The College Hill eNewsletter
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Telling
the story of "A Diverse and Neighborly
Community."
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September 5,
2007
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Dear Reader,
With the coming of Fall,
activities in our great neighborhood have picked up, requiring
more eNewsletters.
Enjoy!
As usual, go to the College Hill Calendar for a complete list of
upcoming activities.
Got news? Tell eNewsletter@collegehillohio.org!
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Community Votes to
Support City Funding for Linden Park
Project
At a
standing-room-only special meeting on September 4, the College
Hill community voted 224-1 to approve the pursuit $1.8 million
of City of Cincinnati funding for the current version of the
Linden Park project. Read the text of the motion here. The meeting was
called by the College Hill Forum and
the College Hill Community
Urban Redevelopment Corporation and was held at the
Recreation Center.
 The tone for the meeting was set at
the start when Director of Community Development Marty
Weldishofer stated that the meeting was not to be about the
design of the project. The purpose of the meeting was to show
community support for the Linden Park project now, as there
would never be another chance for city funding.
Current plans call for a mixed-use building on the
northeast corner of Hamilton and North Bend with first-floor
retail space and 19 condos on the second and third floors.
Design of the mixed-use building is almost final but is still
being tweaked. In a second phase, twenty-four to 30 town homes
will be built to the east on the site as well. The
design of the town homes will be finalized later this year.
Dropped from the project is former Kroger property on the
northwest corner of the intersection. That property is still
privately held and the CHCURC is working to acquire it.
Bloomfield, Schon & Partners has agreed to develop the
former Kroger site and the Masonic Eastern Star site to the
west.
 Linden
Park Project manager Kathy Schwab from Al Neyer, Inc.,
reported that current economic factors have required Neyer to
reduce the cost of materials and increase the number of town
homes on the site. She said that the design now has a
contemporary European flavor.
Ms. Schwab went on to
say that a sales office will open within 30 days after City
Council approves the funding and that the final design,
materials and layouts will be available at that time.
Once 50% of the mixed-use space has been pre-sold, the project
will proceed. Town homes are a separate phase of the project
and canl be built as they are sold.
Jim Neyer
acknowledged that an original objective of the project was to
create an entrance to College Hill with a "wow factor," but
said that that was no longer an objective. He said that
Neyer sees College Hill as a diverse city neighborhood and
that Linden Park is designed to take advantage of that.
Chris Rose, President of the newly-organized Rookwood Pottery
Company said that the project needs something for this
corner that the community can be proud of. "Shullers was an
icon," he said, "We can bring back an icon to this corner.
Rookwood is looking for what we can bring to this
corner."
CHCURC officials said that the Linden Park
plans will be available online soon. Information made
available before the meeting can be seen on the Portal site here and here.
 After the vote, CHCURC President
Bob Ludwig closed the meeting saying,
"Congratulations! This
community has chosen to move forward.
"I promise you
that CHCURC board will honor your wishes and support the will
of this community.
"I promise you that the development
of the northwest corner of Hamilton and North Bend will be
every bit as exciting as the Linden Park project.
"In
addition, in the coming months, CHCURC is going to address
economic development issues in our business
district.
"College
Hill--a New Kind of Home Town is a slogan that was
developed by the community to describe where we live. It's
fitting. It's accurate. We are on our
way."
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Talk about College Hill on the College Hill Speaks
Discussion Board
 Ever
wanted to express yourself in public on the subject of College
Hill? Tom Strothers has started up an online discussion
board called College Hill
Speaks to allow you to do just that. You can go
there to express yourself or to see what others are saying
about our favorite neighborhood. Check it out here.
College Hill
Speaks is brand new, so now's the time to prime the
conversational pump.
Tom Suggests that this could be a
good place to promote your business and to announce upcoming
events. Also, College Hill
Speaks is a great way to voice you opinions on recent
eNewsletter articles
and/or suggest ideas for future articles.
Note that
College Hill Speaks is
not sponsored, endorsed, or affiliated with any government
entity, civic organization, private enterprise or political
group. Comments or opinions are of the individual posting
them.
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 Still Time to Vote for Dave
Folks
who want to send local entertainer Dave Hawkins to Italy to
receive a music video award for If I Could can still see his
music video and vote for him here.
You have
until the 15th of September to
vote.
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WIN Offers Free Class for First-Time Home
Buyers
 You may be
currently renting and wondering if you want to buy a
house.
Working In Neighborhoods (WIN) will offer
a free class to prepare first time home buyers in College
Hill. The class is scheduled for Saturday, September 29
from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm at the Northside Community School,
5920 Hamilton Avenue in College Hill.
Each
participant who attends the class will receive a free copy of
their credit report.
For more information or to
register for one of these classes call Working In
Neighborhoods at
513-541-4109
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Healing Service Offered to the Community
Grace Church is
initiating a new Healing service Wednesday, September 12, at
6:30 pm. This will be a unique service in that it will employ
traditional and non-traditional healing methods. The
healing service is based on the concept of release of tension
through African drumming, restoration of peace through
quietness and solitude, and prayer for continued health
through the laying on of hands.  Healing
drummer Bob Laake will provide the drumming. The tradition of
African drumming believes that with a constant repletion of
rhythm over a period of time (in our case 30 minutes) the mind
and body will relax and release its tension. Bob discusses the
power of healing drumming here. The
drumming will be followed by a period of silence,
followed by a traditional healing service. We
feel that this will be an exciting combination that will
provide a meaningful, prayerful, and effective healing for our
church and community. For more information,
contact the church (513-541-2415, office@gracecollegehill.org).
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 Hamilton Avenue Update
Road work
has begun on the section of Hamilton Avenue between Southridge
Drive (formerly Windemere Way) and Groesbeck Road.
Starting this month no on-street parking will be allowed on
that section of Hamilton, but at least one lane of traffic in
each direction will be maintained throughout the
project.
According to City of Cincinnati Project
Engineer Joseph E. Hinzman, by spring 2008 we will see:
- Hamilton Avenue widened at Southridge (Windemere) for a
left turn lane into Twin Towers.
- Hamilton Avenue widened at Belmont and Hillcrest for a
left turn lane at Grace Church.
- New curbs and sidewalks on parts of both sides of
Hamilton.
- Extensive work on the roadway base and a new asphalt
surface
- Reconstruction of the traffic signals at Southridge
(Windemere) and at Belmont.
- Hamilton widened outside intersections from 40 to 42
feet
Construction will occur in phases, and driving
patterns will be shifted from phase to phase. The result, Mr.
Hinzman says, will be be a better traffic flow for
everyone.
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McAuley Monte Carlo and Texas Hold'em
Tournament
 The McAuley High School
Athletic Boosters are hosting the fourth annual Monte Carlo
and Texas Hold'em Tournament on Saturday, September 22.
The Monte Carlo is from 8:00 pm to 1:00 am.
Admission is $25 per person and includes food and beverages
all night. The Monte Carlo features black jack, horse
races, poker, big six, red dog, hazard and much more.
The Texas Hold 'em Tournament begins at 7:00 pm and
has a payout of $5000 based on 100 players. The entry
fee for the Texas Hold 'em Tournament is $100 per person and
also includes admission to the Monte Carlo.
To
make a reservation for either event or for further
information, please call McAuley at 513-681-1800 x 1152, or
visit the McAuley website here.
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Great Gatsby Affair at Pinecroft--The Powel Crosley,
Jr. Mansion
You pass it often on Kirby
Road.
You wonder what it looks like inside.
You want to
know more about the history.
You want to have fun, eat and
dance.
On Saturday, September 29 at 6:30 pm,
guests will enjoy the grandeur of the Great Gatsy era at
Pinecroft--the historic home of long-time College Hill
resident Powel Crosley, Jr.--on the grounds of Mercy Mount
Airy Hospital. Dress is elegant evening or themed
attire.
The cost is $125 per person, and proceeds go to
the The Pinecroft Preservation and Restoration Fund. The
restoration of Pinecroft will enable the historic site to be
used as a community venue.
Contact Peggy A'Hearn,
Mercy Hospital Mt. Airy Foundation, at
513-853-5960. |
 Author Looking for Additional Material for College Hill
History Book
Betty Ann Smiddy is
preparing a second edition of the College Hill Historical
Society's A Little Piece of
Paradise... first published in 1999. Any person with
additional information, photographs or changes is asked to
email her at wamperi@fuse.net.
You can see
the online version of the current edition of A Little Piece of
Paradise... here or here.
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Grace Church to Host Yoga and Body Recall
Classes
Laura Hall, a member of Grace's Health and Wellness
committee, will be leading Yoga and Body Recall classes
begining Wednesday, September 19. The cost is $11 per
session.  BODY RECALL (Wednesdays at
10:00 am). Body Recall is a different approach to movement and
exercise. It is a safe and gentle movement class
designed by Dorothy Chrisman of Berea College. It was
originally developed to assist the "living longer" population
to regain or call back the vitality and flexibility of the
body. However, it is appropriate for all ages. You will not be
tired, sweaty or exhausted from these classes. YOGA (Wednesdays at 4:00 pm).
Beginning gentle Hatha Yoga classes appropriate for everyone
ten years and older. We will be practicing pranayama
(breath control), asana (movements) and mudra
(gestures). Please wear comfortable clothes and bring a
yoga mat if you have one. A few yoga mats will be available
for purchase in class. Call Grace Church at
513-542-2415 for information or to sign
up. |
 Business Association Mix 'n Mingle Coming October
2
On Tuesday, October 2, from 5:30 pm to 8:00 pm, the
College Hill Business Association is holding a Mix 'n Mingle at
Shaker's. All College Hill business owners and business
district property owners are invited to attend and, uh, mix 'n
mingle.
Pictured are some folks enjoying the eats at a
previous Mix 'n
Mingle.
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Aiken Athletic Dinner & Raffle
Saturday
 The Aiken High
School Athletic Department invites you to join in a
fundraising dinner and raffle to help support Aiken High
School Athletics and extra-curricular activities.
The
raffle and dinner is Saturday September 8 from 5:00 to 8:00
pm at the College Hill Presbyterian Church. See more
information here.
The
Aiken Athletic Department serves both the Aiken University High
School and the Aiken College & Career
High School. |
New Environmental Studies Curriculum Now at Aiken
University HS
In a generation, the environment has moved from being the
excusive concern of the political fringe to being considered a
major economic force. The adoption of an environmental studies
curriculum at Aiken University High School in College Hill
shows just how much that change has been accepted. For
the details, read a Howard McEwen article in CityBeat here. | |
The eNewsletter is published every week or two by
the volunteers listed below. Our purpose is to help make
College Hill an even better place to live, play and do
business by publishing a broad spectrum of news for and about
College Hill, with an emphasis on stories of College Hill
people working together to improve our community.
Opinions expressed in the eNewsletter are not
necessarily those of any College Hill or other
organization--or even of the editor. The inclusion of an
article is not necessarily an endorsement. The fact that
something isn't in the eNewsletter is not necessarily a lack
of endorsement--it's most likely because no one told us about
it.
eNewsletter photos are often edited to remove
extraneous material.
Send us news that you think would be interesting to your
College Hill neighbors--and we'll very likely publish it.
- Editor: Ken Lyon
- Contributing Editors: Gail Finke & Sarah Mann
- Reviewers: Phyllis Schoenberger and Marianne Puntenney
- Backup Editors: Gail Finke and Tom
Strothers
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