moonloop

<i>Wow, the big dogs are stepping into the fray. Here's another article from the Business Courier. Some interesting quotes too.</i> <b>Local leaders throw support to Issue 3 after funding agreement</b> Cincinnati Business Courier - 12:11 PM EDT Monday by Lucy May, Senior Staff Reporter Local elected officials and business leaders today announced their support for Ohio's Issue 3 based on the amount of money that would be generated for the region if the measure passes. Issue 3 would permit slot machines at seven Ohio racetracks -- including River Downs in Cincinnati and Lebanon Raceway in Lebanon -- as well as two casinos in Cleveland. Its proponents have said the measure would provide an estimated $89 million each year in tuition grants, economic development and gambling addiction service funds to Greater Cincinnati. But a new nonprofit called the Greater Cincinnati Economic Development Fund announced an agreement with Ohio's Vote Yes on Issue 3 Committee that will result in an additional influx of $100 million over 10 years for local economic and community development if the constitutional amendment passes. Full article at http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2006/10/09/daily5.html?jst=b_ln_hl

I agree with you for the most part. There are certainly a fair amount of blue-haired types, but the musical acts attracted a good variety of people. I went back down Saturday night for Wilco. Well worth it. City Beat has been reviewing the music acts the past four days. It a good read. Here's the link: http://citybeat.wordpress.com/

Our cruise was an hour and a half. It went East and West but not that far. Going East we just went past Friendship Park, heading West we past the Brent Spence and Longworth Hall. Going underneath all the bridges was definitely a highlight. I hope someone on this forum took some evening shots the whole DT looked aglow. Thanks for the comments.

I would recommend getting AirTunes and streaming your tunes to your stereo. I don't know why I waited so long to do it myself. I stick with standard mp3s and there is a noticeable improvement in sound on my 15 year old speakers than my soundsticks. Definitely richer and thicker. The setup is pretty easy as long as your Mac has AirPort Extreme built in to it and it looks like newer minis have a combined optical digital audio input/audio line in (minijack). http://www.apple.com/airportexpress/

I've been to Tall Stacks a few times, but never did a cruise until this year thanks to my employer. Bring out your dead! The children's theater was packed, several hundred at least. This is the boat we did the tour on . . . from Pittsburgh. We tried to figure out how to remove that damn flag with no luck. The tour takes us under all the bridges which is always interesting. Our cruise was sold out. Probably my favorite pic of the bunch. I caught a few of the music acts. The park should always be this crowded. I had to stick around for Buckwheat Zydeco. They had a great set.

Isn't having grass inside you house the latest hip new thing? The Reds are taking it to the next level.

^I like the bridges too, just not the color. I was wandering around down there when a few workers were painting them and asked what color they will be. He said that's it. I thought it was just a primer coat. I also thought ventilating would be an issue with the FWIW covers. I think there also was a concern with the police and fire dept. have problems with them. But that turned out to be a non-issue. I'll take some nice green space and be done with it.

It is a legitimate problem. I don't think people can tip-toe around it any longer. <i>"Bortz is co-chairing a mayoral task force that will look at housing policy as part of an overall development strategy. Among the ideas being considered: tax breaks for "infill" housing, a city land-banking fund to assemble vacant parcels and more aggressive use of eminent domain to clear blighted neighborhoods."</i> I like the sound of this. Of course residents are going to scream, but there's a lot areas that need aggressive help. Sometimes I think the residents themselves are the biggest problems. And watch out if they tried to clean up the poorer areas. It's will be an uphill battle.

^I thought you went MIA. The "over 100 years" quote from WCPO did seem like a reach. If anyone would know it would be you. Any interesting updates?

<i>Some interesting ideas here. At least their being aggressive. Brinkmans an assh*le.</i> <b>Freedom Center mulls ideas for revenue</b> Cincinnati Business Courier - September 29, 2006 by Lucy May The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center could offer such services as on-site diversity training for corporations and DNA testing for visitors to help the struggling museum generate additional revenue. The center's leaders are exploring those ideas and others as they work toward making the Freedom Center financially sustainable. http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2006/10/02/story8.html?b=1159761600^1353364

<i>Anyone want to speculate as to where a million dollar condo is in OTR?</i> <b>Our Opinion</b> <b>Grocery could feed downtown growth</b> Cincinnati Business Courier - September 29, 2006 We hear, but haven't confirmed, that someone paid $1 million for a condo in Over-the-Rhine. That, along with last Sunday's successful "Downtown Tour of Living" and the general upbeat tone of residential developers -- despite the local and national housing economy slowdown -- provide solid evidence that downtown living is no longer the experiment it once was. By the end of this decade, some say downtown will boast 12,000 residents. . . . . . the rest for paid subscribers only, damnit. http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2006/10/02/editorial1.html

I find this more depressing: ". . . first single-family housing development in Over-the-Rhine in more than 100 years."

The local PBS station is now show this. Interesting so far. Episode Detail: Sketches of Frank Gehry - American Masters “Sketches of Frank Gehry” is director Sydney Pollack's absorbing profile of architect Gehry. It includes conversations at Gehry's home, studio and construction sites; his erratic drawings and their development into completed structures, including the new Disney Concert Hall in L.A.. Also: other Gehry-designed buildings; comments from, among others, architect Philip Johnson, Dennis Hopper, Michael Eisner, Barry Diller and Bob Geldof. The effort is Pollack's first feature-length documentary

^Now that's a concept I can get behind. Maybe it will catch on. I think the homes look decent with a nice mix. Well, I'm truly impress now. I went to look up the floor plans from: http://www.citirama.cc/homeshow/homeshow.asp?id=8 And of the 9 models shown, 7 have garages and ALL of them are in the back! I'm a big fan now. Not that I have a garage fetish or anything.

^Man, you must have an industrial strength defroster. I'm still traumatize from the days of apartment living. Any hint of frost or ice in the morning always made me late for work. I resorted to using plastic to cover my windows and countless cans of de-icer. Hole in the ozone -- me. As for garages, Charlton Place certainly got it right. I can see this being done in OTR. But, again, I don't think it's practical to move them behind the house on subdivisions. As for sidewalks, I don't think a developer is required to build them. They should be, but I think that falls on the local government to require them. Do these houses even have garages? Maybe they are in the back. I wouldn't spend 200K+ without one.

That sounds expensive. You got to be practical. This was a ghetto before Daybreak came along. I can understand the dislike of huge garages taking over a whole house, but this is development in a city neighborhood that is certainly needed regardless and it's nice to see this aimed at middle class residents, a group leaving the city in-mass.

You gotta have garages in this day and age. Unless your into waiting 10-20 defrosting your car each morning or worst spending a half hour plus scrapping the ice off your car, garages are the only way to go. I would never buy a home or condo without one and I would think most potential buyers would agree. Of course the one thing I see happening is the garages being filled with crap and the cars being parked on the street. Now that annoys me.

Back in the saddle again.

The bit about the Anthem windfall is what I find the most interesting. So it looks like the city has spent $47 million. Where did it all go? I sent an email to writer asking if he could do an accounting of these monies. I have a feeling it won't be pretty. If it went to places like the West End Counsel, it pretty much got pissed away. I hope I'm wrong.

I aways like the idea of an upscale strip club in DT Cincy. Why not Main St? I see that fitting into a refresh Main St. If it can even be refreshed. They should add a Cleveland-size gay bathhouse too. It would attract people from all over the Tri-State. Even the conservatives from the northern burbs would sneak away from their suppressive wives. Most of us will be dead by the time the buildings of OTR are returned to their former glory.

<i>Wow, nice!</i> OK Go, Los Lobos, Talib Kweli, Hi-Tek, Nikki Giovanni, Bootsy and the Symphony, Opera and Ballet Set to Help Reopen Fountain Square Fountain Square officially comes back to life Oct. 14 with an entertainment lineup that emphatically announces a new direction for the city’s highest-profile public space. 3CDC, which is organizing the event and managing Fountain Square for the city, is set to unveil a two-part schedule featuring official remarks and arts programming in the afternoon and concert performances in the evening. http://citybeat.wordpress.com/2006/09/20/ok-go-los-lobos-talib-kweli-hi-tek-nikki-giovanni-bootsy-and-the-symphony-opera-and-ballet-set-to-help-reopen-fountain-square/#more-182

October 14th is the official opening, right? A little over three weeks by my count. That seems a bit tight. How long does it take to get the trees from NJ and planted? Will officials have to break some kneecaps? I can't see the restaurant above the square being finished. Of course, the 5/3 building won't be touched. I'm sure business have signed leases, but is three weeks enough time to open? The actual square may get done, but the surroundings seem like they could still be under construction. I think the average citizen would question that. For me as long as it's completed by Oct. 22 would be fine. I have a hot date with Spamalot. I want to eat lunch on the square.

<i>I thought this was pretty cool. Hockey on the Westside, maybe. If this spreads it would be nice to use the old Gardens for tournaments, etc</i> <b>Coach scores points to get West Side hockey arena</b> <b>Green Twp. to study facility as part of green-space plan</b> Cincinnati Business Courier - September 15, 2006 by Dan Monk, Senior Staff Reporter Joe Puls is a part-time hockey coach. But he's a full-time zealot for the sport. After four years of advocacy, the Dent resident is finding some allies in his quest to build a West Side hockey arena. Green Township has agreed to study a hockey rink as part of the township's green-space master plan, which means a new rink could be under construction on North Bend Road near Interstate 74 as early as 2008. In Delhi Township, private investors have inquired about empty space in the Del Fair Shopping Center, where owner Jack Michael is willing to make structural changes needed to accommodate a hockey facility. "There's an ice crisis in Cincinnati right now," said Puls, founder of the Western Hockey Association for Cincinnati Kids, or Whack Inc., a nonprofit that promotes hockey on Cincinnati's West Side. The program is a victim of its own success. Six local high schools and five elementary schools now have hockey programs. They travel as far as Miami University in Oxford to skate. MORE: http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2006/09/18/story12.html?i=55883&b=1158552000^1346145

Issue 3 is far from perfect and the way they are advertising it is kinda of shady, but Ohio is surrounded with casinos of various forms and it's about time local governments reap the tax benefits. DT Cincy and Hamilton County could receive nearly $50 million a year. That's too much to pass up. Regarding polls on this forum in general . . . is there a way to force people to vote? (Yeah, I know democracy) With nearly a 1,000 people on the list most people don't vote. Maybe when a person first access the forum a poll is presented to them?

A hell YES here too. Gambling is a personal choice liking drinking, smoking, guns and drugs. People get all hot'n bothered if anyone thinks about limiting these choices, why is gambling held to a different standard? Jobs will be created, taxes collected, and fun will be had. It's another way of spending your entertainment dollars. Besides I like the idea of paving DT city streets with gold at the expense of the poor people. ;-)