News on Twitter

I have added a new Twitter Search feature on the right hand side that shows the latest Tweets on Fort Thomas (limited to the last 5 tweets - interested in more then click here). There are some truly fascinating comments about people working in places around town, eating at restaurants, and even running in the Firecracker. Be sure to glance over on the right hand side of the page from time to time for some updates and who knows you may even find somebody you are interested in connecting with.

Speaking of Tweets, I noticed one recently regarding the news that Vito's and the Midway had filed for brew pub licenses. The feed however was for a site called Hoperatives that is all about promoting beer in the Cincinnati area. You really just never know what you are going to find and this is a great example of a community and site for all interests.

Since we are talking Twitter... if you are interested in getting more immediate updates from me then feel free to follow me.

Kentucky News & You

I know I generally keep these posts focused on local (Fort Thomas) news but a couple of items from Frankfort have too much potential impact on our community to ignore. As you may have heard there was a special session recently that required our legislators to return to Frankfort for discussion and voting. In this session there were a couple of bills they had to take to a vote.

The first item was dubbed the 'tax incentive bill' and focused on items to stimulate the state economy. It is famous for tax incentives for Newport on the Levee and the Ky Speedway that could have provided enough incentive to finish out the original plan for the Levee (which included a hotel and more) and bring a major race to the Speedway. However because the bill included a provision to allow tolls to be used for mega projects like bridges. There was no specific mention of the I-75 bridge but even the possibility was enough for all but 4 NKY lawmakers to vote no on the bill. What happened to negotiation and finding common ground? How is possible that our elected officials insist on playing politics instead of finding the right solution. I can't imagine if I made decisions at my place of employment this way - we would have gone bankrupt decades ago. Stop layering on pet initiatives, projects, and causes on bills that make sense - we have to start making the right decisions for our state.

The second, and some might say equally appalling, item that saw debate but ultimately met its demise was the gambling initiative. Without inciting backers on both sides of the debate I do find it ironic that in the same week this bill is voted down the Argosy's $300m+ remake is completed in neighboring Indiana. By the way neighboring Indiana has a $1B surplus while Kentucky and Ohio continue to struggle mightily to balance a budget. That surplus is not there because of gambling but because of sound fiscal and political management. Kentucky should take a lesson.

Woodfill - Wow, What a Miss

Staggering blow today with news that Woodfill's bids have come in 12.5% over budget or $1.1m. Given the current economy this is a huge miss in estimation and will eat into 'urgent needs funds' that could have been used in other places in the district.

I know I have mentioned this before but doesn't this count towards the $924m in stimulus funds dedicated towards education in the state of Kentucky alone? Where is this money being spent? I know the state of Kentucky launched a site to inform citizens of how the money is being allocated but it is sorely lacking in details.

River Cities Trail & Fort Thomas

Yesterday we got an update on the Vision 2015 plan (although the website doesn't appear to be updated) and one of the items reviewed was 'a bold vision of trails, open space and entertainment venues for the riverfront'. This vision is the same vision mentioned in this past post on Fort Thomas Matters from March 17th on the Southbank partners.

Then today we get word that the river cities have invested a grand total of $225,000 including a contribution from Fort Thomas to do some planning and hiring a lobbying firm to secure federal dollars. The article does not mention the exact amount invested by Fort Thomas but since there were 6 municipalities that contributed it was likely $37,500.

My biggest concern is that most of the plans I have seen are focused on the central riverfront and will provide the strongest benefit to Newport, Covington, Bellevue, and Dayton. Yet Newport did not make an initial contribution to the effort. No details have been sketched in regards to the plans for Fort Thomas' riverfront and it will likely be the last phase of the plan which could be decades away if it is realized at all. I am hopeful - I would just like to see some firmer plans.

Work on the Midway

While ultimately I do believe the Midway can look great, on my way to the Y yesterday my worse fears were realized regarding the street scape work along Fort Thomas Ave. Removing the trees and burying the lines highlight the public housing that exists next to the Midway.

In the poll on the right side of this site I asked the question "What Cincinnati neighborhood would you most like to model the Midway?" and an overwhelming response (32%) indicated Mt Lookout Square. I submit to you a picture comparison - you tell me if we are on the way to realizing that vision?

I know they will eventually replant some trees along the sidewalk but for the next couple of years this only going to serve to expose the HUD housing along our primary retail route.

Future Hillside Development in Fort Thomas

While this isn't a blog about Cincinnati some recent proposed zoning changes could have huge future implications for Northern Kentucky and subsequently Fort Thomas. The proposed zoning would prohibit new building in the sightlines of 35 of 48 high-priority public view corridors identified in a 2007 study by the Hillside Trust Inc.

The proposal could be voted on by September and once the economy recovers could have developers flocking to Northern Kentucky for those great views. One location that immediately comes to mind is on Memorial Pkwy where fill dirt has been added for nearly 3 years or more.

Highlands and Pergola - A Source of Pride

Two things from Friday give me great pride in Fort Thomas.

The first is Highlands High School - again ranked among the elite public high schools in the nation climbing a whopping nearly 200 places in the Newsweek rankings to 572. Highlands rankings from the past 5 years show an incredible leap in the past couple of years from a fairly consistent spot in the 800's.

2005 - 808
2006 - 819
2007 - 832
2008 - 735
2009 - 572

It is an incredible accomplishment and everyone on staff and the students should be commended.

The second source of pride comes from the opening night of the new restaurant on the Avenue - Pergola. The place was hopping and it is exactly what we need to bring some life to the main street through town. It gives the impression that the city is alive. We had guests at our house who had never been to Fort Thomas and they wanted to talk about the restaurant down the street and how amazing the community is.

New Restaurant in Fort Thomas - Pergola's

This was the sight earlier today as the old Warner's location was being transformed into the latest restaurant in Fort Thomas. The sign hanging on the outside lists the restaurant name as Pergola's and from the news I am hearing may have a bakery or at least breakfast pastries as well as lunch and dinner. There is remnants of wood on the patio that may be forming an actual pergola over the patio. It will be exciting to have another place to eat at - what would you like to see from the new restaurant?

While on the topic of restaurants - I found Sarelli's on Twitter yesterday. I have added their tweets on the right-hand side of the page near the bottom but feel free to become a follower. They are having specials to their followers that could be worth your while.

Sanitation District 1's 20 Year Plan & Fort Thomas

You may have seen recent stories about Sanitation District 1's $450 million 20 year plan. It feels a bit overwhelming when you think of the dollars involved but I thought it could be good to give a brief summary of the plan's impacts in Fort Thomas. Sanitation District 1 has published the plan, all 148 pages, online and I thought I would point out a few items that are of interest to Fort Thomas.

1. System-wide Green Projects (Section 7.2.2 - page 46) For those interested in implementing some green techniques at your home SD1 provides Rain Barrels or "Raintainers" for $125. They have distributed over 170 of these containers since the program started. Other green options included in the plan are incentives for creating a "Green Roof". The plan is described as

   Based on this evaluation, SD1 will develop an incentive program that will reimburse building owners in the combined system a portion of the cost to construct a vegetated roof based on the amount of storm water removed from the CSS. The subsidy will be based on anticipated benefits to SD1.

   Lastly, SD1 also plans an "Urban Reforestation Program" which is described as

   Based on the estimated benefits that trees provide to SD1 and the community, SD1 is allocating funds annually to promote and enhance tree planting programs throughout the community, with a focus on the combined sewer system. The program will include financial assistance to a variety of programs ranging from sapling give-aways to cost sharing in urban streetscape programs.

   I would like to see Fort Thomas and its organizations take advantage of this, perhaps it could cut down on a small portion of the tax payer dollars required to enhance the Midway street scape.
2. Licking River Siphon Sewarshed (Section 7.3.5, page 79) - I am no geologist or hydrological engineer but what I can glean from this section is that there can be significant backups of runoff from this area into the Licking. This area encompasses a fairly significant portion of central and south Ft Thomas. I will leave my summary of this section at that and move on to specifics in the following points....
   
3. Vernon Lane (Section 7.3.7, page 81) - the report characterizes the area as 'a significant public health risk'. The report goes on to say:

   SD1 therefore conducted detailed public and private smoke and dye testing. The testing revealed a significant number of public and private sources of inflow and infiltration (I/I). The picture below shows properties with area tied to the sanitary sewer in color. The shade of the color correlates to the estimated drainage area tributary to the sanitary sewer. The darker the color the greater amount of area tied into the sanitary sewers. The stars represent locations where indirect cross-connections between the storm and sanitary sewers were identified. Considering the clear objectives laid out by SD1, the most beneficial action in the first five years is to conduct public and private I/I removal activities in the Vernon Lane Priority Area with the goal of eliminating the two public health risk recurring SSOs in a typical year.

4. Taylor Creek Priority Area (Section 7.4.4, page 101) - this encompasses a major part of Bellevue and North Fort Thomas. Some of the current projects in place that will benefit this plan include: The Donnermeyer sewer improvements (will reduce basement flooding along Covert Run), The Newport Pavilion development, and the Bellevue Relief Sewer (should eliminate basement flooding along Waterworks)
   

These actions taken together should have a positive impact on Fort Thomas and the ground and water quality of the city's environment.

Walking the pig in Ft. Thomas

Walking the pig in Ft. Thomas

Posted using ShareThis