Michael L. Redmond

And I needed that happy hour to! Now its Tuesday and I am feeling much better. :-D

They fight everything, they fight the park, they fight residents who complained about crime coming out of their buildings, they fought the new owner of Shell so they could get a say in his design, they fight the chamber, they fight the redevelopment of streets like Hughes and a proposed Cityrama, they send out terrible public emails to people from the outside proposing ideas, they demonize 3CDC and Western Southern, they fight everything. This is more than a dissenting opinions, this is counter productivity. If you have a different opinion about something or someone, there are much better ways to do it than spewing venom. It makes us all look bad. Second to crime, our number one problem in OTR is the constant fighting, the Foundation is the first to say it yet they are the first to do it. Agreed, this is why I say they do not speak for me and should change their name to the Pendleton Foundation. They could even have a motto "....... OFF!" as some of their board members like to publicly say to people like me that they do not agree with.

Gold Medal Schools Posted November 29, 2007 Walnut Hills High School (Top 100, #83) Cincinnati Public Schools School District Hamilton County 3250 Victory Parkway Cincinnati, Ohio (513)569-5500 I just wanted to brag a bit :-D

This is why every morning I pop a handfull of antacids and ibuprofen before I even think of getting out of bed. This fight over Pendleton getting to keep its park at ALL COST is wearing thin. Once again, I like Mike Morgan and this is an issue he adopted from his predecessor so my following comments are more directed at the rest of the Foundation. The Foundation does not speak for me. I do hearby demand that they change their name to the Pendleton Foundation as that is where their interest truly are. The hatred and the venom being spewed out by them in a public way needs to stop. If they are not involved then they are against and this has been evidenced by emails that have come out of Foundation members. I am for a unified Over the Rhine, a single vision and a single positive voice. We do not need fair weather residents who when things are hard call themeselves Pendleton residents and when things are going well call themeselves Over the Rhine residence. How effective is any group from OTR going to be speaking with school board now? "Morgan says that city officials are putting city interests at the mercy of a strapped school system that shouldn't be trusted.....its recent actions have demonstrated scant concern for the Over-the-Rhine community." Yet this "broke" school system, the same one that just posted a top 100 school in US News and World Report, should just turn over the land so Pendleton gets to keep their park? Build a new school on the park site! Sell Rothenburg, sell SCPA, this is what would be best for CPS and for the whole community. The "scant concern for the OTR community" has historically come from the very same people who claim to care for nothing else. The Foundation was synonymous with "slum lords of Peete and E. Clifton" which they had to be shamed into selling, that is the definition of "scant concern". I am tired of reading every morning a rebuttal to the positive news coming out of OTR. I am tired of hearing from the bitter, hate filled people that seem to occupy this board. I want to celebrate our achievements, our accomplishments and have a sense of pride when discussing OTR....but am I the only one?

cincydrewinclifton, You may be my long lost twin with talk like that. Now Mike Stehlin has won me over because one I know him, and two he is arguing a valid point instead of arguing for arguing. I, like you, am frustrated at the bigger picture, the constant fighting, the constant airing of our laundry in the papers, the constant demonizing of groups. And we should all be angry at this because when someone like Mike comes along and raises a valid issue, it is dismissed out of hand, even by people like me as just another person complaining when it is not. Some just think that if they can throw enough crap at the OTR redevelopment something will stick but unfortunately it drowns out the valid points at the same time.

Exactly^ this is 1300 in addition, not total. Great news!

I did not hear about that. To me it makes perfect sense that they would be involved, not because OTRCH is selling out, but because 3CDC is trying to provide a mix of housing that is available to anyone. Call me crazy, but I would think this is exactly what the people who are now complaining would want. Sorta puts a kink in the "kicking the poor out" argument but it is the argument itself that some live for, not the solution.

Once again, well said and I agree plus I was not tying to equate you to OTRCH, I was just pointing out that be odd for this to be the position of the organization who is materially involved in the project. It appears that where you and I diverge is that I am interested in the direction of the neighborhood and not the CRC so much. You are trying to accomplish a different goal than I am in this conversation so let me say, you certainly have a valid point.

Because I want a dog park and others do not, does that mean they hate all dogs? Of course not, they just have different priorities as do we. Well I do not want to come across as Mr. Evil in that I want to close pools just to be closing pools. I am looking at it from the standpoint of overall development of the entire area and is a competitive pool or no competitive pool going to change things. To a few yes, to most probably not. We need to find an alternative for any and all children who want to learn swimming or learn anything for that matter but does Washington Park have to have this? I am not so sure. When I read stories like this, I tend to cringe a bit because it gives some people the opportunity to slip into a widely read publication, "they are kicking out the poor and stealing our pools" when that is not true. Will a handful of kids be able to hold a swim competition at this site, probably not, but will children still have access to a water playground, it sounds like it and will they enjoy it, I would be willing to bet they will. Was the Miami proposal for a 10' pool with diving boards? And why stop at a pool and basketball? Where is the shuffle board, horse shoes, swing sets, baseball, football, soccer....etc. No plan has everything for everyone but are we achieving the overall goal here by what is being offered?

We have some great operators in all of the surrounding clubs and this is the last of the problems. This is a major development for Main and will go a long way in helping us achieve our goals of a safe and clean district.

I reread the story one more time a bit closer and something really jumped out me as odd. yet just days before this is in an article.... So confused :|

Once again, ignorance on my part. I went to a Cincinnati Public School and they had a pool, I have been in other schools with diving boards, is there not alternative for swim teams to utilize these as well? Plus the Y host sporting teams, and we have a new one in the West End plus the one on Central has lanes and everything. I guess what I am getting at is there seems to be a huge number of alternatives, but once again, I may be a bit ignorant of the specific needs of a specific sport.

I am asking this out of ignorance here but on the site, which one's are considered "suitable for a swim team"?

Take a look at the Dist 1 web site at crime stats at E. Clifton and Main, where the basketball courts are located. You will see a big red dot representing a "hot spot" and for a while, it was the biggest hot spot in OTR.

Well lets see......Vine St. North of Mulberry in Inwood Park, another one on Broadway across from the old SCPA, basketball courts on Main just south of Mulberry (and they can take those). There is basketball and swing sets at McMicken and Walnut. We even have our own rec center at Findlay. How much do we need? How many swimming pools does the community require? Prospect Hill got rid of their basketball courts and sent them to Main where it is rarely used there as well. Does Amberley have a pool? I wish that under the headline "Where's pool, basketball court?" there was pictures of all this. Perhaps what some need is a map.

It is beyond just having faith at this point, they are selling.

Her answer was sighted in an article a couple of days ago. The city almost caused a halt to Vernon Rader on the corner of Main and Liberty. Historic almost made the Fielers walk away from their project on Milton. The city does not make it easy on people to save OTR. Huh? Do you think they have to completely sell out a phase in order to move to the next? Remember, Builders Recourses is ahead of schedule. This is slightly more complicated than that. There are a finite number of people who will move or relocate a business to OTR at any one given time. But this is a moving target. The more that do come, the more that will come. The cannibalization is offset by the growth of the entire community and the change in perception that is inherent in this.

"I have noticed the graffitti getting more artistic since they started classes." So there is your answer, have them spray paint some windows or some grand facade on the blank wall. Plus you could kill two birds with one stone if you spray painted a cop or two in there.

Have you not seen this? it is an actual class! The sign is facing Liberty on the south West corner on that chain link fence.

Yet there was a huge fight over that construction as well, and the new const. by the Fielers on Milton and on and on. We have every right to give our opinions on projects, and to some degree they are encouraged however read through the history of this thread at the headlines we generate over what is supposed to be a positive project. In many cases it is the same people who pay lip service to an era of cooperation who throw the first stones (not speaking of anyone on here). If we are indeed looking to bring up points on this particular project so that we may avoid similar mistakes in the future, then make CPS an ally so that they will want our input instead of creating an environment that not just they, but no one will want to listen to the OTR public. First step is to stop teaching graffiti classes every Wed on the corner of Central and Liberty.

Amen, however I was actually refering to CUE, the new club on Main and 12th, an OTR club for the Q, but quite separate.

I would think the canal that is now Central, may have played a role in that decision in 1878. Irregardless, we have such a reputation for being a difficult neighborhood to deal with. A well deserved reputation at that. I would for once like something other than bickering to define us. But if nothing makes you happy, then that is exactly what we will get. And do you know why? It isn't development that is causing these buildings to be razed, it is neglect. No one says anything about them, no one sues them, no one goes to channel 9 about them, yet it is these people who are responsible for the demo's you are speaking of. I think you missed Rando's point entirely. Those buildings were here last year, 5 years ago, 10 years ago and what? Nothing. Now that something is happening everyone is up in arms. What he means is a neighborhood is more than its buildings, it is its people. Todays people who are moving into the Q, into Main, into Mulberry, that is the true strength of the neighborhood otherwise OTR would have been boomtown USA all along. The building is the body, but these people are the soul. So if tearing down 7 means 20 or 30 may get new life, then so be it. Many here in OTR want to save every building at the expense of every other building, but many others take a much broader, more realistic view.

and you do not think that turning the school's best visable side to the side with the most visability had anything to do with it? Drive by on 12th vs Central Parkway? Do not all buildings on Central, face Central...the American building, the Emry etc.?

Forgot to comment on this one point. OK? How has Washington Park been for the past 10, 20, or even 30 years? If it wasn't for CPS, would we even be talking about Wash Park today? Would we be talking about possibly moving the drop inn center? Would we be able to sell condos on Centenial row without CPS's efforts? So it is facing a different direction than you want, it is still there and that fact alone will help bring back "one of the greatest urban parks in the country". My sentiments exactly! Some can not see the forest for all of the trees. A neighborhood is being reborn right before your eyes, but some are too busy throwing stones to see it.

And this is for McMicken as well. I to want to see what is best for OTR and work hard every day to see it progress a little further. But here is the rub. I have been down here for years, in the trenches just like you, I have seen the demonization of any group who tries to do anything down here, and not just CPS, but 3CDC, the "greedy landlords on Main" and even the OTR Chamber. Why? because it is some group or organization who feels that someone else is about to come in and all the sudden change things and the people who were here for years are not going to get an ounce of credit for it. Yet this "infighting" is one thing that has helped stop any real change from occurring here. You know this is true, "we can't do this because it is not....", "we can't do that because..... is doing it and we can't trust them" and McMicken, you heard it yourself (actually I think you may have been dismissed by one of these people before you could have heard it) "Unless we get input in design, we will hold up their liquor liscence" This all has to stop or nothing will get done and we will sit and watch this "incredible place" continue to get torn down because of neglect. So far OTR has sued CPS, has accused Western Southern of impropriety, fought development by 3CDC (and we even have a daily picketer in front of the sales office), we complain about new venues opening on Main, we complain about our police dept, we complain about any new const, we complain that this group is siding with that group, we complain about development even outside OTR taking away from us, we complain about everything....and people listen. I to want what is best, but your best and my best and someone else's best may differ. I think it is best we face the school's best visable side to the side with the most visability. I think it is best to sell Rothenburg and build a new school next to the old SCPA. I think what 3CDC has done is nothing short of remarkable. I think that Western Southern has invested more money in OTR than just about anyone. I think that Main Street is going in the right direction. I think dist. 1 has done a tremendous job of turning around crime. I KNOW WE ARE DOING BETTER TODAY THAN ANYTIME IN THE PAST 50 YEARS! Yet we complain, loudly, publicly, and viciously...and people listen. So it is not always a question of getting what is "best" it sometimes is a matter of getting it done. If indeed all of the groups in OTR are currently looking to find common ground via the alliance, then lets start by everyone agreeing that we are all proud of the accomplishments we are seeing here in our neighborhood and support something for once, rather than demonize it.