buildingcincinnati

Not from Nigeria, but from Russia! So you can trust it! From: [email protected] Sent: Thursday, November 30, 2006 9:30 AM Subject: re-profile partnership Director Sir, I am Fyodor Boris, I represent a top company executive in Russia. I have a very sensitive and private brief from this top executive to ask for your partnership to re-profile funds over 50 Million euro. I will give the details, but in summary, the funds are coming via a bank in Western Europe, and this is a legitimate transaction. You will be paid 8% for your "management fees", if I am able to reach terms with you. If you are interested, please write me back by email and provide me with your telephone number, and private email address and I will provide further details. Please keep this close to your chest as much as possible; we can not afford any political problems. Write me back. I look forward to it. Regards, Mr. Fyodor.

From the AP, 11/21/06: Ohio could be alternative-energy leader Seize the moment, experts at summit urge Tuesday, November 21, 2006 Julie Carr Smyth ASSOCIATED PRESS Ohio could lead the nation in alternative energy production if the next governor takes the proper steps, experts said yesterday during a summit on the issue. "Right now, there’s an opportunity to position Ohio uniquely in the country, perhaps in the world, because all the working parts that one needs to launch a new industry are in place," said Benson P. Lee, chief executive of fuel-cell developer Technology Management Inc. Lee said Gov.-elect Ted Strickland, who backed alternative energy on the campaign trail, needs to act aggressively to take advantage of a moment in time. "We’ve got many forces aligned in the same direction which mutually enhance each other," Lee said. "You’ve got the ability to burn biomass — clean, renewable fuels, the higher efficiencies, the tremendous pressure to become independent of imported oil and consumption of fossil fuels. All of those planets are lining up." Gov. Bob Taft concurred, telling about 250 participants in the Ohio Renewable Energy Summit that he has urged the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio and the legislature to continue their progress on the issue beyond Dec. 31. He will say the same to Strickland when the two meet to discuss the new administration, Taft said. Full article at http://www.dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/11/21/20061121-D5-01.html

From the 11/20/06 Blade: RENEWABLE ENERGY East Toledo in running for wind power lab Facility would test turbine blades By TOM HENRY BLADE STAFF WRITER America's first laboratory for testing offshore wind turbine blades would be built in East Toledo and begin operating along the Maumee River shoreline by mid-2009 if a contingent of northern Ohio academic, business, and government officials gets its way. The Ohio site is one of six nationally in the running for the $11.5 million U.S. Department of Energy project, which could create dozens of spinoff jobs by attracting manufacturers and parts suppliers for the booming wind power industry. "It's the chance to get in on the ground floor of an industry that's going to be big. It's going to be a giant," Jason Cotrell predicted. Mr. Cotrell is a senior engineer and chief project spokesman for the Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Boulder, Colo., where land-based turbine blades of 50 meters or less (164.05 feet or less) undergo weight-bearing stress tests and other experiments. The Energy Department needs a separate facility to test much longer blades used on offshore wind turbines - 50 to 100 meters long (164.05 to 328.01 feet) - that could be installed along the Great Lakes or America's coastlines in the coming years. Known as a wind turbine generator blade structural test facility, this lab would research the strength, flexibility, durability, and ice resistance of blades that manufacturers hope to sell on the U.S. market. Full article at http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061120/NEWS06/611200351/-1/NEWS

From the 11/19/06 PD: Renewable Energy Summit hopes to advance Ohio resources Sunday, November 19, 2006 John Funk, Plain Dealer Reporter If it's renewable and it can be turned into energy, it ought to be developed or grown or manufactured in Ohio. That's the theme of the Ohio Renewable Energy Summit Monday at Ohio State University's Fawcett Center. Sponsored by the Buckeye Renewable Fuels Association, the conference parallels a national campaign that began as an agricultural movement two years ago in Texas. That movement has mushroomed into a coalition of more than 300 groups, from environmentalists to agricultural and forestry groups, from municipalities to governors, from state lawmakers to bipartisan congressional resolutions. The coalition's goal is that by the year 2025, 25 percent of the energy used in the nation, whether electricity or gas or motor fuel, comes from renewable resources. The coalition, which calls itself 25x'25, has organized state chapters, sponsored studies, issued news releases and created a Web site (25x25.org) to build support for fuels derived from crops or agricultural wastes, solar power and wind power. Full article at http://www.cleveland.com/business/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/business/1163844210251970.xml&coll=2

From the 11/14/06 PD: Group asks the state to help propel wind energy Environmentalists urge incentives, mandates Tuesday, November 14, 2006 John C. Kuehner, Plain Dealer Reporter Turbines harnessing winds blowing across Lake Erie and Ohio's high ground could also power the way for thousands of jobs in the state. An investment in wind energy could create more than 10,000 manufacturing jobs, according to a report released Monday by Environment Ohio. The group, an advocate for clean-energy programs in the state, urged lawmakers to foster an environment that will create jobs in the wind industry. In the next decade, Ohio could get 10 percent of its electricity from wind, the equivalent of powering more than 1 million homes, according to the report. Dozens of Ohio companies already manufacture parts for the wind industry. The state could help through tax incentives or low-interest loans, the report said. It also could mandate that a percentage of power companies' electricity come from renewable sources - something that 21 other states already require. Full article at http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/1163496881106270.xml&coll=2

Wow...I haven't posted in here in a while. It's going to take some time to catch up. Some of these projects are a little dated, but worth noting. Model is doing major renovations to the following buildings: 21 W Thirteenth St (aka 1227 Republic, per auditor) Permits in route. This one is going to be a major undertaking. This building is next to a project they did at 31 W Thirteenth St. 537-539 E Thirteenth St Again, a major overhaul. These permits are also in route. I believe it is the smoke-singed one and the one to its right. It appears that some work is happening at 122 W Elder St. At least I think so. Meanwhile, 128 W Elder is still for sale for $105,000. That's a blight on the Findlay Market area that really needs to be cleaned up. (122 W Elder)

From the 12/7/06 Blade: READ ODOT's Environmental Assessment (PDF) ODOT told plans for ramp closings hurt West Toledo West Toledo neighborhoods near Sylvania, Berdan, and Upton avenues will be devastated if I-75 interchange ramps at Berdan are closed eight years from now as part of a state project to modernize the freeway's junction with I-475, residents said at an Ohio Department of Transportation hearing last night. "If they close down [the ramps at] Berdan Avenue, West Toledo will become an island," said Gus County, president of the Five Points Association, who predicted blight would settle in on the area. "Over a period of time, there's going to be a great cost to the businesses along Sylvania Avenue, and to the people who live in the neighborhood." ODOT officials offered no response to the audience of about 175 people that gathered in a classroom at the Toledo Technology Academy for the hour-long session, but said in interviews afterward that no new major issues had been introduced. More at: http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061207/NEWS11/612070364/-1/NEWS

From the 12/4/06 Blade: GRAPHIC: I-75/I-475 ramp changes (PDF) ODOT HEARING Highway ramp plan to undergo discussion Project would affect local traffic patterns By DAVID PATCH BLADE STAFF WRITER City councilman Frank Szollosi vowed in January to oppose any plan for rebuilding the I-75/I-475 interchange in central Toledo that includes eliminating ramps to or from local streets. He’s now hoping a new administration in Columbus is more receptive to that idea than the current one. An environmental assessment of the interchange project, prepared by an Ohio Department of Transportation consultant and adopted by the state in October, gives no consideration to maintaining both the full interchange at Willys Parkway and the half-interchange at Berdan Avenue on I-75, less than half a mile apart. More at: http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061204/NEWS11/61204008/-1/NEWS

From the 12/30/06 Hamilton JournalNews: Convention center to open in early 2007 By Matt Cunningham Staff Writer Saturday, December 30, 2006 Some time in January, it will be official: West Chester Twp. is getting a convention center. The Savannah at Chappell Crossing, a 42,000-square-foot event facility being built on Beckett Road south of Union Centre Boulevard, will have its official groundbreaking in late January or early February 2007, according to center director Pamela Shrout. Contact this reporter at (513) 755-5127 or [email protected] http://www.journal-news.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2006/12/30/hjn123006savannah.html

From the 12/7/06 Enquirer: RENDERING: An endowment campaign is being organized for West Chester's planned urban park and town square. Artist's rendering Envision (your name here) on clock tower BY JENNIFER BAKER | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER WEST CHESTER TWP. - It's hip to be square. That's the proposed slogan for an endowment campaign to start next year. It would raise money for West Chester Township's new gathering place: a $2.5 million town square and urban park with an 80-foot tall clock/bell tower. Construction on the 2-acre park along Union Centre Boulevard just west of Muhlhauser Road is to start in February or March and be complete in July - in time to host the annual Union Centre Boulevard Bash in August. E-mail [email protected] http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061207/NEWS01/612070362/1056/COL02

From ThisWeek New Albany, 12/7/06: A&F wins nod to rezone 40 acres Thursday, December 7, 2006 By GALE CADY WILLIAMS ThisWeek Staff Writer There were smiles all around Monday night after New Albany Planning Commission OK'd rezoning to clear the way for construction of the final piece of the Abercrombie & Fitch business campus. The local campus serves as corporate headquarters for the casual clothing retailer. The current 309 acres already houses several office and warehouse buildings. The 40-acre piece approved Monday marks the final section of what will now be the 349-acre site for the A&F campus. The new section lies at the northeast corner of a block formed by Kitzmiller Road, Central College Road, Evans Road and Smith's Mill Road that comprises the A&F campus. Contentious issues had apparently been resolved by the time of Monday's meeting. Attorney Ben Hale Jr., representing A&F, met with the nearby residents several times over the months and agreed to landscaping and visual screening that will satisfy them. It includes adding 6-foot mounds topped with 8-foot trees to hide the business campus from sight. Full article at http://www.thisweeknews.com/index.php?sec=newalbany&story=sites/thisweeknews/120706/NewAlbany/News/120706-News-274465.html

From ThisWeek Hilliard, 12/21/06: Erickson proposals tabled until P&Z meeting on Jan. 11 City staff, developer request more time to work on plan details Thursday, December 21, 2006 By JEFF DONAHUE ThisWeek Staff Writer Members of the Hilliard Planning & Zoning Commission voted unanimously Thursday night to table two cases related to the proposed Erickson at Ansmil retirement community until the commission's Jan. 11 meeting. Erickson representatives made a one-hour presentation during Thursday night's meeting and answered questions from commission members. He then asked that the cases be tabled until Jan. 11 in order to work out details of the plan with city staff. Read more at http://www.thisweeknews.com/index.php?sec=hilliard&story=sites/thisweeknews/122106/Hilliard/News/122106-News-281707.html

From the 12/10/06 Dispatch: Retirement community has skeptics in Hilliard, too Dublin refused company’s request to build Sunday, December 10, 2006 Dean Narciso THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Hilliard officials have similar reservations about a proposed retirement community that Dublin leaders rejected. Hilliard Mayor Donald Schonhardt said he’s willing to listen to the pitch by Erickson Retirement Communities, which wants to open a retirement campus on 75 acres along Britton Parkway. But he said property taxes for Hilliard schools must be protected. Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/12/10/20061210-C4-00.html

From ThisWeek Hilliard, 12/7/06: Commission to hear Erickson requests Dec. 14 Two planning and zoning meetings set for mid-December Thursday, December 7, 2006 By JEFF DONAHUE ThisWeek Staff Writer Representatives of Erickson Retirement Community are scheduled to appear before the Hilliard Planning & Zoning Commission Dec. 14 with a pair of requests related to the company's proposed 80-acre Hilliard retirement community. Commission members will meet twice this month. The first meeting will take place at 7 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 14. The second will be held at 6 p.m., Monday, Dec. 18. Both meetings will take place in council chambers of the Hilliard Municipal Building, 3800 Municipal Way. Read more at http://www.thisweeknews.com/index.php?sec=hilliard&story=sites/thisweeknews/120706/Hilliard/News/120706-News-273266.html

From the 12/21/06 Enquirer: Cincinnati Enquirer: 1,300 new homes planned in Union project (12/15/06) Some speak out about planned Union subdivision BY ANDREA REMKE | [email protected] Several county residents spoke in opposition to a proposed subdivision that would bring 1,300 new homes to the Union area. The Boone County Planning Commission held a public hearing Wednesday night regarding a zone change for the proposed development of Autumn Woods - an approximate 1,300-home subdivision to be built by Arlinghaus Builders and Fischer Homes. The site is on 345 acres on the south side of Longbranch Road, north of Hathaway Road. Read more here: http://news.nky.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20061221/NEWS0103/612210389 From the 12/12/06 Boone Community Recorder: Union seeks to develop downtown BY PAUL MCKIBBEN | COMMUNITY RECORDER STAFF WRITER UNION - The city of Union is looking to design its new downtown business district before developers have their say. The Union City Commission on Dec. 11 approved spending $20,000 for the Boone County Planning Commission to hire a consultant to create materials about the business district's future. "Basically, what we're looking for is a detailed plan of the downtown ... (and) basically look for a developer to build what we want in downtown instead of just waiting for a developer to come in," said Dave Geohegan, director of planning services with the planning commission. Read more here: http://news.communitypress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061212/NEWS01/612120365/1064/Local From the 12/10/06 Enquirer: RENDERING: A computer rendering of Harmony, a residential project under construction by Drees Homes in Union. SUBMITTED DREES HOMES BEGINS WORK ON SUBDIVISION UNION - Drees Homes has begun development on a huge subdivision, three years in the making, that will initially include 496 homes. The Fort Mitchell-based homebuilder is paving streets at Harmony, the first phase of a major development that's part of the Union Town Plan. BURLINGTON - Fischer Homes, one of the region's largest home builders, plans to begin construction next spring on 290 condos. The Paragon Mill subdivision will include condos with two separate floor plans to be built off Burgundy Hill Drive near Ky. 18. Read more here: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061210/BIZ01/612100357/1076/BIZ

Cincy Mills among firm's worst performers Non-anchor sales less than half national average amid remodeling BY MIKE BOYER | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER Cincinnati Mills is among the weakest performers among shopping center operator Mills Corp.'s properties, the struggling Chevy Chase, Md., company disclosed in a government filing. Mills, which is for sale in the midst of an accounting scandal, was required by the New York Stock Exchange to disclose some operating data as a condition for continuing to trade on the exchange. Mills reported that gross sales, excluding anchors, at Cincinnati Mills, its Pittsburgh Mills and Columbus City Center malls was a combined $166 a square foot for the 12 months ended Sept. 30. That was up from $134 a square foot in the same period a year ago. But both figures are less than half the average for most enclosed U.S. shopping malls, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers. Through September, this year, the ICSC says the average sale for non-anchors was $415 a square foot. For all of 2005, the ICSC says the average was $392 per square foot. Read full article here: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061207/BIZ01/612070323/1001/BIZ

From the 12/8/06 Pomeroy Daily Sentinel: Excavation continues at bridge approach By Beth Sergent Friday, December 8, 2006 10:16 PM EST POMEROY — Although the construction crew at the new Pomeroy-Mason Bridge site has been reduced in anticipation of the equipment that will eventually bridge the two towers, excavation work at the Pomeroy approach continues in anticipation of the decorative retaining wall. So far 285,000 cubic yards of earth have been moved at the site. The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) anticipates that when all is said and done at the approach 330,000 cubic yards of earth will have been moved to make way for not only the approach but the decorative retaining wall. http://www.mydailysentinel.com/articles/2006/12/08/news/local_news/news02.txt

From the 12/6/06 Pomeroy Daily Sentinel: Reduced crew on new Pomeroy-Mason Bridge site By Beth Sergent Wednesday, December 6, 2006 5:25 PM EST POMEROY -Motorists may've noticed a smaller work crew on the construction site of the new Pomeroy-Mason Bridge replacement project though the Ohio Department of Transportation says work remains ongoing in anticipation of a newly designed “form traveler.” A form traveler is a portable framework used to support the newly poured concrete during construction between the towers. The original form traveler that was to be used in the construction of the new Pomeroy-Mason Bridge was recently used on a a bridge in Puerto Rico where work was temporarily halted because the form traveler failed. http://www.mydailysentinel.com/articles/2006/12/06/news/local_news/news00.txt

From Northland News, 12/20/06: NABA leaders want to build on successful '06 By JENNIFER WRAY The Northland Area Business Association celebrated its accomplishments in 2006 and its goals for 2007 at its quarterly meeting Dec. 12. The NABA-161 Task Force started this year and has so far been successful in raising funds to cut grass along Dublin-Granville Road, said Dave Cooper, vice president of NABA, head of the task force and owner of the Ink Well. Moving forward, the task force will look for additional ways to collect funds for maintenance along the road, from Worthington to Ponderosa Drive. Such a mechanism could include the creation of a special-improvement district akin to the one established along Morse Road, he said. Full story at http://www.snponline.com/NEWS12-20/12-20_nnnabagoals.html

From ThisWeek Northland, 12/7/06: Northland groups to focus efforts on 161 Thursday, December 7, 2006 By RANDY NAVAROLI ThisWeek Staff Writer Now that the Morse Road special improvement district (SID) has been established, Northland leaders are ready to begin seriously exploring whether its possible to replicate the effort on state Route 161. In a Nov. 30 letter to city officials, Northland Alliance officials announced they are launching an initiative to redirect their energy toward enhancing and developing the economy of the Route 161 corridor in Northland. Full story at http://www.thisweeknews.com/index.php?sec=northland&story=sites/thisweeknews/120706/Northland/News/120706-News-274412.html

From the 12/3/06 Dispatch: GRAPHIC: Northland's comeback NORTHLAND AREA Morse Road gets face-lift, but Rt. 161 losing luster Sunday, December 03, 2006 Mark Ferenchik THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Morse Road has fresh pavement and new sidewalks, traffic lights and streetlights. A new median updates the Beatles-era street for the 21 st century. It’s a sign, say Mayor Michael B. Coleman and City Council President Matt Habash, that the future remains bright in the Northland neighborhood, an area they identified for improvements starting in the late 1990s. But neighborhood leaders remain concerned about the slow pace of redevelopment at the site of the former Northland Mall, shuttered four years ago and later demolished. Some say the city needs to do more to fight crime in the area. And they’re particularly worried that Rt. 161, the neighborhood’s other major east-west thoroughfare, is continuing to slide even as Morse Road gets a face-lift. Full story at http://www.dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/12/03/20061203-B1-04.html

From the AP, 1/4/06: Columbus cops shoot, kill suspect THE ASSOCIATED PRESS COLUMBUS – A man suspected of trying to rob a drugstore was shot and killed by police early Thursday during a confrontation at an intersection, a police spokesman said. The suspect was carrying an assault rifle, but it was not immediately clear whether he fired it at any of the four officers at the scene, Sgt. Kevin Corcoran said. The officers were not hurt. All four shot at the suspect, said Corcoran, who could not provide other details of the confrontation. The man, who’s name was not released because his family hadn’t been notified, was pronounced dead at 2 a.m., about 30 minutes after police received a call from a CVS pharmacy reporting a robbery attempt. A man handed a note to a CVS employee demanding all the pharmacy’s OxyContin but fled the drugstore without being given any of the prescription painkiller, Corcoran said. No one at the store was hurt, said Corcoran, who didn’t know how many employees or customers were there. MORE: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070104/NEWS01/301040008

From the 1/1/07 Dispatch: Lower homicide rate in 2006 still means 102 died Monday, January 01, 2007 Theodore Decker THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Homicides in Ohio’s other big cities jumped last year, but slayings in Columbus ebbed slightly. Columbus police say 2006 ended with 102 killings, two fewer than in 2005. There were 88 in 2004. Lt. James S. Schrader, a homicide squad supervisor, said the unit had feared that 2006 would surpass the previous year’s surge, but the slayings slowed as the year ended. Meanwhile, killings in Cleveland and Cincinnati soared. Homicides in Cincinnati topped its 2005 total of 79 by early December. By yesterday, the number had risen to 85, the most victims since police started keeping reliable records in 1950. Cleveland homicides have risen from 78 in 2004 to 109 in 2005 to, as of Saturday, 119 in 2006, the deadliest year in a decade, according to FBI and local statistics. Full story at http://www.dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2007/01/01/20070101-A1-03.html

From the 12/16/06 Dispatch: PHOTO: A fingerprint is scanned, then compared with those in the Franklin County database. Device takes suspects’ fingerprints in the field Police can quickly search database, skip trip Downtown Sunday, December 17, 2006 Matt Zapotosky THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Taking suspects Downtown for fingerprinting might become a thing of the past for Columbus police officers. Nineteen Columbus precincts and one covert unit will each receive a handheld device this week that can take suspects’ fingerprints on the spot and compare them with prints in a Franklin County database. If a suspect has been arrested previously by police in Columbus, Grove City, Upper Arlington or Dublin or by Franklin County deputy sheriffs, his or her prints will be in the database. Full story at http://www.dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/12/17/20061217-C1-04.html

From the 12/7/06 Dispatch: 3 police officers named in Taser case Thursday, December 07, 2006 Three Columbus police officers fought with a man who died Sunday night after they say he resisted arrest inside a Downtown hotel. Police released the names of those officers yesterday: Christopher Bailey, Matthew Deerwester and Steve Simmons. They were called to the Columbus, a Renaissance Hotel, 50 N. 3 rd St., on the night that Briant K. Parks died. The officers were responding to a report that an unruly bar patron had attacked a security guard at Bar 41 in the hotel lobby, police said. Full story at http://www.dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/12/07/20061207-D6-04.html