TraderJake

Ruwe's Oak, while a completely different topic, is disgusting (No offense to the person who lives there). I can't believe that it, if it doesn't already, connects with Wesselman in Miami Township. Talk about a lot of houses. That's "progress" for you. At least residents will be less likely to complain about turning left in the AM peak once the relocation is finished. Too bad it likely will still be a bear turning left or right out of Ruwe's Oak during the PM peak. Unfortunately, Miami Township, and possibly Green Township north of 74 and West of Cheviot will be completely different 10 years down the world. Regarding Legacy Place, I'm still looking forward to see what Mr. Silverman views as nice through the eyes of a West Sider. I also hope he realizes that the affluent residents of the West Side, and they do exist, have no problem driving to Rookwood or Kenwood. If this project intends to capture some of those customers, then it probably should have some of the same stores, but for some reason I doubt it will. Instead, I believe that we'll see something horrible like Bridgewater Falls with lots of empty space several years after build and a huge traffic generator. Thank god for "progress".

Regarding the interchange: The interchange project is a two phase project, planned to be finished by the end of 2008. Phase 1, which is occurring right now, is the relaignment of Rybolt Road. This road will be realigned to intersect Harrison where Hearne Road currently intersects, and Hearne will be realigned to intersect New Rybolt Road. The path of New Rybolt road will follow the path that has been recently cleared, and the new roadway will be a four lane facility. Traffic lights will be installed / reconfigured at New Rybolt & Old Rybolt and New Rybolt and Harrison Avenue. Additionally, a rather long right turn lane will be installed for southbound Harrison Avenue motorists wishing to turn right. This right turn lane should allow for a continuous right turn with caution. Phase 2 of the interchange project is everything south of New Rybolt Road. The off ramp from EB I-74 will be dramatically extended. Old Rybolt Road Between the offramp and Harrison will be restriped for One-Way traffic, and a second left turn lane will be striped. Additionally, I believe the right turn from the off ramp to Old Rybolt will be improved. The off ramp from WB I-74 is recommended to be widened to allow for a right turn and two left turn lanes. The left turn lane onto EB I-74 from SB Harrison will be extended under the bridge (yes, it will be a very tight fit). A right turn lane will be created for NB Harrison drivers turning onto EB I-74. Lastly, the On Ramp onto WB I-74 will be widened for two lanes, one of which will end after I believe 1000 feet. Hope that gives you an idea about what's happening in the next two years around Harrison and Rybolt. Currently the roadway equipment you see around the interchange is for the resurfacing project for I-74.

What an amazing article. I know some of the generalizations are not perfect (Example: West Siders today tend to be the sons and daughters of Blue Collar Workers), but I thought that he painted one very good picture of Cincinnati and how it ticks.

Personally I don't like the idea of semesters, however, luckily for me I graduate in 2008, and from my experiences with the University I doubt they'll have semesters up and running anytime soon in the non-Law, non-Medicine campus. This argument seems two sided, and I tend to believe that this is a very partisan issue between those who co-op and those who don't. From the "I coop" front, there should be worries about the future of how the coop system operates under a semester. Certainly it would not be nice if every Civil Engineer, Architect, Planner, (INSERT REQUIRED COOP MAJOR HERE). Such a move would make a lot more people be out there on the market looking for coop. So, is UC going to require coop over semesters? Currently co-ops are required to work 6 quarters, is that going to be made to be 3 semesters? That would equate to 11 semesters of undergraduate education, provided students are not required to go to school during the summer (which I am sure there would be some sort of summer school requirement for everyone if semesters were instilled). The truth of the matter is that co-op works really well in the quarter system. It gives employers the opportunity to have a coop during times when school is traditionally in session, and gives the student the opportunity to compete for jobs when most people are not. From the "I don't coop" group, there are internships and opportunities that arise starting in May and end in August, but unfortunately for them they must go to school until June. Even worse, while their friends from [insert School Name Here] who go to school on semesters are finished in May, they must continue in their studies while they are having fun, and to add salt to the wounds their friends must go back to school in August, leaving them without friends to hang out with up until school starts up in September. There are arguments to be made on both sides of the issue. Personally for me, I think the coop/school system works really well for me, the civil engineering student. I also get to enjoy the fact that summer quarter is expoentially more laid back than the other three quarters, and there are very little people on campus during the summer. It's nice to be able to go to Subway and not wait in a huge line. Those are my perspectives though from my experiences, and I am sure that someone in CCM or A&S might have a starkly different perspective. That is to be expected though, as their opinions were shaped by their experiences, not mine. It will be interesting to see what UC does, and I just hope it works for everyone. UC has a great thing going with their Professional Practice Program, and it would be a shame to see it really screwed up by a change to semesters.

I'd just like to point out that the slope and apartment complex you are inspecting have a storied history as to why that slope is currently brush. This link has a picture of the same hill right after a major landslide occurred during the 1950s. It would be wise, while determining that climb up the hill, to also take in to account that the hill is extremely slide prone, and if built on would more than likely need some serious stabilization work. I'm not saying that it would necessarily be impossible to place a track on that hill, but it could be quite an engineering challenge, and could be deemed impractical.

No missing posts, but here is some proof that X-Flight is indeed being moved to Kings Island: Photos of X-Flight Arriving at PKI Photo of Clearing for X-Flight at PKI Indirectly Confirmed from the Horse's Mouth (very respected individual in the enthusiast community, he knows what he is talking about.)

It is Geauga Lake's X-Flight, the flying rollercoaster that was originally supposed to come to Paramount's Kings Island but after seeing the issues Stealth had nixed its agreement with Vekoma to manufacturer the ride at PKI. Funny how it is now coming to the Island under its new owners.

That's cool, I just had a feeling the gritty look was purposeful. Is the new site going to stick with the Babylon Theme (I think this is Babylon, I use YaBB Grey) for the forum?

Nice use of Joomla. The site looks really nice, though it has a very gritty color pallette. Perhaps that is purposeful. For the record, I do like the color pallette, just found it funny that it reminded me of grit. Perhaps with the new version of the site you guys could upgrade the forum to 1.1 Final (released 12/2)

Onstreet parking, without peak hour restrictions, is going to completely mess up traffic progression on US42. It's already terrible during rush hour, and street parking will only exacerbate the situation. The people complaining about the possible lack of on-street parking will be the same people that complain when they aren't able to get to their McMansions because US42 is clogged thanks to people parking on the street.

1) Munich 2) Frankfurt 3) Tokyo 4) London 5) Dublin

Fort Scott. 1000ish homes and condos methinks[2], retail at the intersection of SR 128 and New Haven Rd, Blue Rock Road Extension (New Baltimore By-pass. There is currently a sign on Colerain Avenue advertising it. Has the potential to double the population of the township. Given that the population of the township as of 2000 is 2748[1] Fort Scott could almost double Crosby Township's population, and how quickly would that change the voting habits and tendencies of the area. I am convinced that the winds of change are blowing in Crosby Township, it just might take 10 more years for the change to become evident. I just hope they keep Miami Whitewater Forest Pristine, and hell, why not extend the Shaker Trace. [1]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crosby_Township,_Hamilton_County,_Ohio [2]This article states 400 homes and 550 condos. Lots of people are going to be moving in.

The completion of Fernald is a great thing for Western Hamilton County, and will hopefully allow Crosby Township to move forward with something that can be touted, and not feared has it has been for so long. While Fernald will never be a radiation free zone in our lifetimes, or probably anyone's lifetimes for that matter, hopefully the lack of an uranium processing plant and a "natural wetland, prarie, etc" will eliminate fears of living around the site. It almost makes you weary though, now that this project is complete one can't help but wonder what the future of Crosby Township holds. Development is knocking on the township's front door, and I can't help but wonder if this declaration will pave the way for further development.

Oh, I am sure it will be, the structure has a gigantic shear wall to withstand lateral loadings (Wind, Earthquake) in addition to vertical loads. As for whether this structure will survive the next New Madrid, I am sure it will be, but you certainly will feel the earthquake all throughout the region. There is a wonderful figure in my Geology book about the intensity that would be felt if New Madrid ruptured and had a major earthquake-- for the region Cincinnati is in the 1811 New Madrid Earthquake caused a seismic intensity of 6-7. This intensity equates to on the low end, "Felt by all; many frightened and run outdoors. Some heavy furniture moved; a few instances of cracked plaster; unstable objects overturned. Disturbance of trees, poles, and other tall objects sometimes noticed. Pendulum clocks may stop," and on the higher end "Everybody runs outdoors. Damage negligible in buildings of good design and construction; slight to moderate in well built structures; considerable in poorly built or badly designed structures; some chimneys broken. Noticed by persons driving motor cars". Now you know what to expect should New Madrid rupture in our lifetimes. Quotes from Geology for Engineers and Environmental Scientists, 3rd Ed, Alan E. Kehew

I had the opportunity to be on a site tour of the Ascent Complex two weeks ago, and got to stand on the top floor under construction, which I believe at the time was Level 6 (got to include parking levels). Unfortunately, I don't have any photos, but here are some facts that I learned that don't have to do with reinforced concrete structure design: The columns of the building will change shape as they transitition from floor to floor. So, what is a round column on one floor may be a rectangular column on the next, and then may revert back to being circular. One of the more interesting things with this project is that the columns and the facade slant. You should be able to see that by now very clearly. Well, one thing that engineers have yet to figure out is how to clean the windows of the top floors, since they slant outwards. Here is one for engineers: None of the plans have dimensions on them, and dimensions are created as they transition from floor to floor. This oddity is attributed to the uniqueness of the design. As of two weeks ago, the structure was 30 percent built Thought some of you might find those factoids interesting.

Hmm, I drove past there two weeks ago and I don't believe they had any roads laid yet, but they were moving a lot of dirt, and I know they've been setting up the sewer system for quite some time. More importantly though, the Blue Rock extension has not been paved yet and while no one will be moving into homes in October I am sure that the trustees would rather that extension be completed sooner rather than later.

West of the Airport on I-275, there isn't much to see in Petersburg other than the Creation Museum, which is located at the last exit on 275 before entering Indiana via the Cropper Bridge. The town of Petersburg (I don't know if it is really incorporated or not) is an Ohio river town accessed via KY 20, situated between Lawrenceburg and Aurora, Indiana (on the other side of the river, of course) EDIT: Ugh, I accidently created a new post rather than editing the original, disregard the first one or delete if possible

So long as ODOT controls Glenway and subsequently Bridgetown, you will never see those roads get narrower anytime soon. That area is already a traffic nightmare (Glenway/Race from Lawrence to Harrision), so I would never see the public go for a narrower road there. Boy it will be interesting to see how they improve the intersection at Glenway and Bridgetown. Anyways back on topic, here's to a fun and spirited vote in the non-township zoning area of Green Township. A pity I live in another township that does its own zoning, but hey, our trustees are doing their darndest to anger the HCRPC and the major employer in the township.

Just to give you a hint of prices to come... Cedar Point/Geauga Lake Combo Pass: $130.00 I am sure it will be cheaper than that price in the short term but I wholly expect the price to be that much if not more during full season for any combo pass.

I always thought my swimsuits were priced reasonably. Especially at the end of the season when they get halved in price. We won't talk about the price of a locker rental though... :laugh: I would expect Cedar Fair to do some pricing changes for next year. Cedar Point is their flagship park, and it costs less to visit that park than it does to visit PKI, which will in all likelihood be KI by April of next year. I would also expect there to be one gimmick item that will be ridiculously cheap such as the cotton candy is cheap at CP. Maybe you'll even see all the stores and food stands open on a consistent basis, which is something that PKI doesn't like to do, as they would bend over backwards to save money by closing low performing stores and restaurants during the day to save labor. One thing is for certain though, there will be quite a few changes next year, and while the changes may not be as dramatic as Geauga Lake's transformation it still hopefully will be noticeable for the better.

The links to your photos are dead, UncleRando, but I was at the Pizza Hut in the pictured plaza last night and I saw that one of the new tenants is Aldi. BMV, K-Mart, and Aldi... now those are some high quality establishments to compete with Legacy Place. I also think that the "new" facade for Manchester Plaza looks really bad, but that is probably just me. I don't know if I like the idea of the TIF paying for the park, as a certain road will need major improvements down the road, and hopefully the TIF can finance that and the acquisition of the parkland.

How strange is it that Winterfest was cancelled the day after the first of many lawsuits were filed against Kings Island and its owner, Cedar Fair. Does it surprise me that Winterfest was cancelled? Not at all, the Merchandise department at KI has a rough enough time making a "reasonable" profit during the main season. But, to me it looks as though the announcement that Winterfest was cancelled was made more to get people to stop talking about how the park was being sued and to getthem to focus upon how sad it is that the nostalgic Winterfest is gone.

My name comes from the fact that for four years of my life I worked at Trader Jake's Seaside Supplies (or Mic's Seaside Supplies in 04) at PKI. It was rare for management to work in the same location for four years, so I got the monkier Trader Jake. Too bad I got out of PKI after being the last merchandise manager of WaterWorks and the first merchandise manager of Boomerrang Bay, but the name still sticks around.

I mentioned it ago and I'll mention it again, but if this is taken to a referendum than I only wonder how quickly plan B for this site will arise, one that can be built without a zoning change and one that will put lots of houses onto this site. I could be wrong about it, but I would be shocked if Silverman does not reveal a plan B if this goes to a referendum.

AMEN! I want to thank councilwoman Ghiz for what she is doing! Learn and Earn played dirty and bowed to the will of Penn National, and now I think they should pay. I can't help but wonder what the petition drivers were telling the the 60 year old couples that were signing the petition when I was out running at Miami Whitewater Forest. I always thought that western Hamilton County and Old People tended to be conservative in their views, so it was surprising to observe so many old people signing their petitions. They asked me to sign their petition, to which I asked if they were with Learn and Earn. They replied "yes", to which I remarked that I was pro gambling, anti Learn and Earn. I have no respect for an organization that plays as dirty and deceptive as Learn and Earn. Let's face it, right now Penn National can support the Learn and Earn campaign, but do you think they'd support a Cincinnati only ballot issue? I doubt it, and I think that they would lobby furiously against it along with all other Southeast Casino Operators and the catholic church. Don't want to dig in to their sources of revenue now would we? It is for this reason that I applaud Leslie Ghiz, and if it does make it to the November ballot I sorely hope it fails.