Fort Thomas News - Week of August 30th

My day job has kept me busy the last couple weeks but a few random observations over the past couple weeks:

Progress at the Newport Pavilion continues to roll along with the roof of Target nearly completed.  I missed this little piece about a month ago from Scott Wertman but there were a couple nuggets worth noting in his article.  While Scott was also not able to get Target or Bear Creek to comment on the development he did get the city manager on the record indicating that Chick Fil A and Chipotle are possibly still planning stores in the development and that traffic from Target is a key to their opening.  While not nearly as exciting as a Chick Fil A or Chipotle there is a Chinese Restaurant opening soon and some progress has been noticed on the corner spot next to the Kroger Liquor store.

Last year Highlands set milestones by being ranked in the top 10 in the USA Today Super 25. We read recently that Coach Mueller's goal is to finish the season at #1 and now we get word this week that USAToday has broadcast two of their games (Ryle and Beechwood) nationally on USAToday.com.

I haven't exactly commented on the work going on at the Northern Kentucky Water District's facility on Memorial but despite the presence of a tower crane (possibly the first and last time we will see one in Fort Thomas) I have to say the subtle changes they have made thus far is a huge improvement.  Painting the treatment facility with the Northern Kentucky Water District logo beat the old look and the corner 'pocket park' looks nice despite its complete lack of functional use.  I am interested to see how the new structure in progress will look compared to the surrounding homes.

Merril Hoge reporting on Fort Thomas Little League games on his website and to his 11,000 Twitter followers.  So if your child's team played Merril's you can find some video of the drubbing they received online.

After all the debate on speed bumps on this site over the past month or so comes a sobering reminder that Fort Thomas is a community full of children.  Disagree with Melanie Ethridge on West Southgate if you like but she along with most parents are just trying to protect their children from bad things that happen in life.  A Woodfill student was hit by a car while walking home from school two days ago. It was at the intersection at the VA. The child was a fourth grader. He was at Children's being evaluated on Thursday but was responsive.

Fort Thomas Music Group to Open For LeAnn Rimes

Highlands graduates (2000) Katie Wefer (left) and Heather Turner (below right)

It's the weekend. The summer is winding down and beads of water drip from my rocks glass, as I take a sip of my Basil Hayden and delve into a story. Doesn't matter which one. Point is that I'm an absolute sucker for recounting a good anecdote. The backyard by the grill is my stage and I love entertaining my buddies with a good one.

I tell you this because when Highlands graduates, Heather Turner and Katie Wefer, who make up 1/3 of their 6 person music group Tupelo Honey, make it big, I'm going to have great "I-Knew-Them-When" stories.

When Katie was the cool, older girl, she used to drive me to school. It's possible that right there, on those roads to Highlands to the upperclassmen parking lot where the Middle School now resides, she perfected her vocalizer - singing No Doubt, Destiney's Child or the Chili Peppers.

I can also tell you that as a 7th grader, I took Chorus for an easy A. I mostly had no idea what I was doing, but I did get an A that year. It's possible that because Heather got a B in her only year of Chorus, I had and have more musical inclination than she does now.

See, a great story teller knows that the important thing about using the word possible in a story is that while you know in your heart it may or may not be entirely accurate, the possible part still makes for a good story.

I've circled the calendar for Friday, Sept. 17, when Tupelo Honey (who captures the harmonic grace of the Indigo Girls, Dixie Chics, Patty Griffin, and Janis Joplin) is opening up for LeAnn Rimes at the Cintas Center.

Their CD (In It For the Ride) is being released at The Madison Theatre on Sept. 10 and will be available everywhere you can buy music (impending follow up article when their CD is released).

Their moment has arrived, which means I'll be looking for new blood for which to unleash these fables from our days at Highlands. But while I get to tell a Cliffs Notes version of their climb, it wasn't an easy road for the two girls.

"Tupelo Honey started as an acoustic duo, just Katie and I, when we were still in college. We are both self taught guitarists, who won a talent competition at Austin City Saloon in Lexington the first time we performed," Turner said. "We started performing at coffee houses, and bars around the Cincinnati area, and gradually got some recognition."

From an acoustic duo at Austin City Saloon to a 6 person group which includes bass, drums and a violin opening up for a Grammy award winning artist, the road has had its share of twists and turns. Twists which include breaking into the music business by working at The Poison Room hosting showcases for other musicians while working full time jobs to winning the 2007 Cincinnati Entertainment Award for best Folk Americana EP titled, Sweet. When Tupelo Honey opens up for LeAnn Rimes at The Cintas Center next month, their music will be appreciated on a large scale.

"It is a very hard life to be a musician. Late nights, not much money, and little sleep. It was worth it though. I don't regret it for a second," Turner said. "I think that passion in the beginning is what made us so successful in the end. You have to endure hard times in anything you really love to do."

This is a big deal.

For more information on Katie and Heather and their band, Tupelo Honey, including songs videos, click here.

Kentucky Furlough Days and How It Affects You

UPDATE on 8/29

Received the following information from Taunya Nolan Jack:

Just received an email last evening regarding the Friday, September 3, 2010 furlough. The Director of Vehicle Regulation with DOT, Bill Heise, advised that they have rescinded its prior decision for 100% shutdown.

The computer services will now be available on Friday, September 3, 2010, along with 50% of DOT personnel. What that means for the citizens of Campbell County? Campbell County Driver’s Licensing Departments in both Newport and Alexandria will be OPEN on Friday, September 3^rd

Our world is changing. A key example of our ever evolving environment has been detailed on Fort Thomas Matters pretty frequently over the last year.

• "Real" journalists (i.e. newspapers) are becoming a thing of the past. Take the coverage of the Midway district's struggle to get the city to allow them to run their businesses effectively. 10 years ago, if you were lucky enough to get a reporter to cover the meetings, talk to business owners and then report it - you're looking at a 3-5 day turnaround. Old news by our standards today.

• Fast forward to a microwave, caffeinated society that we find ourselves in now and news is fluid - 24 hours a day. It's fast. Things change and industries have to adapt. This is why this form of media works and will continue to work.

I've talked about this need for adaptation and my love of the book which talks about this concept, Who Moved My Cheese, in a post last April. I'm sure that you have found that the way you're doing business is profoundly different from how you were conducting it even two years ago. Whether you are a teacher, business owner or physician if you don't feel change, you're not paying attention.

When I ran into Taunya Nolan Jack, Campbell County Circuit Court Clerk, a few days ago, she asked me to help notify Ft. Thomas residents about the furlough days put in place by Governor Beshear that will affect her courts including the Campbell County Drivers' License Department, (see bottom of post for that information).

More than anything it got me thinking about how our state government is having to adapt to help offset deficits. I have to say, I am conflicted about these furlough holidays.

Jack shares this sentiment. "Until after the first furlough I am not quite sure how the furloughs will effect the courts and drivers’ license. I am hoping that the citizens will understand that the state is in a financial crises and all branches of government are effected."
I can see how on the surface, a furlough would help to reduce costs, but things like having to pay 24-hour institution workers overtime would certainly eat that savings up pretty quickly. (Enquirer article to that effect).

A quick Google search on furlough programs brings up an article from the USA Today. All you have to do is read the bold bullet points of the article to catch the drift.

• Better than layoffs
• Sinking morale
• Gaining momentum

The article was dated March 6, 2009 and dealt with mainly private industry. I know furloughs are generally not considered to be a good thing, but if the Government is following suit with the private sector which HAS to consider cash flow and deficits unlike it big brother counterpart, this has got to be a good thing at some level.

---- Notice -----

Campbell County Driver's License Dept. will be closed:
Friday, Sept. 2 2010 (and reopen Tuesday, Sept. 7)
Friday, Nov. 12 2010
Friday, May 27 2011

Ft Thomas Business Assoication Hosts Candidate Forum

Mark your calendars for September 23rd from 8am to 10am for a chance to ask your questions directly to 11 of the 14 candidates for county offices and only a few short weeks prior to the election.  The county elections this year promises fireworks with issues such as a possible smoking ban, possible changes to the makeup of the Commission.

The forum will be held at the Mess Hall in Tower Park and feature candidates from the following races:

• 24th District Senate
• Campbell County Family Court
• Campbell County Judge Executive
• Campbell County Commissioner
• Campbell County Attorney
• Campbell County Jailer

Pat Crowley will moderate the event so come out and see my racquetball partner Steve Frantzen along with the other candidates.

Highlands Football is Back

The picture above can mean only one thing - the official end of summer and the ushering in of marching bands, backyard bon fires, a crisp chill in the air, and most importantly a Fort Thomas Friday night tradition.

After a 45 to 14 drubbing of Dupont Manual tonight I thought a Highlands football post was in order.  Most of the local media is focused on the Bluebirds quest for a repeat of the repeat of the repeat of the state title.    Below is a run down on all the recent press from the Enquirer, Post, Recorder and other local media over the past couple weeks:

• Impressive statistics including 16 straight years at the top of the Enquirer NKY poll
• Depth is the strong suite of this team.  No player on the team will have to play both sides of the ball.
• Lorenzen is the new quarterbacks coach for Highlands

 I thought I would take a different approach and focus on few other interesting things about this team from a recent chat Dale Mueller held on Cincinnati.com.

• Other than an October 15th game against Cov Cath, Highlands will play the first four games at home and the rest is on the road.
• Mueller believes the pending move from 5A to 4A next season actually could allow Highlands to have tougher competition.  He cited playing Holmes and Cov Cath regularly and from across the state; Lexington Catholic, Bell County, Boyle County, and Johnson Central
• Despite the strong junior and senior players, the depth of the freshman and sophomore classes has everyone excited
• Speaking about the role Fort Thomas youth football plays in the Highland tradition he says, "We have two youth camps in the summer -- one for students in the second, third and fourth grade, and another for students in fifth through eighth grade"
• Believed a pre-season USA Today ranking is possible and that the goal is to finish the year #1 nationally (Bluebirds were not ranked in pre-season poll)
• Believes Pat Towles will be recruited by Florida and Notre Dame

The Smoking Issue in Fort Thomas

Mark's simple post on the Pub and some upcoming improvements turned into a referendum on smoking.  Who knew that the comments section of his post from yesterday would be lit up with those interested in going non-smoking at Fort Thomas dining establishments.

It is no secret that most in Fort Thomas would love to be able to eat a good burger at the 915 without smelling like a chimney or enjoying Danny Krebs fare without losing a lung to second-hand smoke.  Fort Thomas is a healthy community with a very active citizenry who loves to walk, run, bike, and generally have a good time outdoors.  So why is it that you can only enjoy a cheap fast dinner in Fort Thomas at Subway without inheriting a smoking habit.  Granted you can enjoy a dinner at Vito's in clean air but that is an experience and not something you can take the kids to on a regular basis.

It is good to see the Arnzens realizing a good business opportunity when they see an under served market.  It is not secret that part of the success of sidewalk dining has been the ability to eat in a smoke free environment.  The Pub's plans to designate a smoke free area is the hope of keeping those outdoor dining customers through the winter when the weather doesn't accommodate those diners.

With the smoking issue as a backdrop there was a show tonight on KET entitled "Kentucky Tonight" that was an open forum on the possible smoking ban in Northern Kentucky.  The show included some decision makers in Northern Kentucky that included Kenton County Commissioner Kris Knochelmann, Boone County Commissioner Cathy Flaig, and Betsy Berns Janes, advocacy director for the American Lung Association of Kentucky. 

During the airing of the show Knochelman made comments that indicated that a vote on the smoking ban would occur within 60 to 90 days.  That combined with widely reported news that enough votes are secured in both Kenton and Campbell County make me think that a non-smoking area in the Pub could be a moot point within a matter of weeks.  While I may have been spared lung issues I am now afraid that my waistline will be expanding with nothing standing between me and my Memphis Burger from the 915.

Pig Fingers, Fish Tacos and Hummus, oh my!

As I sidled up to the bar with my bride, beginning to partake in some happy hour libations on the new patio at the Olde Fort Pub, former Pergola owner and current food foreperson, Danny Krebs, began spinning the tale of how his son Jake brought back the menu's most curious dish from his backpacking trip through Africa.

Or was it Europe?

You'll have to excuse my lack of recall on the actual story because it was so unbelievable, I had to give my wife a tap on her foot to see if she was as dumbfounded as I.

Pig Fingers, which made it's debut this past week -and promptly sold out this weekend - is just one of the menus new items The Pub is trying. There's also 2 new salads, as well as old Pergola standbys fish tacos and hummus to go along with the pizzas, burgers and wings.

"We are rolling out new menu items as we grow. New equipment and renovations to the Pub need a bit of time to put together." said Krebs. "Once you get people to try (the pig fingers) they love them."

The Midway district has dominated Fort Thomas news this past week. By simply scrolling down this page or picking up The Enquirer can attest. While there were some victories that came from the city council meeting in the noise/public right of way ordinances, there are still plenty of obstacles for these business owners to overcome.

It's good to see that The Pub is evolving despite the city's efforts.

Other changes that I think will be a positive include:

1) An outdoor beer garden in the back patio. They are hoping to get it up and running in time for the Bengals regular season and (hopefully) Reds playoff run.

2) Converting the back room to a family friendly (non-smoking) dining room.

3) Live music on the back outside patio.

"The Arnzen's have been great to work with," said Krebs. "There will be more to come in the Fall. We have a lot to look forward to."

As far as the origin of Pig Fingers goes, I'll leave that bit of story telling honor to the fabler of food, the bard of the beer garden, the chronicler of the canteen, Danny Krebs.

Ordinance Counter Point - Don Martin's Possible Point of View

In an attempt to represent the entire issue surrounding the new ordinance and the various perspectives beyond my own I will try and represent the other point of view with the following points:

• The original ordinance regulating the placement of tables and chairs in the public right-of-way was adopted in February 2004 and amended in 2007.  This ordinance included some of the points I found offensive in my post from yesterday.
• When Mr. Arnzen attended the council meeting last week on August 2, city council scheduled a special council meeting to move the issue forward and assist the businesses rather than wait until the next scheduled council meeting to consider the issue.
• Council should consider all sides of an issue. In this case, the well-being of the general public should at least be discussed, including pedestrians who may use the sidewalk.
• By discussing the issue council demonstrated they were considering not just the interests of the businesses, but also the well-being of the general public.
• The end result of this process is that businesses will soon be able to allow outdoor dining on the public sidewalk until 11:00 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and midnight on Friday and Saturday; and, there is no longer a requirement that food be served with alcohol purchases.

The points above could represent Mr Martin's point of view if he would allow me to publish his comments directly.  However he would not like me to post his emails directly as he does not "blog or post any comments on any website as they tend to perpetuate the negative and inaccurate comments".  However, I am pretty sure that this would be representative of his position.

In addition I am attaching links to the orginal ordinance, the current noise ordinance, and the revised ordinance that was voted on last night.

Noise Ordinance Madness - Council Clamps Down Further

Just when you thought the madness of a 10 o'clock curfew for local businesses had reached its peak I experienced a very bizarre council meeting this afternoon.  While council gave local businesses an extra hour Sunday through Thursday and two extra hours to midnight on Friday and Saturday they placed many additional restrictions on local businesses.

The committee meeting began with a draft ordinance entitled "Ordinance Regulating the Placement of Tables, Chairs, and Outdoor Furnishings for the Purpose of Outdoor Dining on the Public Sidewalks and Repealing Ordinance 0-02-2007".

Among the restrictions included in the original draft presented by Don Martin, the City Manager, were:

• The cost to lease a spot for a table is $10 / year
• To get a permit business owners must submit a site plan showing the location of the tables
• No outdoor dining permitted between Nov 16th to March 14th
• Umbrellas used with the tables can not contain any logos or advertisements
• Doors can not be propped open
• Possibly the most egregious of the restrictions was the proposal to prevent smoking on the sidewalk
• No cooking is permitted outdoors
• No heaters can be provided

Council ultimately brought Don back to some sense of sanity on the smoking point and a few of the other points but it was not before a very obvious split among council was apparent.  There were two clear camps among council with Eric Haas and Tom Lampe arguing in defense of local businesses.  The two comments from Lisa Kelly appeared to support the business argument but Eric and Tom led the charge.  In support of Don's half-baked ideas was Mayor Mary Brown, Jill Steller, and Jim Doepker.  Roger Peterman was absent.  The contrast between the two camps was stark and frankly made Mary Brown, Don Martin, Jim Doepker, and Jill Steller look completely out of touch with our community.

I honestly have to say I was stunned when I read the first draft.  It is probably the most outrageous attempt to restrict business activity I have ever seen and no real clear reason was presented for the ordinance.  Not a single noise complaint has been filed against Midway businesses for the outdoor seating since it opened on July 4th.  Don Martin indicated multiple times that this wasn't about noise - yet when confronted about the attempt to prevent owners from keeping their doors propped open Don indicated it would prevent the noise from becoming an issue.  Frankly Don's entire logic was very contradictory. 

An officer (whom I assumed was Chief Daly) was asked to provide some input and he indicated that he had not cited anyone for a noise ordinance in the 13 years he has worked for the city.  Despite that ringing endorsement the witch hunt continued.

At one point there was an argument about whether or not a grace period should be extended for 15 minutes beyond the 11 o'clock or 12 o'clock cutoff and despite nearly unanimous support for a grace period Mary Brown cutoff debate and determined that a grace period would not be provided.  I was surprised how everyone rolled over on that point.

Speaking of Mayor Mary Brown - I have to say it appeared she had an axe to grind against the Pub and Don happened to be her hatchet man.  I wasn't the only one who noticed the attitude and afterward I spoke with another audience member who mentioned the same thing and indicated that was evident at the last meeting as well.

Despite comments that indicated a respect for personal property rights I am amazed how out of bounds the original draft ordinance was including restricting smoking on the 'leased' public property and limiting owner's ability to keep their doors open.  At one point the Pub's owner asked Don Martin how he could enforce these ordinances?  For instance would the business owner be cited if someone used one of his chairs after hours to sit and wait on a cab and whether this person could smoke a cigarette or have a drink of a soda?  Would the person have to walk next door to one of the public benches paid for by the city and wait there instead?  The city manager scoffed at the illustration but that is the bizarro restrictions that Midway Pub owners now find themselves in.

Council ultimately voted on and approved a revised ordinance that will be reviewed in November.  Despite my shock at the content of the draft and what had transpired during the meeting I am mostly disappointed that our city spent $2 million to start the Midway district on a visionary path only to divert it into a ditch with restrictions and bad feelings between the city and business owners.  Why would anyone in their right mind open a new restaurant here with that attitude?

Important City Council Meeting tonight

Tonight, 6:15 at the city building.


Please go to show your support to the Midway District. We need to support our Ft. Thomas businesses.