I see what you are trying to get at 8th, but it really doesn't represent the facts. 

 

It just comes down to two things

 

1) Duke never thought it was going to pass the 1st and 2nd initiatives so they made no preparations

 

2) COAST/Smitherman have fought this at every government level

 

 

^^I think Eighth and State is being purposefully obtuse on this issue, as he consistently has.  You can point out it was fully funded in 2008 till you're blue in the face, and he will just ignore it, as he does any post that points out the factual inaccuracies of his positions. 

The original Phase 1, from The Banks to Findlay Market, was fully funded by 2008. 

 

I disagree. Yes, it was funded, but the funding was inadequate. The city really needed $250 million, not $110 million. The 2007 feasibility study called for $15 million for all utility relocations, but Duke wanted $30 million just for the Duke utilities.

 

I see what you are trying to get at 8th, but it really doesn't represent the facts. 

 

It just comes down to two things

 

1) Duke never thought it was going to pass the 1st and 2nd initiatives so they made no preparations

 

The burden is on the city, not on Duke.

 

2) COAST/Smitherman have fought this at every government level.

 

I'll give you that, but the city should have expected the opposition and should have been prepared for it. All of this costs money.

The city really needed $250 million, not $110 million.

 

And where on earth did your $250M figure come from? The same dark recess that Tom Luken pulls his numbers from?

 

The burden is on the city, not on Duke.

 

Um, no. The city owns the streets, and Duke has to adjust accordingly. We've been over this before, repeatedly. A utility company based in Charlotte, North Carolina doesn't get to dictate how a distant city, via its elected representatives, goes about planning and building its own infrastructure just because that utility provides service in that area.

 

Given that this is the same utility company that paid their CEO a $44M severance package after one day of work (that's almost half the Phase I streetcar construction budget right there), and gets caught completely off-guard whenever a thunderstorm happens in Ohio, it would seem that advance planning isn't Duke Energy's strong suit.

 

I'll give you that, but the city should have expected the opposition and should have been prepared for it. All of this costs money.

 

What exactly should the city have done? Spend taxpayer money on television and radio ads to refute COAST and Smitherman? Bribe somebody at the elections board to throw away their petitions? Pay an assassin to dispatch Chris Finney with a poison dart to the neck while he's stuffing his face full of lard at Chick-Fil-A? I'm curious to know what the city should have specifically done within its legal power, and yet failed to do so.

^$250 million is, admittedly, a guess. I know that $110 million isn't enough, though. MSD wanted some $15 million to move the sewer; they were ordered to take about $3 million and do what they can. Duke wanted some $30 million to move their utiliites. If I remember right, CWW wanted $15 million. Plus, there are more that we haven't even talked about. And the 2007 feasibility study called for only $15 million for all of them! So, I guessed somewhere around $100 million for all the utility work, plus the original $95 million for the track, vehicles, and maintenance facility, and posted a round number of $250 million.

 

The city owns the streets, and Duke has to adjust accordingly.

 

This is just plain inaccurate. The City of Cincinnati does not own the streets in the same way that you or I might own a house. The city has jurisdiction over the streets for maintenance and police protection, but they do not have exclusive use of the streets. Duke has a right to be there under state law. We've been over this before, but here it is again:

Under Ohio law, streetcars have the same legal status as other utilities, and if there is a conflict, the utility that was there first has precedence. The fact that the streetcar is sponsored by a municipality does not give the municipality any special rights over the other utilities. At least that is the position that Duke is taking.

 

The city could have taken a more proactive approach with PR. What they are legally allowed to do I am not sure. As it stands, the city let COAST walk all over them.

Yes, we've been all over this before, and I have no desire to re-hash it. As I recall, the general consensus among people who know much more about the streetcar project than you do was that your (and Duke's) interpretation of Ohio law is incorrect.

 

And if COAST really "walked all over" the city, why is the city building the streetcar line as we speak, and COAST is limited to sputtering on the sidelines?

 

And if COAST really walked all over" the city, why is the city building the streetcar line as we speak, and COAST is limited to sputtering on the sidelines?

 

Bingo. COAST has been reduced to Grampa Simpson shaking his fists and yelling at clouds.

 

"Your (and Duke's) interpretation of Ohio law is incorrect.

Whether I am correct or not, you have to agree that the Duke issue has delayed this project. Several other posters brought this up.

 

COAST appears to have won a few battles, but is losing the war. They were successful in bringing a lot of negative publicity to the project.

 

The day that the main construction contract is awarded is the day that I consider the project "under construction."

Its really simple.  Had COAST/Smitherman had not obstructed at every possible government level, the system to uptown would be nearly completed(if not completed)

 

Because of COAST/Smitherman's delays, Duke sat idly on their hands because they thought it would never be built.

 

 

Its really simple.  Had COAST/Smitherman had not obstructed at every possible government level, the system to uptown would be nearly completed(if not completed)

 

Because of COAST/Smitherman's delays, Duke sat idly on their hands because they thought it would never be built.

 

 

 

Exactly.  COAST constantly complains about government inefficiency and red tape, meanwhile they're the only people running around with the red tape dispensers.

^hence COA T - everything these louts do winds up costing the government, subsequently the taxpayers MORE money. In other words, more spending. Their efforts to raise the cost of government & to strangle tax revenue at the same time is nothing more than anarchist BS.

COAST constantly complains about government inefficiency and red tape, meanwhile they're the only people running around with the red tape dispensers.

 

Oops, I meant to put that in the favorite quotes thread. Good stuff!

^hence COA T - everything these louts do winds up costing the government, subsequently the taxpayers MORE money. In other words, more spending. Their efforts to raise the cost of government & to strangle tax revenue at the same time is nothing more than anarchist BS.

 

Bingo. They hate the idea that government even exists (except when they're the ones feeding at the taxpayer trough), so of course they're going to throw every monkey wrench at their disposal into the machinery.

Slightly off topic, but.......

 

Downtown Kansas City voters back streetcar taxing district

Kansas City Business Journal by David Twiddy, Reporter

Date: Wednesday, August 1, 2012, 3:59pm CDT - Last Modified: Wednesday, August 1, 2012, 6:11pm CDT 

 

A majority of voters have approved creating a special taxing district to help pay for a downtown Kansas City streetcar.

 

On Wednesday, the Kansas City Board of Elections certified that 318 votes were cast in favor of the transportation development district, with 141 votes against. The district’s area has 555 eligible voters.

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/news/2012/08/01/downtown-kansas-city-streetcar-tax-vote.html?page=all

 

 

Blue Ash could rescind purchase of airport, rework deal with Cincinnati

Business Courier by Kevin LeMaster, Editor and Publisher of Building Cincinnati

 

The city of Blue Ash is considering a proposal by the city of Cincinnati to rescind a purchase and sales agreement for 130 acres of land at the Blue Ash Airport, which Cincinnati says it needs to free up money for its streetcar project.

 

In late 2006, Blue Ash agreed to buy the property at Glendale-Milford and Plainfield roads from Cincinnati for $37.5 million, to be paid over 30 years, for construction of a signature “central” park.

 

Cincinnati agreed to relocate airport operations onto an adjacent 98 acres, remediate the former airport site, and transfer it to Blue Ash by Aug. 31, 2012. The agreement also required Cincinnati to apply for a $10 million Federal Aviation Administration grant to perform that work.

 

Cont

The sale is not falling through. The deal is being reworked so that the city can legally apply the funds to the streetcar project.

So the City of Cincinnati has a $36 million wasting asset producing less than $40,000 in gross income per year which it has agreed to sell to Blue Ash. It has accepted $6 of the million price upfront.

 

Unwilling to accept the twice-expressed will of Cincinnati voters, COAST goes to another jurisdiction and tries to interfere with the contract that would liberate that stranded $36 million asset for other municipal purposes including $11 million for the streetcar.

 

The effect of COAST's action here, if it were to be successful, would be to lock up the $36 million in the Cincinnati airport system for the exclusive of a bunch of affluent private pilots and corporations. Which further affirms my belief that COAST has no core principles and just acts opportunistically on whatever tactics present at the moment.

 

 

So the City of Cincinnati has a $36 million wasting asset producing less than $40,000 in gross income per year which it has agreed to sell to Blue Ash. It has accepted $6 of the million price upfront.

 

Unwilling to accept the twice-expressed will of Cincinnati voters, COAST goes to another jurisdiction and tries to interfere with the contract that would liberate that stranded $36 million asset for other municipal purposes including $11 million for the streetcar.

 

The effect of COAST's action here, if it were to be successful, would be to lock up the $36 million in the Cincinnati airport system for the exclusive of a bunch of affluent private pilots and corporations. Which further affirms my belief that COAST has no core principles and just acts opportunistically on whatever tactics present at the moment.

 

With all due respect to your knowledge of the inner workings of the streetcar and the esteem which I hold for you on that subject, I wish you'd stop tossing around the $40,000 figure to somehow illustrate the value of Blue Ash Airport.  As I said up thread, the income the city receives from the airport is only a small part of the value of the airport to the local economy.  In 2006, Wilbur Smith Associates - an independent consulting firm that has produced more economic impact studies of airports than any other firm in the country - published a report stating that Blue Ash Airport is responsible for 75 jobs producing in excess of $7m in economic output.

 

Your point in response was that little of that impact accrues to the city of Cincinnati, and that's probably true.  But those jobs are local and the majority of that output stays in the metro area.  Those on-airport businesses also pay income and property taxes, and the employees pay income tax, and their sales generate sales tax.  These are locally-owned businesses employing local workers.

 

By your logic, no municipality should ever build the road networks within an industrial park because those roads don't directly generate income to the municipality, and in fact cost money to maintain.  You can't forget about the businesses that locate along those roads, though, which is what you seem to do with the businesses on Blue Ash Airport.

 

Please don't try to portray the airport as strictly a $40,000 per year concern.  The people that work on the airport and its allied businesses deserve better.

If an industrial park doesn't generate enough tax revenue to pay for the construction, servicing, and maintenance of its road network, then no, no municipality should build it.  http://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2010/3/17/the-cost-of-development-walker-industrial-park.html

 

If there's a regional benefit to something like the Blue Ash Airport then maybe it should be taken over by Hamilton County or the State of Ohio.  If it's so important to Blue Ash, then let them operate the airport.  As it is though, the benefit to the City of Cincinnati is minimal so they shouldn't be responsible for it. 

^ There are no jobs at the Blue Ash Airport. It is not a controlled facility. A few times each summer, the city sends a crew over from Lunken to mow the grass.

 

I'm not really picking a fight with the airport, although if it were truly a valuable asset with unique and irreplaceable local benefits, then Blue Ash would probably continue to operate it. My complaint is with the governance issue and how COAST is trying to manipulate it.

 

I guess the other question I have is about those 75 jobs. I guess they are somehow aviation related. Don't you think they would just transfer to Lunken?

^ There are no jobs at the Blue Ash Airport. It is not a controlled facility. A few times each summer, the city sends a crew over from Lunken to mow the grass.

 

I'm not really picking a fight with the airport, although if it were truly a valuable asset with unique and irreplaceable local benefits, then Blue Ash would probably continue to operate it. My complaint is with the governance issue and how COAST is trying to manipulate it.

 

I guess the other question I have is about those 75 jobs. I guess they are somehow aviation related. Don't you think they would just transfer to Lunken?

 

I haven't driven by the airport in some time, but just because the airport is not controlled does not mean there are no jobs.  There's a fixed base operator.  There's a flight school.  These are private enterprises located on the airport.  These, in addition to the city crews that mow the grass and replace the lights, and other on-airport jobs, make up part of the 75 jobs.  Then you have the impacts generated by visitors - a part of hotel and restaurant business in that area is due to the airport.  Factor in the multiplier effect (fractions of jobs generated by businesses that serve the businesses on airport and at the hotels and restaurants, and the businesses that serve those businesses, etc.) and you get your 75 jobs.  This is all accepted economic impact analysis methodology.

 

And they probably wouldn't transfer to Lunken.  Those private businesses have been there for years and wouldn't have a place on Lunken because of the competition that already exists there.  In all likelihood, the on-airport jobs at Blue Ash will simply disappear.

If the BAA is such a valuable resource, why is it that the city where it's located (Blue Ash) cares not a whit about keeping it open? And whatever jobs are allegedly  attributable to BAA will likely be unaffected as the aircraft using BAA will use one of the other facilities in the area.

^ The Blue Ash airport is a relic of the past. Cincinnati used to have several small airports - one was located where Northgate Mall is today, and one was located where Western Hills Plaza is today. These were there in the early days of aviation at a time when it was expected that private planes would be much more popular.

 

The 1948 Metropolitan Master Plan for Cincinnati and Hamilton County called for 13 airports plus 3 heliports:

 

"Master Plan studies indicate the need by 1956 for these aviation facilities in the Cincinnati Area:

 

A major airport for scheduled air transport

A major airport for military flying and cargo transport, with additional provision for exensive private flying

A major airport for non-schedule miscellaneous commercial and instructional flying

Several airports in Hamilton County, and on in Kenton or Campbell County, for private flying

Facilities for amphibous basin and operation

Provision for future operation of helicopters in several locations"

 

Furthermore,

 

"Approval by the C.A.A. of the Airports Plan including the site selected by City Council at Blue Ash has cleared the way for immediate steps toward the development and early completion of the required facilities there."

 

Interestingly, have you ever heard of the County-City Airport Committee?

 

"There has been set up by ordinance of City Council and similar action on the part of the Hamilton County Commissioners a group designated as the County-City Airport Committee to co-ordinate action of the county and city with respect to the airport."

 

The 1948 plan admits,

 

"Private flying fields are still in the pioneering stage. It has not been proved in most cases that they can show a profit on the capital invested."

 

But why not build one with other people's money?

 

"The Federal Airport Act (1946) furnishes financial assistance for both major airports and minor flying fields."

 

(Replace the word "airport" with the word "streetcar" and you will find similar sentiments today.)

 

In the end, we all know that CVG became the major commercial airport, Lunken became the minor commercial airport, and Blue Ash became the airport that private pilots use. All of the other airports are hardly even remembered.  The private pilots, obviously, would like to keep their Blue Ash airport; it doesn't have to be financially viable for them to enjoy the use of it. The City of Blue Ash would gladly give up the small economic benefit of the airport in exchange for a larger economic benefit in the form of some other development, such as office parks. Normally, the sale of the Blue Ash airport to Blue Ash would be non-controversial, since both Cincinnati and Blue Ash would each get what they want. If it wasn't for a handful of pilots backed by the FAA, it wouldn't even be an issue.

 

 

 

 

^ The Blue Ash airport is a relic of the past. Cincinnati used to have several small airports - one was located where Northgate Mall is today, and one was located where Western Hills Plaza is today. These were there in the early days of aviation at a time when it was expected that private planes would be much more popular.

 

The 1948 Metropolitan Master Plan for Cincinnati and Hamilton County called for 13 airports plus 3 heliports:

 

"Master Plan studies indicate the need by 1956 for these aviation facilities in the Cincinnati Area:

 

A major airport for scheduled air transport

A major airport for military flying and cargo transport, with additional provision for exensive private flying

A major airport for non-schedule miscellaneous commercial and instructional flying

Several airports in Hamilton County, and on in Kenton or Campbell County, for private flying

Facilities for amphibous basin and operation

Provision for future operation of helicopters in several locations"

 

Furthermore,

 

"Approval by the C.A.A. of the Airports Plan including the site selected by City Council at Blue Ash has cleared the way for immediate steps toward the development and early completion of the required facilities there."

 

Interestingly, have you ever heard of the County-City Airport Committee?

 

"There has been set up by ordinance of City Council and similar action on the part of the Hamilton County Commissioners a group designated as the County-City Airport Committee to co-ordinate action of the county and city with respect to the airport."

 

The 1948 plan admits,

 

"Private flying fields are still in the pioneering stage. It has not been proved in most cases that they can show a profit on the capital invested."

 

But why not build one with other people's money?

 

"The Federal Airport Act (1946) furnishes financial assistance for both major airports and minor flying fields."

 

(Replace the word "airport" with the word "streetcar" and you will find similar sentiments today.)

 

In the end, we all know that CVG became the major commercial airport, Lunken became the minor commercial airport, and Blue Ash became the airport that private pilots use. All of the other airports are hardly even remembered.  The private pilots, obviously, would like to keep their Blue Ash airport; it doesn't have to be financially viable for them to enjoy the use of it. The City of Blue Ash would gladly give up the small economic benefit of the airport in exchange for a larger economic benefit in the form of some other development, such as office parks. Normally, the sale of the Blue Ash airport to Blue Ash would be non-controversial, since both Cincinnati and Blue Ash would each get what they want. If it wasn't for a handful of pilots backed by the FAA, it wouldn't even be an issue.

 

My Great Grandfather owned the airport near Northgate that you reference, it was called the Mount Healthy Airport. he sold it after one of his best friends was killed in an airplane accident there.

DING DING DING!! We have a winner!!!

 

The most misinformed, inaccurate, unbalanced and blatantly biased anti-streetcar ever written in the history of Cincinnati's Streetcar saga:

 

http://www.wcpo.com/dpp/news/region_east_cincinnati/blue_ash/cincinnati-votes-to-rescind-blue-ash-airport-agreement

 

Cincinnati votes to rescind Blue Ash Airport agreement

 

Read more: http://www.wcpo.com/dpp/news/region_east_cincinnati/blue_ash/cincinnati-votes-to-rescind-blue-ash-airport-agreement#ixzz22p4mONnF

 

By: Scott Wegener, [email protected]

 

BLUE ASH, Ohio - The complications surrounding the status of the Blue Ash Airport have never been more up in the air.

 

First, Cincinnati said it would sell some of the airport's acreage to Blue Ash, and led many to believe it would use that money to rebuild the facility.

 

Blue Ash passed a tax increase in 2006 to buy the land to build a park.

   

Cincinnati never followed through with airport improvements, either for Blue Ash or Lunken, even though the FAA said that's what the money had to be used for.

 

That didn't fly with Cincinnati, and officials threatened to sue the federal government.

 

Now, Cincinnati has altered course again, voting to rescind the agreement altogether.

 

That didn't sit well with Blue Ash resident Jeff Capell.

 

"It is like if you sell a house to your neighbor," he said, "and then you come back 5 years later and sue the buyer because you don't like what you did with the money."

 

This story is an outrage, it's nothing but a COAST press release. He doesn't even identify Capell as a prominent member of COAST and a vocal anti-streetcar activist. This story is clearly part of COAST's all out assault to pressure the Blue Ash City Council to vote against the redo of the sale. COAST & Finney's last, best hope of stopping the project was a lawsuit over use of the BAA sale funds, which will be cut off at the knees by the new sale terms.

 

Let Mr. Wegener know what issues you have with his story via email here: [email protected]

 

CC his boss, WCPO News Director Lane Michaelsen: [email protected]

 

 

 

 

The Blue Ash council vote is thursday at 7pm on the amended agreement. 

 

COAST is going into full out desperation mode with written attacks on Blue Ash city council members

 

Chris Smitherman is now going all out and urging everyone to write to Blue Ash to not agree to the deal.  Which means were going to get a barrage of 700wlw interviews about it with the hosts urging Blue Ash residents to put the pressure on.  Lets hope the Blue Ash Council sticks to their word

 

These opponents are just so desperate.  Its a streetcar, not the Ebola Virus

Thanks for the heads up.  I just emailed him this footage of Jeff at his finest:

Thanks for posting that Jake, I haven't seen that footage in a couple of years. Capell is a real psycho. He authors a blog (I will not link to it) where he defames members of Blue Ash City Government on a near daily basis, all because they are not sufficiently right wing loony toon enough for Jeff Capell's and his fellow COASTies) satisfaction.

the guy in the video is obviously unhinged. it's kinda sad.

I have emailed Wegener.  Now, off to email Blue Ash City Council members.  Ill be listening to the 700 circus this week.....I'll be sure to have a roll of antacid tablets with me.

Jeff Capell is tweeting up a storm tonight, both at the helm of the COAST twitter account and on his own account as well. He's taunting and threatening Blue Ash City Council members. The guy is an obsessive loon.

^ Any relation to yourself? ;-)

My hope is that Mr. Capell acts just as crazy as he did in the video posted above.  It only helps others see him for what he really is.

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20120807/EDIT/308060114/Put-airport-windfall-better-use?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|FRONTPAGE|p

I'll be glad when that worthless rag finally goes out of business.

True, after setting aside $11 million for streetcar financing, the city will still have more than $25 million from the sale to spend on capital needs. But with budgets in deficit and basic needs already being neglected, why not use it all for projects that will benefit all the people who live and work in the city and use city streets and police services?

 

Which projects are those? No single project benefits "all the people who live and work in the city and use city streets and police services". Certainly not any of those they identified.

I'll be glad when that worthless rag finally goes out of business.

 

Amen to that.

The COAST newsletter is in hyperbole overdrive essentially urging non residents to do everything they can to stop the sale.    They are telling people call nonstop, to pack the council meeting, etc.  Lets hope Blue Ash council isn't persuaded by the loud minority

 

 

 

 

The COAST newsletter is in hyperbole overdrive essentially urging non residents to do everything they can to stop the sale.    They are telling people call nonstop, to pack the council meeting, etc.  Lets hope Blue Ash council isn't persuaded by the loud minority

 

As far as I can tell, Blue Ash gets a $250,000 reduction in payments for re-papering the deal. It would be rather insane to turn down a quarter million dollars simply to spite another municipality, especially when that municipality is the sole producer of regional public goods (like public transit funding) that benefit your municipality.

This is all overblown.  There's no reason for Cincinnati or Blue Ash to back out at this point.  Blue Ash has already been requesting bids for the park they're planning. I'd imagine everything is business as usual, despite the relatively small technicalities COAST is blowing out of proportion.

The COAST newsletter is in hyperbole overdrive essentially urging non residents to do everything they can to stop the sale.    They are telling people call nonstop, to pack the council meeting, etc.  Lets hope Blue Ash council isn't persuaded by the loud minority

 

As far as I can tell, Blue Ash gets a $250,000 reduction in payments for re-papering the deal. It would be rather insane to turn down a quarter million dollars simply to spite another municipality, especially when that municipality is the sole producer of regional public goods (like public transit funding) that benefit your municipality.

 

I'm with you  Unfortunately COAST isn't exactly sane.  They are already hurling insults at the Blue Ash Council Members and threatening their political careers

This is all overblown.  There's no reason for Cincinnati or Blue Ash to back out at this point.  Blue Ash has already been requesting bids for the park they're planning. I'd imagine everything is business as usual, despite the relatively small technicalities COAST is blowing out of proportion.

 

I hope you're right. I'm sure Blue Ash would rather have a big chunk of valuable land than a nearly-worthless air strip. Noise has always been an issue at their airport as well, and no doubt there's a lot of Blue Ash residents who are looking forward to that airport going away.

This is all overblown.  There's no reason for Cincinnati or Blue Ash to back out at this point.  Blue Ash has already been requesting bids for the park they're planning. I'd imagine everything is business as usual, despite the relatively small technicalities COAST is blowing out of proportion.

 

Agreed. It doesn't make any sense for anyone to back out. These people are really displaying their irrationality, because -- streetcar or not -- both parties in this sale benefit from the restructuring. The holy war against the streetcar has reached a new level here in the sense that the merits of this deal have zero to do with the streetcar, but they are trying to make the connection to a party (BA council) which has every reason to be dispassionate about where Cincinnati invests the money.

This is from the COAST "Action Alert" emailed out to their maili list:

 

WHAT YOU CAN DO

 

1: Email Blue Ash Council and let them know that you stand firmly against the Streetcar and against making changes to the terms of the sale.

 

2: Call Blue Ash City Council and let them know where you stand. (513) 936-0001.

 

3: Listen to Scott Meyer on the 550 KRC with Brian Thomas at 7:40 a.m. on Wednesday.

 

4: Attend the Council hearing.  The hearing is Thursday night at 7 p.m. at 4343 Cooper Road.

 

If you're so inclined, follow the above steps and let the BACC know that this is a tiny minority (there is one lone COASTie who lives in Blue Ash) who opposes every thing that the City of Blue Ash has done for years now, and who will oppose them know matter what they do. Also remind them that this vocal minority is attempting to intimidate the City, and that the re-do is the right thing to do for Blue Ash (it saves money and gets the park built faster), and that you stand with the City leaders.

 

Note that the phone number that COAST emailed above is incorrect-its the phone number for  Weber & Knapp Company on Montgomery Road (FAIL! :laugh:). The correct phone for BACC is 513-745-8500. Here are the email addresses from the COAST email:

 

 

[email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]

I sent an email to the councilmembers urging them to ignore the cries from the overzealous and irrational vocal minority and vote for what is best for Blue Ash and the region -- support the restructuring of the airport sale.

And if you'd like to blow off a little streetcar steam all the while raising money for a good cause, head out to District Three's National Night Out carnival-type event in the parking lot at 960 Enright Ave., from 5:30 PM to 8:30 PM tonight. In the dunking booth will be both Christopher Smitherman and P.G. Sittenfeld.

^ Make sure to bring a model of a streetcar to throw at the target.

^ Make sure to bring a model of a streetcar to throw at the target.

 

Chris Smitherman would probably argue the accuracy of the throw and whether or not it hit the target.  Then collect signatures to try and prove he's right

COAST is specifically making this meeting a circus.  Get ready.  Thursday is going to be a drama filled meeting.  Someone needs to record Tom Luken, Miller and the rest screaming/throwing a fit

So the City of Cincinnati has a $36 million wasting asset producing less than $40,000 in gross income per year which it has agreed to sell to Blue Ash. It has accepted $6 of the million price upfront.

 

Unwilling to accept the twice-expressed will of Cincinnati voters, COAST goes to another jurisdiction and tries to interfere with the contract that would liberate that stranded $36 million asset for other municipal purposes including $11 million for the streetcar.

 

The effect of COAST's action here, if it were to be successful, would be to lock up the $36 million in the Cincinnati airport system for the exclusive of a bunch of affluent private pilots and corporations. Which further affirms my belief that COAST has no core principles and just acts opportunistically on whatever tactics present at the moment.

 

With all due respect to your knowledge of the inner workings of the streetcar and the esteem which I hold for you on that subject, I wish you'd stop tossing around the $40,000 figure to somehow illustrate the value of Blue Ash Airport.  As I said up thread, the income the city receives from the airport is only a small part of the value of the airport to the local economy.  In 2006, Wilbur Smith Associates - an independent consulting firm that has produced more economic impact studies of airports than any other firm in the country - published a report stating that Blue Ash Airport is responsible for 75 jobs producing in excess of $7m in economic output.

 

Your point in response was that little of that impact accrues to the city of Cincinnati, and that's probably true.  But those jobs are local and the majority of that output stays in the metro area.  Those on-airport businesses also pay income and property taxes, and the employees pay income tax, and their sales generate sales tax.  These are locally-owned businesses employing local workers.

 

By your logic, no municipality should ever build the road networks within an industrial park because those roads don't directly generate income to the municipality, and in fact cost money to maintain.  You can't forget about the businesses that locate along those roads, though, which is what you seem to do with the businesses on Blue Ash Airport.

 

Please don't try to portray the airport as strictly a $40,000 per year concern.  The people that work on the airport and its allied businesses deserve better.

 

How many of those 75 jobs directly contribute to the City of Cincinnati and not the City of Blue Ash (in reference to income taxes and offshoot spending - meals, etc.)? I would say none since the City of Blue Ash wholly surrounds the airport. So for the City of Cinti, the economic impact is nil