RiverViewer

Dude, I have friends who spent time on the dole - it's not BS, and I know it.

It's astonishing to see the campus up on the hill now if you're still used to the wooded hillside...

You're goddamn right they're giving you a directive - THEY GIVE YOU THIRTY EIGHT MILLION DOLLARS EVERY YEAR!!!!!!!!! Where in the hell did this idea come from that City Council ought not tell the bus service that they pay for what to do? What the hell is with these people? This is what you get when one entity pays the bills and another entity appoints the board...just insane.

All the folks I've known who have been on food stamps or received Section 8 housing were not people spending money on Gucci and caviar, they were spending it on 2nd or 3rd hand coats for the kids and spaghetti.

I never went there either, but someone said you could see it in this picture - anyone know which building it is?

So how much property does this one effect? On your site's Brent Spence Bridge Replacement page you have those big-ass photos of the scenarios (here's a link to the Scenario 1 image) which show buildings and such, but does anyone know the number/type of buildings for this one?

Ach, another treasure of a thread from before I joined the forum - most shocking to me is seeing public square without the Terminal Tower...

...I personally love the symbolism of the ginormous flat roof...flat like the earth is flat...

Churches reflect the theology, and post-Vatican II, the theology has pushed the church way over to a more Protestant model, at least in the US. The thick tradition is anathema - the whole experience, the smells and bells and the latin and ornament and even the sacrament itself are hidden away - they build separate chapels to hide the tabernacle in, for [someone's] sake! I mean, you don't know anymore when you walk into a newer Catholic church if you're supposed to genuflect or not! Ach...I went to the seminary in Wickliffe for a couple years, and our chapel - the chapel in the Catholic seminary - had been stripped of all ornamentation, all the statues, and everything was painted white. The major seminary used a nave with no pews in it, just chairs - kneeling during the consecration is out. The only thing they didn't destroy were the amazing stained glass windows. The whole experience is a cerebral one, and anything that gets in the way of that is considered superstition. "Community" is the most important concern - so we get everyone together, we rip up the altar rail (it separates the priest from the community, you see), we rip up the pews, put the sanctuary in the middle on one side, and circle it with chairs. Pull out the high altar and tabernacle, stuff Jesus off in some back room, and now that we're liturgically correct, we wait for the folks to see our brilliance! Well, let's see, you just destroyed the cultural representations that have tied these families to your "Catholic Community" and replaced it with your rhetorical brilliance and being able to see Mrs. Smith across the way. Meanwhile, get out your Glory and Praise (v. 3) and let's sing a song about being together that was written 25 years ago. Aargh... By the way, I don't have any problem with a cerebral approach - Protestant churches do that extremely well, and perhaps that fits the American psyche better. But Catholics are Catholic for a reason - if you want to be a Protestant, just be a Protestant, that's cool - don't go in and rip up grandma's church to do it. It's like the 1960's and 1970's or urban design is just hitting the church, and it's just so amazingly sad...

I would think one large reason for the absence of urban mega-churches is that there is no lack of churches in most urban areas. Look at most urban areas, and there are churches everywhere, of every flavor. CincinnatiHome.org's "Faith Finder" gives some actual numbers: search Avondale, it returns 33 churches; 34 in Walnut Hills; 27 in Price Hill; 24 in OTR; 22 in Madisonville; 15 in Evanston; 10 in Hyde Park; 16 in Northside...throw in a lack of urban growth, and there's simply no crying need for pew space on any given Sunday. I played organ for Northside United Methodist church a few years back, up until they closed down, because a dozen people in the congregation was a big group. For a while they rented out the Chase Nazarene's church for Sunday services, and eventually fizzled. I've also subbed a few times in Avondale at the Episcopal church there, and again, they're lucky to get 15 people in on a Sunday. However, that's not a universal truth - there are churches that are growing, as people generally move away from the older denominations (Methodist, Episcopal) and into the newer ones (non-denominational, Baptist, etc.) - seems to me like the churches that served the old neighborhoods of blue collar white folks in places like Northside and Avondale don't appeal as much to today's residents - it's just a different tradition. More to the point, there are actually some big-ass churches going up in the city. In Oakley, in the old HQ location at Ridge and Madison, there's the humongous Crossroads Community Church. I don't know what their attendance is, but it's a huge space, and they have four weekend services. That place is no more than three or four years old. Also, in Bond Hill right near Swifton Commons is becoming a mini-Churchville - I don't know how many there are now, but the African Methodist Episcopals were doing something there, there's that Tryed Stone Baptist Church, and I think other development too. The fact is, you build churches where there's a need, and at this point in history, that happens to be in the suburbs...

Very nice...and I have to say, if Dayton View and Princeton Heights and Roosevelt represent the 'to in Dayton, then Dayton's got it pretty damn good...though Wright-Dunbar and MacFarlane are pretty run-down. Are all these locations right near downtown?

J Miles Wolf has some kick-ass photos...my wife and I just took a print of his of Alms Park in winter to have it framed - should be finished this week sometime (woo hoo!).

...I'm quite clear how I feel, but debating religion is probably best left elsewhere...

^I was going to say I used to dig on 107.9 in Cleveland back in the day - when they switched formats to play alternative music, they didn't announce it - they just started playing "It's the end of the world as we know it" over and over and over, for 24 hours...got lots of buzz, at least on campus. That was probably 1991 or 1992...

My copy of "Cincinnati Observed" came today from Amazon - woo hoo!

Mine's WNKU, 89.7 FM, out of Highland Heights, KY, serving Cincinnati. Tons of folk music from all across the board, and NPR news - what else could one need?

What were Kucinich's reasons? It's not like a highway that severs neighborhoods, but would it require some imminent domain?

Wait a minute - the city gives SORTA $38MM, the county gives SORTA $550K, and yet the county appoints a majority of the board? I have GOT to be reading that wrong... Just checked SORTA's funding breakdown from their website, and it shows: 2004 Federal* $11.2 million State 1.1 million Local** 37.3 million Local operating*** 22.1 million Other local (contract service) 1.7 million Deferral of capital projects .1 million GRAND TOTAL $73.5 million * Federal operating assistance was eliminated in 1999. We can now use formula funds to support our preventative maintenance expenses. ** About half of Metro's &73.5 million operating budget comes from 3/10 of 1% of the earnings tax collected by the City of Cincinnati. The earnings tax is paid by everyone who works or lives in the city. *** Local operating includes fares, Cincinnati Public Schools contract, and misc. income How on earth can this have happened? And where does Heimlich get off complaining about council wanting to audit something they give thirty eight MILLION dollars to? That ain't a funny position, Phil, that's their fiscal responsibility. I'm shocked that it doesn't already happen annually. And how can they even open their mouths when they give only 1% of the amount the city gives? How on earth does that happen? This is crazy - I must be missing something here.

^Oh no, I prefer the gnostic school of civic development.

Oh, and actually, you can buy it straight from amazon too, for $33.95.

I found it on a shelf of local interest stuff in the Rookwood Joseph Beth's. If you're interested in buying it, I would probably call them, see if they have it. You could also see if Amazon could hunt it up for you - here's the link to it. If you're just interested in reading it, the Cincinnati Public Library has 5 copies in circulation (3 downtown, 1 in Harrison and 1 in Hyde Park). The call number is 363.728409 qR777 2001, the ASIN is B0006E7WME, and if you go to the library's website, you can search for Roomann, log in with your library card and PIN, and have them ship it to any library in the system for you. Very, very cool... BTW, which of your 60ish books on Cincinnati do you recommend? Oh, if you go to amazon.com, they currently have 2 used and 2 new copies of "Cincinnati Observed" for sale in softcover, and 1 used hardcover.

Given the story grasscat posted that was discussed here, it does seem like this is not the environment in which to build a 14 story building with 28 units smack in the price range that isn't moving downtown. Though Eden Park living isn't downtown living, and the units at St. James at the Park do seem to move - a 2nd floor unit sold for $355K in June, a 9th floor unit sold in July for $525K, and a 15th floor penthouse sold for $2MM last September. And there are three units for sale right now, asking $350K, $375K (which is under contract) and $775K. I have to imagine something has to happen there - the lot is .841 acres with a crappy abandoned office building on it, and someone is on the line for a $635K purchase. Though I guess it's a company that bought it, so that could get wrapped up in court for a good long time...what a shame...

Yeah, you're right, there is great appeal in an ever-changing view. That's a big part of what's great about living in this part of the world and having four distinct seasons. Though for me, I think I'd rather have an unobstructed view of the river and watch the rest of the world change around it! I googled up the Twain's Point website, and here's a picture from what I believe is the balcony of the unit furthest to the west, looking south: I don't understand how that can be described as "unobstructed". The trees are already tall enough to block the river. For probably 8 months out of the year, you'll see leaves, the park, and traffic on Eastern Avenue in probably 65% of your field of vision - and that's in the units closest to the opening between the trees. Twain's Point has an open house every Sunday (at least they were doing so). Just show up and act like you have money and they'll show you around two different units. They are pretty spectacular places - lots of built-ins, big open kitchens with two ovens, tons of closet space, a humongous master suite that I believe is the whole top floor, two balconies, a garage, and an elevator in every unit. Way up-scale, but they're definitely putting in all the amenities. You can check out floor plans on their site (just click around - it won't let me link it directly).

Regarding Twain's Point: There aren't any buildings blocking the view, that's true, but as the trees in Friendship Park continue to grow, the view will be plenty obstructed. You'll still be able to see the river, but you just can't plant trees 25 feet above the riverbank, then build condos across the street, and expect to have an "unobstructed view" of the river.

Er...I like viewing the river... So, grasscat, this your band?