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Enquirer article is up. Streetcar backers prepare 'round two' http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20110216/NEWS0108/102170336/Streetcar-backers-prepare-round-two-?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE

These governors turning down thousands of jobs in their states during a time of high unemployment should be getting absolutely MASSACRED by the opposing party. If you can't win that argument in these dire times, there is something extremely wrong. The opposition should be screaming relentlessly from the rooftops about these deliberate decisions that preclude their own citizens from employment opportunities.

I agree with natininja, the west side eventually has to be placated. Yes, it is tough because of the low density of the Queensgate area, but to get their support, they need to be included. Lower Price Hill and Price Hill itself, are dense, beautiful, historic areas that would be served well by mass transit. Also, pride of community is huge to westsiders. If revitalization and development can take place, with the help of mass transit, in areas currently believed by them to be rapidly declining, then you will see adamant support for a transit system. We have discussed on here before about the complications of getting mass transit up to Price Hill. However, I'm sure it can be figured out, and eventually it will need to be done. A transit system cannot be built by excluding two of the city's largest neighborhoods.

Here in Columbus, street parking in densely populated residential areas are limited to those who pay for a parking permit. Meters are located only near commercial areas or parks. I don't know how long they have done this for, but it seems to keep the original neighborhood intact without needing to tear buildings down for parking. My only concern with applying this to OTR is that it has so much ground floor retail with residential areas above. This could make it difficult to decide where permit parking should be, and where meters should be placed.

I'd imagine Kasich is weighing his options carefully. Questions he is probably mulling over are, how will he explain that he chose to eliminate state funding for the state's highest rated project, and the fact that he can't completely kill the project unilaterally. Even if he pulls the funding for the project, it will be 10-15 million short of the 128 million needed. Politically it is not the easiest funding to pull because it will not have the impact he desires which is killing the entire project.

I think this is hurting W&S image. They look like bullies.

Sounds like a great fit to me too.

I don't know if they took the ticket office and hall of fame into consideration with the design, but I can see similarities.

My mom grew up on Gellenbeck in Price Hill where there were city steps, and she always called them catwalks. I grew up on Prosperity and the neighborhood behind West High and Covedale Cinema. Everyone in our neighborhood called them catwalks and they connected every street together in our neighborhood. However, I have no idea where the term came from. I have been on a few in Green Township, most notably the one connecting Colonial to Sidney Rd.

This is awesome. I grew up in Price Hill and used the steps on a daily basis only we called them catwalks. I think these steps are a critical part of creating a walkable environment in compact suburbs, as was obviously intentioned in the first half of the 20th century when these were installed.

I agree with your point about high voting percentages on the westside. It seems like everyone votes and they take that civic duty wholeheartedly. I do disagree with a few things you said. First, Dick Cheney ate at Price Hill Chili not Skyline. Secondly, while yes it does seem like a tradition, not everyone votes for Chabot without thought. I know many conservatives, including my own father, who is right of Reagan, that voted for and helped elect Driehaus. However, this was largely influenced by Driehaus being an Elder alumnus. Chabot went to Lasalle. Elder has tens of thousands of graduates living on the westside. Unfortunately, the puzzling hate for Obama cost Driehaus the votes of many fellow alumni. Lastly, I disagree with the notion that westsiders just want to be left alone. They want to protect their culture that has existed on the westside for decades, but they feel threatened by the lack of concern and focus from city government to allow them to do so. It has progressed to the stage where organizations have been formed to protect and restore their own neighborhoods, and circumvent the city that is ignoring them. If you ignore them, they will never help you. If you help them, they will be more than willing to help you. If you want the support of westsiders, you have to show them how it will benefit their neighborhood. They value their neighborhood enormously, and will support projects that help them protect their neighborhoods from deteriorating. Unfortunately, if the project will not directly affect the westside, they will not support it currently. There is no trust, nor is there goodwill toward city government right now. They are seeing their neighborhoods deteriorate and no one is helping them in their fight to keep them. Before any major city or state project will be supported by westsiders, projects that benefit the neighborhood, and help to stabilize it, will be needed to gain their trust back.

I know these are dangerous jobs and all, but that sounds like a ton of money to me. Those average salaries are 1.5-2x what I would have expected. Am I crazy? These averages must include an average of all ranks on the police and fire forces, or it includes overtime. The city lists a regular Police Officer has a min of $52,790, and $ 63,140 max. Regular Fire Fighter min $47,470, and $60,003 max. http://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/cityhr/downloads/cityhr_pdf32622.pdf I would have to lay a large part of the blame on city council over the years for doing so poorly in negotiations. I have no problem with police officers and firefighters taking what they can get, nor do I have a problem with them making a middle-class salary. However, the police department is overstaffed compared to surrounding cities, and the fire department needs to privatize EMS services. Kasich: "they tell you one thing, and do the other". I'm so confused. Didn't the administration approve this disbursement under the public mandate that it be used only for rail. Why yes, yes they did. If they would have approved Kasich's motion then they would have been "talking out of both sides of their mouths". I wonder why they cut off the video? Something seems weird to me. If they had to cut it, why wouldn't they cut it before the question about the streetcar, instead of mid sentence?

^ I would think this is going to be Holy Grail's 3rd location, not a relocation.

I think the Toby Keith bar will be a big success. You have to remember the larger market is the suburbs, and I think this appeals to that market. I think a lot of neighborhood type bars and restaurants already exist downtown that its residents currently frequent. However, that's not to say that it is adequate. The major attractions downtown that people from outside the city already come down for, are the places that don't attract downtown residents. I would expect The Banks to follow this same model. Most suburbanites that go downtown on weekends don't even realize what other attractions surround them, except for the handful of places they routinely visit. This is the clientele possible tenants will look at attracting, not the smaller urban population. Edale, I think something like your list would be great for attracting both suburban and urban residents. I wonder if such high profile tenants will ever be within reach?

I've been waiting for this to be announced for a few months. Good to see it moving forward. It such a beautiful building.

That's exactly how I interpreted it. I am not familiar with the law as it applies to TRAC funding, but it sounds like because the federal level is involved Kasich cannot interfere. Can anyone clarify this?

Sweet a Wonkavator!! right so they would be inside an internal insulated elevator chase. This is interesting. Code dictates water lines cannot run on an outside wall, and if buried they have to be at a minimum depth of 36 inches. Also, the main will likely be at least a 4 inch main for fire protection. I don't know how they will do this if all sides of the main have to have 36 inches of cover. I'm sure they will be working with the people in Frankfort on this, although they can be very uncooperative.

Sent this to Calllinan a week ago but never recieved a response: I am writing to commend your journalist Cliff Radel for his display of civic knowledge in his article, "Winburn finds 750k for Gamble House". His knowledge of the discrepancies between the capital and operating budgets is a prime example of what I look for when I choose a publication to help educate myself. Journalistic competence and exceptional research, I believe, is the key to an educated and informed public, and I hope you would agree. I would like to see a similar integrity exemplified in other articles such as the streetcar. These budget differences are a vital part of the debate and one I wish could be brought to the foreground. Currently, your articles on the streetcar seem to be aimed at propagating division between public services and this project. I do not believe this is an intentional or surreptitious act on the part of the Enquirer, as that would have an extremely devastating effect on my opinion of journalistic motives and objectivity. However, it would allay any fear I may have if more information could be brought to the debate and a healthy discourse can take place. Thank you for your audience.

Chris and I grew up across the street from one another, and it's great to know this position is in capable hands. Glad to see a fellow Price Hill kid in such a prominent position. Good luck Chris!

Not to mention it's such a horrible sounding word. Everytime someone uses it, it sounds as if they made the word up.

Don't know if anyone read this, but it appears someone at the Enquirer knows the difference between the capital and operating budgets. "Most of Winburn's found money - $750,000 from the capital fund, not the deficit-ridden general fund - would go to buy the house from its owner, Indian Hill-based Greenacres Foundation." http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20101110/NEWS0108/11110322/-750K-for-Gamble-House- I wonder why they can't use the same obvious logic in a streetcar article?

I'm trying to figure out how they would even but this to a vote. Have a list of programs and those who get the first five spots get funding? How would they decide what percentage of funds go to those programs? Or will they come up with their own list of priority programs and percentages to vote on as a package?

Casino to pay for streetcars http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20100930/NEWS0108/309300053/Casino-to-pay-for-streetcars "Up to a quarter of the $20 million a year Cincinnati expects to get from the casino will be spent to operate the streetcar...Half the revenue will go to the Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority for economic development projects. That was expected because the measure passed out of committee Monday." This is the epitome of what is wrong with modern journalism. Instead of putting what the majority of the revenue will be spent on, or listing a few or all five of the programs it will fund, the enquirer puts the most controversial program in the headline. It's such a shame that journalism is no longer about the facts,but instead about getting higher readership.

^ Was wondering when this was going to happen. You act like a child, the government might just treat you like a child and take your toys away.

I think it would be huge for both UC and the streetcar if the streetcar would run on campus instead of just the periphery.