Question is, why weren't sidewalks included in the design of the State Route 28 widening in the first place? Especially if they have the ROW acquired?
from 1/28/09 Community Press:
Stimulus package may reach Miami Twp. sidewalks
By Kathryn Cosse kcosse@communitypress.com
Miami Township residents could feel the effects of the federal government’s stimulus package not only in their taxes, but under their feet. Working through the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments (OKI), Miami Township has submitted an Ohio 28 sidewalk construction project for potential stimulus package funds. OKI Deputy Executive Director Bob Koehler said the board is creating a list of projects that are “ready to go” and support job creation and retention in the Tristate. The board has not been asked for projects yet, but Koehler said “we wanted to make sure our communities had an opportunity (to receive stimulus funds) if there was one to be afforded to them.” Miami Township Community Development Director Larry Fronk said a project to install sidewalks on Ohio 28 was “so far along, we thought ‘Why not submit it? Why not go ahead and move this forward?’” The sidewalks would line the recently widened section of Ohio 28, from the bypass to near Buckwheat Road, and stretch for almost a mile on each side. Fronk said the project had some major advantages going for it: Preliminary design work was completed during the recent widening project, the township has all of the rightof-way it needs and the environmental review has already been cleared. “We’ve got all of those plusses and we thought this would be a good project to submit for the stimulus package,” he said. “The only downside is nobody really seems to know a whole lot about the stimulus money.” The total project cost is $406,000. Any stimulus money would provide an 80 percent match, leaving the township to come up with about $81,000. Fronk said those funds are budgeted. Koehler said he doesn’t know what the parameters for stimulus-funded projects will be, but said no plans will be rushed if included. If the Ohio 28 sidewalks project receives funding, Fronk estimates construction work could start late summer 2009.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
I found this on FaceBook:
http://www.progressiveandreligious.org/
Join us this election year to create and amplify a new voice for religion in the public square--one that transcends partisan politics and works for justice and the common good.We are a community of people who are politically progressive and, yes, religious. Discussion space for progressive religion of all traditions: progressive Christianity, progressive Judaism, progressive Islam, socially engaged Buddhism, unitarian universalism, B'hai, and others.
http://www.progressiveandreligious.org/
Join us this election year to create and amplify a new voice for religion in the public square--one that transcends partisan politics and works for justice and the common good.We are a community of people who are politically progressive and, yes, religious. Discussion space for progressive religion of all traditions: progressive Christianity, progressive Judaism, progressive Islam, socially engaged Buddhism, unitarian universalism, B'hai, and others.
Clermont looking to buy park land | Cincinnati Enquirer | Cincinnati.Com
Here is some Miami Twp. Clermont County info.
My guess is that this has to do with the Transportation Improvement Districts (TID) interest in trading environmental credits for riparian easements. It is my understanding that this gets them bonus points with the Feds in terms of transportation funding. The concept of preserving the area next to the river sounds good, but if it is in the interest of scoring more points, there quite a bit of literature that says that enforcement of the easements is difficult. I'll see if I can find some of those articles. But in the meantime it appears that there is some environmental "preservation", if you will, going on in Clermont.
Clermont looking to buy park land Cincinnati Enquirer Cincinnati.Com
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Text of article:
January 20, 2009
Clermont looking to buy park landBy Barrett J. Brunsmanbbrunsman@enquirer.com
MIAMI TWP. – Trustees are talking about selling undeveloped land along the lower East Fork of the Little Miami River to the Clermont County Park District.
Mary Makley Wolff, chairwoman of the Board of Trustees, said Miami Township might be interested in selling some of its 33 acres south of U.S. 50 near Perintown, especially if public walking trails and a canoe launch would be permitted.
That probably would be allowed, but only if the trails and launch area were unpaved, said Chris Clingman, director of the park district. Miami Township is among about 45 owners of property along the scenic river who have been asked to sell, Clingman said. A $1.8 million grant from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency will cover buying land to safeguard public drinking water, recreation opportunities and wildlife, Clingman said. The park district is working with the county’s Office of Environmental Quality and Water & Sewer District.Private citizens, companies and at least one nonprofit agency were among property owners contacted in Miami Township, Union Township, Stonelick Township and the city of Milford, Clingman said. Some own multiple parcels.“There are funds available to pay fair market prices for all or part of your property,” the owners were told in a letter from Clingman. “The part could be as small as the floodway (usually undevelopable due to flood-plain regulations), the 100-year flood plain, or the entire parcel. The amount is up to you. There are limited funds, so first come and best value get priority.”The district might acquire about 200 acres, stretching from Stonelick Creek near Ohio 22 in Stonelick Township to the Little Miami River in Milford, Clingman said. Purchases must be finalized this year.“We’re getting appraisals on some of these properties, and that’s going to determine how much we’re going to be able to purchase,” Clingman said. “We’ve met with a dozen or so interested parties.“These properties will not be developed into parks,” Clingman said. “A lot of these parcels will be primarily river frontage – we won’t own out to a road. We’ll have easements for maintenance, but not necessarily for public access.”Benefits to preserving the natural state of the river include: filtering storm-water runoff from adjacent land, stabilizing the bank, slowing erosion and lowering water temperatures via shade from trees.Miami Township bought its parcel for $400,000 in 1994 to develop a park, Township Administrator David D. Duckworth said. However, that plan was scrapped the next year after 209 acres were donated to the township for what became Miami Meadows Park off Ohio 131.
My guess is that this has to do with the Transportation Improvement Districts (TID) interest in trading environmental credits for riparian easements. It is my understanding that this gets them bonus points with the Feds in terms of transportation funding. The concept of preserving the area next to the river sounds good, but if it is in the interest of scoring more points, there quite a bit of literature that says that enforcement of the easements is difficult. I'll see if I can find some of those articles. But in the meantime it appears that there is some environmental "preservation", if you will, going on in Clermont.
Clermont looking to buy park land Cincinnati Enquirer Cincinnati.Com
Posted using ShareThis
Text of article:
January 20, 2009
Clermont looking to buy park landBy Barrett J. Brunsmanbbrunsman@enquirer.com
MIAMI TWP. – Trustees are talking about selling undeveloped land along the lower East Fork of the Little Miami River to the Clermont County Park District.
Mary Makley Wolff, chairwoman of the Board of Trustees, said Miami Township might be interested in selling some of its 33 acres south of U.S. 50 near Perintown, especially if public walking trails and a canoe launch would be permitted.
That probably would be allowed, but only if the trails and launch area were unpaved, said Chris Clingman, director of the park district. Miami Township is among about 45 owners of property along the scenic river who have been asked to sell, Clingman said. A $1.8 million grant from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency will cover buying land to safeguard public drinking water, recreation opportunities and wildlife, Clingman said. The park district is working with the county’s Office of Environmental Quality and Water & Sewer District.Private citizens, companies and at least one nonprofit agency were among property owners contacted in Miami Township, Union Township, Stonelick Township and the city of Milford, Clingman said. Some own multiple parcels.“There are funds available to pay fair market prices for all or part of your property,” the owners were told in a letter from Clingman. “The part could be as small as the floodway (usually undevelopable due to flood-plain regulations), the 100-year flood plain, or the entire parcel. The amount is up to you. There are limited funds, so first come and best value get priority.”The district might acquire about 200 acres, stretching from Stonelick Creek near Ohio 22 in Stonelick Township to the Little Miami River in Milford, Clingman said. Purchases must be finalized this year.“We’re getting appraisals on some of these properties, and that’s going to determine how much we’re going to be able to purchase,” Clingman said. “We’ve met with a dozen or so interested parties.“These properties will not be developed into parks,” Clingman said. “A lot of these parcels will be primarily river frontage – we won’t own out to a road. We’ll have easements for maintenance, but not necessarily for public access.”Benefits to preserving the natural state of the river include: filtering storm-water runoff from adjacent land, stabilizing the bank, slowing erosion and lowering water temperatures via shade from trees.Miami Township bought its parcel for $400,000 in 1994 to develop a park, Township Administrator David D. Duckworth said. However, that plan was scrapped the next year after 209 acres were donated to the township for what became Miami Meadows Park off Ohio 131.
Locals joining 'Green Drinks' group | Cincinnati Enquirer | Cincinnati.Com
I thought this was interesting. Maybe a concept worth looking into at a later date. One to put on the ol' list. There is also a Drinking Liberally group in Cincinnati and one in NKY. This wouldn't be something that WCD would have to formally sponsor or even participate in... I'm just throwing it out there...
Locals joining 'Green Drinks' group Cincinnati Enquirer Cincinnati.Com
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Text of article:
January 20, 2009
Locals joining 'Green Drinks' groupBy Carrie Whitakercwhitaker@enquirer.com
Once a month, across the globe, people are meeting to drink and to talk about the environment.
Starting next week, people in Mason and Deerfield Township will join them.
Mason resident Eric Routenberg learned about the non-profit Green Drinks movement, started years ago by an Englishman, through a magazine article.
“I’ve always been interested in doing my small part to preserve the earth that we live on,” said Routenberg, who works in the bakery at Kroger on Ohio 471. “Green Drinks is such a great way – not only to educate people – but to find out what other ‘greenies’ are out there in the city of Mason and beyond.”
Today, there are more than 460 active chapters of Green Drinks around the world. A chapter in Brooklyn, N.Y., has 8,000 members. Locally, there is another group that meets monthly in Cincinnati. Routenberg has chosen Fox and Hound Pub & Grill off of Mason-Montgomery Road in Deerfield Township as his group’s meeting place. Mason’s inaugural meeting, scheduled for 6 p.m. Jan. 28, features Todd Hudson, chef and owner of Wildflower Café in downtown Mason, as guest speaker. The Wildflower prides itself in featuring an all-organic menu. One person at the first meeting will win a $50 dinner from The Wildflower, Routenberg said. Meetings will be held every fourth Wednesday of the month.The Green Drinks code is simple. It was created for people working on environmental issues, but is open to everyone. There is no agenda. Green Drinkers mingle and share ideas to inspire one another. The Cincinnati chapter has been meeting since Oct. 2006. One of the group’s founders, Sean Fisher, said it has been a success, so far.“The best and most important thing is the fact that ideas are taken from Green Drinks and melded into other ideas elsewhere,” said Fisher, a Cincinnati native working for Cinmar Frontgate in West Chester Township.For example, members from the Civic Garden Center passed out information about creating a rain garden, which can absorb rainwater run-off from buildings, fighting erosion and flooding, Fisher said. Routenberg has big dreams for the Mason chapter. He already has visited Mason City Council, getting its stamp of approval and plans to attend a Deerfield Township meeting to get its leaders on board. “Mayor Grossmann laughed when I said I’m already envisioning a Green Drinks 5K,” Routenberg joked. Fundraising may be a future development for the group. But first, Routenberg has got to get people to the meetings.“You know what they say, it takes a while for things to catch on in Cincinnati and here in Mason, but … I hope we all become green friends,” Routenberg said. “Let’s toss back some Guinness together. Live green, go green.”Additional Facts
Local ‘Green Drinks’ chapters
The Cincinnati chapter’s next meeting is Feb. 19 at Arnold’s Bar and Grill, 210 E. 8th St., downtown. www.greendrinkscincy.blogspot.com The Mason chapter’s first meeting is Jan. 28 beginning about 6 p.m. at Fox and Hound Pub & Grill, 5113 Bowen Drive in Deerfield Township. www.greendrinksmason.blogspot.com
Locals joining 'Green Drinks' group Cincinnati Enquirer Cincinnati.Com
Posted using ShareThis
Text of article:
January 20, 2009
Locals joining 'Green Drinks' groupBy Carrie Whitakercwhitaker@enquirer.com
Once a month, across the globe, people are meeting to drink and to talk about the environment.
Starting next week, people in Mason and Deerfield Township will join them.
Mason resident Eric Routenberg learned about the non-profit Green Drinks movement, started years ago by an Englishman, through a magazine article.
“I’ve always been interested in doing my small part to preserve the earth that we live on,” said Routenberg, who works in the bakery at Kroger on Ohio 471. “Green Drinks is such a great way – not only to educate people – but to find out what other ‘greenies’ are out there in the city of Mason and beyond.”
Today, there are more than 460 active chapters of Green Drinks around the world. A chapter in Brooklyn, N.Y., has 8,000 members. Locally, there is another group that meets monthly in Cincinnati. Routenberg has chosen Fox and Hound Pub & Grill off of Mason-Montgomery Road in Deerfield Township as his group’s meeting place. Mason’s inaugural meeting, scheduled for 6 p.m. Jan. 28, features Todd Hudson, chef and owner of Wildflower Café in downtown Mason, as guest speaker. The Wildflower prides itself in featuring an all-organic menu. One person at the first meeting will win a $50 dinner from The Wildflower, Routenberg said. Meetings will be held every fourth Wednesday of the month.The Green Drinks code is simple. It was created for people working on environmental issues, but is open to everyone. There is no agenda. Green Drinkers mingle and share ideas to inspire one another. The Cincinnati chapter has been meeting since Oct. 2006. One of the group’s founders, Sean Fisher, said it has been a success, so far.“The best and most important thing is the fact that ideas are taken from Green Drinks and melded into other ideas elsewhere,” said Fisher, a Cincinnati native working for Cinmar Frontgate in West Chester Township.For example, members from the Civic Garden Center passed out information about creating a rain garden, which can absorb rainwater run-off from buildings, fighting erosion and flooding, Fisher said. Routenberg has big dreams for the Mason chapter. He already has visited Mason City Council, getting its stamp of approval and plans to attend a Deerfield Township meeting to get its leaders on board. “Mayor Grossmann laughed when I said I’m already envisioning a Green Drinks 5K,” Routenberg joked. Fundraising may be a future development for the group. But first, Routenberg has got to get people to the meetings.“You know what they say, it takes a while for things to catch on in Cincinnati and here in Mason, but … I hope we all become green friends,” Routenberg said. “Let’s toss back some Guinness together. Live green, go green.”Additional Facts
Local ‘Green Drinks’ chapters
The Cincinnati chapter’s next meeting is Feb. 19 at Arnold’s Bar and Grill, 210 E. 8th St., downtown. www.greendrinkscincy.blogspot.com The Mason chapter’s first meeting is Jan. 28 beginning about 6 p.m. at Fox and Hound Pub & Grill, 5113 Bowen Drive in Deerfield Township. www.greendrinksmason.blogspot.com
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