Northside, region even prettier today

The lower Northside business district received a fresh coat of paint as part of the nationwide Great American Cleanup on Saturday.

In addition to painting 12 building facades along Hamilton and Spring Grove avenues, an estimated 150 volunteers painted parking meters, poles and bike racks, performed landscaping work and cleaned up litter.

The effort was coordinated by Keep Cincinnati Beautiful, with assistance from Give Back Cincinnati, the Cincinnati Parks Department, and neighborhood volunteers.

After Neighborhood Enhancement Program (NEP) project for the CUF neighborhood fell through, the opportunity to revisit a 2007 NEP neighborhood presented itself.

Robin Henderson, program manager for community improvement for Keep Cincinnati Beautiful, says that the buildings on the lower block were selected because they required the most attention.

"We were looking for a high-impact, quick fix," she says.  "We wanted to increase the curb appeal of these buildings."

Northside Business Association president Robert Sala says that he appreciates the work of the volunteers.

"This is part of our gateway," he says.  "I was glad to see we were able to give it a lift."

The Northside event was one of 92 held in the Greater Cincinnati, involving more than 6,000 volunteers.

Other projects included a 600-volunteer cleanup of Covington, the planting of flowers and trees at Kay's Garden in Pendleton, and, in honor of Staff Sgt. Matt Maupin, the planting of 4,000 flowers at the Liberty Garden in Eden Park.

Title sponsor for the events was the Great American Insurance Group, with 25 other organizations also on board.

Writer: Kevin LeMaster
Source: Robin Henderson, program manager for community involvement, Keep Cincinnati Beautiful; Robert Sala, president, Northside Business Association
Photography by Kevin LeMaster