Westwood

Cincinnati's largest neighborhood, Westwood, houses more than 30,000 residents in a six-mile area just west of downtown. With tree-lined streets and architecturally appealing homes, many parts of the neighborhood offer beautiful walking views. Westwood maintains its historic buildings as renovations, new businesses and diverse young residents continue to be drawn to the west side. The community was featured in the Soapbox On The Ground series where we connected with Westwood community members and their many, ongoing initiatives. Want to learn more about Westwood? Check out On The Ground Westwood.

Big plans in the works for Cincinnati

By Newsroom

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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

FENNOfashion founder tackles many roles

By Newsroom

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Architecture + Design

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October 9, 2012

Megan Fenno doesn’t just have a radio spot, a jewelry business and a writing gig with CincySavers. She also has a few tips for women looking to stay on trend this fall. “Anything that’s glitzy and has a shine to it, that’s really popular right now,” she says, noting that sparkly rhinestones are trendy. Color blocking with deep hues such as navy or burgundy set against brighter accents (think bright yellow), she says, are also popular this fall. A Cincinnati native, Fenno moved to Tallahassee, Fla., as a teen, then attended the Savannah College of Art and Design. She moved to Austin, Texas, after graduation, where she launched FENNOfashion, which features vintage-inspired necklaces, bracelets and jewelry. “I loved Texas, but nowhere is home like Cincinnati,” she says. Her collection this season highlights a few of her own favorite design elements, especially a vintage “found” look and antiqued gold. Fenno says that sites like Pinterest have led to a surge in popularity of stacked bracelets, sometimes called “arm candy,” that she’s having trouble keeping them in stock. As much as Fenno is an accessories designer, she’s also something of a free spirit, and encourages others with creative startups to resist the urge to plan each step or to stick rigidly to a business plan. “Five years ago, I had no idea that I’d be back in Cincy working on my favorite radio station, but that all derived from starting my own business," she says. "It’s OK. Opportunities present themselves throughout your business career that you can’t predict.” By Robin Donovan

FENNOfashion founder tackles many roles

By Newsroom

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Architecture + Design

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October 9, 2012

Megan Fenno doesn’t just have a radio spot, a jewelry business and a running writing gig with the CincySavers website. She also has a few tips for women looking to stay on trend this fall. “Anything that’s glitzy and has a shine to it, that’s really popular right now,” she says, noting that sparkly rhinestones are trendy. Color blocking with deep hues such as navy or burgundy set against brighter accents (think bright yellow), she says, is also popular this fall. A Cincinnati native, Fenno moved to Tallahassee, Fla., as a teen, then attended the Savannah College of Art and Design. She moved to Austin, Texas, after graduation, where she launched, FENNOfashion, which features vintage-inspired necklaces, bracelets and jewelry. “I loved Texas, but nowhere is home like Cincinnati,” she says. Her collection this season highlights a few of her own favorite design elements, especially a vintage “found” look, and antiqued gold. Fenno says that sites like Pinterest have led to such a surge in popularity of stacked bracelets, sometimes cheekily called “arm candy,” that she’s having trouble keeping them in stock. As much as Fenno is an accessories designer, she’s also something of a free spirit, and encourages others with creative startups to resist the urge to plan each step, or stick rigidly to a business plan. “Five years ago, I had no idea that I’d be back in Cincy working on my favorite radio station, but that all derived from starting my own business," she says. "It’s OK. Opportunities present themselves throughout your business career that you can’t predict.” By Robin Donovan

CCO adds innovation to ‘chamber’ definition

By Newsroom

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Arts + Culture

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September 25, 2012

Start with some Beethoven, add in a free performance at a local acoustic gem and a newly commissioned concerto for saxophone and chamber orchestra played by a local jazz legend. All together, it's a recipe for the 39th Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra season, dedicated to celebrating the Queen City in different locales, starring new and returning favorites. CCO, directed by Mischa Santora, is known for innovative collaborations with arts groups and organizations including the VAE: Cincinnati's Vocal Arts Ensemble, Madcap Puppets, Cincinnati Ballet and The Mercantile Library. In addition to a performance at the acoustically pitch-perfect St. Catharine of Siena Church in Westwood, this winter, the orchestra launches a new holiday tradition with a production of Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors in partnership with Madcap Puppets. And the group's education program, Footnotes , incorporates subjects like math, geography and poetry into musical presentations. With a nimble 32-musician base, the CCO ends its 2012-2013 season with a program selected by its members and fans. The orchestra's June performance at the School for Creative and Performing Arts, includes a few pre-programmed pieces, but leaves its finale open, awaiting the selections of audience members. Do Good: • Join the CCO mailing list. • Check out the full season schedule online. • Support the artistic work of the CCO with a donation.

Treasure hunt introduces local couple to state’s natural gems

By Newsroom

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Environment + Sustainability

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August 21, 2012

Joyce Gardner has been hiking for years. And as a lifelong Cincinnati resident, she was pretty sure she had visited most of the area’s natural spaces. So Gardner was surprised when she found some hidden gems this summer as part of the Nature Conservancy’s Natural Treasures of Ohio Challenge. “People don’t realize that we really have some great trails here,” says Gardner, of Covedale, who hiked in Ault Park and Mt. Airy Forest locally and visited another 11 natural areas across the state with her husband. Sure Gardner and her friend, Kathy Brown, visited the Ault Park Pavilion and Everybody’s Tree House in Mt. Airy; but they also spent hours discovering the trails that many may miss, she says. That was exactly the point of the Nature Conservancy’s challenge: To introduce and showcase some of the state’s natural areas and encourage residents from all corners of the state to learn about the various natural wonders of the state. “Our hope is that folks would find natural areas and say: ‘Wow, I had no idea that this is here,’ ” says Josh Knights, executive director of the Nature Conservancy in Ohio. “And at the end of the day, we believe that if Ohioans discover and come to know these areas, they will be inspired to help us protect them.” That Nature Conservancy and Honda launched the challenge, a kind of treasure hunt, in June. Ohio residents could visit one to 30 designated places and upload a photo of themselves at the designated landmark on the Nature Conservancy’s Web site for a chance to win a 2012 Honda Insight Hybrid. The contest, which will also award five $500 REI gift certificates, ran from May 22 to Aug. 8. Winners are expected to be announced in September. More than 3,000 entries were filed, with many people visiting all 30 places this summer. Many families used the challenge as their summer vacation, Knight says. While pleased with the participation, he wonders if this summer’s record-breaking heat and high gasoline prices may have hindered some participation. The photo galleries, as well as the detailed descriptions and maps of each of the 30 destinations that are organized by geography, will remain on the Nature Conservancy at least through December and maybe longer, Springs says. While winning would be nice, Gardner says the challenge really created an opportunity for she and her husband, John, to visit areas they have always wanted to – including Kelly’s Island State Park on Lake Erie, where they celebrated their 33rd wedding anniversary. They also stumbled across several parks they normally would never have set out to themselves. Her new favorite? Magee Marsh Wildlife Area, in Northern Ohio between Toledo and Sandusky on Lake Erie. She likened the 2,200-acre state park to being in the Everglades. “I was really impressed with that one,” she says. “I really couldn’t believe I was standing in Ohio.” That’s not the first time Knights has heard that about the state’s varied natural elements. “Ohio really does have a diverse landscape; from one of the largest lakes in the world to the Ohio River there in Cincinnati … Ohio has all of these fantastic places. We wanted to introduce more Buckeyes to what we have at home.” Do Good: • Follow the Ohio Nature Conservancy on Facebook. • Visit some of the designations this fall. • See the photos of the Southwest Ohio designations and read the scrapbook. • Watch the video. • Donate. Chris Graves, assistant vice president of digital and social media at the Powers Agency, loves the outdoors. You will find her camping with her daughters on Kelly’s Island this fall.

Keep Cincinnati Beautiful wins national kudos for green initiatives

By Newsroom

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Education + Learning

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August 7, 2012

Some might say that the City of Cincinnati gets more beautiful every day, what with the continued development of its urban core and riverfront, an ever-expanding “green” construction movement and a treasure trove of amazing parks and public spaces. Keep Cincinnati Beautiful (KCB) works to ensure that the surrounding environment keeps pace by creating innovative and award-winning programs that encourage recycling and conservation practices among schoolchildren, and make it easier for folks to save the old VCR in the basement from a landfill. KCB earned notable recognition in July when Keep America Beautiful recognized the organization’s Sustainability in Action and One Stop Drop programs at its annual assembly of Ohio affiliates in Columbus. While many public schools strive to set environmentally friendly “green” goals, KCB noticed that schools struggle to meet them. “There is a misperception out there that ‘green’ programs create more work for school staff and faculty,” says Brooke Romaniw, KCB public awareness and volunteer coordinator. “We wanted to find a way to reverse this perception and help Cincinnati Public Schools educate both students and adults.” As a result, Sustainability in Action (SIA) was born. Funded by partners including P&G, Hamilton County Recycling and Solid Waste District and the City of Cincinnati Office of Environmental Quality, SIA is a three-year program that engages students in hands-on activities that work to forge “green” habits. Launched in January 2012, the SIA program focused first on waste reduction in school lunchrooms. Each day at lunch, students were taught to sort the waste on their trays, identifying items that could be recycled or composted. Students at Dater High School, Rees E. Price Academy, Roselawn Condon, Rockdale Academy and Silverton Paideia were part of the pilot year. “The students saved tons of waste from landfills during the pilot and benefitted from hands-on experience,” says Romaniw. Some students took it a step further by creating their own compost bins and gardens. As the recipient of Keep America Beautiful’s Civic/Nonprofit Award, SIA is set to begin its second phase, focusing on energy conservation during the upcoming school year. The idea is that by year three, participating schools should be ready to take over the programs themselves. “We’ve found that schools really see the value in this program,” says Romaniw. “It is exciting to see children building sustainable habits that have the potential to change the future for the better.” KCB won more national recognition for its One Stop Drop event, which launched in November 2011. It won the America Recycles Day Award from Keep America Beautiful. Romaniw spearheaded the development of One Stop Drop to make recycling unusual items convenient. While curbside recycling saves many items from the landfill, it does not accept things like electronics and number 5 plastics. During the One Stop Drop, you can drop off these types of items, drive-thru style, with free refreshments available. By partnering with 2TRG, the Cincinnati Zoo, Hamilton County, the City of Cincinnati and Whole Foods, the One Stop Drop program reached hundreds of people in just a few hours. Items like old cell phones, batteries, dried-out pens and markers, plastic bags and number 5 plastics were collected. “We are pioneering the way for schools and our community, and are proud to lead the pack,” says Romaniw. What are you doing to keep Cincinnati beautiful? Do Good: • Help students learn to sort recycling in the Sustainability in Action program. Email Brooke Romaniw. • Mark your calendar for the 2012 One Stop Drop coming in November. • Find out what Keep Cincinnati Beautiful has in the works; like the group on Facebook. By Deidra Wiley Necco

Birth photographers share the emotions of labor

By Newsroom

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Arts + Culture

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June 26, 2012

Lifelong west siders Melanie Pace and Kelly Smith may have grown up in the same neighborhood, but the two photographers met online. After realizing they lived only about a mile apart, the two met in person, and found themselves chatting about natural lifestyles, yoga, raising kids and their work. They didn’t decide to open Beautiful Beginnings Birth Photography on a whim. Rather, after photographing the births of friends and family members, they started receiving requests from friends of friends. The business idea suggested itself, and with the help of referrals from a local OB/GYN office, the Bowen Center, they now accept up to five clients at a time. Women typically contact Pace and Smith when they’re between six and nine months pregnant. After an in-person meeting, they’ll update the duo on their progress, typically texting when they go into labor. “We typically go to the hospital when she’s pretty well-established in labor, and is about 6 centimeters dilated,” Smith says. And if the phrase “birth photography” conjures nudity or gore, consider that almost all of the photographs are modest enough to share with children. “It’s more about the emotion and the experience,” Smith says. Sample photographs on the Beautiful Beginnings website depict moms stretching, hugging friends, squeezing a spouse’s hand and, of course, snuggling newborns. Melanie agree. “People think birth is bloody and icky and painful, and to some moms it might work that way, but if you understand how your body works and that it was designed to do this, it’s beautiful.” Beautiful Beginnings charges by the session, which typically lasts about six hours. By Robin Donovan

Kids build shed, skills in West side camp this summer

By Newsroom

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Diversity

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June 12, 2012

Liz Sweet has a plan for this summer: Learn how to read a blueprint, how to work with tools and build a shed so she can help her dad build one in the backyard. Safety goggles firmly affixed and hands steadying the circular saw, Sweet is all business as she slides the power tool along a plank of wood on a warm June afternoon. The rat-a-tat of nearby hammering is her background music. The 12-year-old, who just finished sixth grade at St. Lawrence Elementary School, makes this look easy. Sweet is one of 18 middle-school students from Cincinnati’s West side who are working together in this summer’s Construction Camp at Resurrection School. Her brother, Matthew, 11, is also attending Construction Camp, which is organized by the Southwest Ohio Region Workforce Investment Board and supported by the Spirit of Construction Fund and the SC Ministry Foundation. This marks its second year. “I heard you get to work with tools and build things,’’ says Sweet. “I like to do more boy things than girl things. I think it’s fun. It’s pretty awesome.” Sweet may not realize it, but the camp is also teaching her and her construction partners – from Midway Elementary, Roberts Academy, Carson Elementary and Resurrection School - how to apply what they have been learning in math and science classes. The three-week camp teaches them job readiness skills, how to work with others and how to learn by doing. In addition, the program gives students a taste of a trade that is hungry for new workers. Construction trade workers, many of whom are baby boomers, are beginning to age out of the workforce, leaving a void of skilled workers, says Anne Mitchell, who organizes the camp and also organizes after-school construction clubs. This year’s project, a 10-foot-by-13-foot garden shed, will be fully equipped: The students will install windows and doors, a sink and a fan in the ceiling and metal roofing. They will also paint the structure – a crowd favorite – and are working with welders to create iron garden ornaments. Just three days in and they had already taken a mountain of lumber and constructed the floor, the framing, the walls and the ceiling. They even used a jigsaw to create some flourishes and flair to the structure. The completed shed will be auctioned in October at the Spirit of Construction’s gala event, which honors the region’s construction titans. A team of skilled craftsmen and women from Associated Builders and Contractors, all of whom volunteer their time, are on site every day working with the kids. Kevin Murray, a volunteer from Cincinnati Building and Contracting, has been on the construction site – which is Resurrection’s parking lot in Price Hill. It is his second year volunteering. “It’s really a lot of fun to see the kids. Look at them,’’ Murray says. “The kids are the ones who really blow me away. It’s really about the satisfaction of watching them enjoy it.” Campers, who attend from noon to 4 p.m. daily through the end of June, also get exercise time, a healthy snack and some craft time inside the school. Amy Beal, a graduate student at Northern Kentucky University, and Jennifer Toebbe, who teaches physical education at Sands Montessori and is working toward her master’s degree in counseling at Xavier University, work with the kids on the “inside projects” and talk with them about career choices. The first few days, each camper drew a blue print of a project they wanted to build from the scrap materials to take home. Some plans included a closet storage system, a bird house and a small box. They will get to take home those projects, a garden ornament that they welded and a tool pouch that includes a hammer, tape measure, carpenter’s pencil, tinted safety goggles and water bottle. Mitchell beams as she discusses the program and the impact it has on the students. This year, four of the students are homeless. One is autistic. But none of that matters. “Most of these kids didn’t know each other before this week. Now they are part of team. They are working together on something.’’ she says. “Many of these kids have challenges. “But they chose to be here. To have an impact on their future.” Do Good: • Follow the construction progress on the group’s blog Building our Future: Construction Camp. • Follow Anne Mitchell on Twittter. • Donate materials or time by emailing Mitchell. Chris Graves is the Assistant Vice President of Digital and Social Media at the Powers Agency. You can follow her on Twitter.

Fifth Quarter in Cincinnati: Not your mother’s summer school

By Deidra Wiley Necco

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Diversity

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May 15, 2012

Now in its 4th year, Cincinnati Public Schools’ 5th Quarter program targets under-performing, low-income schools with an extended school year and a collective approach to learning, and fun, that's getting national attention.

Taft’s collection hits the streets in Art for All

By Newsroom

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Arts + Culture

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May 15, 2012

A Rembrandt on Fountain Square. Rousseau’s Fontainebleau in Fairfield’s Founder’s Park. A Millet at the Boone County Library. Famous works of art on display outside? Why yes, says the Taft Museum of Art. To commemorate its 80th anniversary, the Taft has begun installing 80 framed weather-proof reproductions from its collection in public spaces around the region. Reproductions of landscapes, portraits and expansive vistas will be at libraries, schools, parks, the Great American Ball Park as well as restaurants and even a bar or two. A full map of all locations can be found here. “This is a great way to engage new audiences and reenergize the interest of those already familiar with the Taft’s collection,” says Deborah Emont Scott, Taft director/CEO. “Plus, it will be great fun for those who are out and about to find a masterpiece around the corner in one of the city’s many great neighborhoods.” Dubbed Art for All, the Taft program was modeled after successful public art projects by the Tate Gallery in London and the Detroit Institute for the Arts. The $200,000 project, which officially starts June 1 and runs through September, was funded by The Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile, Jr./U.S. Bank Foundation, says Tricia Suit, the museum’s marketing and communications manager. The Taft has spent months preparing for the open-air exhibit and has worked with numerous community groups, including ArtWorks. That public art group will create two permanent murals based on works in the collection that will be installed in Over–the-Rhine and Bellevue, KY. “This is a great addition to the project,’’ Suit says, adding that the murals last for about 20 years. “It would be fabulous to have them up until our 100th anniversary.” As part of the project, the museum is also holding Third Sunday Fundays from 1 to 4 p.m. The free events will include performances, family activities and short talks about the works of art. Each Sunday will focus on an area of the city where the collection’s reproductions are located: June 17 will feature works on the West Side of Cincinnati; July 15 will feature the East Side; August 19, downtown and the central region; and Sept. 16 will focus on Northern Kentucky. Downloadable maps will be available online after June 1. Printed maps will be available at the Taft and other area locations. In addition, the museum will use social media sites like Flickr, Foursquare, Facebook and Twitter to share information about the project. Suit says she hopes people will snap pictures of themselves with the art with their smartphones and upload it to the museum’s Art For All Flickr account. Does Suit think some will go hunting for all 80? Sure. “I know we will have some who will do that … we should really have a fabulous prize for those who do. It’s kind of like a scavenger hunt. I think it would be great for folks to discover – or rediscover - parts of our city and our area as part of this.’’ Do Good: • Like Art for All on Facebook. • Follow Art for All on its Twitter account. • Party in the garden at the Taft’s Soiree in the Garden, Thursday, May 17. By Chris Graves Chris Graves is the assistant vice president of social and digital media at The Powers Agency, a public relations and advertising agency. You can follow her Art For All check-ins on FourSquare .