Corryville

Often lumped in with Clifton, Corryville has its own special mix of residential and retail built along a business district that runs the length of Short Vine. Home to music fan favorites like Bogart's live concert hall and Mike's Music's collection of vintage guitars; the Public Library's branch in the handsomely renovated Carnegie building; and UC's Niehoff Urban Studio headquartered in a turn-of-the-century dance hall across the street.

West MLK Drive improvements include enhancements for pedestrians, cyclists

By Soapbox

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Development News

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February 8, 2011

Plans to reconstruct a stretch of Martin Luther King Jr. Drive between Camp Washington and Clifton will drastically change the landscape there while improving safety for motorists and access for pedestrians and bicyclists.Thirty buildings on the north side of MLK between McMicken Ave. and Dixmyth Ave. will be razed to make way for wider lanes and a bike path. The on-street parking currently available in front of the homes, which cause numerous accidents every year, will be removed. Construction is expected to begin in the summer of 2014.The MLK West improvements, which run from McMicken to Clifton Ave., will include a new median, sidewalks and wider lanes in areas. A 12-ft-wide off-street "multi-use" path will run the complete length of the project, and will connect with a path planned as a part of ODOT improvements near the I-75 Hopple Street interchange at the bottom of the hill. When both projects are completed, bicyclists and pedestrians will be able to travel from Clifton to Camp Washington on a path separated from the road by several feet of grass. The intersection of MLK and Clifton will be reconstructed to improve pedestrian safety and traffic congestion there.The plans were selected from several different options that had been floated to the community in past public forums. At a recent public comment meeting on the project, the public left no comments. Project manager Andrea Henderson from the City's Department of Transportation and Engineering took that as a sign that the right option was chosen, she said."This was the most cost effective and actually the most desired option, so we were very happy we didn't have to force this alternative on anyone," she said.Between Dixmyth and Clifton avenues - the eastern portion of the project - property on both sides of MLK is owned by the park system and Henderson said a median and lane expansion were not planned for that area, just the bike path.Residents of the buildings who must be relocated by the City of Cincinnati include University of Cincinnati Students and elderly residents, Henderson said. The process of relocation could prove difficult for some, she said."I suspect that UC students renting there will have no problem finding another place, but it's the older people, or people with some sort of issues, that might need a lot of help and its our obligation to help them," she said.Writer: Henry SweetsPhotography by Scott Beseler.

Homeless, but not hopeless at the Cincinnati Zoo

By Elissa Yancey

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Diversity

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February 8, 2011

Antonio lingers at the elephant house, taking pictures and marveling at the size - and the smell - of the creatures before him. UC undergraduate Zach Koons laughs as he watches his 10-year-old charge snap photo after photo before the two move on to the Reptile House, where snakes hold the charm for the wide-eyed Bond Hill Academy student. The elephants and snakes have a serious if invisible advantage over Antonio, though. They have permanent night-time addresses. Antonio is homeless. Koon meets with Antonio every week as part of Zoo-Mates, a partnership between Project Connect, the University of Cincinnati's Center for Community Engagement and the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden. "Zoo-Mates enables UC students to bridge the gap between childhood and adulthood," says Koons, 21, who changed his major from Business to Middle Childhood Education as a result of his work with the program. "We can touch the lives of inner-city youth, and they can remind us of what is truly important in life." When it began, Zoo-Mates was a once-a-month program, with UC students meeting their young partners at the zoo, where they toured and talked. Now in its sixth year, Zoo-Mates pairs meet weekly, including regular visits to UC's Clifton campus. The success of the program has exceeded its organizers' expectations, according to Center for Community Engagement Director Kathy Dick. "The a-ha moment for me was when two families decided to keep their children in their home school so that they could continue to be a part of Zoo-Mates," she says. For families without homes, maintaining stability at school is a major challenge that can lead to academic problems for kids. Koons started volunteering because he needed to log community service hours to maintain a scholarship. But that's not why he stays. "Time can be worth more than any amount of money you can spend on someone," he says. For Antonio, any time he can spend away from worry is particularly sweet, even when it's laced with the smell of elephant. Do Good: • Donate: Make a financial contribution to the non-profit Faces without Places, which provides local homeless children with a wide range of services. Specify that you want your donation to support Zoo-Mates. • Cast your vote: Visit True Hero and vote for Zoo-Mates to receive additional funding. • Follow the blog: Find out the latest program activities at the Zoo-Mates' blog.

Children’s Hospital part of mother’s crusade against rare form of muscular dystrophy

By Newsroom

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Cincy In The News

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January 4, 2011

Children's Hospital part of mother's crusade against rare form of muscular dystrophy. A mother of two sons with Duhenne Muscular Dystrophy in Middletown, Ohio is an activist for research for a cure. She also helped lobby congress to pass legislation in order to fund research and founded the organization Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy. Cincinnati's Children's Hospital is the leading clinical treatment center for Duhenne in the country. Read the full story here.

Eric Avner

By Sean Rhiney

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Arts + Culture

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January 4, 2011

In this week's My Soapbox, Eric Avner shares his thoughts about urban philanthropy in the Queen City. Avner oversees economic development grantmaking for the Haile/U.S. Bank Foundation and will be moderating Soapbox's Speaker Series this week.

‘Bearcat Bubble’ adds practice space and energy savings on UC campus

By Newsroom

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Architecture + Design

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December 14, 2010

The University of Cincinnati gained its very own 24/7 practice field with the addition of an air-supported "Bearcat bubble" for the cold winter months. Athletes now have the ability to practice year-round in the new 75-foot-high and 370-foot-long bubble covering the new Sheakley Athletic Complex."The football players are excited and grateful to have the opportunity to use it. It gives us the ability to practice all year round with consistent conditions every time you are in there," according to UC Athletic Director Coslen. The field also benefits other varsity sports such as soccer, baseball, lacrosse, and eventually track and fieldBefore the addition of the practice field and bubble, athletes had limited conditioning and practice space. During the winter months they only had the ability to condition inside with the weight-room facility and indoor track. "The football team couldn't get out until the spring. During the winter months, they practiced outside when they could, " Coslon added. The Bubble and field provides 72,200 square feet of usable indoor space for athletic programs but also allowed the school to build a chilled water thermal storage tank underneath the short field to assist the air conditioning systems throughout campus. The addition provides the University $750,000 to $1 million in energy savings a year and adds to the "greening" of campus.According to the University project manager of the complex, Barrett Bamberger, the bubble is energy efficient and less expensive than a permanent structure. The dome consists of two layers that trap air between the two layers, which results in a 40 percent energy savings. Natural daylight also passes through the translucent outer layer, allowing the limited use of electric lights during practices. Because the bubble is transportable, it will only be inflated from November through February, and will return to a normal open-air practice field in the spring. Writer: Lisa EnsmingerPhotography provided by UC

Soapbox Speaker Series: Patrons of Urbanism

By Soapbox

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Arts + Culture

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December 7, 2010

Join us for our first Soapbox Speaker Series of the new year and submit your great idea for possible funding.

Soapbox Speaker Series: Urban Pioneers

By Soapbox

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Architecture + Design

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October 26, 2010

Risk takers. Urban dwellers who took a chance to revitalize a building, then a neighborhood, and ultimately, entire communities. It takes a certain kind of individual to make that leap of faith, investing sweat equity into an old shell of a building on a rough street. At Soapbox, we think it's a common character trait, a cult of personality if you will, that joins these urbanists together. Come meet some of the pioneers who have reinvigorated Cincinnati's past and are working hard on its future by reviving vital, urban neighborhoods.