August 24, 200618 yr From the 8/23/06 Pulse-Journal: Businesses struggling after Kroger leaves GC owner: I don’t know how much bigger to make that sign. Wednesday, August 23, 2006 By Eric Schwartzberg Staff Writer The word “SALE” is scrawled in giant yellow letters across the front window of Jan Grammer’s GC This storefront. Like other businesses in Liberty Towne Center shopping plaza, the re-sale store enjoyed a healthy customer base when Kroger still occupied a 55,800-square-foot storefront in the plaza. The “sale” sign has helped attract some new customers since the retail grocery giant left for a more spacious location July 20, Grammer said. But business at her store still is down by half. “I don’t know how much bigger to make that sign,” she said. The business dropped after Kroger last month vacated its store on the south side of Ohio 129 and moved operations to its new Kroger Marketplace on the north side. Grammer has a five-year lease for her storefront. Now she is worried because the drop in traffic is coming just as her business needs to get its name out. “I’m a brand new business,” she said. “The first two years are do or die.” Several storefronts away, the Chinese restaurant Happy Wok also has seen its profits sliced in half since Kroger moved, said Li Li Guo, the daughter of the restaurant’s owner, Hou Min Guo. Growing up in a Chinese farming family, her father moved to New York in 1991, then to West Chester Twp. in 2002. That’s when he signed a 15-year lease in the shopping center and opened Happy Wok, Ms. Guo said. Although her father said he now regrets the decision to sign such a long lease, Happy Wok is going to try to survive in its current location. “I mean, there’s nothing else we can do about it,” she said. Not every business in the shopping center is experiencing a drop in sales. Jersey Mike’s owner Jack Jett said sales of the franchise’s sub sandwiches have actually “trended up” because of the season. “It’s a good time of year being a sub business,” Jett said. But Kroger’s absence has reduced the amount of sales generated from car traffic, Jett said. That lack of car traffic may have put a damper on inside sales at the Shell gas station, which saw a 25 percent decrease on inside sales, according to the store’s management. But despite some shoppers filling up their tanks at Kroger Marketplace, long-time Shell customers are keeping sales at the pump on par with previous months. Meanwhile, Kroger is looking at a handful of potential replacement tenants and is working to place one of them in the building “as soon as possible,” said Monte Chesko, real estate manager. “(The empty storefront is) a surplus asset for Kroger and there’s obviously an overage cost of the building just being there,” he said. The former Kroger store could be the site of a retail or service-type business, Chesko said. Grammer said she hopes to see a bowling alley or laser tag business move into the plaza to give teens a place to congregate closer to home. “It would be something for them to do because the closest place is Fairfield or Mason,” she said. Contact this reporter at (513) 755-5126 or [email protected]. http://www.pulsejournal.com/news/content/news/stories/2006/08/23/pj082406krogergone.html Wings and Rings chain flying into Monroe this fall Middletown Journal, 8/10/06 Monroe residents, feeling saucy? Buffalo Wings and Rings is on the way. The Cincinnati-based wing chain, which began a nationwide expansion last year, is scheduled to open in Monroe by November. New franchisees Belinda and Steve Ricketts of Hamilton said they chose to open in Monroe and passed up the chance to own Wings stores Mason and Liberty Twp. — also scheduled to open before year’s end. “We liked Monroe because it’s a growing area and we were told the potential is here with all the development,” said Belinda Ricketts.
August 25, 200618 yr From the 8/24/06 Hamilton JournalNews: Fairfield Twp. to tackle intersection widening without Hamilton's help By Eric Schwartzberg Staff Writer Thursday, August 24, 2006 FAIRFIELD TWP. — A project expected to improve the safety of a dangerous intersection will happen earlier than planned and without the help of the City of Hamilton. Fairfield Twp. trustees agreed Tuesday night to move ahead with plans to widen Hamilton-Mason Road and Ohio 4 Bypass intersection rather than wait for the Ohio 4 Bypass widening project planned by the Butler County Transportation Improvement District. The move means the intersection's improvements would happen about two years earlier than if the township had waited for it to be included. "We can't afford to wait — not from a safety standpoint," said trustees President Joe McAbee. Including buying property and right-of-way, the project's estimated cost is $4.5 million, Township Administrator Michael Rahall said. Slated for 2008, the project calls for additional through lanes and turn lanes, a slight modification to the alignment and upgraded signals, said Chris Petrocy, spokesman for the Butler County Engineer's Office. The City of Hamilton was expected to split the cost of the project with the township, but that is no longer the case, Rahall said. The cost of the intersection's widening would be subtracted from the $32 million total cost of the bypass widening project, Rahall said. The township will pay for the project using revenues from special tax districts, McAbee said. However, the township will not necessarily receive matching funds from the Ohio Department of Transportation for the improvements, as it did for those it made to the intersection of Princeton Road and Ohio 4 Bypass and other areas. Fairfield Twp. trustees approved a resolution Tuesday night that authorized the engineer's office to move forward with the design and construction of the intersection's widening. Contact this reporter at (513) 755-5126 or [email protected]. http://www.journal-news.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/hjn082406twp.html
August 26, 200618 yr From the 8/25/06 Hamilton JournalNews: Homeowners opt for millions over traffic jams By Eric Schwartzberg Staff Writer Thursday, August 24, 2006 LIBERTY TWP. — More Liberty Twp. homeowners are putting their homes up for sale in a group sale rather than weather the latest storm of development. Listed for a combined $2.5 million, the latest four are situated along Cincinnati-Dayton Road between Liberty One Drive and Cimmeron Drive. Donald Newcomb, who has lived at his Cincinnati-Dayton Road home since 1997, said traffic has become so bad that just getting out of the driveway has become a near impossibility. Taking their concerns to the township's zoning officials, the residents were told a traffic light at Liberty One Drive would ease the residents' traffic woes. The light has been installed but traffic has yet to ease. "As soon as that light changes and five cars stop, our driveways, everyone of them's blocked," Newcomb said. "You don't even think about pulling out of here and going left." After being told their property values had dropped by one-third, the four homeowners banded together. "If we're going to have to move, we're going to make it worth our while to have to move," Newcomb said. "None of us wants to move, but ... we got to do something or we're going to get trapped here." Area traffic began worsening last month when the largest Kroger store in the Cincinnati/Dayton area opened on the east side of the road. So far, there are no buyers. The land would have to be rezoned from residential if it were to be developed for commercial properties. Last month, township trustees approved a four month-long "time-out" on zoning changes in that area to give them time to gain approval for an overlay district that would create new development standards for the area. Twelve other property owners along Cincinnati-Dayton Road put their homes on the market in May for a combined all-or-nothing $6 million. Contact this reporter at (513) 755-5126 or [email protected]. http://www.journal-news.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/hjn082506selling.html From the 8/25/06 Enquirer: PHOTO: For these fifth-graders at Independence Elementary, learning takes place in a trailer parked behind the school. The district is building more schools, but enrollment outpaces the amount of space. The Enquirer / Tony Jones PHOTO: Limited space means supplies must be kept in bins on shelves in Sheri Simpson's fifth-grade class. Kyle Lepper, 10, of Liberty Township, picks out a pencil at Independence Elementary on Thursday. THE ENQUIRER / TONY JONES Lakota overflow goes to school in 'portables' BY MICHAEL D. CLARK | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER AND SUE KIESEWETTER LIBERTY TWP. - Across Greater Cincinnati, back-to-school for most students means returning to classrooms in school buildings. But for more than 900 Lakota students Thursday, their first days began in trailer-like "portable" classrooms. Lakota - Ohio's seventh-largest school system and one of its fastest growing - has 39 portable classrooms. That's more than in any other Greater Cincinnati district. Lakota is the only district in Ohio that serves two townships - West Chester and Liberty. Booming enrollment at the 17,800-student district brings in about 500 new students each year, some of whom are disappointed to learn they've been assigned to a portable. "I prefer to be inside, it doesn't have noises and it's cooler in the main building,'' said Kyle Lepper, 10, a fifth-grader at Lakota's Independence School. Kyle is among 145 fifth-graders in the district spending their school day in portables. His classmate Anne McAlister is spending her second year in a portable classroom. "I'm a little disappointed. I really don't like portables and in the winter it can get cold," said Anne. Her mother, Lori McAlister, whose other two elementary age children have also spent time in portables, said, "It's not ideal and I have mixed feelings about it. There are no sinks or bathrooms and I'd rather all my kids were in the school building." But she added there are some advantages, such as air conditioning and fewer distractions from other students walking in the hallways. The advantage of portables for Lakota schools, said district spokesman Jon Weidlich, is they buy time. The district is building two new elementary schools, a second freshman building and additions to its two high schools. The new buildings, scheduled to open in 2007 and 2008, will eliminate some portables, but not all because the district's growth is projected to continue for years. "Portable classrooms are a fact of life at Lakota. Over the years they have helped us cope with rapid growth and have allowed us to add classrooms in the fastest-growing areas of the district," said Weidlich. "Our construction allows us to make room for new students, but we don't have the capacity to eliminate portable classrooms." Despite using portables, Lakota remains the largest Ohio school system to consistently earn the state's top ranking of "excellent." "Lakota students have been taking classes in portable classrooms for more than a decade. Test scores and the success of students after they graduate show that being in (portable) classrooms doesn't affect their success," said Weidlich. "What's more important is the quality of education they receive and quality of the teacher who teaches them." E-mail [email protected] About portables An Enquirer survey this year found that more than 20 school systems in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky use more than 350 classrooms housed in trailer-like structures - so-called portable classrooms. More than 9,000 area students spend all or part of their day in portable classrooms. In 2003, the private Modular Building Institute estimated 220,000 portable classrooms were in use across the country. Education officials in Ohio and Kentucky do not track the number of portable classrooms in public schools. No recent federal studies exist either, according to the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060825/NEWS0102/608250379/1058/NEWS01 Beckett Park gets even better Cincinnati Enquirer, 8/24/06 West Chester's 150-acre Beckett Park will start to take shape in the next few days as the second phase of development begins. On Tuesday, trustees approved nearly $700,000 in contracts for improvements including an extended road, more parking, walking paths and a lake with a waterfall. More construction contracts are expected to be approved to convert the Muhlhauser Barn into a rustic park shelter that could hold up to 250 people. Beckett Park already includes the West Chester Baseball Complex with four tournament-quality fields, concession stand, press box and parking. Eventually, several soccer fields might be added.
August 28, 200618 yr Liberty plan gets scrutiny BY JENNIFER EDWARDS | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER LIBERTY TWP. - At long last, this booming Butler County community is close to completing its blueprint for future growth. Two decades from now, Liberty Township should have more businesses, more parks and not one, but two highway exits, according to the draft of its long-range plan. It even has a place in mind for a train station, should a regional commuter line ever be built. Residents in this community of 33,000 weighed in this week on the township's first-ever comprehensive land use plan. Their remarks will be considered when trustees vote at a special township meeting Sept. 6 to adopt the plan. Butler County Commissioners have the final word on the plan. They are expected to vote later in September. The plan includes Liberty's most prominent project, a long-planned exit off Interstate 75 at Ohio 129 and Hamilton-Mason Road - and a second I-75 exit at Millikin Road. The plan could remain in place for decades, but the township will re-evaluate it every three to five years. The township has been working on the land use plan since May 2005. A committee of more than 30 residents, business owners, county representatives, developers, homebuilders and others held several meetings to forge a list of priorities. But the plan won't be adopted without controversy. MORE LAND FOR BUSINESS Overall, the plan calls for about 14 percent of Liberty's land - about 2,500 acres of the township's 18,392 acres - to be commercially developed. Currently, about 2 percent of the land, or 370 acres, is used for business. Township leaders say business expansion will help ease the burden on homeowners for rising property taxes to pay for fire, police and other services. But some residents are upset with stipulations about where future businesses, homes and roads should go. They question why the township would encourage businesses near some neighborhoods. "We moved here for the peace and quiet," said resident William Brunk. They expected to have to drive miles away for shopping and other needs. Intersections that will become "neighborhood business districts" include: Princeton Road/Ohio 747; Kyles-Station Road/Ohio 747; Cincinnati-Dayton Road/ Kyles Station Road and Cincinnati-Dayton Road between Ohio 129 and Princeton Road. These areas will permit gas station/convenience stores, beauty salons, dry cleaners, restaurants, bookstores and drug stores. But bars and tattoo parlors, for instance, would be prohibited. "Those areas were always planned for commercial use," said Jonathan West, the township's planning and zoning director. "We have defined it a little better so when the developer comes in it will give him direction." Developers will be required to install landscaping, fences or other ways to shield nearby homes from businesses, he said. A TRAIN STATION? The Liberty plan leaves space to build a train station even though it may be years, if ever, before one might be needed. A long-range state plan called the Ohio Hub envisions building a high-speed passenger rail system by 2025 that would run up to 10 trains a day between Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton and Cincinnati. If such a line is ever built, Liberty Township would like to place a station on a parcel off Maud-Hughes Road, next to an existing Norfolk-Southern railroad line. But resident James Dobrozsi says placing a station in the middle of the township "would devalue and destroy" surrounding residential areas. He asked trustees to remove the train station from the plan or move it. Dobrozsi lives near the proposed site. He also is a member of the township's zoning commission. West said the township's consultant advised them to include a space for the station somewhere in Liberty, just in case. "We are not saying we support putting either the commuter rail through the community or putting a train station in," West said. "We are just calling out that the rail line could possibly come through here in the future." To view Liberty Township's land use plan, call the township at 513-759-7500 or check www.liberty-township.com. A changing township Liberty Township has changed a lot since 1990. Population: Has soared from 9,249 residents in 1990 to about 33,000 people today. Households: Have grown from 3,213 in 1990 to 7,327 in 2000 to 10,575 in 2005. Income: Median household income went from $43,526 in 1990 to $75,195 in 2005. Land use: In 1999, 48 percent of the land was agriculturally used. Today, it's 28 percent. More meetings Liberty Township recently imposed a four-month commercial development moratorium along Cincinnati-Dayton Road from Hamilton-Mason to Princeton roads. Trustees froze development to give the township time to pass stricter rules for businesses coming into the area. There will be two public meetings in September on the proposed rules at the township hall, 6400 Princeton Road: * 7 p.m. Sept. 5 at the township's zoning commission meeting. * 7 p.m. Sept. 18 at the township trustee meeting. Trustees are expected to pass the new rules at this time. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060828/NEWS01/608280367/1056
August 30, 200618 yr If such a line is ever built, Liberty Township would like to place a station on a parcel off Maud-Hughes Road, next to an existing Norfolk-Southern railroad line. But resident James Dobrozsi says placing a station in the middle of the township "would devalue and destroy" surrounding residential areas. Simply incredible......
August 30, 200618 yr If such a line is ever built, Liberty Township would like to place a station on a parcel off Maud-Hughes Road, next to an existing Norfolk-Southern railroad line. But resident James Dobrozsi says placing a station in the middle of the township "would devalue and destroy" surrounding residential areas. Simply incredible...... No doubt - and this guy is apparently a member of the township zoning board - a true visionary leader. :jo:
August 30, 200618 yr ^I am pretty sure I attended architecture school with this guy. Same attitude 20 years ago as today.
August 31, 200618 yr Ford dealer buys Liberty Twp. land By Eric Schwartzberg Hamilton Journal News August 31, 2006 LIBERTY TWP. — The operator of two Hamilton County car dealerships has acquired 43 acres in Liberty Twp. near Interstate 75 and Hamilton-Mason Road. Mark Williams, who owns Montgomery Ford, 9260 Montgomery Road, and Beechmont Ford, 600 Ohio Pike, said the land belongs to him but would not comment on his plans for the property. "We're still considering all our options for the best use of it," said Beechmont Ford CFO Dan Rapier. Using a limited liability company called Jomachlo-Liberty, Williams snapped up 43 acres of land off Hamilton Mason Road between September 2005 and May 2006. In total, Jomachlo spent more than $5.3 million to purchase the 10 properties, according to Butler County Auditor's office records. Part of Williams' land falls in the right of way for an off-ramp that is part of a planned $50 million Liberty Interchange project. While there is no finalized agreement with the Butler County Transportation Improvement District regarding right of way issues, TID Executive Director John Fonner said discussions with the developer and the property owner are proceeding on "amicable terms." "They want very much for that interchange to be there to make that a viable location for a dealership," Fonner said. "We like that kind of positive thinking." Three properties worth a combined valued by the county auditor of $267,180 sold last year for a combined $2,008,000. Those properties are scheduled for a Board of Revision hearing in October, which will more then likely raise the values to the sale price, said Michael Tilton, real estate director in the Butler County Auditor's Office. If the board approves the $2,008,000 value, taxes would rise from about $4,700 to $35,432, Tilton said. Of this total, approximately $23,789 would go to the Lakota School District, he said. Any business planning to build on the property would need to wait out the remainder of a 120-day moratorium on all new zoning matters in the area. Trustees enacted that "time out" at a July 27 meeting following a vote that initiated a look into creating a 415-acre overlay district. The moratorium will end early if the overlay district plan is completed by the end of November, trustees said. Writer Shelly Sack contributed to this story Contact this reporter at (513) 755-5126 or [email protected] http://www.journal-news.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2006/08/30/hjn083106ford.html
September 1, 200618 yr Cin-Day area overlay district seeks more control over development Hamilton Journal News Eric Schwartzberg August 30, 2006 LIBERTY TWP. - Plans for an overlay district for Liberty Twp. have been simmering since before Pat Hiltman was a township trustee, but they came to a boil earlier this year. That’s when a developer abruptly pulled a planned project during a public hearing when confronted with constraints on the hours a planned Cincinnati-Dayton Road business could operate. “At that point in time, we saidwe need to get an overlay (district) in place to protect the residents and the quality of life associated with living up against a commercial zone,” Hiltman said this week. Six weeks ago, when Hiltman asked zoning officials about a Midas Muffler shop planned for Cincinnati-Dayton Road, he learned that existing zoning for the area allowed for everything from a bingo parlor and flea markets to discount dollar stores and adult-oriented storefronts. The same zoning existed for the property that once was home to a Dairy Mart on the corner of Hamilton Mason and Cincinnati Dayton roads. “I said, ‘Well, how do we fix that?” Zoning officials suggested plans for an overlay district be taken off the township’s backburner. By doing so, the township was better able to blend the overlay district into its comprehensive plan, then take it a step further by incorporating it into the existing zoning code, Hiltman said. The proposed 415-acre Cincinnati-Dayton Road Corridor Overlay District, Hiltman said, is about “redevelopment, not new development.” Additional zoning regulations give a “clear, concise, defined approach” to what developers can build in the area, he said. “That’s the gateway to our community as it relates to commercial development,” Hiltman said. To keep the area from Ohio 129 to Princeton Road “pedestrian friendly,” trustees decided the area should steer clear of service-related businesses and build on the area’s strengths, especially the concept that the area will be “the medical hub” of southeastern Butler County, he said. “We can become truly the support mecca for medical development in West Chester, Liberty Twp., and even going up to Middletown,” Hiltman said. That “support mecca” includes a 370,000-square-foot West Chester Medical Center and a 200,000-square-foot Cincinnati Children’s Hospital outpatient pediatric facility in Liberty Twp., both scheduled for completion in 2008. Middletown Regional Hospital’s new 750,000-square-foot facility is scheduled to open in December 2007. Trustees also envision an area along Cincinnati-Dayton Road filled with professional offices and high-end small retail shops, Hiltman said. “The dream being that you have some buildings that might be an art gallery or some kind of boutique that might have residences above them or behind them — a true mixed-use village type approach,” he said. Plans for the district include guidelines for everything from landscape irrigation and what type of streetlights will be used to how wide the sidewalks need to be. An architectural design review board would have oversight of the renovation of existing homes or any new construction. Much like West Chester Twp. and the city of Mason, Liberty Twp. needs to cultivate an economic development team, Hiltman said. “We’ve got the basic footprint in place now for a viable commercial district. Now let’s go out and sell it,” he said. But those not buying the district in its entirety include developers who served on the comprehensive plan steering committee. “They put the plan together,” Hiltman said. “Now they’re coming back and saying, ‘No. That’s not what we really want to see.’” Mark Sennet, president of land development and contractor company Beckmark Inc., is one of those developers. Sennet said he approves of the overlay district regulations on building materials to make new businesses more aesthetically pleasing. But the township is doing itself a disservice by limiting the area to office and retail, instead of allowing general business district uses such as auto repair shops, car washes, drive-through restaurants, discount retail stores and warehouses. “We don’t want people going to West Chester to get those good and services,” Sennet said. Switching the area to planned unit development instead of the more restrictive overlay district would put conditional use controls on zoning regulations and allow the zoning commission to make decisions case-by-case. In its current form, the overlay district would force a developer to apply for a variance and appear before the board of zoning appeals to get a zoning change. That process could take up to 120 days, Sennet said. “They’re adding layers of bureaucracy to this and it’s unnecessary,” Sennet said. By forbidding franchise architecture, national retailers may be dissuaded from coming to the area. “We want to make sure we don’t keep (national retailers) out of here if they have an aesthetic look that meets our standards,” he said. “We can’t afford to turn them away.” Contact this reporter at (513) 755-5126 or [email protected] http://www.pulsejournal.com/news/content/news/stories/2006/08/30/pj083106overlay.html
September 4, 200618 yr From the 9/3/06 Enquirer: More lanes to widen congested Ohio 4 bypass, Hamilton-Mason Rd. THE ENQUIRER A $4.5 million project to widen a congested intersection in a growing part of Fairfield Township is now underway. Township trustees have authorized the Butler County Engineer's Office to design a plan for additional through lanes and turn lanes at the intersection of Hamilton-Mason Road and Ohio 4 Bypass. With the possibility of development on open land to the north of Hamilton-Mason Road, the intersection needs to be expanded to handle heavier traffic, according to Michael Rahall, township administrator. Road work is set to begin in 2008 and take a few months. The township will pay for the project itself through tax increment financing, rather than waiting about two more years for the intersection to be included in the Ohio 4 Bypass widening project planned by the Butler County Transportation Improvement District. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060903/NEWS01/609030351/1056
September 8, 200618 yr Liberty trustees will vote on future BY SUE KIESEWETTER | ENQUIRER CONTRIBUTOR September 8, 2006 LIBERTY TWP. - Township trustees will vote Sept. 18 on a long-range development plan that took a 42-member committee about 16 months to put together. Long-time resident Dean Swartz says it's about time. Swartz has watched traffic soar in his township as the population more than tripled in the last 16 years. The once-rural township of 9,249 people in 1990 has swelled to a heavily residential suburb of about 33,000 people today. "They're trying to get a grip around the growth that is coming whether we want it or not,'' said Swartz, a 22-year resident. "We can't stop the growth. Now we're trying to get our arms around it so it doesn't explode without some control." Swartz was among four dozen residents who attended the final public-comment session Wednesday on the township's comprehensive land-use plan. The document sets goals for public facilities and services, business and residential development, community identity, parks and transportation. The plan details places for small neighborhood businesses, for larger retail and office development and for industrial uses. It also would limit how many homes can be built per acre. About 14 percent of Liberty's land, or 2,500 acres, is earmarked for commercial development in the plan. Only about 260 acres - about 2 percent - is now being used for commercial or industrial uses. The plan tries to separate incompatible uses such as residential property backing up to an industrial site. But some say the plan still has bugs. Developer Harry Thomas says there's a problem facing his 50-lot Madison Estates development along Hankins Road. It backs up to the Pleasant Run Golf Course, now up for sale. The plan envisions the golf course being converted for industrial use. "I don't think that's compatible with $400,000 to $500,000 homes," Thomas said. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060908/NEWS01/609080388/1056
September 9, 200618 yr From the 9/8/06 Oxford Press: Thoroughfare report draws concerns from residents By Joe Giordano Staff Writer Friday, September 08, 2006 Brown Road residents gathered inside Jan Taylor's farm house last week to discuss an ongoing concern they fear is creeping toward their community. A sign in front of Taylor's home told the story — "Bypass Threat — Save Brown Road." As forecasts predict population expansion into the fringes of Oxford Twp., Brown Road residents foresee the effects of suburbanization looming — subdivisions, less green space and more traffic. The catalyst for their concerns is the Oxford Thoroughfare Plan. Still in the formative stages, the thoroughfare plan seeks to improve connectivity between existing Oxford roadways to alleviate traffic and create better safety conditions for drivers. The plan also addresses expected roadway needs as the population grows over the next 20 years. In June 2005 city council hired Tetra Tech, Inc. to begin a year-long study of roads in and around Oxford. After a May 2006 public meeting in which Tetra Tech collected public comments regarding Oxford's roadways, the company unveiled preliminary maps Aug. 24 showing possibilities where future roads could help reduce bottlenecks in traffic. One map, featured on the city's Web site, traces a possible road that sprouts westward off U.S. 27 South near University Park Boulevard hitting S.R. 732 South, curving up to U.S. 27 North and finally ending at Brown Road near Kelly Drive. An additional roadway on the map connects Brown Road at Forest Ridge Drive to the Northridge Development. Brown Road residents fear these potential roads could change the face of their community with subdivisions sprouting along them. Oxford Twp. Trustee Larry Frimerman explained, as future developments in the township desire annexation into Oxford for utilities, the city could request right-of-way for these potential roads. The city has said the prospective roadways are nowhere near being plotted out and finalized. City Manager Jane Howington explained during Tuesday's city council meeting, the Tetra Tech report, which city council has yet to accept, is only the beginning of the thoroughfare plan. "Just because council accepts the (Tetra Tech) report does not mean things are changing," Howington said. "... These are experienced engineers giving their professional suggestions based on their experience." The residents of Brown Road feel the city is hastily moving through the acceptance of Tetra Tech's findings without receiving sufficient input from Oxford Twp. residents, where many of prospective roads are plotted. Residents have until Sept. 22 to submit their comments to Tetra Tech. Brown Road and Oxford Twp. resident Jenny Gelber believes more time is not only needed for resident comment, but also opinions from governing bodies neighboring Oxford. "What I would love to see is the city slow down a lot to allow for the maps to be available to the public and hold joint meetings with the (Oxford Twp.) trustees and (Butler) county," Gelber said. The township resident explained the Tetra Tech report fails to take into consideration the county land use plan, which envisions green space and agriculture in northwest Butler County. Both Howington and Community Development Director Jung-Han Chen noted the public will have time to comment on the report as it works its way to council approval. Chen explained the report, at the earliest, could be at the October planning commission meeting where the public could make comments. The plan would then be considered through two readings at city council where comments could also be heard. After council accepted the plan, the city could create subcommittees to further discuss the thoroughfare plan, Howington said. As the Sept. 22 deadline for public comment to Tetra Tech approaches, Gelber and other Brown Road residents like Taylor hopes the public contacts Tetra Tech to voice their input about their recommendations with the hope that the township is brought into the dialogue. "It's about neighbors coming together and moving mountains," Taylor said during their community discussion last week. "That's what needs to be done ... I truly believe we can move mountains." To view the maps: • www.cityofoxford.org • Click on Draft Thoroughfare Plan Sending comments to Tetra Tech: • Mail: City of Oxford Thoroughfare Plan Tetra Tech Attn. Bryan Newell 1328 Dublin Road Columbus, OH, 43215 • Phone: 614-827-7433 • Fax: 614-485-0742 • e-mail: [email protected] The deadline for comments is Sept. 22. http://www.oxfordpress.com/news/content/oh/story/news/local/2006/09/06/op090806throughfare.html The student angle from the 9/8/06 Miami Student: City develops new road plan Citizen groups concerned that project will harm environment Christopher Washington, Senior Staff Writer Issue date: 9/8/06 Section: Community As a possible way to make city navigation easier, Oxford City Council is working on a new design called the Thoroughfare Plan, a proposal that would include the extension and connection of U.S. Route 27 and state Route 73. The Thoroughfare Plan will also evaluate the existing and future transportation conditions (see map) in the city of Oxford and generate a road plan. But many Oxford citizens oppose the project. Individuals have voiced concern that the new roads will inhibit much of the city's greenery and threaten the wildlife in the surrounding areas, reducing the rural atmosphere of the town. However, Oxford Vice Mayor Prue Dana defended the plan as a project that the city has been considering for several years, taking Oxford's future into account. "It came about through a council work session two or three years ago," Dana said. "What we did was list the issues we were concerned about. It looks at the roads we have and what future conditions will be." The plan is still a work in progress, as many of the details still need to be resolved. The designs require environmental assessment to determine where the two roads will connect. "A lot of the plan has to do with improvement of the town," Dana said. "It involves everybody in Oxford and Oxford Township." The decision to connect the two roads results from the combined efforts of Oxford City Council, Oxford Township and Butler County. Many of the renovations concern traffic circulation and safety as well as enhancement of community character. Furthermore, additional roads will give Oxford residents more routes of travel around the city. "It will give people choices of how to get from Point A to Point B," Dana said. "You won't have to go into town to get out of town." The plan is a smaller division of a larger comprehensive plan that contains designs for roads that will circulate around the entire city. As a response to the city's growth, council members see the roads of the Thoroughfare Plan as acting as a greenway to prevent additional housing, reduce trucking circulation and avoid commercial development. "One of the biggest benefits is it provides a defensibility in decision-making on development," said Oxford City Manager Jane Howington. "If someone is proposing a subdivision in an area that doesn't have adequate area infrastructure, that provides (city) council with the ability to better deny or approve conditions. It provides a defensible mechanism to give council a base on something rather than making an arbitrary decision." While there is opposition within the Oxford community, Dana said the city welcomes feedback. "The plan is going on right now, but we want the citizens to be involved because we want them to be a part of when something happens," Dana said. At the Oxford City Council meeting Tuesday night, residents of Brown Road - an area that will be affected by the project - expressed disapproval of the development. Brown Road will greatly be impacted due to the large amount of vegetation along the road. Brown Road resident Charles Stevens said that Oxford City Council was not seeking out citizen involvement adequately. "If council wants to be active in listening to the voices of the people, they need to be proactive in soliciting them," Stevens said. "There is insufficient communication between council, administration, trustees and the county." Stevens emphasized that he was not attempting to completely halt the project, but rather to change the way the plans progress. "We do not believe for a second that we can stop the development, but we hope that we can induce council to utilize tools to develop Oxford," Stevens said. "My argument is how can we develop Brown Road so it's in concert with the development of Oxford as a whole." Stevens said that although new roads may raise property value, maintaining the land generates a better quality of life. City council will continue to work on this project in collaboration with its other counterparts, although a confirmation date for development has yet to be determined. http://media.www.miamistudent.net/media/storage/paper776/news/2006/09/08/Community/City-Develops.New.Road.Plan-2262327.shtml?sourcedomain=www.miamistudent.net&MIIHost=media.collegepublisher.com
September 12, 200618 yr Good luck! No more 'cookie-cutter' homes Trenton council approves new housing stipulations to give more options to homebuyers, improve the look of new neighborhoods. By Meghan Crosby Staff Writer Tuesday, September 12, 2006 TRENTON — In response to the proliferation of neighborhoods of too-similar homes, the city council has approved new housing stipulations. The new laws, passed Thursday by City Council, prevent more than two houses of the same model and front roof height from being built on the same side of a street. Identical homes also can't be built directly across the street from one another or side by side to the house directly across the street. And on corner lots, no more than two houses at the same corner can have the same model and same front roof height. Mayor Rhonda Freeze said the new regulations will provide home buyers more options while keeping homes at the same price point. She said it also is partly a response to the proliferation of so-called "cookie-cutter" homes in the area. "I'm not faulting those homes; they are great communities," Freeze said. "But I think it's time to look to the future and at preserving our character." City Manager Patrick Titterington said letters notifying all current homebuilders of the changes were mailed in advance of last week's public hearing. The code changes will apply to all residential properties in the city, even existing subdivisions with vacant lots available. Titterington said the city will do visual inspections to ensure builders comply. In the future, he said, the city will keep track of all home models sold and built in area subdivisions. Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2813 or [email protected]. http://www.middletownjournal.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2006/09/11/mj091206trentonhousing.html West Chester cemetery to expand by 543 graves Cincinnati Enquirer, 8/27/06 West Chester's cemetery will expand later this year by 543 graves - but the cost of plots is going up. Trustees increased the cost per plot for residents from $525 to $900; the cost for non-residents went from $925 to $3,000. The expansion is expected to be exhausted in five years. The cemetery's existing 3,000 plots have been sold out since March. The cemetery is off West Chester Road directly behind the township hall.
September 14, 200618 yr From the 9/13/06 Middletown Journal: Family farm gives way to housing, shopping 114-acre Marconi property may soon be transformed. By Meghan Crosby Staff Writer Wednesday, September 13, 2006 TRENTON — A large-scale shopping center is on track to replace family-owned farmland on one of the city's last undeveloped properties. Cornstalks have marked the entrance to the 114-acre Marconi family farm in Trenton for more than 30 years. But the West State Street property soon may be transformed into a modern, mixed-use planned unit development, fit with shopping, homes, condos, parks and retirement living. "We're trying to bring something to Trenton that's a little more upscale than what they're used to," said developer Bob Hutsenpiller. George Flynn, general manager of West Chester Twp.-based North Ridge Realty Group said he and Hutsenpiller partnered to develop the property about six months ago. Sale of the farm — which has been in Trenton's Marconi family for generations — is pending. Developers declined to disclose details of the sale. Rose Marconi, one of the farm's landowners, said though there is a wealth of history on the farm, she has no reservations about the plans. "It's about time for Trenton to develop instead of having to go out of town for everything," she said. "It would bring in a lot more taxes and jobs." Marconi now lives in Naples, Fla. Her son Joseph Marconi lives on the farm. Tuesday, Trenton's planning commission heard preliminary plans for the site, including a request to rezone the property to a PUD. Flynn said the purchase of the farm is contingent upon rezoning. Developers said it is too early to speculate on which retail tenants could be coming to town, but said they are talking to several prospective users, including Kroger and Target. Trenton Councilwoman and planning commission member Jenni Combs said she is concerned about having a "big-box" retailer like Wal-Mart or Target as the development's main anchor. "A specialty store like Lowe's or Home Depot would be more attractive," she said. Trenton resident and former mayor Carl Ennis, 84, said he's in favor of new shopping to boost the city's economy, but expressed concern about the housing plans. "I don't think we need anymore box-like condos," he said. "But we do need something out there, and if it's built and run right it will be a plus for the city." Other city leaders echoed concern over plans to build more apartments, contending there are enough already and that they don't bring in tax revenue. Planning commission members agreed they would prefer to see "upscale condos" instead of apartments. They also requested that the Marconi home — which sits directly where the main entrance to the complex is planned — could be spared because of its historical value to the community. Although a traffic study is under way to determine that, Hutsenpiller said the Marconi house "will probably have to go." A general site plan will be ready for review by the planning commission by late October, Flynn said. North Ridge Realty has developed several properties in West Chester and Liberty townships, most recently the 15,000-square-foot Liberty Commons and Kroger Marketplace. "Our goal is to develop an attractive project the community can be proud of," Flynn said. He said once approved, the project would take several years to complete. Megan Statt, Trenton's community development assistant, said the administrative process alone, including rezoning, could take months. The council must approve the general site plan before the property could be rezoned to a PUD, then final plans would be presented and reviewed before construction on the project would begin. WHAT'S IN STORE? Trenton's 114-acre Marconi property may soon feature retail shops, green space and residences, including: • One large anchor store or shopping center • Retail outlets • Office space • 133 single-family homes • Six multi-family apartment buildings • Retirement/assisted living buildings • 23 acres of public parkland to include walking trail, sports fields and amphitheater • 5 acres of private parkland • 7 access points, including tree-lined divided boulevard for main access and grand entrance with walls, fountains, landscaping • 3 acres for government services • (GC: A clock tower.) Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2813 or [email protected]. http://www.middletownjournal.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2006/09/13/mj091306marconifarm.html From the 9/14/06 Enquirer: Lakota redraws school zones Some students could be sent to different building BY MICHAEL D. CLARK | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER WEST CHESTER TWP. - Thousands of Lakota school parents are nervously anticipating redistricting proposals that could reassign their children to different schools next year. Ohio's seventh-largest school system redrew boundary lines district-wide in 2003. But rapid growth, with an average of more than 400 students annually, has again forced the 17,800-student system to tackle another round of sweeping changes that this time might also create grade-specific schools. "The reality is that this redistricting will affect every Lakota elementary school in some way - either by moving neighborhoods or grade levels," said Lakota spokesman Jon Weidlich. "But the result will be a plan that is efficient and is more stable in the long run." Two elementaries are under construction and will open next August, making a total of 14 elementaries among Lakota's 21 schools. The district also is building a second freshman school and adding to its two high schools - one each in West Chester Township and Liberty Township - both of which are among the fastest growing townships in the state. The redistricting and designation of grade-specific schools, which might house a smaller number of grades, is designed to alleviate crowding and assure that students are evenly distributed among buildings in West Chester and Liberty townships. Michelle Deutsch moved into the district eight years ago so her children could be educated there. The district consistently earns the state's highest academic rating of "excellent." Deutsch's home is less than a half-mile from Hopewell Elementary on Cox Road, where two of her children attend classes. The idea of having her children reassigned to new schools farther away has her nervous. "I'm holding my breath. My biggest concern is that if they have to go to another school and if my two children couldn't continue at Hopewell that would be a big disappointment," she said. "I realize they have to balance the student population but that sort of change is really big, especially to elementary students who have to go to another school and make new friends," she said. Besides booming enrollment, the size of the Lakota district adds to the pressures forcing redistricting. Lakota is the only district among Ohio's 614 public school systems to cover almost all of two entire townships. There is plenty of room to grow, especially in the less-populated Liberty Township. "While some areas are growing rapidly and others are maturing, we must look at the entire district to balance out the numbers of students in the schools," explained Weidlich. "We have to be cost-effective in the way schools are occupied, and so we have asked a committee of parents from each elementary school to research the issues and develop a proposal for the school board that makes good use of space throughout the district." Kathy Cook is one of 30 parent representatives from around the 67-square-mile district on the redistricting committee. It is to publicly present its research and proposals next month during public forums to gather more community opinions. A final plan will then go to the school board for approval in December, to be installed for the 2007-08 school year. Cook's children attend Van Gordon Elementary in Liberty Township, which at 910 students has been crowded since it opened in 2002. "Our goal is that the public will have input. It's a tough job but the redistricting is necessary for us to maintain Lakota's level of excellence," said Cook, who added that the redistricting is intended to accommodate enrollment growth for five to eight years. Weidlich said past redistricting changes "didn't work well," and he said more precise demographic data and projections will be used this time along with increased public participation. E-mail mclark@enquirer Deciding who goes where The Lakota Planning Committee, which includes 30 parent representatives from schools in both West Chester and Liberty townships, is developing redistricting and reconfiguration proposals for the 21 schools that will make up the district next school year. Questions that are guiding the committee's research include: * How do we make sure there is room for growth in fast-growing areas? * How do we best use space in schools where growth has leveled off, as in the southeastern part of West Chester Township? * How do we use neighborhoods and natural boundaries to create sensible attendance areas? * How can elementary schools, which all do not now include the same grades, be reconfigured? For more information go to www.lakotaonline.com. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060914/NEWS0102/609140360/1058/NEWS01
September 16, 200618 yr From the 9/16/06 Hamilton JournalNews: Miami U. OKs VOA center By Lane Sheltzer Staff Writer Saturday, September 16, 2006 OXFORD — Development will begin soon for Miami University's Voice of America Learning Center in West Chester Twp. The Miami University Board of Trustees on Friday adopted a resolution to commit funds and to proceed with building of the facility. University spokeswoman Carol Johnson said the project began in 1996, but a changing landscape, a shift in regional population and limitations on state funding have changed the project's direction. Miami recently was granted a two-year extension by the department for the single-building center and must have a building constructed by December 2008. Cost is projected at $7 million. Although no date was given for the start of construction, Johnson said it should begin immediately. Project Manager Rod Nimtz said the center is important in Miami's service to the region. "In part, (Miami's center) is working to reduce geographic barriers to higher education by bringing both graduate and undergraduate courses to where people both live and work," he said. The center is located close to Interstate 75, halfway between Dayton and Cincinnati. Herbst called West Chester Twp. "one of the fastest growing areas in Ohio and the Midwest." The center will offer numerous programs including an executive MBA, a masters of education, professional education courses and specialty training programs. http://www.middletownjournal.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2006/09/16/hjn091606voacampus.html
September 17, 200618 yr ^They should change the name of Miami University to Butler County University. MU is taking over the entire county....when will it stop!?!?!? I think they have plans for a take over of the county gov't as well :-o
September 19, 200618 yr Growth plan for Liberty approved BY JENNIFER BAKER | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER LIBERTY TWP. - After more than a year of work, Liberty Township trustees late Monday approved a long-range development plan for future growth. Two decades from now, this Butler County suburb should have more businesses, parks and not one but two highway exits. "It is something we can be proud of and take a look at knowing where we are headed," Trustee President Christine Matacic said. The plan includes Liberty's most prominent project, a long-awaited exit off Interstate 75 at Ohio 129 and Hamilton-Mason Road - and a second I-75 exit at Millikin Road. It also sets aside about 14 percent of Liberty's land, or 2,500 acres out of the township's 18,392 total acres, for commercial development. So far, about 370 acres - 2 percent - has been used for commercial or industrial development. The township has swelled from 9,249 people in 1990 to about 33,000 people today. Township leaders say business expansion will help ease the burden on homeowners for rising property taxes to pay for police, fire and other services. The plan could remain in place for decades, but the township will re-evaluate it every three to five years. Liberty officials have been working on the document since May 2005. A committee of 42 residents, business owners, county representatives, developers, homebuilders and others held several meetings to forge a list of priorities. But the plan's adoption was little consolation to upset residents and developers who left the meeting long before the official vote. Several neighbors in the Stonehenge subdivision off Cincinnati-Dayton Road north of Ohio 129 were upset trustees approved plans late Monday for a Starbucks coffee shop with a drive-thru window near their homes. "All we wanted tonight was the removal of drive-thru restaurants in residents' backyards," said one of the homeowners, Eileen Sorrows. Developers also left frustrated after trustees approved stricter commercial development standards along Cincinnati-Dayton Road between Hamilton-Mason and Princeton roads. The standards, which restrict what types of businesses and architectural styles can go on more than 400 acres of land, were introduced in July. At that time, trustees also abruptly halted new business development along that 1.5-mile stretch until they could put the new rules into place. Trustee Patrick Hiltman said the standards came about after Kroger pulled out of its former location on the northwest corner of Hamilton-Mason and Cincinnati-Dayton roads this summer to move into a new, bigger location up the street. The old Kroger location remains vacant. "If we didn't enact (the new standards) we could have had a Larry Flynt superstore there and there was nothing we could do about it," Hiltman pointed out. But several landowners and at least one prominent township developer asked trustees Monday to hold off on approving the standards until more consideration could be given. "It has a lot of mistakes in it," said developer Bob Hutsenpiller. "You are going to do yourselves more harm than good in passing this." But residents applauded the increased development requirements. "We cannot let developers determine what Liberty Township is going to look like," Sorrows said. "If they don't like it, they can go to another place." What's next Butler County Commissioners are expected to sign off on Liberty's comprehensive land use plan at their Oct. 18 meeting. Now that Liberty Township trustees have passed stricter commercial development standards on Cincinnati-Dayton Road Hamilton-Mason and Princeton roads, they will lift the moratorium on development in 30 days, after a mandatory waiting period. To view the land use plan and increased development standards along Cincinnati-Dayton Road, go to the township's website: www.liberty-township.com. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060919/NEWS01/609190376
September 21, 200618 yr It's hard to concentrate on this article over the gushing flow of tears..........STOP WHINING!!! Cut-through traffic aggravates Liberty Township neighborhood BY JENNIFER BAKER | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER September 21, 2006 LIBERTY TWP. - The temporary closing of a major road for a $4.2 million construction project has motorists, including student drivers, cutting through a residential neighborhood, leaving residents fearing for their children's lives. "It bothers me a lot," Lisa LaFever told township trustees Monday. "I am an adult and they don't slow down for me. Do you think they slow down for children? I don't know what to do. We saw people run three stop signs on our way over here tonight." While officials chalk it up to growing pains and say they are doing their best to crack down on speeders, frustration in this southern section of fast-growing Liberty Township has been festering all summer. First, commercial development exploded near homes along Cincinnati-Dayton Road north of Ohio 129, with more on the way. Then, construction to widen parts of Cincinnati-Dayton Road shut down the road that carries as many as 30,000 vehicles a day. Cars following detours have turned Yankee Road and other streets into parking lots during rush hours. . Liberty's growth has swelled so much, the owners of 16 homes in a row on the west side of Cincinnati-Dayton Road from Cimmeron Drive to Wyandot Lane are for sale as a group for future commercial development. Now, homeowners near them in the Stonehedge neighborhood off Wyandot Lane and Eldorado Drive say they are fed up with cut-through traffic. Drivers are speeding and blowing through stop signs, say residents who begged officials this week for more traffic enforcement. The violators are not just teenagers on their way to nearby Lakota East High School, they've complained. "It's people in minivans. It's adults. It's everyone," said LaFever, 44. A speed trailer that electronically posts how fast drivers are going was recently placed on Wyandot Lane for three days to encourage drivers to slow down. The mobile sign will return soon, said Lt. Michael Smith of the Butler County Sheriff's Office, who oversees Liberty Township's sheriff substation. "It wasn't that big a problem until school went back in. A lot of kids going to school are cutting through Wyandot," Smith said. "We had problems there before with local residents cutting through there because the road was closed, but it's just intensified since school is back in. There is a safety concern because there is so much traffic going through there." So far this year, the 18 deputies and supervisors have written 1,044 citations in Liberty Township for traffic violations including speeding, failing to yield at a stop sign and reckless vehicle operation, Smith said. Last year overall, 1,948 tickets were written in the township, he said. Specific figures for Stonehedge and Wyandot Lane were not available, Smith said. Weather permitting, the problem with cut-through traffic is expected to wane by month's end, when the closed parts of Cincinnati-Dayton Road reopen. E-mail [email protected] http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060921/NEWS01/609210369/1056
September 21, 200618 yr Fairfield trying to make Ohio 4 attractive MICHAEL D. PITMAN / HAMILTON JOURNAL NEWS September 21, 2006 FAIRFIELD - With developments like Union Centre Boulevard in West Chester Twp. and Bridgewater Falls in Fairfield Twp., Fairfield business leaders feel like the city is losing its competitive advantage. Business community leaders have formed a committee, headed by the Fairfield Chamber of Commerce, and will hold several public meetings to take "a critical look" at Ohio 4, said chamber president Ginger Shawver. "Our vision is to enhance the competitive position of Route 4," Shawver said. "Various parts of Butler County outside Fairfield have become very attractive to businesses over the past 10 years. We want the businesses we have here to stay in Fairfield." Fairfield Development Services Director Tim Bachman said the city and chamber want new businesses to consider Fairfield over places like Union Centre Boulevard and Bridgewater Falls. "We're hoping to have a finished product, or at least the road map, done by Thanksgiving," Bachman said. "(The road map) is looking at some strategic alliances the city and private sector can form." The initial set of recommendations to improve Ohio 4 will be presented to council, Shawver and Bachman said. Bachman said issues that would give Ohio 4 a competitive edge include incentives for landscaping or investments or posting address block number signs. The nine-person committee includes business owners and managers Lou Colantuono of Original Mattress Factory, "Jungle" Jim Boniminio of Jungle Jim's International Market, John Griesmer of John Griesmer Inc., Dan Goebel of Receptions Conference and Banquet Center, Doug Betz of Minuteman Press, Martha Tipton of UTS, Jack Hern of Hern Marine, Mike Kocheck of Fairfield Golf Center, and Mike Dever of Performance Automotive. The first meeting is from 4 to 5:30 p.m. today at the Fairfield Chamber of Commerce, 670 Wessel Drive. Future meetings will be 4 to 5:30 p.m. Sept. 28, Oct. 19 and 26, and Nov. 2 and 9. Contact this reporter at (513) 755-5112 or [email protected] http://www.journal-news.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2006/09/20/hjn092106route4biz.html
September 21, 200618 yr It's hard to concentrate on this article over the gushing flow of tears..........STOP WHINING!!! Cut-through traffic aggravates Liberty Township neighborhood Maybe someone up there should have considered building sidewalks along the streets when they developed the place!
September 24, 200618 yr From the 9/22/06 Miami Student: MU Learning Center to open in '08 Katie Booher Issue date: 9/22/06 Section: Campus Beginning January 2009, nontraditional students who want to attend Miami University will have yet another alternative to help them complete their degree. Miami is building a $7 million Voice of America Learning Center in West Chester, Ohio, that will feature classes at the undergraduate and graduate levels, as well as offer professional education to help working professionals meet their continuing education requirements. According to Rod Nimtz, senior director of admissions at Miami's Middletown campus and the Learning Center's project director, Miami is gearing the center toward students who cannot attend a traditional college. "We're looking at whole new ways of scheduling based on the demands of people - daytime, evenings and weekends," Nimtz said. "The facility will support 70 (or more) classes a week, plus leave rooms available for business and contracting purposes and allow the entire facility to be available on Fridays." The center's goals include serving people in the region at three different levels, according to Nimtz. "This will serve people looking to enter the workforce for the first time, people in the workforce who want to get additional courses or certifications to move ahead in their careers and people who have special licenses and certifications that are required to receive ongoing education," Nimtz said. The center will have five specific areas of emphasis: undergraduate courses where students earn credit toward their associates and bachelor degrees; master's of education and business administration programs; professional education designed to meet the needs of working professionals; and contract training designed to meet specialized needs of regional businesses, industry and government agencies. Because of this wide offering of courses, Miami expects to draw a diverse segment of the population to the center according to Carole Johnson, Miami's internal communications coordinator. "The nice thing about this type of learning center is that it is going to draw from a lot of age demographics," Johnson said. "It's wonderful because it creates a real world setting in a classroom." The center won't have any facilities like a recreation center or food service; it will strictly be an academic building where the same quality Miami education will be offered, just as if students were attending the Oxford campus, according to Johnson. "The faculty teaching at the (center) will be working within their departments' curriculum (at Miami)," Johnson said. "They will work to help build and develop the curriculum." According to Johnson, the center will be beneficial for both Miami as well as West Chester, Ohio. "A lot of the business members and community leaders of the West Chester and Mason areas can't wait for us to get there," Johnson said. "They have been wonderful working with us on all this and they're excited about us coming in because education is always needed - it's wonderful to have that there for their people." The idea for a learning center is not new, according to Nimtz. Miami got the land free from the government in 2000 and in exchange, they should have built a learning center within 72 months, or, by this September. Because of budget constraints, however, Miami was unable to build. "Early on, the indications we had were that the money (for the center) was going to come from the state, but then Ohio's economy faced some challenges and funds were not available," Nimtz said. "Believing as strongly as the university does in the project, we approached the U.S. Department of Education and we got an extension on the time to construct the center." Currently, the university is in the concept and design phase of the project and should be ready to bid out the project in mid-2007, said Nimtz. The center should be open by December 2008 and classes should start in January 2009. http://www.miamistudent.net/media/storage/paper776/news/2006/09/22/Campus/Mu.Learning.Center.To.Open.In.08-2302491.shtml?norewrite200609232251&sourcedomain=www.miamistudent.net
October 1, 200618 yr From the 9/30/06 Enquirer: Lakota kids switching schools? Reconfiguration would combat crowding BY MICHAEL D. CLARK | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER LIBERTY TWP. - Thousands of Lakota elementary students would go to different schools next year under a proposal announced Friday. The plan, which requires Lakota Board of Education approval, would change which grades are handled by 12 elementary school buildings that serve a combined 12,573 students. The goal is to reduce crowding at several schools by more evenly distributing students across the district. Another step to come later this year would be redrawing the boundaries for several schools. The 35-member Lakota Planning Committee, composed primarily of parents and school officials, developed the plan. Letters explaining the proposed changes were sent home with students after school Friday. "The committee looked at as many as 14 different grade configuration options, and the chose a plan that is cost-effective. It will save tens of thousands of dollars a year in transportation costs and requires fewer capital dollars to do than other plans," said spokesman Jon Weidlich. "It expands Lakota's nationally-recognized early childhood education and puts the schools closer to the neighborhoods they serve," he said. Laara Doorley, a parent and committee member, said initial reaction has been mostly positive. "Nobody likes change, but we want to find long-term solutions to Lakota's growth," said Doorley. "It is frightening how much bigger we can become." Lakota, which includes West Chester and Liberty townships, is Ohio's seventh-largest school system, serving 17,800 students. The district most recently redrew its school building boundaries in 2003. With enrollment increasing by about 400 students a year, the district faces doing it again. The redistricting proposal is expected to be completed by late October. Lakota's school board may wait until December to approve both the grade reconfiguration and redistricting, said Weidlich. E-mail [email protected] Proposed changes Lakota's 12 elementary schools would be reconfigured next school year, according to a plan announced Friday. The changes include: Lakota Early Childhood Center: Now, pre-kindergarten (pre-K) and kindergarten (K); next year, pre-kindergarten through 1st grade. Shawnee: Now pre-K through 6th grade; next year, pre-K through 1st. Adena and Hopewell: Now K through 6th; next year, 2nd through 6th. Independence, VanGorden: Now 1st through 5th, next year 2nd through 6th. Cherokee, Freedom, Heritage, Liberty, Union and Woodland: Now 1st through 6th; next year, 2nd through 6th, except for Liberty, which would be pre-K through 1st. Two new elementary schools are under construction. The Summerlin Road school would be pre-K through 1st. The Smith Road school would be 2nd through 6th. The full proposal can be viewed at www.lakotaonline.com. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060930/NEWS0102/609300415/-1/rss From the 10/1/06 Enquirer: PROPERTY TAX ABATEMENT ADVANCES FOR TEDIA CO. FAIRFIELD - The Tedia Co. would get a five-year, 40 percent property tax abatement for building a new storage and distribution center under an agreement approved this week by Fairfield City Council. The company, which makes and distributes laboratory and industrial chemical products, plans a $4.2 million expansion that would add at least 18 new jobs within three years. It includes construction of a 40,000-square-foot building and $1.5 million in new equipment. The company, at the corner of Symmes Road and Tedia Way, has 61 employees. The abatement would save Tedia about $10,900 in taxes per year, but the company would still pay $1,950 a year to the Fairfield Schools. The agreement next goes to Butler County commissioners for final approval. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061001/NEWS01/610010436/1056/rss02
October 8, 200618 yr From the 10/6/06 Oxford Press: Thoroughfare timeline mapped Mayor says public will be involved throughout the process. By Joe Giordano Staff Writer Friday, October 06, 2006 In response to continuing concerns over the Oxford Thoroughfare Plan, city council released a timetable Tuesday mapping out their course of action into next year. Mayor Jerome Conley explained there will be ongoing dialogue on the thoroughfare plan, which will include public input opportunities for months to come. Council will receive the Tetra Tech consultant report during their Oct. 17 council meeting. The public will then have the chance to comment on it at public forums Nov. 28 and January 2007. Following the two forums, city council will meet with the planning commission to determine the best course of action. Conley said they could refer the plan to the planning commission or have a joint work session. In either case, the public will again have an opportunity to speak as the plan crawls through the acceptance process next year, he said. The thoroughfare plan, which maps possible future roadways based on population projections and development growth, sparked concerns from residents, who fear the plan could pave over Oxford's pastoral landscape. In 2005, the city hired Tetra Tech Inc. to gather information where future roads could help improve connectivity and safety. As city council receives the report Oct. 17, some people fear the roads will be winding through their backyards soon. City Manager Jane Howington stressed the possible roadways on the Tetra Tech report are just recommendations. "I think there are some people very concerned that lines are being drawn on potential maps that go through neighborhoods," Howington said. "Those things are not being considered ... You get a variety of recommendations ... you'll throw some out, you'll adjust some others." Howington pointed to the 1996 Oxford Comprehensive Plan, which presented a number of extreme recommendations, which city council rejected. It took nearly a year to review the comprehensive plan and hold public meetings. The city manager explained the thoroughfare plan will follow a similar route with numerous meetings before council makes any decision. At the Oct. 17 meeting, city council will only receive the Tetra Tech report. There will not be a presentation, Howington explained. The public will have the chance to review the plans during the forums. "There's not going to be a lot of forms and diagrams (Oct. 17) on what the content is," she said. "It's simply going to be presented ... so we can begin establishing our public process." Conley added council is not approving of the recommendations in the Tetra Tech report during their Oct. 17 meeting. "In terms of the report, council is not endorsing the report," he said. "We are just accepting the report so we can consider the nuances of it for further discussion." Council is still considering the times and locations for the public forums. Conley said they will be announced at an upcoming meeting and will be posted on the city's Web site. Contact this reporter at (513) 523-4139 or [email protected] Thoroughfare Planning Process Tuesday, Oct. 17: City council receives Tetra Tech report at council meeting 7:30 p.m. at the courthouse. Tuesday, Nov. 28: First public forum. Location and time TBA. January 2007: Second public forum. Location, date and time TBA. Post-January 2007: Joint meeting by planning commission and council to determine course of action. http://www.oxfordpress.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2006/10/04/op100606thoroughfare.html From the 10/3/06 Pulse-Journal: Meeting Oct. 17 to discuss Tylersville Road improvements Staff Report Tuesday, October 03, 2006 The Butler County Engineer's Office will hold a public involvement workshop to provide information and solicit public input concerning the proposed Tylersville Road improvement in West Chester Twp. The workshop will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 17, at the lodge at Ronald Reagan Voice of Freedom Park on the corner of Cox and Hamilton-Mason roads. Residents are invited to the casual, open-house style workshop with information stations and displays about the project, which will widen Tylersville Road to five lanes from Wetherington Drive to Cincinnati-Dayton Road. A westbound lane from Cincinnati-Dayton Road to Lakota Hills Drive will also be added. Construction is scheduled to start in 2009. Contact this reporter at (513) 755-5060 http://www.pulsejournal.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2006/10/03/pj100306widenweb.html
October 11, 200618 yr From the 10/8/06 Middletown Journal: Trenton to annex new land By Lindsey Hilty Staff Writer Sunday, October 08, 2006 TRENTON — The purchase of nearly 200 acres of Madison Twp. farmland is a $2.7 million investment city officials believe will bring a high yield. City Council voted Thursday to annex 184 acres of farmland bordering Kennel, Wayne-Madison and Pierson roads. The land, purchased March 20, cost the city $2,767,249.17. One third of the parcel, which has a natural aquifer below ground, will be preserved for future well fields, said City Manager Patrick Titterington. A storage tank may be built on that section. The city will market another third of the land to industrial developers. Titterington said city planners hope it will complement other surrounding industries, including Miller Brewing Co. St. Clair Twp. plant. The final third of the land will be reserved for the expansion of Ohio 63. "The city's had its eye on some portion of this for a long time," said Treasurer Mike Engel. "We felt like it was in everybody's best interest to bring that into government control." Madison Twp. officials could not be reached for comment. With potential commercial development along the corridor, Engel said he expects the annexation will bring in more jobs and economic growth to the city. Although there is a substantial amount of debt from the purchase, Engel said any land sold to commercial developers will pay down the loan. The next step in the annexation process is to get approval from the Butler County Commission. "These things generally take some time," Engel said. Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2551 or [email protected]. http://www.middletownjournal.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2006/10/08/mj100806trentonland.html From the 10/10/06 Hamilton JournalNews: Lakota says plan may upset parents By Cameron Fullam Staff Writer Tuesday, October 10, 2006 LIBERTY TWP. — The Lakota school board Monday night acknowledged that some parents may be upset by some of the changes as it reconfigures its elementary schools, but urged parents to be thoughtful in their feedback. "Obviously we would like to hear from the community, but I would appreciate a thoughtful response," said Lakota Local School District board member Dan Warncke. "Try to take some of the emotion out of it." Those who attended the meeting were given opportunities to comment on the plan, but did not. The board will vote on the proposal Oct. 23. If approved, Lakota Early Childhood Center, Liberty, Shawnee and Summerlin elementary schools would serve students in preschool through first grade. The remaining 10 elementary schools would serve students in grades two through six. The board applauded the work of a planning committee that recommended the district reconfigure its elementary schools. The committee considered 14 possible configurations and settled on the proposed plan as the one that is most cost effective, makes the best use of space resources and considers future growth, said committee member Phillip Perry. Many of the schools in the southern portion of the district have been losing student population while schools in the northern part have continued to grow. The new plan would utilize all classroom space in the district, he said. "We'll have the ability to give an art class and music class to all students. We won't have to push in a cart for an art class," he said. The proposed plan would meet Lakota's needs into the long-term future, Perry said. It would last at least the next five years. The adjustments may make more room for growth, but it doesn't eliminate the need for more buildings, said board President Joan Powell. "I wouldn't want people to think long-term meant that Lakota will not need additional new facilities," she said. "What it does mean is that Lakota will not need additional facilities as soon as we would have." If the plan is approved, the board would then consider new attendance boundaries for the district. A proposal on the boundaries will likely be completed by next week and will then be shared at a number of community meetings. Residents will have the chance to comment on the plan and ask questions at the Oct. 23 board meeting and at the public meetings in the coming weeks. "These public meetings will help people understand and put more of a global perspective on things," said board member Jeff Rubenstein. "And I hope it will change the minds of some of the more vocal people in the community." For more information on the proposed plan, visit www.lakotaonline.com. Contact this reporter at (513) 755-5127 or [email protected]. http://www.journal-news.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2006/10/10/hjn101006lakboe.html
October 13, 200618 yr Tylersville widening welcome Some to lose land, but all agree traffic a nightmare BY JENNIFER BAKER | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER WEST CHESTER TWP. - Forty-eight people will lose some of their land in 2009 as part of a $5.6 million project to widen Tylersville Road west of Interstate 75. Of those property owners, six to eight are expected to lose all their land, said Chris Petrocy, spokesman for the engineer's office. The county, he said, will pay fair market values for the lots. The county could take the land via eminent domain, but that is a last resort, he said. Details of the road widening project will be unveiled at an open house 4-7 p.m. Tuesday at Ronald Reagan Voice of Freedom Park off Cox Road. "Once we get feedback, that will be taken into account when developing final plans," Petrocy said. The road widening, planned since the mid-1990s, is designed to reduce congestion on one of the township's primary east-west thoroughfares. The road links West Chester and neighboring Mason in Warren County to Interstate 75. About 60,000 vehicles a day travel Tylersville Road at Cox Road. About 16,000 vehicles a day use the road west of I-75 at Cincinnati-Dayton Road. Several landowners said Thursday they are anxious to find out how much of their land they stand to lose. Some residents say they won't mind bidding farewell to some or all of their land - as long as the county gives them fair market value. "We plan to move out. There are too many taxes," said Gene Morris, 65. "I pay six times the taxes on this house than when I moved here in 1976." One of his neighbors, Glenda Jackson, said she expects the county will take her entire lot. "We have some property in Adams County so we'll probably go there," she said. "It has been so busy around here you can't pull out of your driveway anymore. It's crazy." Dr. Steve Moore owns four properties along Tylersville. Three are homes inside the project area, all zoned for small-office use. He runs his dental practice out of his fourth property, which is outside the project area. When the road is widened, Moore said he hopes the hills are flattened so it's a safer drive: "No one is going to tear those homes down and build a nice house on Tylersville Road nowadays with the traffic the way it is." There are no plans to widen Tylersville east of I-75, other than eventually adding a turn lane outside the Kohl's Department store east of Cox Road to Butler-Warren Road. Tylersville Road between Cox Road and I-75 already runs several lanes wide, is lined with commercial development and is regularly gridlocked. "How can you possibly widen that?" said Deborah Scott, who lives off Kingsgate Way about a mile from Tylersville. "It's a nightmare." About the project Tylersville Road will be widened in the coming years west of Interstate 75: From the current two lanes to five from Wetherington Drive west to just east of Cincinnati-Dayton Road. From two lanes to three from just west of Cincinnati-Dayton Road to Lakota Hills Drive. Overall cost: $5.6 million; funded with federal and county money. Work would start in 2009 and last about a year Information: Butler County Engineer's Office, 513-867-5744 or e-mail [email protected]. PDF of Improvements: http://news.enquirer.com/assets/AB453851013.PDF http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061013/NEWS01/610130416/1056/COL02
October 18, 200618 yr From the 10/12/06 Pulse-Journal: Developer seeks to block tighter zoning for Cin-Day area By Eric Schwartzberg Staff Writer Thursday, October 12, 2006 Liberty Twp. officials sent a letter Wednesday to residents warning them to look closely at any petition they sign. Residents say several individuals approached them at their homes, area businesses and public events and asked them to sign petitions in recent weeks. They said the petitions variously were described as stopping development along Cincinnati-Dayton Road, making car washes a conditional use in the township and restricting an adult business purportedly coming to the township. But Steve Miller, manager of SPM Real Estate Georgesville, said the petition is his effort and is none of those things. It is meant to squash a 415-acre overlay district that township trustees have approved which places additional restrictions on development along Cincinnati-Dayton Road. SPM was working with Procter & Gamble this summer on a prototype car wash for the Liberty Commons shopping center when trustees enacted a 120-day "time out" on construction in the area, Miller said. The township's zoning department then denied two applications for zoning permits, he said. Last month, trustees approved the text amendment that would create the district. It goes into effect next Thursday. But Miller said he plans to take the more than 1,000 signatures he had collected to the Butler County Board of Election for certification before that can happen. "We want to put it on the ballot because we want the voters to vote on it," Miller said. In enacting the moratorium and approving the overlay district, township officials did not follow the proper procedure, he said. "They just went ahead and did it," Miller said. "They didn't come to us and talk to us and say, 'Hey, we're thinking about doing this, we just wanted to let you know.' " Miller said the normal course of action would be for the zoning department to issue the zoning certificate first, then allow them to make the necessary adjustments afterward. But Jonathan West, the township's director of planning and zoning, said that would never be the case in Liberty Twp. "We never issue a zoning permit unless the applicant meets the zoning requirements," he said. "And in this case the applicant did not meet all the zoning requirements." Liberty Twp. Administrator Dina Minneci said the property's zoning application was based on zoning codes that existed before the recent push to limit development. "They're not meeting the zoning even before this overlay district was put into place," Minneci said. Contact this reporter at (513) 755-5126 or [email protected]. http://www.pulsejournal.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2006/2006/10/11/pj101206petition.html From the 10/11/06 Hamilton JournalNews: Retail plaza part of West Chester plan By Cameron Fullam Staff Writer Wednesday, October 11, 2006 HAMILTON — A developer is planning to open a retail plaza this spring next to the Wal-Mart Supercenter on Cincinnati-Dayton Road in West Chester Twp. The 12,000-square-foot plaza, which was part of a plan presented Tuesday to the Butler County Planning Commission, will likely house four tenants, said Susan Chapin, marketing manager for Neyer Properties. Neyer owns the Highlands Retail Center on the northeast corner of Cincinnati-Dayton and I-75. Before the plan can be finalized, West Chester Twp. must approve a zoning change of 28 acres at the site from industrial use to commercial use. The property was zoned commercial prior to 1997. For those 28 acres, the Neyer's plan calls for more than 216,000 square feet of retail space, including a 49,500-square-foot anchor store. The county planning commission on Tuesday heard the zoning change request. County Planner Joseph Schmidt said he doesn't anticipate any opposition to the application. The request will next be heard by the West Chester Twp. Zoning Commission and then presented to township trustees for approval. http://www.journal-news.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2006/10/10/hjn101106planning.html
October 18, 200618 yr You reap what you sow West Chester! Tylersville Road fix to cut deep Widening may take 4 properties, affect 48 BY JENNIFER BAKER | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER WEST CHESTER TWP. - Landowners took their first look Tuesday at plans to widen Tylersville Road west of Interstate 75. And some weren't happy with what they saw. "It sucks," said Sidney Stephens, 54, who stands to lose about half of his front yard. Stephens was among several upset property owners who submitted their comments to the Butler County Engineer's Office during an open house at Ronald Reagan Voice of Freedom Park. He plans to contact a lawyer. "I have kids and grandkids," Stephens said. "We will have no place to park our cars. I figured I'd lose 4 to 6 feet of my front yard, but I'm probably losing 20 to 30 feet. The county needs to go somewhere else to enforce their eminent domain crap." In all, 48 people will lose some of their land - in slices ranging from 5 feet to 40 feet deep - in 2009 as part of a $5.6 million project to widen Tylersville. Of those property owners, four likely will lose their homes, engineers said Tuesday. Plans are subject to changes as residents provide input, they said. A final plan is due next year. "We try to come to a happy medium for everybody but sometimes that is not easy," said Dale Schwieterman, engineering deputy with the engineer's office. "To the 20,000 people traveling through there every day, the project is needed." Some residents whose homes are slated for the wrecking ball said traffic has become so congested on Tylersville, they won't mind leaving. "They are going to take it anyway regardless of how many people protest," said Don Eubanks, 69. "You are standing in the way of progress." http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061018/NEWS01/610180390/1056/COL02
October 18, 200618 yr W. Chester library planners to meet ENQUIRER STAFF REPORT October 18, 2006 WEST CHESTER TWP. - A new advisory committee will hold its first meeting to discuss plans for a new library in West Chester at 1:30 p.m. Thursday at the township hall, 9113 Cincinnati-Dayton Rd. The eight-member committee will advise township trustees and Middletown Public Library board members on how big a new library should be and what it should look like, said Doug Bean, director of the Middletown Public Library System. Township trustees, not the committee, will decide where it will be located. West Chester’s current library on Cox Road has become too small to serve the fast-growing area despite several expansions. It has no more room left to grow, Bean said. The committee members are: Carolyn L. Mazloomi, an artist, author, historian and curator; James G. Keys Jr., an attorney; Karen Hackett, a Middletown library board member and Jim VonderHaar, the Middletown library board president. They were appointed by the Middletown Public Library Board. West Chester Trustees appointed: township government observer Carl Rullmann; Barb Chappell, the wife of Charles Chappell, president of West Chester 75, Inc; Chris Wunnenberg, director of development for Schumacher Dugan Construction and Bruce Jones, a township government observer who unsuccessfully ran for trustee in 2005. All are residents of West Chester except for VonderHaar, who lives in Middletown. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061018/NEWS01/310180021
October 18, 200618 yr From the 10/12/06 Pulse-Journal: Fire department looks for breathing room Liberty Twp. seeks fire levy to keep pace with growth. By Eric Schwartzberg Staff Writer Thursday, October 12, 2006 As Liberty Twp. continues to ride a wave of housing and commercial development, its fire department must continue to fight a rising tide of squad runs. A recent Sunday saw township firefighters make four medic runs in a matter of 31 minutes: reports of chest pain, choking, possible overdose and back problems. Three of those calls came within 10 minutes. There are days with fewer than a handful of runs, but Fire Chief Paul Stumpf said it is now common to go on 13 or 14 runs in a 24-hour period, the majority of which are EMS runs. "It's not your father's fire department any more," he said. "Every time we go out the door is not on a fully involved structure fire." Seventy-one percent of the department's runs are EMS runs. The township's fire department responded to 46 percent more calls in 2005 than it did five years earlier. The more runs the department must answer, the greater the likelihood those runs will happen simultaneously, Stumpf said. Estimates for this year place the total number of runs slightly higher than 2005. In addition to fighting fires and making medic runs, the fire department inspects businesses, schools and foster homes, helps residents install car seats correctly and reviews plans for new commercial development. Increased demands will cause department expenses to rise from about $3.5 million a year at present to an expected $7 million a year by 2011, officials say. Township officials say the levy's passage is necessary to provide service to a population base that leaped from 9,314 to 32,073 from 1990 to 2005, according to United States Census records. Trustee David Kern said passing the levy is important because when residents have an emergency, they should have immediate attention. "The public expects 24/7 firefighter/paramedic service and that's expensive," Kern said. The fire deparment's primary expense is keeping staff levels on pace to serve the expanding population, he said. The levy would allow the township to hire 12 more full-time firefighters by 2011. The department has 21 firefighters now. "Our response time is good and we want to keep it good," Kern said. The 3.5-mill replacement fire levy would generate $2.7 million a year, enough money to construct two new stations — one a replacement station and one a brand new edifice, as well as boost staffing levels and upgrade aging vehicles and equipment. The levy also would pave the way to replace the "small and antiquated" Maustown firehouse, a tiny, one-story structure in the township's northwest corner. Built more than 50 years ago, the cinder block building is scarce on parking and short on interior space. Four firefighters are on call at the station 24-hours-a-day. They sleep on two twin beds and a bunk bed in quarters smaller than a typical family's living room. A small, multi-purpose room in the station functions as a kitchen, break room and meeting area. The building is crammed with modern day equipment that barely fits the aging structure. An addition built in 1969 gave the station a septic tank and a bathroom. More bathrooms cannot be added because access to a sewer system is not readily available, Stumpf said. With no room for expansion or additional personnel, the township is looking to construct a replacement station on a 2.5-acre plot next to Butler Tech's Public Safety Education Complex. A fourth fire station to be built on a yet-to-be-determined site somewhere along Yankee, Kyles Station or Cincinnati Dayton roads would help decrease response time to the station's rapidly growing northeast quadrant, Stumpf said. That additional station would help reduce homeowner and commercial insurance rates and provide optimum coverage for the township, Stumpf said. Increased funding also would help the fire department to offset rising operating expenses and replace older vehicles and equipment. Pro-levy volunteer Dean Swartz, treasurer of Citizens Helping Improve Protection Services, said passing the levy would go a long way to saving lives, Swartz said. The passage of past fire levies allowed the township to transition from a volunteer fire department to a full-time fire department, greatly reducing response times as a result. "When the alarm goes off, the people are already there," Swartz said. Swartz said he believes Liberty Twp. voters understand the need for having both police and fire services. "In order to keep this same level of support, we need to keep money keeping in," he said. Contact this reporter at (513) 755-5126 or [email protected]. http://www.pulsejournal.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2006/2006/10/11/pj101206levy.html From the 10/12/06 Fairfield Echo: Fairfield Twp. fire department told to update, grow Fast-growing area demands increased staff, a new fire station. By Eric Schwartzberg Staff Writer Thursday, October 12, 2006 A study commissioned by Fairfield Twp. officials suggests the township needs to increase fire department staffing and build a new fire station in the area's fast-growing northwest quadrant. The monthlong study by a fire service management consultant recommends building a new firehouse on the area of Princeton and Gilmore roads. The move could spell the end of Station 2, an aging one-story brick structure on Tylersville Road. When the structure was built in 1946, the township's demographics were much different, said Fire Chief Dave Downie. Most people lived in the Homewood/Belmont area, a neighborhood commonly referred to as "The Knob," he said. "Everything else was just farmland," he said. The township added on to the station in 1964 and 1970, then remodeled it in 1984, Downie said. But the modifications are no match with the ever-increasing size of modern fire trucks. The firehouse's narrow bay forces firefighters to wait outside for a squad truck to pull out before they can board the vehicle. "The size of the vehicles then are not the size of vehicles today," Downie said. A 1940s-era vehicle measured 22 feet long and seven feet wide. In contrast, Station 2's primary fire engine is 43 feet long and more than eight feet wide. Scuff marks on the walls illustrate the difficulty of backing a fire vehicle or ambulance into the building. "We've crashed some doors and we've hit the sides of the walls coming in and going out," Downie said. Putting a station near Princeton and Gilmore roads would protect not only "The Knob," but the developing commercial and residential area, as well, he said. Hamilton-Mason Road and Morris Road would be the "perfect" location for a third fire station, said Thomas Grile, president of T.G. Fire/EMS Systems, which conducted the study. "Unfortunately, there's no land available (there)," Grile said. The department now uses six part-time firefighter/EMTs from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., three of them at Station 2 and three of them at Station 1 on Morris Road. The study also suggests the department hire three additional part-time firefighter/EMTs, two for Station 1 and one for Station 2. In addition, the study suggests hiring a training safety officer on a full-time basis. Downie said the increased staffing is what the department needs. "That will give us the ability to do primary runs in each station and provide coverage for multiple runs." The department's coverage between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. places two part-time staffers on duty at Station 1. The study suggests the department boost that to two part-time staffers at each station, rather than relying on volunteers. "Right now, you're not meeting the response standards, but you're very, very close," Grile said. "And part of it is because you have some daytime staffing and very, very limited nighttime staffing." To download the full report, visit www.fairfieldtwp.org/fire/FTFD_Study.pdf Contact this reporter at (513) 755-5126 or [email protected]. http://www.fairfield-echo.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2006/2006/10/12/fe101206firestudy.html
October 19, 200618 yr I'd be interested in knowing how a developer (of a carwash :wtf:) got enough signatures to stop this project? Petition stops overlay district in Liberty Twp. After being denied permit to build car wash, developer gathers enough signatures to halt overlay district By Eric Schwartzberg Staff Writer Thursday, October 19, 2006 A local developer this week submitted a petition to Liberty Twp. in an effort to squash an overlay district that would limit the type of development that can be built along part of Cincinnati-Dayton Road. The overlay district restrictions were scheduled to go into effect Oct. 19. However, Scott Phillips, the township's legal counsel, said the petition "stops everything." "The overlay district will not go into effect until there's a vote in May or until the (Butler County) Board of Elections refuses to accept the petitions," Phillips said. Steve Miller, manager of SPM Real Estate Georgesville, submitted signatures of 1,345 Liberty Twp. residents Tuesday to the township. The 415-acre Cincinnati-Dayton Road Overlay District places more stringent development guidelines on top of existing regulations. Trustees have 10 business days to certify the signatures before forwarding them to the Butler County Board of Elections. But township officials could take action before then, said Dina Minneci, the township's administrator. "We may have questions that we may want the board to address," she said. While Minneci declined to detail what those questions could be, trustees last week warned residents of several individuals who may be misrepresenting facts about the overlay district. The warning came after those residents said they were approached at home, area businesses and public events and asked to sign petitions. The petitions were described as stopping development along Cincinnati-Dayton Road, restricting an adult business purportedly coming to the township and making car washes a conditional use in the township. Miller is working with Procter & Gamble to bring a prototype car wash to the Liberty Commons shopping center. The township twice denied him a zoning permit for the site. He said he had no knowledge of petitioners misleading voters regarding the overlay district. During their Oct. 19 meeting, trustees plan to discuss what to do about a 120-day development moratorium for the district, Minneci said. Township trustees unanimously approved the Cincinnati-Dayton Road Corridor Overlay District at a Sept. 18 meeting. The township's zoning commission and the Butler County Planning Commission also signed off on it. Residents voiced support of the overlay district at public hearings but developers said it was unfair because it would limit building materials developers could use and would force existing businesses to rebuild according to new standards if more than half of their structure is destroyed by a storm or fire. Contact this reporter at (513) 755-5126 or [email protected]. http://www.journal-news.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2006/10/18/pj101906liberty.html
October 19, 200618 yr From the 10/19/06 Fairfield Echo: Cincinnati arts groups eye Butler, Warren counties for patrons By Cameron Fullam Staff Writer Wednesday, October 18, 2006 Artists love an audience, and Victoria Morgan is willing to travel to get one. The Cincinnati Ballet artistic director is exploring the possibility of bringing performances to the West Chester Twp. community. "We were all thinking how nice it would be for West Chester to have a chance to see us," Morgan said. "But why would we always assume they would want to come downtown to see us? It's a little presumptuous." (GC: Because downtown is the hub of the region, douchebag.) Many suburbanites may be deterred by the time and travel it would take to get downtown or by the negative perception of the area, she said. The Cincinnati Ballet — one of about 12 third-tier companies in the country — has witnessed a recent decline in subscription sales, but has noticed a curious trend: single ticket sales are going up. "People are interested in the work, they just don't want to commit," she said. "They want it to be convenient." Morgan and the Cincinnati Ballet are not alone. Several fine arts institutions in downtown Cincinnati are eyeing their neighbors to the north, creating and promoting ways to reach out to them to get them interested in what the city has to offer. Last week, the interim director of the Cincinnati Art Museum met with West Chester Twp. Administrator Judi Boyko to discuss a partnership that would bring art to the community and the community to the museum. State Representative Bill Coley, R-West Chester Twp., said he suggested to the museum last year it establish a small gallery in the area, an idea welcomed by former museum director Timothy Rub. Just what a partnership would look like is yet to be determined, but it could be similar to an existing community engagement initiative called Art for Life, said Ted Lind, the museum's curator of education. "Art for Life, in a nutshell, is actively reaching out to communities that have not developed a really strong relationship with the museum in participation," he said. The CAM has already been engaged for a year with Mason connecting with people and talking to them about their interests and needs and custom designing programs to meet those needs, he said. The program is different than the museum's other outreaches like lecture programs and travelling exhibits. It is intended to bring awareness to the community, encourage participation and eventually lead to commitment. The Art for Life idea came out of public meetings held in 2002. "People felt like the museum was a closed institution and it wasn't opening itself up. To use a metaphor, the museum needed to come down off the hill and become a part of community life. We heard that loud and clear from the communities," Lind said. Visitor statistics revealed few residents north of Interstate 275 were coming to the museum, so it seemed natural to target Mason and now, perhaps, West Chester Twp. Meredith Raffel, founder and executive director of the Mason Area Arts Council, is hopeful more Cincinnati arts organizations will follow suit with the CAM and come to where the people are. "They want us to be there, but I think they're realizing they have to come here," she said. "I think it would create an incredible amount of awareness, and people are going to become curious and they're going to want to go downtown and see more." Raffel founded the arts council a little more than a year ago and believes its role is to help these downtown arts venues make that connection. She hopes to have a fine arts facility in Mason in the next five years that could invite performances from the ballet, the opera, the Pops orchestra and even the Cincinnati Playhouse. "Again, it becomes the catalyst for exposure. We create venues for them to come," she said. Carrie Krysanick, director of public relations for the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, said reaching out to the northern communities is vital for the orchestra. That includes taking the show on the road. "Getting out of the hall is part of what we do," she said. In addition, the CSO invites area students to study with the performers and directors and perform a few numbers with them, she said. The orchestra also holds workshops for educators. The Taft Museum of Art has a little more difficulty taking its art form to other communities because the location of the museum is integral to the experience, said Tricia Suit, public relations manager. "Still, you have to give people a reason to come," she said. The museum often does library lecture series and several education programs. The Artists Reaching Classrooms program is a collaboration of the Taft museum and other art centers to create interaction between high school students and professional artists and the chance to participate in a professionally organized art exhibition. All of these initiatives are meant to bring artists and their audiences together, which in the end benefits everyone, Morgan said. "One of my big pet peeves is we spend weeks and weeks preparing for these series and we have three to five performances and then it's done," Morgan said. "By performing elsewhere it's a win-win for everybody," Contact this reporter at (513) 755-5127 or [email protected]. http://www.fairfield-echo.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2006/10/18/pj101906cincyarts.html From the 10/18/06 Oxford Press: Preliminary subdivision plan approved Plans would build a 61-lot subdivision on the south side of Oxford. By Joe Giordano Staff Writer Friday, October 20, 2006 The Oxford Planning Commission unanimously approved the preliminary plans for a 61-lot subdivision on the south side of town last week. The commission recommended the preliminary plans 6-0 to city council Oct. 10. The plans plot a 32-acre subdivision off of U.S. 27 South near University Park Boulevard. Prior to its approval, the planning commission had tabled the preliminary plans numerous times over the past year citing various complications with lot sizes, road connectivity and water drainage. The developer attempted to address the commission's concerns in this latest draft of the subdivision. Oxford Community Development Director Jung-Han Chen explained the commission voiced various concerns during their July meeting, which the developer responded to in the plans. "This (preliminary plan) is a revision to the comments and concerns raised in the July meeting," Chen said. "Some concerns were exit points ... a second concern was the overall density." Etta Reed, principal of the development firm Bayer Becker, said her company reviewed the old minutes and videos of previous planning meetings to create the new plans. She said the new plans have reduced the density by 10 lots and created more points for connectivity. The plans call for two access points to U.S. 27 South. One uses a connector to University Park Boulevard as one point. A new road to the south of the first access point goes straight onto 27 South across from Southpointe Parkway as the second point. For drainage, the developer has drawn a detention basin in the plans to prevent flooding. Reed added that four acres of the development will be designated open green space. Before approving the recommendation, the planning commission tacked on a number of amendments to the plan. Among the amendments, the commission required an Ohio Department of Transportation and Oxford traffic study be completed prior to approval. "A letter from ODOT indicates they require a traffic impact study," Chen said. "... They need to evaluate to see if additional infrastructure needs to be in place." Infrastructure could include such things as street lights, the community development director added. http://www.oxfordpress.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2006/10/18/op102006planning.html
October 19, 200618 yr Here's another article from the 10/18/06 Hamilton JournalNews that talks more about the traffic aspects. There are also comments on there from readers. You can see those by clicking on the link. (There are only three now, all pro-widening.) Tylersville widening worries some The project would cost $5.6 million and is expected to be completed by 2009. By Cameron Fullam Staff Writer Wednesday, October 18, 2006 WEST CHESTER TWP. — Sid Stephens is unhappy about a plan to widen Tylersville Road, saying it will likely embolden speeders and result in more accidents — not to mention take half of his front yard. The plan, presented Tuesday for the first time to the public, would add two traffic lanes and a center turn lane to the heavily traveled road from Wetherington Drive to Cincinnati-Dayton Road. A right turn lane will also be added on the road between Cincinnati-Dayton and Lakota Hills Drive. The $5.6-million project, to be paid for with state and federal funds, is expected to be completed by 2009. Stephens, who lives on the corner of Tylersville and Third Street, said he already witnesses about one accident a day as drivers speed by his home on the 35-mph road, often slamming into someone stopped or turning just over the crest of a hill. Butler County engineer officials said the addition of a turn lane will greatly reduce those accidents, but Stephens said the extra two lanes will create more problems than they would solve. "If they're really talking about just controlling the accidents, all they need to do is add a turn lane," he said. "All we're telling people is that if you want to go the speed limit, get in the right lane. But the people in the passing lane will speed by at 50 miles an hour." Speed is likely to increase slightly, but cars moving 40 mph on a well-designed road are safer than cars moving 35 on a bad road, said Chris Petrocy, county engineer spokesman. The greatest benefit for Tylersville motorists will be easing the traffic congestion, Petrocy said. Approximately 16,000 cars a day drive the road, with an increase to 20,000 expected in the near future. That many cars on a two-lane road results in hours of bumper-to-bumper traffic. A turn lane may make turning off the road safer, but adding additional traffic lanes create more spacing between vehicles, Petrocy said. The engineer's office also plans to level the road to increase sight distance, a decision that has some other Tylersville residents concerned about flooding. Wally Marshall lives near Wetherington Drive and said the widening is absolutely necessary, but his house already sits low off the road. "If the road is raised any more, I'm fearful we will have basement and foundation problems from water overflowing the road," he said. The turn lane into Lakota Hills Drive is also intended to ease congestion and make turning safer. But Lucy Owens, who has lived on Tylersville for 39 years, is frustrated by how much land she stands to lose. Her house sits just a few yards back from the road halfway between Cincinnati-Dayton and Lakota Hills. Much of her front yard will likely be taken for the widening. "Once the lane is in, I could stand on the porch and jump to the road," said Lucy's son, Barney Owens. "This is not going to help. How many people live in Lakota Hills?" Petrocy said 48 property owners may be impacted by either permanent or temporary use of their land. His office will consider public feedback and make adjustments to the plan as needed. No land will be purchased until the final plans are in place next year, he said. Contact this reporter at (513) 755-5127 or [email protected]. http://www.journal-news.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2006/10/18/hjn101806tylersvillewiden.html
October 20, 200618 yr Liberty petition halts new standards Development rules may be on ballot BY JENNIFER BAKER | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER October 20, 2006 LIBERTY TWP. - A developer has succeeded in stopping, at least temporarily, stricter rules for commercial development that would affect 415 acres along Cincinnati-Dayton Road. The rules, which had been slated to take effect Thursday, would have limited what kinds of businesses could locate there and set standards for building exteriors, streetlights, sidewalks and landscaping Steve Miller, manager of SPM Real Estate Georgesville of downtown Cincinnati, submitted 1,345 signatures to the township this week demanding a referendum on the rules passed last month by township trustees. At the time, several developers objected to the new rules, calling them so restrictive they were bound to cause legal trouble for the township. But some residents applauded the move, agreeing with township leaders that they would help assure desirable growth. Now, the township has 10 business days to certify the signatures before forwarding them onto the Butler County Board of Elections for verification. If the elections board verifies the signatures and accepts the petition, the soonest a public vote could be held likely would be November 2007, said Betty McGary, deputy director of the Board of Elections. There is no scheduled primary election next year, she said. Miller could not be reached for comment Thursday. Township officials were disappointed by the petition. They passed the development standards last month after halting zoning requests for commercial development in late July while the restrictions were drafted. Parts of Cincinnati-Dayton Road between Princeton and Hamilton-Mason roads would require gas streetlights, sidewalks, landscaping and buildings that have brick exteriors on three sides. Some types of business also would be banned from all or parts of the corridor including bars, sex-related businesses and tattoo parlors. Carwashes are permitted only with conditions along Hamilton-Mason Road near Interstate 75. But the petition effectively halts the restrictions from being imposed until the petition is acted upon, Township Administrator Dina Minneci said. "The township understands there is a democratic process that needs to be respected," she said. "However, there was a lot of thought and effort put into this. ... (Cincinnati-Dayton Road) is the gateway to our community." E-mail [email protected] http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061020/NEWS01/610200370/1056/COL02
October 21, 200618 yr Development halt continues for now THE ENQUIRER A temporary halt to new commercial development along a main corridor in Liberty Township will continue for the time being, township trustees agreed late Thursday. A moratorium on development along Cincinnati-Dayton Road that expires Nov. 23 was to have been lifted Thursday. The move comes after a petition was filed this week that seeks a public vote to overturn new development standards along 415 acres between Hamilton-Mason and Princeton roads. A developer whose planned carwash could be blocked by the new restrictions filed petitions with 1,345 signatures this week. The township has 10 days to certify the signatures and turn the petitions over to the Butler County Board of Elections for verification. If the signatures are verified, the soonest a public vote would be held is next year. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061021/NEWS01/610210384/1056/COL02
October 21, 200618 yr Bless those developers, I am sure they are just looking out for the common good. What a bunch of morons. Here is a community that is trying to take step to create a more substainable built environment (which would ultimately make money for the development community as well) that can maintain it value over a longer period of time, and the local building community can only think in the short term. I truly believe this is one of the main reasons the Cincinnati-Dayton area continues to struggle economically is because of the short sightedness of its building community. If the average citizen could only understand what is really going one they would be outraged.
October 25, 200618 yr Long-range plan approved THE ENQUIRER Butler County Commissioners gave final approval Tuesday to Liberty Township's long-range development plan, which sets goals for public facilities and services, business and residential development, community identity, parks and transportation. Specifically, it calls for more businesses, parks and two Interstate 75 exits over the next two decades. The plan sets aside about 14 percent of Liberty's land, or 2,500 acres out of the township's 18,392 acres, for commercial development. It also details places for small neighborhood businesses, for larger retail and office development and industrial uses. Liberty Township's population has grown from 9,249 in 1990 to about 33,000 today. Township leaders say business expansion will help ease the burden on homeowners for rising property taxes to pay for police, fire and other services. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061025/NEWS01/610250370/1056/COL02
October 30, 200618 yr Both from the 10/26/06 Fairfield Echo: Fairfield goes forth with widening City to proceed with Ohio 4 Bypass project, increasing the road to four lanes from Ohio 4 to Symmes Road. By Michael D. Pitman Staff Writer Thursday, October 26, 2006 Fairfield is moving ahead with widening its portion of the Ohio 4 Bypass. City council held a first reading for a finance ordinance that includes a $577,000 appropriation to fund the design of the widening project. City leaders want to finish the project two years before the Butler County Transportation Improvement District's anticipated completion date to widen the remainder of the bypass. City Manager Art Pizzano said the action will help make the bypass safer. "Anything we can do as a region to move the entire project forward is certainly a positive for the overall safety of Bypass 4," Pizzano said. It is expected council will approve the legislation at its Nov. 13 meeting. In June the city opted to design and construct its portion of Ohio 4 Bypass, which will cost $7 million to $8 million. The city's portion will widen the bypass to four lanes from Ohio 4 to Symmes Road, which is about 7,200 feet. Turn lanes will be added to the Ohio 4 and Port Union Road intersections. Ohio 4 Bypass will be moved 500 feet north where it will no longer be aligned with Ross Road at Ohio 4. TID Executive Director John Fonner said the widening project was intended to be completed in five phases. "What's critical is the improvements get done, so we can relive the congestion and the hazardous nature," Fonner said. The congestion of Ohio 4 Bypass has caused other roads to become heavily traveled. City Development Services Director Tim Bachman had said parallel road Seward Road has become a bypass for the bypass. Ohio 4 Bypass has been considered a high-accident area, and Fonner said ODOT has already reserved funding for 2009 for safety upgrades at the Symmes and Ohio 4 intersections. From 1999 to 2003, there had been 237 accidents on the bypass, with 73 being in the Fairfield city limits. Fairfield could finish its portion of the project by 2009 or 2010, while the county's portion would is anticipated to be finished by 2012, Bock said. The total cost to widen the bypass is $32 million, which is based on preliminary engineering estimates. Fonner said the he anticipates Hamilton and Fairfield Twp. would would split the remaining $24 million. Contact this reporter at (513) 755-5112 or [email protected]. http://www.fairfield-echo.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2006/10/25/fe102606ffcouncil.html Trustees approve road widening By Eric Schwartzberg Staff Writer Thursday, October 26, 2006 Traffic along one of Fairfield Twp.'s busiest roads should be flowing more smoothly thanks to a planned widening project. A resolution approved by Fairfield Twp. trustees Tuesday night authorized the Butler County Engineer's Office to hire KZF Inc. for the design of a planned widening project for Princeton and Gilmore roads. Trustees also authorized a $140,000 payment to KZF for its design work. The project would widen Princeton Road from just west of Walden Ponds Circle to the Ohio 4 Bypass, adding additional through lanes and turn lanes where necessary, said Chris Petrocy, BCEO spokesman. It would also add a host of amenities, including sewers, curbs and gutters in some places, he said. As part of the project, traffic signals will be installed at the intersection of Princeton and Gilmore roads. The project also would add a lane on Gilmore Road from Princeton Road south to the Ohio 129 overpass, Petrocy said. The projected cost for the entire project is $5 million and construction would begin next summer and finish in 2008, he said. Also at Tuesday's meeting, trustees approved the resignation of Robert Schneider from the township's fire department and approved the hiring of Gregory Elliott as volunteer/part-time firefighter/EMT. Contact this reporter at (513) 755-5126 or [email protected]. http://www.fairfield-echo.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2006/10/25/fe102606twp.html
October 30, 200618 yr From the 10/28/06 Hamilton JournalNews: Township may delay widening project Property disagreement in Fairfield Twp. causes cancellation of Friday session to discuss pulling out of project. By Eric Schwartzberg Staff Writer Saturday, October 28, 2006 A disagreement over a piece of property in Fairfield Twp. may further delay the widening of the Ohio 4 Bypass. Township officials had planned to meet Friday night in an executive session to discuss pulling out of the widening project. But that session was canceled. The township is worried that it could not afford to pay for its part of the widening. Some of the tax revenue that it was expecting to use to pay for the widening would come from a 100-acre property in the township that Hamilton is being asked to annex. Earlier this week, Hamilton officials rejected a township proposal to share tax revenues from the land, township officials say. The land is more than 100 acres on the northwest corner of Hamilton-Mason Road and the bypass. The township wants the land added to territory covered by a joint economic development district that already exists between Hamilton and Fairfield Twp. If the land was added, then tax revenue from it would be split 50-50, according to the proposal. The deal also called for the city to honor an existing agreement that forbids Hamilton from annexing any property in Fairfield Twp. Hamilton City Council refused the deal during a closed-door session held Wednesday. Trustees planned to pay for their $2.5-million share of the cost of widening Bypass 4 with tax revenue from that JEDD, said Trustee President Joe McAbee. "Where are we going to get the rest of the money if that property is in the city and not the township?" McAbee said. "We don't have a local income tax and every time we turn around, the state is taking away our funding." Dayton-based nonprofit organization Graceworks Lutheran Services owns the property. In April, it filed a lawsuit against Fairfield Twp. and Hamilton, claiming that because the property is not part of the JEDD that it can be annexed by Hamilton. Jack Grove, the township's law director, said the agreement prohibits Hamilton from annexing any part of the township, not just property within the district. The lawsuit is scheduled to be heard Nov. 17 by Butler County Common Pleas Judge Matthew Crehan. McAbee said he was "extremely disappointed" the situation had deteriorated to its current state. "Hamilton is supposed to be on our side, but everything they've done so far has been neutral or on the developer's side," he said. Fairfield Twp. canceled the executive session Friday because the public notice failed to mention the purpose of the meeting, a requirement by state law. Contact this reporter at (513) 755-5126 or [email protected]. http://www.journal-news.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2006/10/28/hjn102806bypass.html
October 30, 200618 yr From the 10/28/06 Journal-News: Township may delay widening project Property disagreement in Fairfield Twp. causes cancellation of Friday session to discuss pulling out of project. By Eric Schwartzberg A disagreement over a piece of property in Fairfield Twp. may further delay the widening of the Ohio 4 Bypass. Township officials had planned to meet Friday night in an executive session to discuss pulling out of the widening project. But that session was canceled. The township is worried that it could not afford to pay for its part of the widening. Some of the tax revenue that it was expecting to use to pay for the widening would come from a 100-acre property in the township that Hamilton is being asked to annex. Earlier this week, Hamilton officials rejected a township proposal to share tax revenues from the land, township officials say. The land is more than 100 acres on the northwest corner of Hamilton-Mason Road and the bypass. The township wants the land added to territory covered by a joint economic development district that already exists between Hamilton and Fairfield Twp. If the land was added, then tax revenue from it would be split 50-50, according to the proposal. The deal also called for the city to honor an existing agreement that forbids Hamilton from annexing any property in Fairfield Twp. Hamilton City Council refused the deal during a closed-door session held Wednesday. Trustees planned to pay for their $2.5-million share of the cost of widening Bypass 4 with tax revenue from that JEDD, said Trustee President Joe McAbee. "Where are we going to get the rest of the money if that property is in the city and not the township?" McAbee said. "We don't have a local income tax and every time we turn around, the state is taking away our funding." Dayton-based nonprofit organization Graceworks Lutheran Services owns the property. In April, it filed a lawsuit against Fairfield Twp. and Hamilton, claiming that because the property is not part of the JEDD that it can be annexed by Hamilton. Jack Grove, the township's law director, said the agreement prohibits Hamilton from annexing any part of the township, not just property within the district. The lawsuit is scheduled to be heard Nov. 17 by Butler County Common Pleas Judge Matthew Crehan. McAbee said he was "extremely disappointed" the situation had deteriorated to its current state. "Hamilton is supposed to be on our side, but everything they've done so far has been neutral or on the developer's side," he said. Fairfield Twp. canceled the executive session Friday because the public notice failed to mention the purpose of the meeting, a requirement by state law. Contact this reporter at (513) 755-5126 or [email protected]. http://www.journal-news.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2006/10/28/hjn102806bypass.html
November 1, 200618 yr From the 10/28/06 Enquirer: Tourism office to open in West Chester WEST CHESTER TWP. - Butler County's new tourism office will open in West Chester Township in November with a staff of one - a newly hired director. A grand opening will be held Dec. 1, said John Lawson, chairman of the Butler County Convention and Visitors' Bureau. Formed last fall to boost tourism, the agency is funded by the county's 3 percent bed tax and run by a 15-member board of directors. Despite heavy pressure to operate in Hamilton - the county seat - Lawson said the board chose to put the office in West Chester because the southeastern portion of the county is not represented by a tourism bureau. Hamilton, Middletown and Oxford already have their own, he noted. Up to three more staff people will be added early next year, Lawson said. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061028/NEWS01/310280004/1056/COL02 From the 10/26/06 Pulse-Journal: Delhi Flower and Garden Centers location to bloom in Liberty Twp. Trustees also approve plans for a UDF on corner of Cincinnati-Dayton and Princeton roads. By Eric Schwartzberg Staff Writer Thursday, October 26, 2006 Liberty Twp. trustees approved Oct. 19 the rezoning of 7.7 acres on the northeast corner of Cincinnati-Dayton and Princeton roads for a United Dairy Farmers store and a Delhi Flower and Garden Centers location. Construction is expected to start next spring on the all-brick structures to allow for a fall 2007 opening, said Mark Sennet, president of land development and contractor company Beckmark Inc. Like the UDF location opened on the corner of Ohio 747 and Princeton Road, the new location will include gas pumps and a car wash. "I think, as proven with (Ohio) 747 and Princeton, this is needed on the north-south route on Cincinnati-Dayton," Sennet said. "They're doing tremendous business." Robert Maddux of Delhi Flower and Garden Centers said he foresees leaving empty an outlot on the northwest corner of the site. "We're not in the retail/development business," Maddux said. "I think that with buying that property, it gives us the opportunity to expand in the future." This will be the second location for the family-operated and owned business, which first opened in 1960 in Delhi Twp. Maddux closed that location in July but a Springdale location that opened in 1983 remains in business. Voicing his support for the project was Dean Swartz, a resident of the township for more than 20 years. "For those two decades people have been saying we need commercial development to help our taxpayers from having to bear all of the load," Swartz said. "We now have an opportunity to get some of that commercial development and I ask you to approve this project so that we have some of that commercial development to help those of us residential taxpayers not have to bear the entire load." Contact this reporter at (513) 755-5126 or [email protected]. http://www.pulsejournal.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2006/10/25/pj102606twp.html
November 2, 200618 yr From the 10/31/06 Enquirer: Petitions to be challenged THE ENQUIRER Liberty Township leaders plan to formally object to petitions recently filed to try to force a public vote on stricter development standards along Cincinnati-Dayton Road, Township Administrator Dina Minneci said Monday. Township trustees plan to announce Wednesday that the petitions will be verified and sent to the Butler County Board of Elections. But, she said, the township also will ask the board of elections for a protest hearing. The restrictions for development affect 415 acres between Hamilton-Mason and Princeton roads. Oct. 17, a developer whose planned carwash could be blocked by new rules filed petitions with 1,345 signatures. But township officials say they have received dozens of e-mails from residents who claim the people asking them to sign the petitions misrepresented the intent of the new development standards, Minneci said. If the signatures are verified, the soonest a public vote would occur is next year. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061031/NEWS01/610310403/1056/COL02 From the 10/29/06 Enquirer: Tylersville Retail Center is 75% leased Growth notebook BY MIKE BOYER | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER WEST CHESTER - The Tylersville Retail Center, a new 19,600 square-foot neighborhood retail center at Tylersville Road and Princeton-Glendale Road is about three-quarters leased, said Jeff Meacham, spokesman for Columbus-based Elford Development. Key Bank has leased a 3,500 square-foot building on the three-acre site. And Indianapolis-based Ideal Fitness and Caribou Coffee have taken space in the main retail center which is slated for completion next spring. The center will have parking for about 170 vehicles. SIBCY CLINE OPENS ITS LARGEST AREA OFFICE Sibcy Cline has opened its largest area office, a 20,000-square-foot, two-story location at 7677 Voice of America Centre Drive, off Cox Road. The $3 million brick-and-stone building has two fireplaces and a living room style presentation area, room for 140 agents, features flat-screen monitors to showcase listings, and parking for more than 80 cars. E-mail [email protected] http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061029/BIZ01/610290349/1076/BIZ
November 2, 200618 yr Liberty officials wary of builder's petition drive BY JENNIFER BAKER | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER LIBERTY TWP. - Township leaders plan to fight a developer-led effort to overturn new commercial development standards along Cincinnati-Dayton Road. The new standards for streetlights, landscaping, and building exteriors would limit what kinds of businesses could be located in 415 acres along Cincinnati-Dayton Road between and around Hamilton-Mason and Princeton roads. Steven Miller, managing member of SPM Real Estate Georgesville of Cincinnati, says the rules would interfere with his plans to build a carwash. On Oct. 17, he filed petitions with 1,345 signatures to force a public vote on the rules; that could take place next year. But township officials say they have received complaints from about 25 residents who claim the people who asked them to sign the petitions misrepresented the intent of the new development standards. Tina Backstorm and Sandy Silrashy said they were approached on a weekend while doing yard work and asked to sign two petitions: one to restrict adult businesses from coming into the area and a second requiring landscaping between a carwash and homes on Yankee Road at Cincinnati-Dayton Road. "We probably should have been more cautious," Backstorm, 41, said Wednesday. Liberty leaders turned the petitions over to the Butler County Board of Elections on Tuesday, as required by law. But in a letter to the board, they described the petitions as "invalid and insufficient." Liberty also has hired a law firm to interview residents who signed the petitions. Miller said Wednesday he believes the signatures will hold up. "The development rules, which had been slated to take effect last month, are on hold while the referendum effort is sorted out. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061102/NEWS01/611020377/1056/COL02
November 14, 200618 yr Suburban vision turns to mirage Treillage community suffers lawsuits, anger, debts BY JAMES MCNAIR | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER November 13, 2006 PHOTO: Dick Morris in his West Chester development, Treillage. What began as a visionary, upscale, friendly community has dissolved in lawsuits and bitterness that threaten the project's future. The Enquirer/Tony Jones WEST CHESTER - From the time you enter a street called Once Upon a Time to when you cross Pyracantha's Bridge and turn up a lane called Creativity, you realize that Treillage is no ordinary subdivision. Tree-draped houses, no two alike, look as if they were put into place by Frank Lloyd Wright. Metal sculptures, ceramic art and a 19th-century pole clock festoon intimate, wooded streetscapes. Ponds, fireplaces and group sitting areas that appear to be in private yards exist for the pleasure of all 27 homeowners. "It used to be you worked all your life, and then you died. Now you work all your life - and you live," said Dick Morris, who conceived, developed and lives in Treillage (pronounced trel-AJH, a French word for trellis). Morris, 61, came close to creating a utopian retreat. Student dancers from the Cincinnati Ballet gave an outdoor performance for homeowners. Architecture and urban planning classes from the University of Cincinnati and Miami University paid tribute in groups. Today, Treillage is in triage. Homeowners and builders who used to socialize with Morris are now locked in legal battles with him. Disputes over management and maintenance issues, which are also pitting residents against one another, have all but killed sales, opening the possibility that Morris' dream development will end up downscaled into yet another homogeneous subdivision. The brawl began last year when nine Treillage homeowners filed a lawsuit accusing Morris of running the Treillage Residences Owners' Association in a slipshod manner, even pilfering fees intended to pay bills. Morris responded that the plaintiffs' "mutiny" warded off prospective home buyers and impaired the association's upkeep responsibilities. Morris defaulted on $4.3 million in bank loans, and Treillage wound up in foreclosure. Two banks are in the process of seizing unsold lots and undeveloped acreage for an eventual auction sale. "We trusted him. He was our friend," said Max Redlich, a retired business owner who lives on East Observatory and is listed as lead plaintiff on the suit. "Unless a white knight shows up, we're going to be footing the bill on what the developer was supposed to do." For Morris, a Hamilton native and 1970 graduate of University of Cincinnati's College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning, Treillage was the consummation of a life's worth of ideas. Through his company, Ram FX, Morris designed modern homes in Fairfield and Hamilton and concocted unconventional architectural designs for the likes of British Petroleum, Burger King and Federal Express. He set out to build a neighborhood like no other. In 1998, Morris bought 70 acres of forest on Hamilton-Mason Road for $1.3 million. He bought a bulldozer, learned how to drive it and "honored the land" by plowing roadways while preserving trees. "I wanted this to be a sanctuary," he said during an interview in the cold of an unheated model home. "I wanted to treat it more like a park than a subdivision." The first residents moved into their homes in 2001. Buyers were enthralled by Morris' devotion to nature and the practicality of Treillage's "landominium" structure, in which buyers solely own their houses and "secret gardens." For $250 a month, the homeowners' association would cut their lawns, seal their driveways and remove leaves from their gutters. Ultimately, Treillage would have a security gate, an amphitheater, a grand pavilion and croquet lawns. Morris set out to price Treillage homes in the $275,000-$350,000 range, but with buyers bringing their own plans, Treillage went considerably more upscale. Redlich says his house is worth a million. The show-stopper home of Richard and Cynthia Grow, above a street called Jabberoo, is worth $3 million. Morris himself lives in a house that he values at $995,000. WINE AND POTLUCK DINNERS For a few years, Treillage served as an outdoor community center. Homeowners gathered for wine and potluck dinners under a purple tent in Plato's Park. They huddled in front of a stone fireplace in Morris' yard. They visited each other's homes. "Literally, there were neighborhood parties where everybody got along great," said Paul Goodwin, an electrical engineer who bought a house on West Observatory for $404,000 at the end of 2002. Word got out. Other builders bought lots and built homes in Phase I of the development. And although Treillage's bylaws called for a board of homeowners to take over association duties upon the sale of 75 percent of the homes, Morris formed the board anyway in early 2004. The developer still owned more than half the lots in Treillage; Morris said he considered the board strictly advisory. Glen Fishman, a North Observatory homeowner and one of the plaintiffs in the suit against Morris, said maintenance improved under the board. Stone walls were repaired, driveways were sealed, and streetlights worked, Fishman, a dentist, said. Redlich, a board member, said the association had a $22,000 surplus as of February 2005. At least two homeowners not in the lawsuit were less praiseworthy. Goodwin and Eric Dam, a health-care consultant who lives on European Jaunt, said groundskeeping and maintenance under the board and Morris were comparable. Meanwhile, Morris grew to believe that board members "overstepped their bounds" and meddled in his affairs as developer and salesman. In February 2005, he dissolved the board and resumed control of the association. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061113/BIZ01/611130343/1076
November 15, 200618 yr Man do I love these types of articles!!!!! Snow already costing W. Chester Price tag for equipment, without labor costs: $252,867 BY JENNIFER BAKER | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER November 15, 2006 WEST CHESTER TWP. - The cost of winter adds up fast: $129,675 for 2,800 tons of salt. $90,000 for a new dump truck to haul it. $20,000 for snow plow contractors to clear cul-de-sacs. $10,000 for calcium chloride that keeps salt from clumping on roads when the temperature falls below 20 degrees. $3,192 for 16 snow blades. In all, winter rings up to $252,867 in equipment for West Chester road crews - and that doesn't include the thousands West Chester spends annually on labor and fuel to clear streets. "Some of the projections are for a drier than normal winter this year, so we'll keep our fingers crossed," said Mark Fitzgerald, the township's services director. "We are hoping, but we never go into a season expecting anything other than the unexpected." Given those projections - but mostly because the cost of salt has shot up - West Chester purchased 700 tons less salt this year than last, when it used all 3,500 tons it bought for about $130,000, he added. The township is responsible for plowing 216 miles of road, including Cox Road from U.S. 42 to Tylersville Road and most residential streets, he said. The only exceptions are Wetherington, which is a gated, private community, and subdivisions still under construction, he added. The Ohio Department of Transportation clears Interstate 75, Ohio 747 and U.S. 42. Butler County oversees plowing of Tylersville, Cox Road north of Tylersville Road, Cincinnati-Dayton Road, West Chester Road from I-75 to Beckett Road, Union Centre Boulevard, Muhlhauser Road and Beckett Road. E-mail [email protected] http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061115/NEWS01/611150373/1056/COL02
November 17, 200618 yr From the 11/8/06 Hamilton JournalNews: Hamilton JournalNews: Liberty pushes for fire levy in campaign's final days (11/2/06) Liberty to get new fire stations College Corner, Hanover, Milford and Ross all pass levies By Eric Schwartzberg Staff Writer Tuesday, November 07, 2006 HAMILTON — Voters in four townships and a village Tuesday approved levies that will help with their fire departments. Liberty Twp. voters approved a 3.5-mill five-year levy that will replace a soon-to-expire 3-mill levy. Voters in College Corner, and Hanover, Milford and Ross townships also passed levies. Liberty Twp.'s new tax is expected to raise $2.7 million per year. Twp. Fire Chief Paul Stumpf said if the levy hadn't passed, it would have reduced revenue to the department by more than half, limited any expansion or the addition of new personnel and would have cut into current staffing. The issue passed with 6,913 voting in favor while 4,707 cast ballots against, according to final unofficial results from the Butler County Board of Elections. "Fortunately we don't have to guess what kind of cuts would have to have been made," Stumpf said. The funding will help the township to increase full-time staffing, offset rising operating expenses, add new vehicles and firefighting equipment, and provide the funding for two new fire stations, Stumpf said. The township continues to receive $1.56 million a year from a continuous 3-mill fire levy approved in 1999. The replacement levy will cost the owner of a $200,000 home $214.38 annually – an additional $71.05 in property taxes each year. Township officials said the levy's passage was necessary to provide service to a population base that grew from 9,314 to 32,073 from 1990 to 2005, according to U.S. Census records. ... Contact this reporter at (513) 755-5126 or [email protected]. http://www.journal-news.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2006/11/07/hjn110806firelevies.html From the 11/7/06 Enquirer: PHOTO: Sister Anne Schulz, the principal of Mother Teresa Catholic Elementary School in Liberty Township, visits the site of where the new student center is being built. The Enquirer/Tony Jones New Catholic school keeps growing, building BY MICHAEL D. CLARK | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER LIBERTY TWP. - Mother Teresa Catholic Elementary's grow-your-own philosophy has more than tripled its enrollment in six years as Butler County's only non-archdiocesan parochial school. And next month, the school will be opening a $2 million student center to be named after the unusual school's founder and driving force, Sister Anne Schulz. Schulz was there eight years ago in a Monroe church basement with 20 kindergartners at the school's birth. Now she marvels at what the growing number of supporters of Mother Teresa have built on a 24.5-acre site on Jackie Drive in Liberty Township. "It's been like a dream," Schulz said of the school's creation in 1998 and expansion. In 2001, enrollment was 73 students; now it is 345. The student center, which will bear Schulz's name to honor her pivotal role and many responsibilities as principal, president and CEO of the school, is the latest effort to make room for more students. School officials hope to have the center opened by Christmas. "We're really crowded now, and we have to keep building to keep up with our enrollment," Schulz said. Mother Teresa is one of only a handful of private Catholic schools in Southwest Ohio that are not affiliated with the 19-county Cincinnati Archdiocese. The school, however, does work closely with the Catholic school system and coordinates its curricula to match that of archdiocesan schools. The school is not linked directly with a church, though many school families, who also live in adjacent West Chester Township, attend St. Maximilian Kolbe in Liberty Township. Having attended Catholic schools themselves, Kevin and Deidre Bien said they were both adamant that their children attend them as well. They said they were surprised after moving to West Chester that there were no Catholic schools in the area. So they worked with other parents to form Mother Teresa. Parental involvement is a key component to the school's expanding enrollment and growing popularity. Parents, who pay $3,130 annually for tuition, are required to sign a contract obligating them to 30 hours of volunteer work at the school. This assistance is so essential that the school's mascot is the "Volunteer." Fundraising - such as selling inscribed walkway bricks to parents for $125 each - is a constant. The school also depends on donations from individuals and corporations to cover its operating budget. Schulz said the school strives to be family-friendly. "It's a very warm school in that way," she said. School parent Michelle Meyer agreed. "Thesmaller, family-like environment is great for our daughter, who is more quiet and introverted," she said. "We became convinced she would be academically challenged at Mother Teresa. But the biggest factor in our decision (to enroll) at Mother Teresa was that it was a Catholic school, and being able to practice our faith is very important to us. It was clear from the minute we walked through the door of the very small building, that Mother Teresa would be a God-centered environment, and the values we want for our children would be reinforced there." E-mail [email protected] School facts The school started in a church basement in 1998 with 20 kindergarten students but now offers grades K-8 for 345 pupils on its 24-acre, Liberty Township campus at 6085 Jackie Drive. Mother Teresa Catholic Elementary's 16,650-square-foot student center is expected to open by Christmas. The center will feature two gymnasiums, a lunch room and theater and meeting space. Another addition is planned for the two 26,000-square-foot school buildings already in use. That wing will add two classrooms and three rooms to house art instruction, music and a science lab. It is scheduled to open in the spring. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061107/NEWS0102/611070365/1058/NEWS01
November 20, 200618 yr From the 11/16/06 Hamilton JournalNews: Cincinnati Enquirer: Lakota redrawing school zones once again (11/9/06) Lakota parents have mixed feelings over redrawn district By Lindsey Hilty Staff Writer Thursday, November 16, 2006 Lakota parents Jay and Donna Jurcak left a recent open house at Hopewell Intermediate School feeling good about the redistricting decision. Fourteen schools have been affected by the school district's plan to realign districts, a plan approved by the school board Oct. 23. Ten of the district's elementary schools, which served kindergarten through sixth-grade students, will now serve grades two to six. The other four schools, including one under construction on Sumerlin Boulevard, will serve students through first grade. Several principals will travel with displaced students to their new buildings, but other students may find themselves moving without many familiar faces. Jay Jurcak said he is concerned his fourth-grade daughter will be overwhelmed with the change. He spoke to some of the dozens of volunteers and officials about his concern, asking if there would be a possibility of a buddy system so she would attend class with at least one familiar face. "They did a nice job," Jay Jurcak said. "They're soliciting feedback, which is important." His request and thousands of survey responses will be analyzed by officials who based the redistricting boundaries on decisions made by 30 parent-volunteers from each elementary school. The decision to involve parents and the explanation process from that decision was something assistant superintendent Mike Taylor felt strongly about. "In my opinion it was a strategic turning point in this community in how we engage the community and the parents. We have a window of opportunity to really take a look at our system ... and really look at things differently. We have the opportunity to reshape Lakota for the future." Mary Ellen Strunk, a grandparent of a Lakota student, said she liked that parents were on the committee. "I think they did a very good job. They considered a lot of things. With the parents, they had another voice — not just the school making the decision." Steve Laux, a parent committee member, said the decision to redistrict was based on enrollment numbers, which grow by about 500 students a year. From 1998 to 2006 the school population has grown from 6,684 students to 17,747. With some schools filling more than others, Laux said they needed to move more people south. "You can't please everybody, but you try to please as many as possible," he said. Parent Michael Dick studied one of the many maps the district distributed to parents and said the change won't affect his kindergartner much. "We wouldn't have wanted to go out of our way, but since Shawnee is really close, we have no problem with it." Jenny VandenEynden said the group of parents tried to limit travel time. The committee worked well together, she said, but there were some tough calls. For her, that meant voting for a boundary line that would send her child to a different school. But, for parent Mike Kestler, moving his child from Union Elementary to Freedom does not make sense. The family lives across the street from the oldest school in the Lakota district. They moved there to be at the school with the principal they said is the best in the district. "A lot of people don't like it," said Kestler about the Union district line. "That makes no sense at all and that's the bottom line. Now we're all going to have to up and go." http://www.journal-news.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2006/11/15/hjn111606redistrict.html From the 11/12/06 Middletown Journal: Growth stymies Democratic ambitions By Candice Brooks Higgins Staff Writer Sunday, November 12, 2006 HAMILTON — Jack Zettler — unsuccessful candidate for Butler County auditor — came closer than any Democrat to winning a partisan county race in a decade. But last week he said he won't run again. He contends that the Republican voting power of sprawling Liberty Twp. is squeezing the life out of any chance for a Democratic victory. Liberty's voting power as the fastest growing area in Butler County rose to more than 10 percent, up from 7 percent in 2000, Zettler said. Republican County Auditor Kay Rogers got 33 percent more votes than Zettler in that township, though overall she won by a slim 4 percent, according to final, but unofficial, results from the county Board of Elections. "Back in 2000, with the same numbers, we could have won because Liberty was smaller, but the situation is getting worse," Zettler said. "As Liberty grows, there is only going to be a bigger wave." That wave is a sure wipeout that would make running again like "beating my head against a wall," Zettler said. The conservatism of Liberty and West Chester townships can keep him from becoming county auditor, Zettler believes. But he vowed to continue to fight as an attorney what he argues is unfair real estate taxation on the middle class. Republican political leaders see the same trend Zettler does, especially as new homes bring in affluent, often Republican newcomers. Republican votes in Liberty and West Chester townships outnumbered Democrat votes two to one in Tuesday's election, and together those townships hold more than 29 percent of the county's voting power. "The growth in the county in the last 15 years has been east of the (Ohio 4) Bypass, and the majority of people moving in are Republicans," said Joe McAbee, Fairfield Twp. trustee and county GOP chair of region seven, which encompasses Liberty, Fairfield and Lemon townships and Monroe. "If you're Republican, there's not a better place to be than Butler County. How long it's going to last is hard to predict, but as long as we are building new houses and bringing in independents that lean and vote Republican, that's a good situation to be in." Christine Matacic, Republican president of Liberty Twp. trustees, said she sees Liberty's voting power growing for several years, especially "once the dirt starts turning on the Liberty Interchange ... and if you couple that with the arrival of Children's Hospital and Tri-Health." Liberty ranks fifth in voting power countywide, and Matacic said her increased communication with county commissioners over the past five years is a signal that it is key in county politics. However, Butler County Democratic Party Chairman Dan Gattermeyer would rather view the glass as half full. "When I look at the demographics, Fairfield and Middletown are both areas that I think you are seeing growth in Democrat voters and areas in the western part of the county are growing. Those are areas that have shown to be Democratic voting areas." The surge in Democratic support locally and nationally Tuesday is a trend Gattermeyer said he believes will trickle down to all Butler County voters as they "start getting a lot better government coming out of the state" with Democratic Gov.-elect Ted Strickland. Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2175 or [email protected]. http://www.middletownjournal.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2006/11/12/hjn111206libertypolitics.html
November 29, 200618 yr Surrounded and not sellin' out It's worth $10 million, but this land priceless for 90-year-old, nephews BY AMY SAUNDERS | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER November 29, 2006 PHOTO: The Honerlaw family farm in West Chester sits amid suburbia after a generation of development. With the land worth about $10 million, the family says they're not interested in selling. The Enquirer / Gary Landers WEST CHESTER TWP. - At 90 years old, Bill Honerlaw has never been on a bus, a train or a plane. He hasn't set foot in a grocery store in 20 years. He calls computers "the worst thing that ever happened." Honerlaw is set in his ways, which might explain why he's holding on to 113 acres of farmland that first came into his family more than 80 years ago. His two nephews aren't parting with their 145 acres just across the road, either. Never mind that their land is in the middle of growing suburbia, surrounded on all sides by residential developments such as Chestnut Oaks and Timber Meadows. Never mind that in a township where land zoned for residential use can sell for $40,000 an acre, Honerlaw and his kin could collect $10 million by simply signing their names. Honerlaw will have none of it. He thinks West Chester is "a damn mess" with congested roads, identical shopping centers and houses so close together "you couldn't even get a lawn mower between 'em. Ain't nobody needs that," he says. As Butler County sprawls with more housing, offices, hotels and shopping malls, Honerlaw and his family are a rare breed. They're holding onto some of the region's largest, most coveted tracts of undeveloped land. The Honerlaws won't say how many times they've been approached by developers in recent years. They've seen fellow farming families sell out as development takes over Butler and Warren counties. Now, the closest farm that grows crops is four miles away. In the grand scheme of things, it really doesn't matter to the Honerlaws that their spread with horses, cows and fields of corn, soybeans, wheat and hay could someday make them rich. Bill's nephew, Steve Honerlaw, knows the property is "worth a bunch." "But it's worth nothing if you're not selling," Steve's wife, Diana, says. VALUES OF FARM LIFE Steve, 51, and Diana have raised five children on the farm, right next door to Steve's brother, Jeff, 47, his wife, Elaine, and their four kids. The Honerlaw brothers say their children have learned responsibility through farm work. The kids feed livestock after school, participate in 4-H and help farm and harvest the crops. "It's a lot different than what my friends have grown up doing," Steve's daughter, Jenny, 17, says. "Like baling hay. Half my friends don't even know what that is. Most of my friends grew up playing video games and watching TV." While some of the children are interested in taking over the farm, Steve Honerlaw says he would discourage them from doing so as a full-time career. "I don't think they could make a decent living at it," he says. "I love farming, and it's a great way of life, but nowadays ... the money's not there to raise a family." Steve Honerlaw supplements his farming income by operating Eagle Tee Golf Center, a practice range and miniature golf course he built on family property in 1991. Jeff Honerlaw says he's always been able to earn a living from farming the West Chester land, plus 135 acres the family owns in southeast Indiana. Farming is all he's ever wanted to do, he says. Still, he drives a Lakota school bus to get health insurance benefits. LATIN WAS LAST STRAW Bill Honerlaw says there's nothing he doesn't enjoy about farming. He used to skip school every Friday to work on the farm. He dropped out altogether in his sophomore year, when he had to take Latin. "It was hell," Honerlaw says. "I wanted to be a farmer. I wasn't gonna be talking in Latin to horses and cows." Honerlaw lived without electricity until he was 12, held out on buying a tractor until about 1935 and worked from 5:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day of every summer. He tells kids he doesn't know the meaning of the word "tired." He says he's always done well through farming - even during the Depression, when city relatives visited the farm to get in a week's worth of good eating. "All you needed was something to eat ... we never went hungry," Honerlaw says. "Do with or do without" remains his motto. He only bought a telephone because his wife, Melva, was sick. She has since passed away, and Honerlaw isn't sure what the phone number is. He has never used anything but cash to make a purchase. His travel experience is limited to a trip to Florida, which he hated. As for other places he's been, he says, "College Corner." For the most part, Honerlaw has stayed in "Pisgee," his name for the old West Chester village of Pisgah. The oldest living person born there, he was named the king of Pisgah's American bicentennial parade in 1976, which he says he stopped twice to go get a beer. Asked if this story was true, Jeff Honerlaw says, "He stopped it at least once." Honerlaw says he never expected that Pisgah, with its "no houses, no nothin'," would ever become so developed. "If we had, we'd have bought it all!" he says. JUST CALL HIM 'OLD BULL' At 90, Honerlaw's bad right leg prevents him from doing much work on the farm. He uses a walker and doesn't drive on the roads - only across the field to see Steve or Jeff. "It's a damn shame I'm in this shape for as good as I feel." But he still drives the tractor, rides the lawn mower and accompanies Jeff when he goes on deliveries. When the weather's nice, Honerlaw works seven days a week at Eagle Tee, where he is the "chief ball washer." He has his own "office," or garage, which is equipped with "a bell I ring when I need a beer or something." Honerlaw's business cards introduce him as "Old Bull," a 60-year-old nickname that stuck when a young child in the family couldn't pronounce "Bill." His contact information reads, "Address: Sometimes here, Sometimes there. Phone: Don't answer. Fax: Don't answer that either." He thinks all kids should work on a farm to become "upstanding citizens." In a recent visit to the doctor, Honerlaw told the nurse not to enter his next appointment in the computer yet - he'll come back when he's 100. And so the farm will also remain. It's that blank space on the township map. Chris Wunnenberg, director of development for Schumacher Dugan Construction, says he's watched West Chester change from a rural to a suburban area in the last generation. "There used to be a lot of farms out here; there aren't a lot anymore," Wunnenberg says. "A lot of it is because the value of the property is such that it's, 'Gee, I can sit here and farm this land or I can sell this ground and buy three times this much ground farther out." That's something Jeff Honerlaw says he would consider doing someday - if the cost of West Chester living keeps increasing and Indiana land should be available for $5,000 or $6,000 an acre. Says Steve: "We love the area, and our kids love it. So what do you do with a pile of money? It doesn't matter what they offer. We're not interested in selling." E-mail [email protected] http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061129/NEWS01/611290349
November 29, 200618 yr The grandchildren of this guy will probably be millionaires...unless all the neighbors in the adjacent subdivsions object to the farm being developed in the future.
December 6, 200618 yr From the 11/9/06 Pulse-Journal: Liberty discusses fixing intersection dangers Right-turn lanes from Kyles Station and Millikin roads south onto Butler-Warren in need of widening. By Eric Schwartzberg Staff Writer Thursday, November 09, 2006 Two turns in Liberty Twp. might be easier to navigate if the price is right. The right turn lanes from Kyles Station and Millikin roads south onto Butler-Warren Road are in need of widening, said Rick Plummer, the township's services supervisor, during a board of trustees meeting Monday night. Motorists traveling east on Kyles Station Road and attempting to turn south onto Butler-Warren must swing into the other lane just to make the turn, Plummer said. "If there's a car stopped at that (stop) sign, you can't make that turn with that car sitting there," he said. The cost estimate for the Kyles Station Road intersection is $24,813, according to a report from the Butler County Engineer's Office. Plummer recalled two incidents in which vehicles turning at south at the southwest corner of Millikin Road and Butler-Warren Road went off the road and into the steep, estimated eight-foot drop. Fixing the corner could cost $72,025, Plummer said. "Millikin is by far the worst. The cost reflects what has to be done," he said. "The drop-off at Millikin is incredible." However, Plummer said those cost estimates indicate there may be room for the township to save at least $10,000, even with the project contracted out. Trustee President Christine Matacic said the township should examine fixing both intersections if its budget permits. A draft budget for the township already includes the Millikin Road improvements, said Dina Minneci, the township's administrator. "There is some room there. However, it is somewhat tight," Minneci said. "So if any amount of money, as Rick was indicating, would reduce that amount it would be extremely helpful." If approved by trustees by the end of the year, improvements for the intersections would come from the roads funds portion of the township's budget. Contact this reporter at (513) 755-5126 or [email protected]. http://www.pulsejournal.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2006/11/08/pj110906twp.html From the 11/16/06 Hamilton JournalNews: All sides set to square off in Hamilton, Fairfield Twp. annexation fight By Eric Schwartzberg Staff Writer Wednesday, November 15, 2006 HAMILTON — After months of argument, a court hearing Friday may officially touch off the start of a second annexation war between Hamilton and Fairfield Twp. In April, Dayton-based nonprofit Graceworks Lutheran Services filed a lawsuit against Fairfield Twp. and Hamilton asking the court to allow Hamilton to annex the more than 100 acres it owns at the corner of Hamilton-Mason Road and the Ohio 4 Bypass. Parties in the case are scheduled to deliver oral arguments Friday afternoon to Butler County Common Pleas Judge Matthew Crehan. Graceworks said it wants the land annexed to speed development of the property. The township has argued that a special tax district agreement between the city and township should prevent the move. The township made a commitment to pay for improvements to the intersection of the Ohio 4 Bypass and Hamilton-Mason with tax revenue from the Graceworks property, Trustee Joe McAbee said. But the township put those improvements on hold pending the outcome of either the litigation of the case or its negotiations with Graceworks, McAbee said. "If they think winning on Friday is the end of this thing, this board has already discussed that, and we're committed to whatever it takes to keep that parcel in the township," McAbee said. "And if that means the bypass widening stops, I'm sorry, there's nothing we can do about it." The 1996 agreement, binding until 2086, states that "Hamilton will not accept any annexation petitions for any property located in Fairfield Twp." or "assist property owners to annex their property located in Fairfield Twp. to Hamilton or any other municipal corporation." Graceworks claims its land was not included in the tax district in 1996 and that those terms aren't relevant. Hamilton Mayor Donald Ryan said if the judge rules in favor of Graceworks, Hamilton will allow the annexation. "We will welcome them into the city," Ryan said. Ryan said the city has honored all the terms of the current tax district agreement to this point, but as a codefendant in the lawsuit, Hamilton will abide by the court's decision. With the permission of Graceworks, Ryan said Hamilton would be willing to negotiate an annexation agreement that would split revenues from the property with Fairfield Twp. Ryan said the township earlier offered the city a tax district agreement to include the Graceworks property that would have put off annexation. City leaders rejected that offer, he said, not based on the proposed division of the tax income, but because the landowners were not involved. Don Dixon, a former Fairfield Twp. trustee and county commissioner, said Hamilton should stand with the township and say that it is against annexation. Dixon, who helped facilitate the 1996 tax district agreement and who now sits on the Butler County Transportation Improvement District board working to organize the bypass improvement project, said few residents realize that annexation will affect the township's tax base and school district in many dramatic ways. He said township officials should have publicized the matter to garner public input. "I don't think the people know what choices are on the table today," Dixon said. "Ultimately, the people it affects are the people who live out here, the people who pay the taxes." Graceworks refused comment, stating that its position will be heard during Friday's court hearing, spokeswoman Cheryl Robinson said. Contact this reporter at (513) 755-5126 or [email protected]. http://www.journal-news.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2006/11/15/hjn111606lawsuit.html From the 11/19/06 DDN: Woman thinks her idea can boost economy in western Butler County The Oxford Twp. trustees agree to support a request to the state for scenic byway status for several roads. By Joe Giordano Staff Writer Sunday, November 19, 2006 OXFORD TWP., Butler County — In an attempt to attract tourists to Butler County's western edge, residents are working to lure an Ohio Scenic Byway designation to some Oxford-area roads. Bonita Porter, one of the residents involved, is planning a route that would connect the historic National Road — U.S. 40 — to the Ohio River Scenic Byway, which runs along U.S. 50 and U.S. 52. Scenic byways are established through the Federal Highway Administration to help recognize, preserve and protect U.S. roads. Areas with one or more archaeological, cultural, historic, natural, recreational or scenic qualities can earn the scenic byway classification. If selected, the state creates maps outlining the route and highlighting attractions. Signs also are posted on the roadways. Porter said the western fringes of rural Butler, Preble and Hamilton counties are somewhat overshadowed by the urban eastern portion. "The point is to increase tourism to rural areas and thereby increasing the economic welfare of rural residents from farm people to restaurants and hotels," she said. During last week's Oxford Twp. trustees meeting, Porter requested a letter of support for her byway application. The trustees agreed to write to the state byway coordinator. Trustee Larry Frimerman said a scenic byway is a "win-win situation" for everyone. "It doesn't create any new roads, paths or hurdles," Frimerman said. "It doesn't cost anyone anything ... (The trustees) don't make many public policy decisions that are quite this easy." A preliminary path would follow Indian Creek Road into Brookville Road with a split at Ohio 732 and Brown Road that reconverges above Hueston Woods State Park. Porter told the trustees such a route could incorporate the Black Covered Bridge and some of Miami University's historic areas. Porter, who has been working on the project for two months, hopes to have a formal plan submitted by March. She noted if a byway were approved, it could spark the growth of micro-businesses along the route. Porter described micro-businesses as fruit stands, on-site family stores and even families that open their kitchen for one or two days a month. "We want to preserve the rural character," Porter said. "Hopefully this can restore some of the little downtown areas ... someone might want to open up a restaurant." A scenic byway title also would open the door for state and federal grants for agritourism and historic-tourism. While Porter continues to map her route from the National Road to the Ohio River Scenic Byway, her friend is tracing a similar path in Indiana parallel to the eastern border near the Whitewater Canal Corridor. If both plans are successful, a scenic loop would join the National Road and the Ohio River byway. Contact this reporter at (513) 523-4139 or [email protected]. http://www.daytondailynews.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2006/11/18/ddn111906byway.html
Create an account or sign in to comment