Magnified Giving program teaches student philanthropy
Local high school students who have learned philanthropy through the Magnified Giving program will award grants to area nonprofit groups on May 9 and 11.
Amberley Village
Named for what’s known as the pearl of Sussex in Southern England, the Amberley Village is a serene and peaceful community northeast of Cincinnati. Similarly to its namesake, the small village boasts diverse, majestic homes on large lots, and abundant open, wooded areas. Amberley Village prides itself on providing its residents and businesses with premiere services and active civic involvement. The community muses that it never snows in Amberley because it’s all salted and plowed before the snow even hits the ground. Village Manager Scot Lahrmer says, “The philosophy is to treat our residents as customers. Our residents could choose to live anywhere, but they choose to live here.”
Jewish & Israeli Film Festival brings the world to Cincinnati
The Mayerson JCC Jewish & Israeli Film Festival is bucking the trend in Cincinnati's languishing film presentation scene, growing again and attracting higher-profile movies for its latest run Feb. 6-25.
Michelle Dillingham’s circuitous career path prepared her to lead Community Shares
Michelle Dillingham's new position as CEO of Community Shares of Greater Cincinnati is built on her varied career of social work and activism. A sign in her Mt. Auburn office says, "Excuse me, could you spare a little social change?"
Demand Better: Building healthy, vibrant neighborhoods
As we continue to reprise our four-part Demand Better series, we take a look at innovations and ideas that empower and support neighbors here and around the country—and offer some key demands for Cincinnati's future as election day approaches.
Vacant CPS schools recently sold at auction
On Nov. 8, Cincinnati Public Schools auctioned 13 school buildings and four land parcels, valued at more than $27 million, according to the county auditor's office. Eleven of the buildings sold, along with one piece of land. Bidding opened on Nov. 5 at $50,000; at the close of the auction, CPS made $3.5 million, which was more than enough to complete the district's Facilities Master Plan. The FMP was part of a bond levy that was passed in spring 2003 that combined state and other funds for a $1 billion build-out of the district. In the next 18 months, every school currently in use by CPS will either have been renovated or rebuilt to create a better environment for students, faculty and staff. As part of the FMP, many of the schools that were sold at auction were “swing” schools, which means they were used for classes while other schools were being renovated. After renovations, CPS no longer had a need for the schools, but wanted the buildings to have second lives. “As part of the plan, we knew we couldn’t overbuild, and we didn’t want to under-build,” says Janet Walsh, director of public affairs for CPS. “The consequence of that was that there were some beautiful buildings that we weren’t able to use as school buildings, but could be used by the community in other ways.” The district's approach, as it has been before, was to put the buildings up for auction. CPS held a successful auction about three years ago, but this one included more buildings and raised more money than expected, says Eve Bolton, board president of CPS. Some of the schools that didn’t sell in the 2009 auction sold this time around. “The reality is that the economic upturn in this region and the interest in Greater Cincinnati leaves a stock of historic, well-built schools empty,” says Bolton. “We want to see our buildings reused and recycled so that they can be beneficial to the neighborhoods they are a part of.” State law allows CPS to auction off unused buildings, but only after they have first been offered to local charter schools. Those left after auction can be sold on the public market as pieces of real estate. Buyers have no legal restrictions regarding what the school buildings can be used as—some of the buildings will become other schools, residential housing or office buildings; others will be torn down and something else will be built in their places. CPS schools and land included in the Nov. 8 auction:Burton Elementary School, 876 Glenwood Street, North Avondale: sold for $305,000; built in 1966, last class in 2008Central Fairmount Elementary School, 2475 White Street, South Fairmount: sold for $310,000; built in 1900, last class in 2012Heberle Elementary School, 2015 Freeman Avenue, West End: sold for $60,000; built in 1929, last class in 2007Hoffman Elementary School, 3060 Durrell Avenue, Evanston: sold for $200,000; built in 1922, last class in 2011Kirby Road Elementary School, 1710 Bruce Avenue, Northside: sold for $230,000; built in 1910, last class in 2005Lafayette Bloom Middle School, 1941 Baymiller Street, West End: sold for $60,000; built in 1915, last class in 2006Linwood Fundamental Academy, 4900 Eastern Avenue, Linwood: sold for $75,000; built in 1927-29, last class in 2005Losantiville Elementary School, 6701 Elbrook Avenue, Amberley Village: sold for $525,000; built in 1954, last class in 2008Old SCPA, 1310 Sycamore Street, Pendleton: sold for $1.3 million; built in 1910, last class in 2010Old Shroder Junior High School, 3500 Lumford Place, Kennedy Heights: sold for $150,000; built in 1956, last class unknownParadrome Street parcel, Mount Adams: sold for $135,000Winton Montessori School, 4750 Winton Road, Winton Place: sold for $265,000; closed in early Nov. 2012George F. Sands School, 940 Poplar Street, West End: not sold, valued at $1.89 million; built in 1912, last class in 2007North Fairmount Elementary School, 2001 Baltimore Avenue, North Fairmount: not sold, valued at $2.2 million; built in 1954, last class unknownE. Apple Street parcel, Winton Hills: not sold, valued at $485,628Terry Street parcel, East Price Hill: not sold, valued at $13,400Site of old Millvale school building, 3277 Beekman Street, Millvale: not sold, valued at $135,550By Caitlin Koenig Follow Caitlin on Twitter
World planning day brings new ideas to Amberley Village
To celebrate World Planning Day in Hamilton County, ninety planners and planning students gathered in Amberley Village to brainstorm how the town might utilize vacant green space that would fulfill the community's goals. The annual event, organized by the Hamilton County Planning Department and Cincinnati's chapter of the American Planning Association, helps one community think through their major planning issues each year. The Amberley town government owns a vacant golf course and swim club, and the neighborhood also has an unused school. A town where young families are moving in and new ways of thinking are on the rise, Amberly hopes to improve its community dynamic while also staying green. At the World Planning Day charette, planners gathered into groups to address the vacant properties, as well as the lack of sidewalks and bike paths in the community. At the end of the day they presented their ideas to the mayor and town council. Mayor Merrie Stillpass said that almost all of the town is built-out except for the 133 acre golf course, Amberley Green, that is currently used by residents for walking and running, and its future is a hot issue in the small community. "We are currently working on ideas - which this World Planning Day event helped us look at with a different lens - to develop it as a mixed use area," Stillpass said. "We've turned down some previously proposed developments because we're looking for the right mix and right density that adds value, is an amenity to the community and doesn't have negative impacts." The planning group covering Amberley Green suggested one idea, or a combination of ideas, that stuck out to Stillpass. "For the Amberley Green property there were some thoughts about having an interdisciplinary program that might be supported by a couple of the local college programs," she said. "A research facility that could become a sustainability center with an agricultural component and maybe a residential component, or a banquet center - something that could generate revenue for the Village but perpetuate the higher calling of sustainability." Another big issue in Amberley is the lack of sidewalks or bike paths, and one group of planners suggested a hierarchy of pathways that could be built to begin connecting the Village's different neighborhoods to community gathering spots. In a couple of weeks the ideas gathered that day will be posted on a website hosted by the Hamilton County Planning Department, and at that point Amberley's Mayor and Town Council will start sifting through the ideas to see which ones are worth future investigation, Stillpass said. Hamilton County's director of planning, Todd Kinskey, said Wednesday's event had the highest turnout in the eleven years his office has helped to sponsor the event. Community's that are interested in hosting a World Planning Day charrette can contact his office for more information. Writer: Henry Sweets Illustration provided The approval by Village Council of a plan to landscape the intersection of Ronald Reagan Highway and Ridge Road
Public gets a look at Ohio’s first LEED-certified public school
Families, alumni, and community members got an opportunity to tour what will be Ohio's first LEED-certified public school on Sunday.
