Madisonville Archives – Page 14 of 16

Madisonville to receive $2.5 million in bond financing for business district

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December 18, 2012

Last Monday, Madisonville was allocated $2.5 million in bond financing to make improvements to the neighborhood’s business district. The bond money will be paid back with funds from the Madisonville tax increment financing, or TIF, district. A TIF is the difference between what property taxes would be after redevelopment and what the tax would be if no redevelopment occurred. A payment is made to the TIF fund in lieu of taxes and is used to finance other projects. Madisonville will pay back the bond over a period of 20 years. In November, Madisonville revealed its quality of life plan to the public, which focused on economic development, health and wellness, arts and culture, education and youth, built environment and community engagement. The plan will take about 10 years to fully implement, but Madisonville is taking immediate steps to revitalize its business district. There are about two blocks of vacant property at the intersection of Madison and Whetsel, which is at the heart of the business district. With the bond money, Madisonville will be able to begin construction on those buildings and bringing in businesses to start building the citizens’ dreams of a walking neighborhood. The $2.5 million is the first big investment in the physical transformation of Madisonville, says Vice Mayor Roxanne Qualls. Madisonville is among four major growth opportunity areas in Cincinnati, including Walnut Hills, Westwood and College Hill. But these neighborhoods aren’t the only ones the City is investing in. “These neighborhoods are target areas because of their participation in developing the new form-based code for the City,” says Qualls. By Caitlin Koenig Follow Caitlin on Twitter

Breaking the cycle of bad eating, one banana at a time

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Diversity

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December 11, 2012

The Nutrition Council of Greater Cincinnati is working to break the cycle of unhealthy eating habits, one banana, one yogurt parfait and one recipe at a time. And, they are doing it one family at a time. The Council, in its 35th year, just wrapped up its latest series of "What’s Cooking?" classes for parents and caregivers of kids in Camp Washington and Winton Hills. The classes, offered each fall and spring, are a four-part series that meet for about an hour after the school day ends at schools with Head Start programs. They are designed to show parents how to make quick, affordable and healthy meals for their families. Each week is themed, and participants receive take-home tools like measuring spoons and grocery cards. Parents also get multiple recipes that encourage cooking at home, rather than relying on packaged and processed foods. The classes and the Council’s work come at a time when the nation—and Cincinnati—is getting fatter. Childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past 30 years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Currently, one in four Cincinnati Public School kindergarten students is overweight (13.9 percent) or obese (11.7 percent). “I think what strikes me is that things I am aware of and take for granted, not everyone does,’’ says Tracy Wilking, the nonprofit’s special project manager, who worked at the Winton Hills location this fall. In 2011, nearly 100 families participated in the cooking sessions. And of those, according to the Council’s web site: • 85 percent reported they changed one action to improve a targeted health behavior.• 67 percent of families increased their consumption of fruits and vegetables.• 67 percent said they decreased their child’s sweetened beverage intake. Wilking says it is not uncommon to hear parents share how the instruction really does change cooking habits, from eating as a family to introducing fresh fruits and vegetables at meals. One recent participant told one of the Council workers that she had completely changed how her family was eating. The Council targets very young children, before habits are established and before they start kindergarten. Wilking says many parents may not have been taught how to eat healthy, and the earlier the Council and others can share information with parents, the more likely the cycle of poor food choices can be broken. In addition to the cooking series, the Council also visited 38 Early Childhood Education classrooms in the Cincinnati area over 17 days to teach parents and their kids how to make healthy snacks. Recently, they made fruit and yogurt parfaits. “A little education really can go a long way,’’ says Wilking. “This work is reaching individuals and those with the power to reach someone else.” Do Good: • Make a donation • Volunteer your time or skills. • Like the Council on Facebook.• Follow the Council's news on Twitter. By Chris GravesChris Graves, assistant vice president of digital and social media at the Powers Agency, is using several of the Council’s recipes at home with her two teens.

Architectural renderings add dimension to design

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Entrepreneurship

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December 11, 2012

Graeme Daley officially launched his business, Daley Renderings, two months ago, but says, with a laugh: “It’s not launched until somebody knows about it.” The Indian Hill native is offering estate, urban and graphic design with a focus on 3-D renderings. He first got into design and renderings playing a game on his grandfather’s computer. “At the time (1995) it was intensely crude, really just geometry," he says. "With technology over the past 10 or 15 years, you can now do almost anything you can imagine. The program I use is the same program Pixar uses to make their box office movies and the same program that’s used to make Halo." Daley focuses on architectural renderings and targets clients, such as architects and real estate agents, whose larger projects won’t find the expense of such a rendering prohibitive. “The ideal person for what I do could either be an architect that’s come up with a showcase design and wants a presentation that conveys that, say, if you’re proposing a new tower or university building and want something to roll out to the public.” The role of his renderings is to help take 2-D plans and drawings and enliven them. He illustrates with computer-generated videos of his 3-D renderings exactly how a project will look from various angles. Or, as in a recent case, in which Daley was hired by a local real estate firm, he can show different ways a project could appear. In this case, Daley created four potential uses for two adjacent lots, showing how driveways could be curved for privacy and even demonstrating how both houses could be replaced by a single mansion. Because Daley went through what he calls “the nine-year Bachelor’s plan,” he has some experience in mechanical engineering and industrial design, as well as architecture. (He eventually graduated from the University of Cincinnati's College of DAAP, by the way.) And while he says he might make more money in other states with more new builds, he’s sticking close to home, and enjoys watching Cincinnati grow and improve. By Robin Donovan

Architectural renderings add dimension to design

By Newsroom

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Architecture + Design

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December 11, 2012

Graeme Daley officially launched his business, Daley Renderings, two months ago, but says, with a laugh: “It’s not launched until somebody knows about it.” The Indian Hill native is offering estate, urban and graphic design with a focus on 3-D renderings. He first got into design and renderings playing a game on his grandfather’s computer. “At the time (1995) it was intensely crude, really just geometry," he says. "With technology over the past 10 or 15 years, you can now do almost anything you can imagine. The program I use is the same program Pixar uses to make their box office movies and the same program that’s used to make Halo." Daley focuses on architectural renderings and targets clients, such as architects and real estate agents, whose larger projects won’t find the expense of such a rendering prohibitive. “The ideal person for what I do could either be an architect that’s come up with a showcase design and wants a presentation that conveys that, say, if you’re proposing a new tower or university building and want something to roll out to the public.” The role of his renderings is to help take 2-D plans and drawings and enliven them. He illustrates with computer-generated videos of his 3-D renderings exactly how a project will look from various angles. Or, as in a recent case, in which Daley was hired by a local real estate firm, he can show different ways a project could appear. In this case, Daley created four potential uses for two adjacent lots, showing how driveways could be curved for privacy and even demonstrating how both houses could be replaced by a single mansion. Because Daley went through what he calls “the nine-year Bachelor’s plan,” he has some experience in mechanical engineering and industrial design, as well as architecture. (He eventually graduated from the University of Cincinnati's College of DAAP, by the way.) And while he says he might make more money in other states with more new builds, he’s sticking close to home, and enjoys watching Cincinnati grow and improve. By Robin Donovan

Madisonville to reveal its Quality of Life Plan

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Arts + Culture

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November 20, 2012

Next Tuesday, Madisonville’s community council will share its Quality of Life Plan with funders, government officials, businesses, nonprofits and surrounding communities. For the past year, Madisonville has been involved in an intensive, community-driven planning process. It’s the first time in Cincinnati that a citizen-driven, community plan of this type has been developed, although it has been used in 109 communities across the country. Not only does Madisonville have a strong history—its future looks bright. The neighborhood on the east side of Cincinnati is more than 200 years old. It was established in 1809 and originally called “Madison” after the newly elected fourth President of the United States, James Madison. Madisonville’s first permanent settler was Joseph Ward and his family. In 1797, they built a log cabin along an Indian trail that is near what are now Whetsel and Monning avenues. About 30 years later, a post office was established and the neighborhood’s name was changed to Madisonville to avoid duplication with Madison, Ohio. It was annexed by the City of Cincinnati in 1911. Today, about 9,000 people live in the neighborhood. But in the 1970s, about 17,000 people lived in Madisonville. Flight from urban areas in the '70s has yet to be reversed, but there are more residents considering city life. “Madisonville would be a great place to live because of its closeness to downtown,” says Sara Sheets, a Madisonville resident of nine years and the project manager for the Quality-of-Life Planning Process on behalf of the Madisonville Community Urban Redevelopment Corporation. Residents can jump on Columbia Parkway or I-71 to get to work and events downtown. Many of Madisonville’s residents moved to the area because they wanted to be part of a racially and economically diverse community. “I wanted to live in a diverse community with a potential for the future,” says Sheets. The residents of Madisonville really care about the neighborhood and want to see it grow. Last year, Madisonville began the intense process of organizing the community in order to develop a vision for the neighborhood. Six working groups were formed to focus on economic development, health and wellness, arts and culture, education and youth, built environment and community engagement. The groups met six times over the summer to form a specific plan. The Quality of Life Plan will likely take about 10 years to implement, but it’s a roadmap for what the community wants to see happen in the neighborhood, Sheets says. The Quality of Life Plan focuses on broader change, particularly on the opportunities and quality of life for children and seniors in Madisonville, according to Bob Igoe, who has lived in Madisonville for 12 years and been the community council president for three. A large portion of the Plan is focused on education, from kindergarten on up. For example, the Children’s Home of Cincinnati has made a long-term commitment for the kindergarten-ready program in Madisonville. The program focuses on children ages 0-3 and helps prepare them for kindergarten, both educationally and socially. Not only are there long-term goals for Madisonville, but there are short-term goals, too. One of these is jump-starting the growth of the business district, Igoe says. Currently, there are about two blocks of vacant property at Madison and Whetsel, in the heart of the neighborhood’s business district. Madisonville residents will ultimately get to decide what will fill those vacant spaces. “We want to develop a mixed-use neighborhood where walking and biking to restaurants, shops and services is easy,” Sheets says. Many residents go outside of the neighborhood to grab a cup of coffee. Residents also want to add new apartments, condos and houses to the town. Most of the new housing will likely be around the business district to enhance the community's walkability. The meeting is to begin Nov. 27 at 5:30 pm at John P. Parker School, 5051 Anderson Place, Cincinnati. By Caitlin Koenig Follow Caitlin on Twitter

Starfire aims to remove disability conversation

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Diversity

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November 13, 2012

Like many 25-year-old men, Michael Makin loves comedy, beer and hanging out with friends at the bar. And like many of his peers, he has spent this fall beginning to plan a capstone project necessary for his post-secondary graduation. Makin’s project is a local beer-tasting festival set for early summer where a specially brewed beer will be unveiled in his name. “Michael is great--his personality is infectious--the guy is a riot,’’ says Gabe Saba, also a 25-year-old guy who has been known to drink a few beers and who is working with Makin on the project. “We have so many things in common. I see traits of him in me.” Folks like Saba talk about Makin’s project, his personality and his passion for beer, but the fact that Makin has Down’s Syndrome never really enters the conversation. That’s exactly the mission of Starfire. The Oakley-based nonprofit, which works to build inclusive communities for people with disabilities and their families, has been connecting people based on their interests and passions for years. Instead of segregating those with disabilities into groups, Starfire intentionally works to introduce them with others of like interests and passions, such as connecting Saba with Makin. “We want you to see the gifts they bring to the table before you see the disability,’’ says Lauren Amos, Starfire’s development director. “It’s not always easy, but it is so worth it.” Makin is a fourth-year participant of Starfire U, which is designed for young people with disabilities to continue their social and personal development beyond high school. The four-day a week program, which runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily, is funded by Hamilton County Developmental Disabilities Services. There is a five to one teacher-student ratio as students learn about safety, budgeting, nutrition and social etiquette. “We work one person at a time with person-centered planning,” Amos says. Last year, 18 students graduated from Starfire U. This year, Makin is one of about 100 students in the four-year program. Graduates also participate in a fifth year as a follow-up, Amos says. Community participation is key and integrated into all seminars. Enter Makin and Saba and a group of other community members, including the men behind the not-yet-launched Madtree Brewery. Saba is referred to as Makin’s connector and the two meet weekly for about three hours. At first, they devised the project and now they are meeting to further plan and coordinate the event. All the while Makin, and Saba, too, are meeting new folks who will work with them on the project and hopefully will become resources for Makin in the future. Lana Makin, Michael’s mom, can’t say enough good about Starfire and the changes she has seen in her son. “He is so much better socially; he is more independent,’’ she says. “I have seen a lot of maturity come out of this. It’s wonderful to see him with people who share his interests. He doesn’t need mom or dad to take him to the bar or out to karaoke.” Makin has not been the only one helped. “It does a lot for me, too,” Saba says. “I’m getting to know people, and it expands my network as well. There is no downside to this when you look at it." Saba adds: "I really admire the work they are doing. It is amazing.” Do Good • Buy a unique piece of art at Starfire’s fifth annual ArtAbility fundraiser on Dec. 7. Tickets are $100 each with a $25 credit going to an art purchase. • Donate to Starfire. • Share your talent or passion and volunteer your time. • Check out photos of the capstone project planning and like them on Facebook. By Chris GravesChris Graves is assistant vice president of digital and social media at Powers Agency

Faces Without Places founder wants to see homeless program expand

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Diversity

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November 13, 2012

Karen Fessler has a message she wants you to hear loud and clear: Faces Without Places is alive, well and kicking. For years, the nonprofit, grassroots organization that has provided nearly $1.5 million in educational support for homeless children in Greater Cincinnati was affiliated with the Cincinnati Public Schools. But about two years ago--and for a variety of reasons--the organization split with the school system, says Fessler, who is a board member and a founding member of the 17-year-old group. But its mission remains intact, says Fessler. “The most important part of the program is that we get kids out of shelters, we get kids off the streets and we show them that education is a way to experience a larger world,’’ says Fessler. “We want to broaden our reach. We want to broaden our horizons.” Fessler declines to discuss what led to the parting of ways, but adds the founders of the program all left their jobs at CPS as well. “But none of us lost our passion for the kids and the mission of Faces Without Places,’’ she adds. “I want people to know that we are here, and we are committed to providing services. We are toughing it out through thick and thin--for the kids.” The nonprofit helps about 3,000 school children annually in Greater Cincinnati. Last year, the group provided 7,702 services to 3,013 children, according to its website. Those services included providing taxi services to school for 112 students, uniform vouchers for 777 students, backpacks and supplies for more than 839 students and Payless gift cards for 320 students so they could get a new pair of shoes, a luxury for many, Fessler says. The nonprofit is best known for its Yellow Bus Summer Camp, which completed its 15th year this past summer. Last year, 152 children attended the eight-week camp that focuses on reading and day trips. Earlier this month, the group’s biggest fundraiser--the Yellow Bus Ball--raised more than $23,000, most of which will go to fund the camp. “The ball is critical because we have to have money to pay teachers and buy supplies,’’ Fessler says. “We can get grant money for field trips, but the fundraiser really helps us be able to put on the camp to the degree we have always done it.” Fessler has worked with thousands of homeless children over the years, and she readily admits she is biased toward teens. “A lot of people don’t realize this, but these kids are completely out on their own; they are either staying at friends' or living eight, nine, 10 kids piled up in an apartment,’’ she says. “They are squatting and some are living on the streets trying to negotiate life … they are all living life on the edge. I am most impressed by their sheer tenacity and their desire to find a better life.” Do Good: • Register for the Mt. Adams Yellow Bus Pub Crawl on Saturday, Nov. 17. • Attend the 5th annual Chili Taste Off on Dec. 9 at Northside Tavern. • Contribute to Faces Without Places' wishlist of school and personal hygiene supplies. • Sign up for the monthly email newsletter. • Give back while you shop. By Chris GravesChris Graves is the assistant vice president of digital and social media at Powers Agency

Big plans in the works for Cincinnati

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Architecture + Design

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October 23, 2012

As many areas of Cincinnati are being rejuvenated, including OTR and Washington Park, the City of Cincinnati approved a comprehensive approach to focus on development in the city as a whole, not just targeted neighborhoods. Last Friday, the City Planning Commission approved and adopted Plan Cincinnati, which was designed with input from residents. The Plan is an opportunity to strengthen what people love about the city, what works and what needs more attention, says Katherine Keough-Jurs, senior city planner and project manager. The idea is to re-urbanize suburbanized Cincinnati; in a sense, to return to the strengths of the city's beginnings. Cincinnati was established just after the American Revolution in 1788 and grew into an industrial center in the 19th century. Many of those industries no longer exist in the city, which is part of why Cincinnati has become more suburbanized in the past 50 years. One of the long-term goals of the Plan is to bring new industries to Cincinnati. With a new approach to revitalization, Cincinnati is blazing the trail for other cities. With a focus on building on existing strengths rather than tearing down structures and creating new ones, the Plan aims to capitalize on the city's “good bones” and good infrastructure. Cinicinnatians had a huge role in developing the Plan. The first public meeting for the Plan was held in September 2009, when residents offered their insights into “what makes a great city?" and "what would make Cincinnati a great city?” A steering committee of 40 people representing businesses, nonprofits, community groups, local institutions, residents and City Council helped develop the Plan. The Plan also got support from a grant from the Partnership for Sustainable Communities, which the City received in 2010. The grant allotted $2.4 million over three years to support the Land Development Code, which combines and simplifies Cincinnati's codes, reviews the development process, implements Form-based Codes and considers more creative uses for land. The grant allowed the city to start implementing some of the ideas voiced in public meetings. Visionaries included youth, too. City staff worked with community centers and Cincinnati Public Schools to develop an art project for children. They were given clay pots and asked to paint their fears for the city on the inside and their dreams for the city on the outside. The children saw the big issue was quality of life, just like the adults did. “It was an interesting way to get the kids involved and thinking about the future,” Keough-Jurs says. The Plan aims to strengthen neighborhood centers—the neighborhoods’ business districts. It maps out areas that people need to get to on a daily basis and found that most are within about a half-mile of the business districts. But in some neighborhoods, residents can’t access their neighborhood centers. The accessibility of a neighborhood center is based on walkability—not just for pedestrians, but also about how structures address walking. For exampke, if a pedestrian can walk from one end of the neighborhood center to the other without breaking his or her pattern (the window shopping effect), the area is walkable; if he or she has been stopped by a parking lot or vacancies, it’s not walkable, Keough-Jurs says. The neighborhood centers are classified in one of three ways in the Plan: maintain, evolve or transform. Some neighborhoods have goals to maintain levels of walkability, whereas others need to gradually change or evolve. Still others need to completely transform in order to strengthen their business districts. “Cincinnati is at the heart of the region,” Keough-Jurs says. “If we strengthen Cincinnati, we strengthen a region.” The next step for the Plan is to go before the Cincinnati City Council, specifically the Livable Communities Committee, which is chaired by Vice Mayor Roxanne Qualls. By Caitlin Koenig Follow Caitlin on Twitter

Nurse expands medical skin care startup

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Entrepreneurship

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September 11, 2012

Pellé Medical Skin Care products aren’t prescription strength, but neither are they drugstore pick-up items. They have a higher level of active ingredients than drugstore brands, and must be sold from a physician’s office, but no prescription is required. Chris Klueh, who co-founded the business with partner (and fellow nurse) Debbi Gittinger, says Pellé’s products cost roughly the same amount as department store cosmetics, but are formulated to penetrate deeply into the skin, addressing issues like dryness, acne, premature aging, rosacea and even skin damage caused by chemotherapy and radiation treatments. Klueh says she always recommends three core products: a vitamin-C serum to protect skin, a sunblock to moisturize and prevent sun damage and a retin-A cream for nighttime use. She also offers treatments, sometimes called “peels,” though she warns the term is misleading; most of her treatments require little time away from the sun or normal activities. “We have a microexfoliation treatment that can be done every five to six weeks, and that’s what patients mostly come in for,” she says. Nurses at Pellé schedule consultations for patients, keep track of appointments and recommendations on medical charts, and often refer those in need of additional help to local dermatologists. Because her services are cosmetic, they are not covered by standard health insurance plans, but the staff treat consultations like any other medical appointment and maintain charts to track patients’ progress. “We see so many people get frustrated with the way their skin looks. It looks dull or they don’t like the crepe-y skin around their eyes,” Klueh says. “The beauty of medical skincare is that we can correct the premature aging process. Everyone’s going to go through the natural aging process, but we can correct some of the early onset wrinkles and damage.” By Robin Donovan

Guerilla marketer helps small-budget companies

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Architecture + Design

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September 11, 2012

When Cheryl Walters was laid off from her corporate marketing gig last February, she was a victim of the same mindset she describes as the most common misconception about her field: thinking it’s not important. Marketers, Walters says, are often first to be cut in rounds of layoffs. Yet, “You don’t need to do big branding campaigns like [Procter & Gamble] to be effective. You do need to do something,” she says. After the layoff, she launched her own marketing firm, CheronaWorks, to address the marketing needs of smaller companies in a variety of industries. She specializes in budget-conscious work; many of her clients are just starting out, like Walters herself, or don’t have a marketing staff. “I respect that clients don’t want to spend a lot of money,” she says. “I make sure I don’t give them any costs they can’t handle, and I’ll be honest if they do something and I think it’s a bad investment; I’ll tell them not to waste their money.” CheronaWorks offers marketing services from direct response mailings to websites and email campaigns. Like so many startups, Walters is currently finding new clients through referrals and, of course, marketing herself. She says she uses social media to connect with local companies with marketing needs – and frustrations. “When I’ve had to do marketing to drum up business, I’ve had luck with social media. I look for people who are looking for help or seem frustrated or are just blatantly posting that they need something,” she says. Walters says her most common requests are designing logos and websites for new businesses or those “ready to move beyond their WordPress site.” By Robin Donovan