bfwissel

I'm on the board of a non-profit that wants to start allowing people to sign up for volunteer activities online as well as allow for tracking of volunteer hours for grant writing and other purposes. I have started looking at a couple of hosted, low cost software options (links below), but I wanted to know if anyone else has done any research into something of this nature. Thoughts? http://www.i-volunteeronline.com/ http://www.myvolunteer.com/

I did talk a bit with the Metro folks and when I mentioned LED signs announcing the time the next bus would arrive they said they would be coming... eventually.... The issue as always is funding and the current funding of most of Metro comes from the City of Cincinnati payroll taxes (in a down economy).

Notes from the open house I sent to our board in case your interested: *** "One For Fun" Metro Route 1 Open House *** * The new route is a slight modification on the existing route that goes from Union Terminal, through downtown, up to Mount Adams and ending at the zoo * Fare remains $1.75 * Due to budget constraints the hours of operation will be the same, but if it is really popular and money becomes available they may extend them. * The frequency will improve from the 30-60 minutes now to a more consistent every 30 minutes * New hybrid diesel/electric 30 foot buses will be purchased to run this route. The buses may be a bit smaller but they will have a distinct, fresh look inside and out (and be a bit quieter which is what I was geeked out about the most). * The signage will be much better on the streets with specific signs advertising stops that can be easily seen * The buses were to be available this month, but they are not quite in yet, so they are waiting to launch the new routing until they are delivered * Route intended for visitors both local and outside the region to see the sights, but also very beneficial for downtown residents * A Metro person will be presenting this and other information at the October 12th DRC meeting

Tomorrow September 7th from 3pm-6pm there will be an open house at the Metro offices discussing the Route 1 changes. "Catch the Route 1 – The Route One for Fun in Cincinnati!" http://www.go-metro.com/news/2010/nr36.html

In response to tedolph's comment "peak oil won't happen anytime soon if we can figure out how to safely drill 5 miles below the Earth's crust" KJP replied "To do what? To reach that oil-filled nougat center???" Now every time I picture the earth in my mind all I see is a large chocolate ball filled with caramel. http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,2706.2160.html

I my opinion you can't have too many indian restaurants ;). I'd love to have a second one downtown or even at least one in OTR.

So is it just me or are the graphics on most of those PDF's corrupted? I can't get some of the documents to open at all. I have the exact same problem. I thought it was my Adobe Reader application, but apparently if others are having an issue maybe it isn't.

As a point of reference my wife and I live in OTR/downtown and just had a baby. We intend on raising our kids here and would take the streetcar to the zoo. We also have neighbors and friends in OTR/downtown with kids (not to mention all the people I see walking around with strollers) that I think would also find a zoo-streetcar link valuable. I know you were just generalizing, but I think saying "no one with kids lives downtown right now" isn't even remotely accurate.

For a way worse paper they sure have a greater circulation even with a smaller MSA. 2006 Top 100 Newspapers in the United States 33. Dispatch (Columbus, Ohio) 352,510 41. Enquirer/Post (Cincinnati) 293,151 http://www.infoplease.com/ipea/A0004420.html#axzz0xXfWpnLy 2009 Metropolitan Statistical Area Rankings 24 Cincinnati-Middletown, OH-KY-IN MSA 2,171,896 32 Columbus, OH MSA 1,801,848 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Table_of_United_States_Metropolitan_Statistical_Areas

Sorry, read a post wrong and posted bad numbers.

Don't forget there will also be people who will claim until the end of time that the success of this project (and other projects like the Fountain Square redevelopment) was either not worth the investment, or the benefits were not in any way sourced from the project.

I thought the new zoning code was already in place. Any idea where in the process the new code provisions are?

I believe apartments would be just north. Trent Germano (Lead Developer for The Banks), however, did mentioned he wanted to have 30 townhouses south of Freedom Way, but that the financiers weren't too keen on the idea (at least yet). Sounded like he was still fighting to build them though (although I may be reading into it too much).

Did you get the email because you signed up for updates from the http://thebankscincy.com/ website?

XUMelanie and I tried to do calls and emails announcing the birth of our child before we did Facebook, but people who found out before all notifications could be made started posting congrats on our Facebook walls. Unfortunately, this means people found out before we could contact them properly. Chalk it up to life in the new, real-time connected world.

XUMelanie had her baby on July 25th. For those who like details, he is 21.5" long and 8lbs 11ozs. Mother and baby are doing fine.

XUMelanie is due to give birth in 7 days and there is no progress at all! Man this kid is messing up my schedule already :wink:.

Honestly, I only use the 3G network when I'm roaming (in car or walking). Otherwise, I'm almost always connected to WiFi. When I get some time this week I'll try and get some speed test results for you, but generally speaking I don't use the AT&T network for data much.

*OK, apparently I've inadvertently started something here, so I should qualify. Other than briefly looking at other modern smart phones I really only have experience with the iPhone 4. And to go even further, I only have experience with MY iPhone 4. I can only speak to how cool the features are on the iPhone 4 are and how well integrated/designed they are with the phone (and with my laptop). This is an iPhone thread, so I will keep my comments to the iPhone. I have read some number of people are having issues with their iPhones (not sure how many, but given the relatively low percentage of return I read about this morning it must be a relatively few amount). Given there is some evidence that some iPhones do not work well and media outlets are reporting issues, I will agree that there is an issue with some of the phones (or for some people). However, I do not have any problems with my phone, and I do not consider it defective just because some forumers and the media tell me it is. I hope this clears up any confusion. *The opinions I express here are purely based on my experience and personal knowledge. I am not qualified to speak to other people's experience with their smart phones.

For a "defective" product I really have had no issues with my phone. Best purchase I've made in a while (since I stopped buying crappy HP/Dell laptops and got my first MacBook Pro). Every day I discover something cool about the phone (just realized the screen dims when held against my ear and pops back up when removed).

It seems like I'll never find the time to completely clean up my notes from the Trent Germano presentation, so below is my somewhat messy shorthand. If something doesn't make sense let me know and I'll try to clean it up (or try and recall what was said precisely). Trent Germano - Lead Developer for The Banks and Vice Chairman of Carter As downtowners we are ahead of the curve of the future as downtown residents The developer is just finishing the job - Fort Washington Way, Stadiums, Freedom Center, etc... are already in place While initially discouraged by the politics they were impressed with the assets and inked an agreement that would move things forward Can shift target mix of retail, business and residential (flexible zoning) between different types a bit per the agreement Everything in the agreement between goverments and the developer is being done including having the riverside park done at same time There are 18 acres to build out and they will do it all as fast as the market can absorb There are 4 million people already heading down to The Banks area annually Cincinnati area has 2 million people so not concerned about competition from other things happening in the city (e.g. Fountain Square development) $80 million is currently being spent on the above ground/garage with governments funding the garages in a public private alliance Apartment and retail in process (apartments now only because can’t work out financing for condos) 300 apartments will be built over 4-5 months preserving green space in front of the freedom center to maintain view of the river Retail will include entertainment, boutiques, bars and restaurants tailored to the urban fabric (shooting for 4 or 5 regional draws) 4 letters of intent, but cannot discuss until deals are finalized investment partner United Services Automobile Association (USAA) working to get some local businesses as well as places like Starbucks Working with several different hotels (loft concept like Hotel Indigo???) Actively working deals on business building Possible future 30 units of for sale housing in south east corner, but still working to see if it is viable (financiers not currently too keen on the idea) ~1 million sq feet of office Permanent additional nine foot outdoor seating setback in some of the area where the new roads were built (in addition to the sidewalk). Separated and secure parking will be available for residential Residential will have glass handrail balconies, etc... The police will have a 4500 sq foot welcome center LEED certification sought in many instances website: thebankscincy.com Outside LED lighting system will be implemented to highlight businesses, but still be conscious of residential component needs Question on grocery stores - grocers worried about cannibalizing other stores and little interest - possibly in future phases Question about residential leasing - 312 walnut next week (many already signed up for info online, but waiting list will more than likely be started) Question about residential pricing - Village Green is doing pro forma research which is nearly complete Question about retailers - not doing soft retail???

The lead developer on the project said they are working out the pricing via a company that does that kind of work (can't remember the name of the company off the top of my head) and will have that answer in the next few days. Sorry about not publishing my notes yet, but something came up last night. I'll post them a bit later tonight.

Speaking of the Reds, do you think the existence of the Moerlein Brewpub (and the park/Banks in general) will increase attendance? Seems like people would be more interested in going to games knowing there is a lively atmosphere within easy walking distance. Along those lines, couldn't this development also reduce some of the rush game day traffic since people would be more likely to linger before/after a game?

XUMelanie and I once again made the drive along Central Parkway and Ezzard Charles to get to I-75N and found the route to be full of opportunities. Even if you don't want to waste the resources to run a streetcar from Broadway Commons (casino) to Union Terminal (future 3C station, 3 museums, Omnimax) there seems to be plenty of development potential. There are plenty of surface parking lots on Central Parkway (particularly in the northwest of the CBD); there is quite a bit a space still available in and around City West; and there has been talk of development just before reaching Union Terminal. I know there are other areas that may be a bit better, but why again shouldn't this route be a phase 2 or 3? Which routes (map?) would yield a better ROI?

Trent Germano (Lead Developer of The Banks and Vice Chairman of Carter) made a fantastic presentation on The Banks project at our Downtown Residents Council meeting last night. As recording secretary I took lots of notes, but unfortunately haven't had time to clean them up yet. I'll work on cleaning up my shorthand tonight and post his comments here later today. As a teaser, if you're interested in getting on the waiting list for one of the three hundred apartments that will be part of phase one you might want to sign up for information updates on the http://www.thebankscincy.com/ site sooner rather than later