Cygnus

Seen on both sides of Race and Walnut streets between 14th and 15 streets:

From today's Weekly Construction Update: Streetcar T-Shirts Now Available! Portion of Proceeds to Support Streetcar Operations Looking for a way to support streetcar operations and look fashionable at the same time? Cincinnati Streetcar logo t-shirts are now available! Shirts are heather charcoal, 50/50 cotton/poly blend, with the new Cincinnati Streetcar logo in light gray. Men's and Ladies' sizes XS to XL are available for $20.00 (larger sizes also available at additional cost) through AllScreen. $10 in proceeds from the sale of each shirt will be donated to support streetcar operations. Visit the Cincinnati Streetcar website for more information.

He has moved to the NE corner of 4th & Walnut.

With streetcar work now in the heart of the CBD, I'm a little concerned with the placement of the 5th & Walnut stop as seen under construction in the photo below. This busy stretch of sidewalk looks to become extremely narrow...

Business Courier coverage: It'll soon be easier to get Starbucks downtown

What will the city do to fix the Central Parkway bike lane? Chris Wetterich - Staff reporter and columnist - Cincinnati Business Courier Bad weather, bad driving and bad installation methods have led to 60 percent of the white bollards lining Central Parkway to mark its protected bike lane being toppled over the winter, but city officials say they have a way to fix the problem. The city's transportation department installed 500 bollards – they're basically short, white poles – along the bike lane last summer and about 300 have been toppled, broken or lost, said city transportation director Michael Moore. The bollards cost $50 each. The bike lane was the subject of discussion at Wednesday's council transportation committee, with Robin Imaging owner Bill Johnson telling council it is dangerous to bikers and drivers. Cont

Would Eastern Corridor money stay in Cincy? COLUMBUS – If the state were to cancel Eastern Corridor construction, money allocated for the transportation project could be spent anywhere in the state, under a bill that passed an Ohio Senate committee Wednesday. The $1 billion project, intended to make commutes across eastern Hamilton County and western Clermont County safer and less congested, has been caught up in decades of controversy and bureaucratic indecision. Most of the hand-wringing has centered on a $366 million plan to relocate Ohio 32 through Newtown and Mariemont, much to the dismay of area residents. The Ohio House this month passed a provision requiring the Ohio Department of Transportation to make a decision on the project by Dec. 31. If state officials were to cancel the Ohio 32 relocation, the House bill would have required them to spend the $9.8 million allocated for it elsewhere in Hamilton County. Cont

Oasis bike trail gets approval, but railroad may determine whether it's built Chris Wetterich - Staff reporter and columnist - Cincinnati Business Courier The Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority board voted to back the construction of a bike trail along the Oasis Rail Line, but a railroad company with some control over the route still has to be won over if the trail is ever going to be a reality. SORTA's board voted 12-1 for a resolution supporting the trail, clearing the way for Oasis bike trail supporters to finish raising the $4 million they believe will be necessary to build the trail and for Great Parks of Hamilton County to begin planning the route. But the Indiana & Ohio Railway Company and its parent company, Genesee & Wyoming Inc. continues to object to the plan and has considerable leverage. Cont

Sittenfeld disclosure months late; investigation likely P.G. Sittenfeld failed to file a required campaign finance disclosure until six months after it was due, The Enquirer discovered in a review of City Council-related records. Staff at the Hamilton County Board of Elections are reviewing the late filing and are likely to refer it to the Ohio Elections Commission for investigation. Penalties for the tardy disclosure could include fines of up to $18,200 – or up to $100 for every day the report was late. The Democratic Cincinnati councilman, who is running for U.S. Senate, raised $17,470 for his City Council campaign fund in the first six months of 2014. That's well above $10,000, the threshold at which Ohio law requires city candidates to disclose fundraising and spending in July of each year. Cont

Walked by today and doors were open for interior painting. In business by Opening Day?? City Forgives Part of Mahogany's Loan Cincinnati taxpayers will forgive nearly two-thirds of the $300,000 loan they gave Liz Rogers to open the failed Mahogany's restaurant under a deal announced Tuesday evening by City Manager Harry Black. The deal: * Restructures the loan repayment obligation to $100,000, which is to be repaid in monthly installments of $800. Rogers previously paid $16,131. That means the city is forgiving about $183,869, based on a February update provided by the city. * Calls for Rogers to relinquish her agreement with The Banks, her mortgage on the property in Hamilton where her first restaurant was located and her life insurance policies. "This represents the most realistic means for the city to recoup monies owed," Black wrote Tuesday in a memo to City Council. Cont

The biggest sign yet that Sittenfeld is in the Senate race to stay Chris Wetterich - Staff reporter and columnist - Cincinnati Business Courier When it comes to the race for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate, P.G. Sittenfeld isn't going anywhere. I'd heard the rumor that the Cincinnati Enquirer confirmed last week that the Cincinnati councilman had told Democrats across Ohio that he would get out of the U.S. Senate race if Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland got in. That rumor is one reason why political watchers across the state saw reporters write so many will-Sittenfeld-get-out stories attempting to get into his head and figure out what he's thinking taking on one of Ohio's two big Democratic kahunas. Cont

Task force says Cincinnati mayor has too much power Cincinnati voters wanted a “stronger mayor” when they amended the city’s charter in 2002, but did they wind up unintentionally making that position too strong? That’s one conclusion of a task force studying the charter – the city’s constitution – and proposing changes to it. A subcommittee of the citizen-led panel, presenting its findings on the mayor’s powers Thursday, detailed what one member called the “extraordinary power” the mayor has acquired. Cont

I can't believe its taken them this long to do this!

Cranley: Halt brewery crackdown Cincinnati's brewery renaissance has meant more than good beer – it's also potentially polluting area waterways. A plan by the Metropolitan Sewer District to crack down on brewery operators and charge them extra for their wastewater has upset brewers so much Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley is calling for the city to delay implementing the surcharge. Specifically, Cranley wants the city officials to examine the methodology used by the Metropolitan Sewer District to determine the amount of the surcharge. Cont

SE corner - Google Maps view:

There has been ongoing interior demolition over the past few weeks.

Interior demolition in progress at the old Ollie's Trolley No. 97 (corner of Race & Liberty).

Where? There is already one 1/2 a block away in the 580 Building.

Vice Mayor Mann: End streetcar secrecy As Cincinnati City Council prepares to help pick the company that will operate the streetcar, Vice Mayor David Mann is demanding transparency – which he says is lacking from the regional transit authority. The Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority, in charge of overseeing streetcar operations, is in the process of receiving proposals from private firms interested in running the system daily. SORTA will score applicants on four criteria: price, quality of the applicant, staffing and technical quality. But instead of presenting all the information to City Council – which is tasked with signing off on the company chosen – SORTA plans only to present the two highest-scoring applicants and their cost proposals, Mann said. Cont

Should streetcar operator details be public? As Cincinnati City Council prepares to pick the company that will operate the streetcar, Councilman David Mann is demanding transparency – which is lacking right now. The Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority, which is in charge of running the streetcar, will score applicants on four criteria: price, quality of the applicant, staffing and technical quality. But instead of presenting all the information to Cincinnati City Council – which is tasked with choosing the company – the SORTA plans only to present the two highest scoring applicants and the cost. "I reject the appropriateness of this kind of secrecy when an elected body exercises its oversight responsibilities," Mann wrote in a statement attached the motion. "Nor can it be defended when such enormous levels of public funds are being spent. Early attention and a report by the administration is vital." Cont

Barrett: High-end grocer scouting Downtown spots There are companies with "serious" interest in developing a high-end grocery store Downtown, according to influential Cincinnati business leader John Barrett. Barrett, president and chief executive of Downtown-based Western & Southern Financial Group, said Tuesday he met with people last week who want to develop a store that also sells prepared foods in a Downtown building. He said the independent store could operate in a footprint more commonly found in dense urban areas. Barrett was among several speakers at an event for REDI Cincinnati, a regional economic development organization, celebrating Greater Cincinnati's momentum in securing highly coveted private sector investments. Cont

They were removing these polls at lunch...

Yesterday my vantage point was of the north side of the building and it looked like they were framing for patio doors. Weather today permitted a visit and these now appear to be offices / conference rooms.

There is separation between the two buildings from the ground up as seen in jwulsin[/member]'s photo below. I've just never read anywhere that the GE building would contain a floor of apartments. From this July 2014 Enquirer article:

The second floor of the GE building is currently being framed and it looks like it is part of the neighboring apartment building... Did I/am I missing something??