker Insurance Services Agency is really coming along. LAST UPDATE (8/21/06) UPDATE Eastern Avenue renaming There will be a public hearing regarding the renaming of a portion of Eastern Ave on January 30. The meeting will take place at noon in front of the Economic Development Committee. The renaming would extend the name of Riverside Drive from its current end at the railroad underpass all the way down to the intersection of Eastern with Delta and Kellogg. LAST UPDATE (11/13/06) Round-up: City of Cincinnati CLIFTON HEIGHTS There may be hope for the condemned building at 2139 Vine St. The case has been in and out of the Board of Appeals, but it appears that the owner now has plans for the rehab. I believe she has permits. However, I'm not aware if this will be a full rehab or just a "bring it up to code". There are permits for electrical work. Take that for what it's worth. NORTHSIDE 1504 Chase Ave was undergoing rehab, but it seems to have stalled. Some demo work has been done, but there's no possibility of it getting tenants in its current condition. (no photo) NORTHSIDE 1641 Knowlton St is supposed to be demolished. I'm not sure if it has or hasn't been. Sadly, I can find no evidence on why this demo has/had to be done. It sits on the mostly vacant corner of Knowlton and Turill and is owned by Adco Realty, which also owns the surrounding properties. Perhaps they are assembling lots. OAKLEY Boulder Construction has purchased the vacant lot at 3311 South Sterling Way. This may be an infill project. ROSELAWN 1547 Northwood Dr. Nice job on your rehab, people. You somehow managed to make a rehabbed property look WORSE. Round-up: Metro ALEXANDRIA Alexandria votes against annexing development Alexandria Recorder, 1/5/07 Alexandria City Council blocked a developer's request to build a 76 home development in the city. By a 4-1 vote on Thursday Jan. 4, council rejected Grand Communities' request to annex 15.6 acres of land off Persimmon Grove Pike. Grand Communities is a Fischer Group company. To proceed, a portion of the development known as Whistler's Point, would have to be built partially in the county and partially inside the city limits under different sets of zoning regulations. Mark Lehmann, a project planner for Fischer Development Co., declined to comment about what he thought of council's decision. "It takes us to the county," Lehmann said. ALEXANDRIA Alexandria development could spur retail Alexandria Recorder, 1/9/07 City and business leaders expect a planned 916 unit housing development to give restaurants and retailers an enticing reason to set up shop in Alexandria. Alexandria City Council approved on the annexation of 261 acres at the northwestern edge of the city on Thursday, Jan. 4 that would be part of the planned development named Arcadia. Council also approved two ordinances to zone the property, and another parcel that will be used for the development, as a Planned Unit Development zone. Drees Homes and Fischer Homes have partnered under the name Tollgate Development on the project that is expected to take 7-10 years to fully complete. To build Arcadia, the developer will extend Pat Fanning Way toward Tollgate Road in an area almost directly across Alexandria Pike from the Alexandria Village Green Shopping Center. "I think it will be beneficial to Alexandria," said Councilman Stacey Graus. ANDERSON TWP New Horizon building momentum in Anderson Forest Hills Journal, 1/12/07 Horizon Church is closing in on moving its location outside of Indian Hill and onto the location of a former golf course in Anderson Township. Building team leader Trey Smith said Horizon serves about 150 families and is visited by 400 to 500 people each Sunday. The church has been set up in Cincinnati County Day School since its formation in the spring of 2001. He said with such a high number of people calling Horizon "home," the church has decided to build a new base of operations. Early in 2006, Horizon bought the Indian Valley Golf Course property, a 154-acre site at 3950 Newtown Road in Anderson Township. The church has hired an architect, CDH Partners in Atlanta, for the project and the firm is working on a conceptual design for the building. Horizon has created a bevy of "ideation teams" to gather ideas on what features should be included in the building. Smith said just some of the ideas for the church include a large atrium space, coffee shop, plenty of windows, a user-friendly entrance area and a flexible environment for conducting services that allows set changes. "It wouldn't be a typical podium, it'd be a stage environment," he said. ANDERSON TWP St. Joseph breaks ground on new building Forest Hills Journal, 1/5/07 The groundbreaking ceremony for a 10,000-square-foot building for St. Joseph Orphanage, Altercrest Campus, 274 Sutton Road, will be at 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 14. In order to successfully move new graduates of the intensive group residential program at Altercrest back into the community, St. Joseph Orphanage is opening a new "step-down life skills honors program" focusing on continued education, work experiences, recreation skills, home economics and other activities of daily living. The building will house eight young men. The groundbreaking for new construction at St. Joseph Orphanage's Altercrest Campus represents the first public announcement of a $3.2 million capital campaign. The orphanage raised approximately 65 percent of the goal from a $1.87 million grant received from the Bessie Steele Trust via the National City Bank Trust Department, and from an anonymous donor who contributed $225,000. Approximately $1.5 million will be used to construct and equip the new building on the Altercrest campus, with $1 million spent on renovations of 45-year-old St. Joseph Villa in Monfort Heights and $700,000 to be raised for endowing programs that operate from the two campuses. BELLEVUE Truce may be near on church windows Cincinnati Enquirer, 1/10/07 A compromise may be reached between the city of Bellevue and a church over the removal of historic stained-glass windows. A priest wants to take the stained-glass windows from the vacant St. Anthony of Padua and place them in another church so they can continue to be used for worship. City officials want to keep the 100-year-old church largely intact. This dispute touched off a debate over a church's right to control its property and a community's right to protect the historical integrity of a neighborhood. St. Anthony's is in a local and national historic district, making major changes subject to review by the city's Historical Preservation Commission. BETHEL Bethel to hear from two firms on new village hall Clermont Sun, 1/11/07 The Bethel Village Council met Monday and discussed leveling the playing field for the owners of an apartment complex in the village. According to Michael Shiverski, Bethel village administrator, a property recently purchased by a Missouri company is being charged a commercial rate for water when it should be charged the lower residential rate. "The new owner is Yarco Company and they are out of Kansas City, Missouri," said Shiverki. "The purchased the property in July of 2006 along with a property in Owensville. They compared water rates and Bethel was much higher because the village is charging a commercial rate rather than a residential rate, although it is all residential properties. The reason behind that was it was rumored the past owners would charge up the water rate after they bought it from the village. That doesn't seem to be the case anymore." Shiverski said that the village could opt to revert billing back to a residential rate, or even require Yarco to sign an agreement not to add to the cost of the water they purchase from the village. "The solicitor and I discussed that, if we had some documentation from Yarco saying that they wouldn't mark it up, would council be willing to charge the residential rate," said Shiverski. CLEVES Three Rivers seeks input on schools Cincinnati Enquirer, 1/10/07 Three Rivers school board members will spend the month gauging what the community wants for school facilities. The board Monday discussed three options for future ballot issues, but took no action. Instead, members will attend village and town council meetings to discuss facilities, as well as conduct a parent survey. "They're going to have to make a decision no later than Jan. 30 if they're going to put something on the May ballot," Superintendent Rhonda Bohannon said. A special meeting is set for 6:30 p.m. Jan. 30 at the board offices, 92 Cleves Ave., Cleves. Three Rivers lost a bond issue in August to build two schools to house all district students. ERLANGER Housing unit ready to buy Cincinnati Enquirer, 1/8/07 This city's housing corporation has taken its first steps toward providing affordable housing for low-income residents. The Erlanger Housing Corporation is buying a property on Rosebud Avenue. The corporation's nine-member board is hoping to close on the property sometime this month. "We've been taking things one step at a time and we're really excited to be purchasing this first property," said Councilman John Dunhoft, president of the housing initiative. "This first one will give us some experience we can use in the future." The city started the corporation in 2002 in partnership with Brighton Properties Inc., but the two split in October 2005. "We just had different ideas," Dunhoft said. EVENDALE Evendale questionnaire to grind out skatepark issue Tri-County Press, 1/5/07 Village officials are exploring the idea of building a skatepark. A questionnaire by Evendale's Recreation Department is seeking residents' input on possibly building a skatepark, as well as other recreational issues in the village. A resident came to a village council meeting more than a year ago and suggested building a skatepark, prompting the questionnaire, according to David Nichols, Evendale recreation director. Nichols called the questionnaire an exploratory process. The form asks respondents questions about what type of skatepark they would like to have built and with what materials, methods of funding, demographics and other related issues. FAIRFIELD Ex-Bengal kicks off athletic complex Hamilton JournalNews, 1/11/07 Former Cincinnati Bengals kicker Jim Breech will be the keynote speaker today during the Fairfield Athletic Training Complex kickoff event at Jungle Jim's International Market. "We are starting to get good RSVPs and we believe we will have support come forward," said Rob Amodio, interim assistant superintendent for the Fairfield City School District. The goal of the evening, held in the Oscar Event Center, is to raise the funds to support a $350,000 to $450,000 training facility that will serve the more than 30,000 high school athletes and physical education students who currently work out in a building they call "the cage" due to its cramped quarters. More than half the funding has been raised for the structure that will be paid for entirely by community members and organizations. Resident Nick Dadabo said he thinks this is a great cause for which to donate money. FORT THOMAS Fort Thomas resident hopes for memorial Fort Thomas Recorder, 1/8/07 Nancy Wehmeyer Miller wants the city to honor military veterans with a memorial in the center of town. Miller wrote a letter to the Fort Thomas City Council in November, urging them to look into a memorial. "My son lives in Blue Ash and they have a great big beautiful memorial there," Miller said. "Our city is a beautiful city that does beautiful things. We would be enhanced by this kind of memorial." City council voted unanimously to send Miller's letter and suggestion to the Midway Steering Committee, which will decide whether to make a veteran's memorial part of the Midway revitalization project. Fort Thomas City Administrator Don Martin, a member of the Midway Steering Committee, said the committee hasn't met since receiving Miller's letter, but it will be reviewed. GLENDALE Man to use new law to help restore home Tri-County Press, 1/4/07 When Larry Bonhaus restores his Congress Avenue home he plans to get 25 percent of the money he's sinking in to the construction in a refundable tax credit. A recently signed state bill allows owners of historic structures to obtain a refundable tax credit equal to 25 percent of the amount spent on restoration on structures listed as historic landmarks, located in a historic district or certified by the state historic preservation officer as being of historic significance to a district. "Basically, they're taking 25 percent off of the cost of what you're doing. "That's really important because that's money that will help a person justify fixing up an old house rather than building new," said Bonhaus. "It's one step in the right direction in taking care of our traditional neighborhoods - the ones that have been there for 100 years. GREEN TWP Who will neighbor Wendy's on Harrison Ave.? Western Hills Press, 1/4/07 Green Township Development Director Adam Goetzman said House Construction Services Inc. is developing the mixed-use commercial building, which will complete the development of the site on Harrison Avenue near Hearne Road. He said the two-story building will have about 30,000 feet of space, and will be occupied by a mixture of commercial and office tenants. Construction of the facility is expected to wrap up this spring, he said. Goetzman said right now there are no definite tenants under contract to open shop in the building, but it's possible a bank and a daycare center will be among the tenant mix. "He's (David House) negotiating with several tenants, but I don't believe anything has been finalized," Goetzman said. INDIAN HILL Hmm. Here's what you get at Tall Trail Estates. $1.92 million. 2 Tall Trail. Or, for the poor, 1 Tall Trail for $1.649 million. By Chelsea Moore Construction. (2 Tall Trail and 1 Tall Trail) LEESBURG Looking to Rebuild Hillsboro Times-Gazette, 1/10/07 Though several buildings have been coming down in the village of Leesburg in the last few months, the village may soon see a bout of growth. On Veterans Day 2006, Leesburg American Legion saw the second story of their 65-year-old building gutted by fire. On Nov. 14, a Leesburg family lost their home when a fire ripped through their Church Street apartment. Recently a Leesburg pizza parlor was razed, leaving several new vacant lots in the village. Leesburg fiscal officer Tracey Evans told The Times-Gazette Monday that some of the lots have recently been purchased, however it is not certain what will be done with them. "A far as the pizza place, a gentleman bought that property," Evans said. "But as far as getting building permits, the village has not been contacted." LINCOLN HEIGHTS 1010 Van Buren Ave has been rehabbed. It was purchased in June for $15,000 and is one the market for $74,900. It has never been valued above $41,700. Zillow estimates its worth at $61,350. LOVELAND Loveland wants a Warren County park Loveland Herald, 1/12/07 Plans for a new park in the city are slowly under way. City officials recently bought an estimated 11 acres of property for $800,000, according to a purchase agreement. The acreage has been targeted for the city's first Warren County park. Terry and Mary Christman, who live on Butterworth Road, own the 11 acres, which abuts the Brandywine on the Little Miami subdivision. According to city memo dated Jan. 3, the Christmans have been reluctant to sell their property, which has been their home for more than 20 years. "However, as the area around them (Hamilton Township) continues to grow, they have felt more encroached upon over the years and are looking to find land further out of the metropolitan area." The Christmans could not be reached for comment before the Loveland Herald deadline. LOVELAND Loveland closer to adding new pool Cincinnati Enquirer, 1/10/07 City leaders made three moves Tuesday night to push forward the effort to build a pool and recreation center, including putting a 0.2 percent income tax increase before voters in May. Council also voted to designate 15 acres at Fallis and Rich roads as the preferred location for the facility and took a first vote to allow themselves to pay off the project in 25 years. The latter was an exception to former rules that allowed no debt longer than 20 years. City Manager Tom Carroll said it wasn't a problem to lengthen that time frame for the pool because the facility would still be usable long past the time it would be paid off. The votes came after a 90-minute public hearing during which more than a dozen people spoke. Virtually all supported the idea of having a new pool and recreation center. Many, however, expressed concerns about the safety of Fallis Road. Those who live nearest the proposed facility were concerned about music and public address announcements, and about how much light would reflect into their homes from the outdoor part of the complex. Dave Kothman praised what he called the transparency of the city's planning process, which started two years ago with development of a recreation master plan, which was passed a year ago. Residents surveyed as part of that process chose a pool first as their priority. MARIEMONT Mariemont barn sold to art club Cincinnati Enquirer, 1/12/07 The village has signed a letter of intent to sell the historic Resthaven Barn to the Women's Art Club of Cincinnati Foundation for $50,000. The agreement gives the art club, now based at the Pendleton Arts Center in Over-the-Rhine, the ability to apply for grants to restore the building and to save it from possible demolition. The estimated cost of restoration is $1 million. According to the terms of the sale, the art club has to show within 90 days that it has the finances to restore the building, which dates to the founding of Mariemont in the 1920s and, for a time, housed the Lindner family's dairy business that grew into the United Dairy Farmers. If the art club satisfies the financial requirements, the closing of the sale will occur at the end of the 90-day period. The barn, on Cambridge Road in a residential area, had served as Mariemont's maintenance building for 50 years until the village last year moved its maintenance vehicles to an industrial park near Old Wooster Pike. "This is exciting," Mariemont Mayor Dan Policastro said. "I'm very optimistic. The Women's Art Club is a great organization. I think there are going to be a lot of organizations and individuals willing to donate money to help the art club buy the barn." Cincinnati Enquirer: Resthaven Barn may be restored (1/11/07) MASON Three-story Middletown Regional Hospital wellness center planned at Mason City Schools Western Star, 1/9/07 Mason City Schools plans to build a $5 million, three-story health and wellness center on the campus of Mason Middle School, school officials announced Monday. The school district will finance the project by subleasing the third floor of the facility to Middletown Regional Hospital and granting Middletown Regional naming rights, said school spokeswoman Tracey Carson. The center would be built at the north end of Dwire Field between the football stadium and the high school, and is projected to open in June 2009. The facility will be approximately 30,000 square feet and will feature a 10,000-square-foot high school weight room, covered stadium entry, additional concession stands, locker room space, showers and a trainers' office. Mason City Schools and Middletown Regional Hospital first partnered in 2003 to increase mentoring and shadowing opportunities for students, and the hospital provided the high school with a full-time athletic trainer. MILFORD Garfield Park suggested for fountain's home Milford-Miami Advertiser, 1/9/07 During Milford's parks and recreation commission's meeting Monday, Jan. 8, local resident Bill Knepp presented an idea of something that could add to Garfield Park: An arboretum. Knepp said he thinks an arboretum would be appropriate since Milford is recognized as a Tree City. Also, it would be a good community area and a good place for students - both Milford students as well as those who attend schools in other districts - to visit. "It's an educational experience for young and old," he said. "It's there. We own the property. Parking is plentiful." "It's an undertaking, but it can be accomplished," he said. He also said the Corcoran family fountain could be placed in the arboretum. MONTGOMERY Montgomery planning commission again delays Twin Lakes decision Northeast Suburban Life, 1/9/07 Safety is a prevalent issue in the city. So prevalent that Montgomery Planning Commission - once again - tabled discussions Monday evening on an upcoming senior housing development. It's unclear when the commission will approve site plans for 13 condos which Twin Lakes seeks to build. The commission requested that CDS Associates Inc., an architecture firm, study options for the development's incorporated access drive, which could intersect with Montgomery Road. "I have a hard time approving this (housing development) without some sort of (turning) restriction," said the commission's president, Greg Broderick. MT HEALTHY Bond issue being endorsed Cincinnati Enquirer, 1/13/07 A group of political leaders and clergy from Mount Healthy and Springfield and Colerain townships will meet at 5 p.m. Thursday at Mount Healthy High School, 2046 Adams Road, to show support for Mount Healthy City Schools' bond issue on the Feb. 6 ballot. It would replace eight buildings and build three new ones. The bond issue would raise $33 million, the district's share of an estimated $90 million construction project. If passed, the Ohio Facilities Commission would give the district $57 million toward the project. The meeting is open to the public. NORTH COLLEGE HILL NCH school building plans on course Hilltop Press, 1/13/07 The North College Hill City School District school board is close to hiring an architect to design three new buildings. The board will have a special meeting Jan. 25 to interview representatives of the two firms being considered. The interviews will follow visits to the proposed building site. Superintendent Gary Gellert said the two firms in the running are Cole Russell/Fanning-Howey and SFA. Gellert said the district should know by late summer its eligibility status for money from the Ohio Schools Facilities Commission. The state would provide 62 percent of the total building project costs. Early estimates put the cost of building the three new schools and renovations at the high school at about $41 million. ST BERNARD City to discuss park removal Cincinnati Enquirer, 1/9/07 St. Bernard residents can weigh in Thursday on the city's plan to take out a park and replace it with three or four new houses. The park, at Bertus Street and Park Place near St. Clement School, has become a problem for the city because it attracts people from outside St. Bernard - people who, Mayor John Estep says, leave the place a mess. He already had the basketball hoops taken down to cut down on traffic in the park. The new houses would be a continuation of the Angels Way subdivision, houses of $200,000 and up on the former Our Lady of Angels High School property. "I think you either make dust or eat dust," Estep said. SHARONVILLE Sharonville may decide Jan. 30 whether to study Fields Ertel Road Tri-County Press, 1/12/07 Council members may vote on whether or not the city will study improvements for Fields Ertel Road at Sharonville council's next meeting on Jan. 30. Sharonville would pay $52,000 of a total $275,000 for a study of a 2.7-mile stretch of Fields Ertel Road, one mile of which lies within Sharonville borders. The study will take about one year, and will include a conceptual plan and cost estimates. Other parts of the road are in Butler County, Symmes Township, Sycamore Township and Warren County. Hamilton County engineers are also involved. SOUTHGATE Council to consider apartments at meeting Cincinnati Enquirer, 1/12/07 Southgate City Council will hold a special meeting Tuesday night regarding a controversial proposed apartment complex on Moock Road. The developer, Herman & Kittle Properties of Indianapolis, wants to build 230 apartments in nine buildings at Moock Road and U.S. 27. This has drawn the ire of residents who say such a large complex will overburden the road with traffic and water runoff. Residents were further angered that the developer will rent some of the apartments at a slightly reduced rate so the complex can qualify for tax credits. Mayor Jim Hamberg said the meeting is to allow council members to ask questions of county planning and zoning director Peter Klear about Campbell County Planning Commission's approval of a stage 1 development plan for the complex. SPRINGDALE Clarke Custom Builders has purchased 940 Castro Ln in Heritage Hill for a relatively cheap price. The house, built in 1960, might be torn down for an infill project. SYCAMORE TWP Sycamore Twp. planning new park, community center in '07 Northeast Suburban Life, 1/10/07 With a new year in full swing, township officials are planning the next 12 months of construction, maintenance and improvement projects. Township Administrator Rob Molloy said Sycamore has two new major projects set for 2007: enhancements to the Interstate 71 interchange off of Montgomery Road and a new park on the east side of Deerfield Road south of Kemper Road. These projects are joined by the township's continued efforts to build a new community center. Work on the interchange is about 50 percent done, with workers still finishing some of the landscaping. Molloy said the $225,000 project is meant to clean up the entrance into "one of the premiere shopping areas in the Greater Cincinnati area." SYMMES TWP Northstar Vineyard Community Church has purchased 8.3 acres along the 9700 block of Union Cemetery Rd. This may be the future site of a church/worship center. The property currently contains a home built in 1952. WINDOWS LIVE LOCAL BIRD'S EYE VIEW (Property in middle with detached two-car garage) SYMMES TWP Symmes writing plan for its future Cincinnati Enquirer, 1/8/07 This built-up suburb has more than 14,400 residents, 500 large and small businesses, and sits near busy Interstate 71 and Fields Ertel and Montgomery roads in far northeast Hamilton County. That's why the township needs a far-reaching, forward-thinking master plan, said Township Trustee President Eric Minamyer. He'll meet with an all-volunteer committee of residents Wednesday to start the process. "The goal is to have a document which spells out, in a certain amount of detail, the plans of the township like a business plan," he said. "If we're planning parks it will say 'We'll buy land X when it comes available.' It will have benchmarks and broad topic goals and objectives in place so that somebody who comes in newly elected knows where we stand." This will be Symmes' first comprehensive master planning document. Officials hope to have it finished by the end of this year. What topics the plan will cover have not been spelled out, though it will likely project township business, residential and infrastructure needs for the next 15 to 20 years. UNION TWP (Clermont County) Union Township Trustees waiting for firehouse designs Clermont Sun, 1/11/06 The Union Township board of trustees will have to wait a little longer to make a decision as to the design of a new fire house. The new station, which will be located on Bach-Buxton Road, is currently in the design stage, but a strong dose of winter illness has delayed that process for the near future. "Unfortunately, we have not received a report on the review of the bids from the independent contractor," said Union Township Fire Chief Stan Deimling. "Apparently, this is due to widespread illness within that company. I don't have an indication at this point when we will receive that report. The board may want to set a special meeting to award that contract based on when we get it. I'll keep the board informed of the status of this." The trustees agreed to plan either a special meeting or incorporation of the process into their next regular meeting depending on when the plans are submitted to the township. WYOMING City seeks public input on future projects Tri-County Press, 1/7/07 When Harrison West was serving in the U.S. Army in Frankfurt, Germany, during World War II he happened upon the Palmengarten Solarium, a place he describes as teeming with little pools of water, fountains and flora. "It blew my mind. It was like having lunch in the Kron Conservatory," said the retired mechanical design engineer. The Palmengarten inspired him to design and construct a model of a partially-glassed-in atrium expansion for the Wyoming Civic Center. West now wants to share his idea to revitalize the Wyoming Civic Center with the city. West, who says a revitalization of the center is long overdue, calls the civic center a "cornerstone of the city."

From ThisWeek Olentangy, 12/14/06: Parkway plans continue as residents protest Thursday, December 14, 2006 By KELLEY YOUMAN TRUXALL ThisWeek Staff Writer The Delaware County Engineer's office last week released new details on the $47.5-million Sawmill Parkway extension, but at least one resident group remains opposed to the project. During an open house Dec. 6, Delaware County Engineer Chris Bauserman said without the extension, the county's road network will become more crowded. "This area north of Home Road is going to develop and if we don't build Sawmill Parkway ... We're putting traffic from future developments onto our existing road network that cannot handle it," Bauserman said. "Think about the impact on Home Road and on Liberty Road and Powell Road in downtown Powell at the 'four corners,' what that would be like (if the parkway weren't built). I think we'd all agree that that would be chaos." Full story at http://www.thisweeknews.com/index.php?sec=powell&story=sites/thisweeknews/121406/Powell/News/121406-News-279396.html

From ThisWeek Delaware, 12/10/06: Parkway to include six roundabouts Construction for first section targeted for spring 2007 Sunday, December 10, 2006 By NATE ELLIS ThisWeek Staff Writer After officials recently modified plans to include intersection roundabouts, an estimated $47-million project to extend Sawmill Parkway north of Home Road is inching forward. For the past 18 months, officials from the Delaware County Engineer's Office and engineering and architectural firm Burgess & Niple have been planning the northward extension of Sawmill Parkway from its current terminus at the intersection of Home Road, to U.S. Route 42 in the city of Delaware. The most recent designs now call for the installation of roundabouts, rather than traffic signals, at six intersections created by the extension. The major portion of the project, including right-of-way acquisitions affecting about 50 properties and the majority of construction, won't be launched before 2008. As revealed to the public during an open house for the project last Wednesday at Liberty High School, the first phase of the six-mile extension is expected to begin once warm weather breaks next spring. Full story at http://www.thisweeknews.com/index.php?sec=delaware&story=sites/thisweeknews/121006/Delaware/News/121006-News-276220.html

From the 1/14/07 Newark Advocate: Ethanol worries Concerned neighbors of proposed plant asking questions, gathering facts By JEN SCHERER Advocate Reporter NEWARK -- People who live near a proposed ethanol plant in Newark want to know what kind of effects the facility will have on their health and safety. Though they've been researching and sharing information amongst themselves, most people still have more questions than answers. http://www.newarkadvocate.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070114/NEWS01/701140301/1002/rss01

From the 1/12/07 Coshocton Tribune: Ethanol plant construction 'to get real busy' By JOSHUA CHANEY Staff Writer COSHOCTON - The Coshocton Ethanol plant site is seeing major improvements, according to Jack Hamel, general manager of the facility. "Construction of the ethanol plant is well under way," he said. "It is anticipated that construction will continue through the summer months and that the plant will start up this fall." About 15 percent of work is finished, according to Hamel. There are currently about 75 construction employees on site, and the number of construction personnel will increase as the construction progresses. "It's going to get real busy this summer," he said. The plant currently has two full-time employees including Hamel and a construction site representative. http://www.coshoctontribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070112/NEWS01/701120303/1002/rss01

From the 1/4/07 Upper Sandusky Chief-Union: Ethanol plant plans for Carey in final stages By ALISSA PAOLELLA Staff writer CAREY - Plans for a new ethanol plant to be built near Carey currently are being finalized, and Renewable Energy Consultants' president Mark Bateman said the numbers look positive for the plant to be built this year. Ethanol production is a fairly new green energy. It drives economic development, adds value to agriculture and is a step toward energy independence. Ethanol is a green energy, burns clean and is a renewable resource. Ethanol is produced from crops such as grain and corn. Most gasoline currently is mixed with ethanol to burn cleaner fuel and save energy. Ethanol production is reaching new levels with more than 100 ethanol plants in the United States and more than 70 currently under construction. Bateman said the site in Carey was chosen because of the location of the railroad and highway access. "A rail is an absolute necessity to the plant," he said. "The highway will facilitate the movement of trucks in and out. We're not 100 percent sure that we are building (a plant) yet. We're still looking at the numbers and we believe them to be positive."

From ThisWeek Licking County, 12/31/06: Doctor forming group to challenge E85 plant Sunday, December 31, 2006 By LORI WINCE ThisWeek Staff Writer Residents of the Park Trails subdivision on Newark's west side are organizing against a proposed ethanol plant that could be built near their homes. "There are different things we're concerned about," said Park Trails resident Dr. William Knobeloch. "It's one-and-a-half miles from a heavily populated area, being Park Trails, with several hundred homes. ... There are a large number of children in that neighborhood." http://www.thisweeknews.com/index.php?sec=lickingcounty&story=sites/thisweeknews/123106/LickingCounty/News/123106-News-286158.html

From the 12/30/06 Marion Star: Re-zoning pitch targets area northwest of city Industrial classification request includes ethanol plant wording By KURT MOORE The Marion Star MARION - The Marion County Regional Planning Commission will consider re-zoning an agricultural site at a Jan. 3 meeting. While the re-zoning is necessary for a potential ethanol plant, Planning Director Ken Lengieza said it could also make Marion attractive for larger industries seeking to locate in Ohio. http://www.marionstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061230/NEWS01/612300313/1002/rss01

From the 12/20/06 Coshocton Tribune: Coshocton Ethanol gets state loan for substation By KATHIE DICKERSON Staff Writer COSHOCTON - The ethanol project in Coshocton County has received another incentive from the state to ensure the creation of 41 new full-time positions in the county. The State Controlling Board approved a $1.8 million loan this week for Coshocton Ethanol, LLC, to aid in the expansion of current operations. A subsidiary of California-based Altra, Inc., Coshocton Ethanol began construction of a new facility in July and will produce about 60 million gallons of ethanol per year when completed in September 2007. The funds will be used to construct an electric substation and transmission lines to serve the plant, said Joe Robertson, interim director of the Coshocton City/County Port Authority. About 70 people are currently working construction at the future home of the ethanol plant located about four miles south of downtown Coshocton off County Road 271 in Franklin Township, Robertson said. Plans are nearly finalized by the city of Coshocton to make an application for a permit to install an 8-inch force main line to the ethanol plant with funds from an Ohio Water Development Authority Local Economic Development loan, said Jerry Stenner, city service director. MORE: http://www.coshoctontribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061220/NEWS01/612200304/1002/rss01

From the 12/14/06 Newark Advocate: Ethanol firm files application with state EPA Company won't know ruling for at least five months By MARK SZAKONYI Advocate Reporter NEWARK -- Newark came a step closer to bringing an ethanol plant to the city after the company proposing the facility filed an application Wednesday morning with the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. The city announced plans Tuesday for a $150 million ethanol plant on Thornwood Drive in the city's far West End. The plant is expected to employ between 40 and 50 workers and produce 100 million gallons of ethanol per year. http://www.newarkadvocate.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061214/NEWS01/612140323/1002/rss01

Both from the 12/13/06 Newark Advocate: Ethanol plant may locate in Newark Company considers $150 million facility in southwest corner By KENT MALLETT Advocate Reporter NEWARK -- The city's long search to attract new industry may have landed an ethanol plant to be located on Thornwood Drive in the city's far West End. E85 Inc., a Seattle-based company, has plans to invest $150 million to $175 million for a state-of-the-art plant on a 78.5-acre site in the city's southwest corner, according to a joint announcement Tuesday from the company and city officials. http://www.newarkadvocate.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061213/NEWS01/612130303/1002/rss01

From the 1/4/07 Enquirer: PHOTO: Principal Yevetta Harper welcomes students to the new Shroder High School on Wednesday, students' first day back from winter break. The Enquirer / Jennifer Mrozowski New school for the new year BY JENNIFER MROZOWSKI | [email protected] Principal Yevetta Harper said it wasn't unheard of to plug in a coffee pot and blow out a computer at the former Shroder Paideia High School building, but that shouldn't happen anymore. A new $15 million Shroder opened Wednesday on Duck Creek Road in Madisonville, along with the new Ethel M. Taylor Academy on Fricke Road in Millvale, as part of the district's $1 billion construction project. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070104/NEWS0102/701040345/1058/NEWS01

From the 1/2/07 Enquirer: Schools want to speed up projects Quick construction called a cost-saver BY JENNIFER MROZOWSKI | [email protected] Build it and they will come. At least, that's what Cincinnati Public Schools' officials hope. The district has accelerated its construction schedule for buildings that remain part of a $1 billion building project. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070102/NEWS0102/701020347/1058/NEWS01

From the 12/31/06 Enquirer: Carthage dismayed by looming loss of Paideia In the Schools BY JENNIFER MROZOWSKI | [email protected] Carthage residents have a motto for their neighborhood: "Deeply rooted. Planning to stay." That's why the community remains distraught over Cincinnati Public Schools' decision last month to stick with plans to close Carthage Paideia School. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061231/NEWS0102/612310373/1058/NEWS01

From CityBeat, 12/27/06: Artists in the Neighborhood New Clifton center to be major community resource By Margo Pierce When a school tax levy is on the ballot, supporters talk about how schools are important for the entire community, not just kids and their parents. In Clifton, residents without kids are playing a significant role in the design and planning for the new Fairview German Language School and breathing new life into the old Clifton School building. "People on our board, on the school planning team and in the community engagement don't have children," says Cindy Herrick, president of the Clifton Cultural Arts Center (CCAC) board. "Having the community learning center is important. It is a project that excites across age groups, whether you have kids or not, married or single. That's been one of the gratifying things for me." http://www.citybeat.com/2006-12-27/news.shtml

From the 12/14/06 Enquirer: New Kilgour a bow to the past BY JENNIFER MROZOWSKI | [email protected] MOUNT LOOKOUT - Architects tackling the Kilgour School renovation had a big challenge: refurbish and build an addition to the 84-year-old school while preserving its historic façade. Not an easy task. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061214/NEWS0102/612140381/1058/NEWS01

From the 12/13/06 Enquirer: Kilgour School groundbreaking today THE ENQUIRER Cincinnati Public Schools' officials will break ground for renovations at Kilgour School at 10 a.m. today. The $11.2 million building will include a 23,630-square-foot addition and a full renovation of the existing building for 450 students. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061213/NEWS0102/612130390/1058/NEWS01 From CityBeat, 12/13/06: Cutting Classes Lowering expectations for Cincinnati Public Schools' building plan By Margo Pierce Vanessa White is unhappy with the way the Cincinnati Board of Education went about deciding to close nine schools and eliminating thousands of seats from the district, but not because of the cuts -- it's the way they were made that bothers her. "I'm a huge advocate of the district, I believe in working for and with the system, so it's important to me to have as much information and understanding as possible," White says. "What I'm really commenting on is the process more than the solution. It's hard to accept the solution when I haven't been engaged in the process. There's never been an engagement process where there's been an exchange of information." http://www.citybeat.com/2006-12-13/news.shtml

From the 12/12/06 Enquirer: Students' move to similar or better school OK'd BY JENNIFER MROZOWSKI | [email protected] Cincinnati students who are forced to change public schools when their buildings are renovated, rebuilt or closed will no longer have to worry about transferring to a lower-performing school. Under a new guideline approved Monday by the Cincinnati Public Schools' Board of Education, redistricting resulting from the $1 billion construction project now will be linked to student achievement. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061212/NEWS0102/612120363/1058/NEWS01

From the 1/11/07 Blade: Dana notifies lenders of reduced credit line In a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing yesterday, Dana Corp. said it notified lenders this week that it will reduce its revolving credit line from $750 million to $650 million tomorrow. ---- More at: http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070111/BUSINESS03/70111011/-1/BUSINESS

From the 1/6/07 Blade: Dana asks for $200M in extra bankruptcy cash Dana Corp.’s bid for a $200 million increase in its bankruptcy financing comes as the Toledo auto-parts supplier struggles to bring in enough cash to keep the business running. The firm expects its cash availability to steadily decline over the next several months, and “ultimately become insufficient to sustain its ongoing operations,” said court papers filed this week in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Manhattan. ---- More at: http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070106/BUSINESS03/70106008/-1/BUSINESS