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    Posted: May 11 2014 at 3:25pm
Middletown Journal

Updated: 1:22 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 28, 2010 | Posted: 1:21 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 28, 2010

City has high hopes for revitalization projects

Art center and Cincinnati State branch campus take more feasible approach, says mayor.

By Jessica Heffner

Staff Writer

    MIDDLETOWN — Walking the main drag of Central Avenue through the center of downtown, counting the 37 vacant storefronts that line the street, it’s hard to imagine Middletown is on its way up.

    Many can still remember when you couldn’t drive down that main drag because city officials had spent $2.6 million to create a walkway and canopy for the City Centre Mall. Resident Hugh Kindwell, 70, while strolling the sidewalks in front of the now-defunct mall stores, said he doesn’t remember a lot of people being negative about the mall in 1973 when it broke ground.

    “I think people thought it would help bring people down here,” he said. “And it did bring some — just not enough.”

    So when Kindwell said he heard about plans for the city to open a new art center and possibly a new college branch campus, his interest was tainted with skepticism of the past.

    “I hope they can do it. I hope it’s not another City Centre Mall,” he said.

    Despite ongoing economic problems, downtown has seen its share of action in 2010 with the city spending roughly $1.9 million on various renovation and revitalization projects. Some of those projects include razing several old buildings in hopes of future development, the signing of the final contract for Pendleton Art Center to open a new studio on Broad Street and negotiations with Cincinnati State Technical and Community College to open a new branch campus.

    “I think the biggest difference this go-round is we have partners coming to the table,” Mayor Larry Mulligan said. “It was strictly the city’s idea for a mall. This time we aren’t the only party.”

    And while he said the city could have opened its own art or education center, it is instead partnering with institutions that have a track record of success and can operate the programs.

    “We are encouraging and doing some planning to shake things up,” Mulligan said.       
“That is the role the government should play. It is not a developer.”

    Local historian Sam Ashworth said he feels the new projects coming to downtown are not so much trying to change the city’s identity as actually creating one for its downtown.

“This is different than the past because we aren’t really turning it into anything else. For many years, it hasn’t been anything,” he said.

Is the city turning a corner?   
    City officials have plans in the works to turn things around downtown. But are the plans enough to revitalize an area that has struggled for more than 30 years? That’s the question on everybody’s minds.

    Ann Mort said she moved to Middletown 40 years ago because of its schools and the promise it held for her family. Since then, she has lived through some of its low points, such as Lake Middletown and the end of the City Centre Mall. All through that time she said she has never given up hope on the city she calls home, but she has also never felt so optimistic.

    “I am very encouraged by all the action. There are a lot of little things happening and a lot of big things,” she said. “Sometimes things don’t work out the way we intend, but you pick up and go in another direction.”

    Projects that have especially piqued her interest are the new $7.4 million Greentree Health Science Academy and preliminary plans by Cincinnati State Technical and Community College to move a new branch campus downtown. Mort said she thinks the city is finally taking advantage of its strategic position between Dayton and Cincinnati to bring in new business.

    “It’s a new world,” she said. “Lots of things are different and it’s a bigger world out there than we saw in the past,” Mort said.

Why save downtown?

    Since the 1970s, city officials have chased project after project in an attempt to revitalize downtown. Much focus and development recently has centered on Middletown’s East End near Interstate 75, but Economic Development Director Mike Robinette said downtown is also very marketable and worth saving.

    “I think the perception is it is dead and that some people even question why we are trying to save it, but if you look objectively at the assets of our downtown and compare those to (other) downtowns, I would say the opposite is true,” Robinette said.

    The historic significance tied to downtown coupled by the nearby South Main Street Historic District is a draw for many residents. It has buildings that can be renovated — which Robinette said can equate to cost-savings when compared to constructing new in the East End. Those businesses that are drawn to downtown are not as dependent on highway access, either, and would not have as much franchise, big box competition.

    “I don’t see (downtown and the East End) competing against each other... and we’re lucky to be able to supply such two distinct opportunities for business.”

Money vs. risk

    Kris Allen, 28, said she was born in Middletown and can only remember its downtown with the City Centre Mall and watching the roof come down in the new millennium. It’s a place she only comes to now to pay the occasional late water bill.

    “I don’t care what they do, really, but I think the city should stop spending money,” Allen said. “If people want to come here, great. But they should use their own money at least for projects, not taxpayers’ money.”

    For its two major downtown projects announced in 2010, the city has promised up to $450,000 in loans and grants to the Pendleton Art Center and up to $500,000 to buy five buildings for the Cincinnati State campus.

    Robinette said both of these projects hold some form of risk to the city, but the benefits outweigh it. Having partners with knowledge and experience to make the projects happen will help downtown’s success as well.

    “In my experience finding key partners to work with to move these different initiatives forward is what makes this progress happen,” he said.

Learning and losing

    While Robinette said he believes the city is not repeating its mistakes of the past, he hopes Middletown learns from those mistakes.

    “I think you work on the issues of your project and pay attention to the criticisms, but don’t lose focus on what you have accomplished,” he said. “It would be a mistake to ignore the criticism completely because the critics may raise issues you haven’t thought of.”

    One project Middletown may lose in 2011 is a stop on the 3C Corridor passenger rail line. Preliminary plans had the city listed as a possible stop; however, Gov.-elect John Kasich said he plans to kill the project.

    City officials recently exchanged property with Duncan Oil Company to obtain the former Shamrock fuel station and Office Outfitters sites for possible development for the 3C rail stop. Duncan Oil is developing land on the other side of Central Avenue previously owned by the city for a new service station and convenience center.

    Robinette said that deal was never dependent on the train project and is still viable for other uses.

    “We’re not holding the bag on the 3C project,” he said. “It was a bigger win with the 3C, but (the Duncan Oil project) will generate jobs and other investment we wouldn’t have gotten with the way it was before.”

No singular savior

    City officials said they recognize none of the city’s current projects — including those outside the downtown — will singularly “save” a city that has struggled with various economic issues, some of which date back long before the national recession.

    Robinette said every project the city has scored this year has helped. Marketing those successes and what Middletown still has to offer is what Robinette said is needed to keep the momentum going in the coming years.

   “There isn’t a ‘most important thing’ because I have never believed that you make progress in communities ... that have had struggles in the recent past on one item alone,” he said. “But I think there are a number of reasons to be optimistic.”

    Cincinnati State is still arranging a financial agreement with the city to renovate several downtown buildings and the Manchester Inn before it will commit to opening a new campus.

    At a recent board of trustees meeting, school President O’dell Owens said the project could help transform both the college and the city, but made it clear Cincinnati State would not be the sole bearer of Middletown’s fortunes.

    “I think every opportunity has possible downsides, obviously,” said Trustee Cathy Crain after Owens’ remarks at the trustees meeting Nov. 23. “As long as we are going into this because it is the best thing for the school. ... I think that would be a better process than to think we are turning Middletown around. We are not, but we will be one of the pegs that is doing that.”

    Mayor Larry Mulligan said efforts to revitalize downtown also don’t center on economic development alone. Much time has been spent enforcing building and sign codes, repairing roads, fixing up and removing dilapidated structures and partnering with area schools to improve educational opportunities. It’s all connected to the city’s success.

    “We’ve always said it never happens overnight. We have many years to go yet, but we are preparing to turn a corner, and hopefully, we see this development take hold,” he said.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Vivian Moon Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 11 2014 at 3:55pm

Middletown Journal
Updated:
9:02 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 21, 2010 | Posted: 9:01 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 21, 2010

Pendleton Art Center project experiences delays

By Eric Robinette and Jessica Heffner and Hannah Poturalski

Staff Writer Staff Writers

    MIDDLETOWN — The Pendleton Arts Center plans to open its doors on Saturday, but the doors are all that will open for now.

    Jim Verdin, the founder of the center, said late last week that he plans to have the building open during TV Middletown’s Home for the Holidays Santa Parade at 5 p.m. that day.

    “I’m still working with the city on the final documents. They should be settled probably (this) week,” Verdin said.

    During the parade, the buidling at 7 N. Broad St. would have its “doors open with sort of the spaces put in so people can look at the size of the spaces. We’ll be in the building showing people the plans and how it’s going,” Verdin said.

    Verdin previously said he planned to have the building open in November, but that the permit process with the city took longer than he thought it would.

   “There’s not an issue. There’s just a lot of people involved,” he said.

    Little renovation has been performed on the building, though the city has remediated some mold and abestos issues, said Mike Robinette, Middletown economic development director.

    “Things are still moving forward. I think ideally we would have liked to be open by Thanksgiving but that was never a firm date,” Robinette said.

    Gathering estimates for the renovations needed for the future art center, which is in the old Armco building, also have taken longer than expected. However, Robinette said the work should be able to be completed within the limitations of the funds being provided for the project.

    The city is providing a $200,000 loan to the Pendletown Art Center for interior improvements through the money comes from an Urban Development Action Grant. That loan would be forgivable after 10 years of PAC operation. The city also will spend about $250,000 on repairs using money from the Downtown Improvement Fund.

    While these details were approved by City Council in August, the final agreement between Verdin and the city will be signed today, Robinette said.

    Also complicating matters was the project to adorn the exterior of the building with 200 car hoods, in a sculpture that will be designed to catch nationwide attention and tie into the city’s roots as a steel town. Finalizing those plans also has stalled the opening, which will now take place early in 2011, but there’s no targeted date. Ken Cohen of Cohen Brothers Inc., a Middletown-based scrap processing company, is procuring the hoods, Verdin said,

    “It just takes time. Everybody’s still enthusiastic about doing it and everybody wants to do it right ... I don’t know that we’ll have a date until we get settled with the city,” said Verdin.

Staff Writer Jessica Heffner contributed to this report.

 

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Middletown Journal
Updated:
12:26 a.m. Saturday, June 5, 2010 | Posted: 12:25 a.m. Saturday, June 5, 2010

Downtown parking garage demolition work to start

Former Swallens building also coming down

By Jessica Heffner

Staff Writer

    MIDDLETOWN — The garage in downtown Middletown may not have been pretty, but for Samuel Davidson it was a place to park.

    “It’s convenient to get to any place downtown. But I can understand taking it down,” he said while pointing to a chunk of concrete in a parking spot inside the garage. “It’s not safe.”

    June 4 was the last day for residents to use the parking garage as the city plans to demolish the structure along with the former Swallens building beginning Monday, June 7.

    Davidson was the driver of one of about 50 cars parked inside of the garage during its last day. The vehicles inside were as varied as a Honda Civic with a missing fender and mismatched hood to a red Chevrolet Corvette. Any cars left inside the structure will be issued a notice to move. Those still in the building next week will be towed, said Rob Nicolls, senior engineer for Middletown.

    Work will begin with perimeter fencing being installed and some asbestos removal. The right lane of southbound Verity Parkway will be closed in front of the Swallens building for about a month while it is taken down. Debris will be pulled inward as it is torn down to prevent having to close more roadways, Nicolls said.

    “There’s no doubt it will be tight, but we don’t feel there will be any problems with that,” he said.

    While the city had billed removing the garage and Swallens building as a cost-saving measure — about $90,000 is expended annually to keep the garage open — local Realtor Walter Leap said the entire measure would be unnecessary if officials had properly marketed the property.

    “They never put the (Swallens building) up for sale or put a price on it,” Leap said. “They could put it on the market with a legitimate broker and let it sell... but they are really concerned about not having ultimate control.”

    The demolition, which city officials estimate will cost about $950,000, should be finished by July 30, said City Manager Judy Gilleland.

Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2843 or jheffner@coxohio.com.


Garage costs

Breakdown estimate of annual garage maintenance costs:

$77,000 for utilities

$13,000 for maintenance

$5,000 for property and liability insurance

$400 for taxes

 

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote VietVet Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 11 2014 at 4:36pm
Mercy sakes!!! I can't believe some of the crap from Mulligan and Ashworth...

First, you have this:

"downtown has seen its share of action in 2010 with the city spending roughly $1.9 million on various renovation and revitalization projects".

Then, a few lines latter, this:

“I think the biggest difference this go-round is we have partners coming to the table,” Mayor Larry Mulligan said. “It was strictly the city’s idea for a mall. This time we aren’t the only party.”
    And while he said the city could have opened its own art or education center, it is instead partnering with institutions that have a track record of success and can operate the programs.
    “We are encouraging and doing some planning to shake things up,” Mulligan said.       
“That is the role the government should play. It is not a developer.”

MULLIGAN, THE CITY GOVERNMENT IS THE DEVELOPER OF THE DOWNTOWN. WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH YOU?

Then, this from Ashworth:

Local historian Sam Ashworth said he feels the new projects coming to downtown are not so much trying to change the city’s identity as actually creating one for its downtown.
“This is different than the past because we aren’t really turning it into anything else. For many years, it hasn’t been anything,” he said.

OF COURSE YOU'RE TRYING TO CHANGE THE CITY'S IDENTITY. YOU'RE TRYING TO CHANGE IT FROM A BLUE-COLLAR TOWN WITH BEER AND NASCAR TO A CULTURAL TOWN WITH WINE, CHEESE, AND ART. THE PROBLEM IS, YOU WHO FEEL THE NEED TO TRANSITION THE TOWN INTO AN ARTS/EDUCATION MECCA STILL DON'T UNDERSTAND YOU IT CAN'T BE DONE BECAUSE THE PEOPLE IN MIDDLETOWN ARE 98% BLUE COLLAR/LOWER INCOME AND YOU ARE WANTING A MASON/SPRINGBORO/CENTERVILLE TYPE OF TOWN. IT AIN'T GONNA WORK PEOPLE. GO TO THE CITIES MENTIONED IF YOU WANT HIGH-END CULTURE AND PEOPLE WITH MONEY TO FRATERNIZE WITH. DON'T TRY TO RE-INVENT THIS CITY INTO SOMETHING IT WILL NEVER BE.

"Ann Mort said she moved to Middletown 40 years ago because of its schools and the promise it held for her family. Since then, she has lived through some of its low points, such as Lake Middletown and the end of the City Centre Mall. All through that time she said she has never given up hope on the city she calls home, but she has also never felt so optimistic.
    “I am very encouraged by all the action. There are a lot of little things happening and a lot of big things,” she said."

ASK THE SAME OLD PEOPLE JOURNAL, NOT ONLY DO YOU GET THE SAME OLD RAH RAH RESPONSE BUT YOU ALSO FAIL TO GET THE REAL FEELINGS OF THE MAJORITY OF THE PEOPLE.

More from Mort:

Ann Mort said she moved to Middletown 40 years ago because of its schools and the promise it held for her family

HOW'S THAT SCHOOL QUALITY AND PROMISE FOR THE FAMILY WORKING OUT FOR YOU NOW MORT? AND JUST THINK, YOU HAD A HAND IN HOW IT HAS TURNED OUT AS WE SIT HERE AND WATCH IT DETERIORATE.

“Sometimes things don’t work out the way we intend, but you pick up and go in another direction.”

NO YOU DON'T. WHEN THINGS DON'T WORK OUT, THESE CITY LEADERS JUST TRY IT AGAIN, SOMETIMES FOR DECADES WASTING MILLIONS ALONG THE WAY. EVEN THEN, THEY STILL DON'T CHANGE THEIR GAMEPLAN. THEIR DAM EGOS WON'T ALLOW THEM TO ADMIT THEY ARE WRONG.

"Mort said she thinks the city is finally taking advantage of its strategic position between Dayton and Cincinnati to bring in new business."

NO THEY AREN'T. NOT SMART ENOUGH TO KNOW HOW.

“It’s a new world,” she said. “Lots of things are different and it’s a bigger world out there than we saw in the past,” Mort said.

WHAT?





Why save downtown?
    Since the 1970s, city officials have chased project after project in an attempt to revitalize downtown. Much focus and development recently has centered on Middletown’s East End near Interstate 75, but Economic Development Director Mike Robinette said downtown is also very marketable and worth saving.

SO ALL THE MONEY WASTED FINDING SOMETHING THAT WORKS IS BASED ON ONE MAN'S OPINION....THAT THE DOWNTOWN IS "MARKETABLE AND WORTH SAVING"?

The historic significance tied to downtown coupled by the nearby South Main Street Historic District is a draw for many residents

REALLY, I DON'T SEE PEOPLE FLOCKING TO THE S. MAIN ST OR DOWNTOWN AREA ROBINETTE. WHAT'S THE DRAW, EMPTY BUILDINGS, NON INTERESTING ART AND VACANT STORE FRONTS? WHAT IS THE DRAW FOR A PERSON IN A BLUE COLLAR TOWN DOWN THERE? TELL US.

"Those businesses that are drawn to downtown are not as dependent on highway access, either"

NO, THEY WANT TO RELY ON DOWNTOWN FOOT TRAFFIC WHICH HAS BEEN SO MEAGER THAT MANY HAVE COME AND GONE OVER THE YEARS. (QUISNOS KINDA TELLS IT LIKE IT IS)

“I don’t see (downtown and the East End) competing against each other..

YOU'RE CORRECT. DEVELOP THE EAST END AND STABILIZE IT FIRST, THEN START ON THE DOWNTOWN IF YOU WANT TO. NOW, ALL THE FOCUS IS ON THE DOWNTOWN. YA GOT IT BACKWARD BUD.

Kris Allen, 28, said she was born in Middletown and can only remember its downtown with the City Centre Mall and watching the roof come down in the new millennium. It’s a place she only comes to now to pay the occasional late water bill.
    “I don’t care what they do, really, but I think the city should stop spending money,” Allen said. “If people want to come here, great. But they should use their own money at least for projects, not taxpayers’ money.”

BINGO KRIS!!!! TAKE A SEAT BEHIND THAT COUNCIL DESK AND RETAIN THAT ATTITUDE. WE'LL BRING LAUBACH BACK TO HELP YOU AND FIRE PICARD, JONES, AND THE MULLIGANS AND THEN WE CAN GET SOME REAL WORK DONE.

Robinette said both of these projects hold some form of risk to the city, but the benefits outweigh it. Having partners with knowledge and experience to make the projects happen will help downtown’s success as well.
    “In my experience finding key partners to work with to move these different initiatives forward is what makes this progress happen,” he said.

WHAT BENEFITS?

While Robinette said he believes the city is not repeating its mistakes of the past, he hopes Middletown learns from those mistakes.
    “I think you work on the issues of your project and pay attention to the criticisms, but don’t lose focus on what you have accomplished,” he said. “It would be a mistake to ignore the criticism completely because the critics may raise issues you haven’t thought of.”

BUT THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT IS HAPPENING ROBINETTE. THE CITY LEADERS IGNORE THE CRITICS AND DO WHAT THEY WANT. ALWAYS HAVE.

Mayor Larry Mulligan said efforts to revitalize downtown also don’t center on economic development alone. Much time has been spent enforcing building and sign codes, repairing roads, fixing up and removing dilapidated structures and partnering with area schools to improve educational opportunities. It’s all connected to the city’s success.
    “We’ve always said it never happens overnight. We have many years to go yet, but we are preparing to turn a corner, and hopefully, we see this development take hold,” he said.

MULLIGAN, ONCE AGAIN, NOT A CLUE. IT'S BEEN DECADES LAR. HOW MUCH LONGER DO YOU NEED TO KEEP RE-INVENTING THE WHEEL WHILE PRODUCING THE SAME FAILED RESULTS?

MORE RAH RAH SMOKE AND MIRRORS FROM MULLIGAN AND COMPANY. THEY ALL SPEAK, BUT NOTHING OF ANY IMPORTANCE COMES OUT.
I'm so proud of my hometown and what it has become. Recall 'em all. Let's start over.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote buckeye43719 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 11 2014 at 5:20pm
The last time I walked the downtown area, it was a joke 2 years ago, and guess what , it still is. Empty store fronts and no matter what the Middletown cheerleaders are saying, it is still a disgrace.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Vivian Moon Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 11 2014 at 10:15pm

Middletown Journal
Updated:
1:59 p.m. Saturday, June 16, 2012 | Posted: 1:58 p.m. Saturday, June 16, 2012

The man behind the stained glass

BeauVerre Riordan Studios teaches art at its workshops.

By Pamela Dillon

Contributing Writer

    When your business is the oldest of its kind in the nation, you have a distinct reputation to uphold. Jay and Linda Moorman do a fine job of that. They own BeauVerre Riordan Stained Glass Studios at the corner of Central Avenue and Broad Street in Middletown.

    When you have a passion for what you do, success comes easy.

    “I was in my 20s, and Cincinnati was known for its stained glass. I tried to buy it because I thought it was beautiful, but could never afford it,” said Jay Moorman, 64. “So I asked a friend of mine to teach me how to do it. It quickly became an addiction.”

    He worked for General Electric by day and spent his off hours consumed with his new passion — stained glass. His mentor was Walter Bambach of Riordan Studios in Cincinnati. Twenty-nine years ago, Moorman was able to devote full time to his creative endeavors when he received a $500,000 commission to create windows for an Islamic Center.

    In 2002, Bambach sold Riordan to the Moormans, who operated BeauVerre Studio at the time. They only had 3,300 square feet of space in Middletown; it was time to move. Luckily, the city of Middletown was trying to unload a three-story building seven miles away that was becoming a prominent eyesore downtown. The Moormans snatched it up for $100.

    “The refurbishing had to be done within a year; we barely made it. We had to move 80,000 pounds of glass,” Moorman said.

    For their hard work, they now have an expansive, 24,000 square-foot space, comprised of three levels, plus a basement. The BeauVerre Riordan Stained Glass Studio includes many tenants: artists, photographers, a dance studio and a frame shop. The culture-minded couple also purchased the Pendleton Art Center across the street. Eighty artists hold exhibits there during the First Friday of the month.

    “We try to do everything art related for the studio,” Moorman said.

    They are deviating from that formula somewhat; an upscale restaurant is planned for the first floor. They hope to have it open by September.

    “They can come in and get a steak and some crabmeat, a glass of wine and then take a tour of the studio,” Moorman said.

    The stained-glass workshops that were held on the first floor will now be moved to a spacious room in the basement. The next six-week class session will begin July 14.

Contact contributing writer Pamela Dillon at pamdillon@woh.rr.com.


Stained-glass workshops

Where: BeauVerre Riordan Stained Glass, 1054 Central Ave., Middletown

Next session: 10 a.m. to noon Saturdays beginning July 14

Cost: $60 class fee, plus beginners kit: $133 or deluxe kit: $191

More info: (513) 425-7312 or www.beauverre.net

 

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Mike_Presta Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 11 2014 at 10:34pm
"The culture-minded couple also purchased the Pendleton Art Center across the street."

Huh???  Wait a minute!!!  What happened to the Pendleton guy???  I thought that he was the only person in the world with the expertise to make PAC work and bring all of the promised economic windfalls that the City was promised as a result of the "investment" we taxpayers made!!!

And what about the money we "loaned" to him???  Remember...the money that his son-in-law's construction company was paid...what happened to that???
“Mulligan said he ... doesn’t believe they necessarily make the return on investment necessary to keep funding them.” …The Middletown Journal, January 30, 2012
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote VietVet Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 12 2014 at 6:03am
Originally posted by Mike_Presta Mike_Presta wrote:

<font size="2" color="#ff0000"><span style="font-family: Arial;">"The culture-minded couple also purchased the </span><st1:place><st1:placename><span style="font-family: Arial;">Pendleton</span></st1:placename><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span><st1:placename><span style="font-family: Arial;">Art</span></st1:placename><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span><st1:placename><span style="font-family: Arial;">Center</span></st1:placename></st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;"> across the street."</span>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">
</span>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Huh???  Wait a minute!!!  What happened to the Pendleton guy???  I thought that he was the only person in the world with the expertise to make PAC work and bring all of the promised economic windfalls that the City was promised as a result of the "investment" we taxpayers made!!!</span>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">
</span>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">And what about the money we "loaned" to him???  Remember...the money that his son-in-law's construction company was paid...what happened to that???</span>


I thought it went something like this....

The city leaders went to Paducah Ky. on boogdoggle number one. Found a guy named Jim Verdin who had a successful arts building there. The city leaders asked Verdin to establish an arts building in the downtown with the help of about $325,000 of taxpayer money. (I wish the car hoods were put up by the way) Where did Moorman show up in all of this? Need some clarification.

Oh yeah, did Moorman ever pay back the loan from the city? Wasn't it around $60,000 or so? Sounds similar to the loan to the MMF for $75,000. Did that get paid back?
I'm so proud of my hometown and what it has become. Recall 'em all. Let's start over.
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Well can anyone explain to me why they are having these candidates interviews at 8:00 am in the morning? I guess it's so the average Joe (whose money they are playing with) can't be there because we are out trying to make a living. The majority of the people the city manager "manages" won't have an oppertunity to ask the guestions we want answers to. The manipulation continues. And Judy will be glad to stay longer to make the transition easier. Really, don't you mean just in case it's not Les or Dougie so she can let the next sucker oh I mean the next city manager know where their bread is buttered? It would really up set their apple cart if any one other than the two lackey is chosen. So this has all been a setup farce and you already know how it ends. IMO
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Middletown Journal
Updated:
3:03 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13, 2009 | Posted: 3:02 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13, 2009


Adriane Scherrer: Heritage
Ohio or Woolpert? Please participate

    I remember when Heritage Ohio/Downtown Ohio came to the Manchester Inn and facilitated a day-long workshop in 2007. During the workshop, we learned of their suggestions for downtown revitalization, as well as the details of their highly successful national program.

    There were 80-plus community leaders, members, etc., who participated. It was called a DART (District Assessment Revitalization Team) visit. We learned that once a community is accepted into their program, it is termed a “Main Street” program, no matter the names of the actual streets you plan to revitalize.

    Since then, too much water has gone under and over the bridge. The energy we had, as we formed our required committees, has been lost. While largely completed, the benchmarks we strove to meet — to become one of their programs — currently sits untouched, with no support for implementation.

    Why? Well, among other reasons, the DART presenter warned us that day of the CAVEMEN (Citizens Against Virtually Everything). It appears CAVE persons are alive and hanging out in Middletown, much as they are in all the towns Heritage Ohio assists.

    For me, the best prospects for the success of Main Street programs are their well-known history, the benchmarks you must meet to remain in the program, and the fact that renovation consulting is the only thing they do. Therefore, they do it well.

    Their success makes bank loans and grant acquisitions easier, as the lenders know they will not “send good money after bad.” Tried and successful programs with benchmarks make banks more comfortable than new concepts.

    The structure of Heritage Ohio/Downtown Ohio does this work, not just in Ohio, but nationally. We Can – Business Incubator Inc. has remained a member of their organization for many years, and we have attended many of their wonderful and helpful workshops. We also nominated the Sorg Mansion for one of their awards, and they won! Their committee has not yet confirmed the extent of the assistance for renovation to be provided to the owners of the Sorg.

    Now it appears we have a strategic plan, which has suggested many of the same steps as the Main Street program. This plan, written by Woolpert Associates, was paid for and endorsed by city government and perhaps the Community Foundation. (Main Street program history warns against having the government entity, from which you must acquire permits, licenses, etc., as plan leaders.)

    There also is a lot of support for United Way’s Place Matters initiative. All are tied together by a new entity led by Miami University Middletown, called the Community Building Institute.

    On Nov. 5, the final meeting — presenting the plan — was conducted at Miami University Middletown. While I was unable to attend, and I do not have any idea the response they received, it is clear that we need the original 80 DART attendees to get behind this collaborative initiative. Not because it will take us back to the Main Street structure, but because this program moving forward is better than none at all. Eighty-plus supporters to learn of the new concept will give us a foundation.

    Go online, ask around and check the city’s Web site. See where your interests can fit.

Adriane Scherrer is CEO of the We Can — Business Incubator Inc. in Middletown.

 

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Originally posted by over the hill over the hill wrote:

Well can anyone explain to me why they are having these candidates interviews at 8:00 am in the morning? I guess it's so the average Joe (whose money they are playing with) can't be there because we are out trying to make a living. The majority of the people the city manager "manages" won't have an oppertunity to ask the guestions we want answers to. The manipulation continues. And Judy will be glad to stay longer to make the transition easier. Really, don't you mean just in case it's not Les or Dougie so she can let the next sucker oh I mean the next city manager know where their bread is buttered? It would really up set their apple cart if any one other than the two lackey is chosen. So this has all been a setup farce and you already know how it ends. IMO


FRIDAY IS OUT OF THE QUESTION FOR MOST WHO WORK, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE SECOND AND THIRD SHIFTERS WHO COULD ATTEND THEN. I THINK ONE OF THE DAYS IS A SATURDAY. THAT WOULD GIVE SOME WHO WORK DURING THE WEEK, BUT HAVE WEEKENDS OFF, TIME TO ATTEND. 8AM to 1PM SEEMS A BIT ODD ON THE HOURS THOUGH.

WONDER HOW THE CITY LEADERS IN ATTENDANCE WILL REACT TO CANDIDATE QUESTIONS LIKE THE LACK OF ECONOMIC DEVEL. AND HOW THEY WOULD REMEDY THAT ISSUE. HOW ABOUT THEIR IDEA OF HOW THEY WOULD GET JOBS IN HERE OR A QUESTION PERTAINING TO DOWNTOWN CONCENTRATION WHILE IGNORING THE REST OF THE CITY, MONEY WASTED AND LACK OF PROGRESS AND SEE HOW THEY WOULD ADDRESS THOSE ISSUES. TRANSPARENCY IN GOVERNMENT AND NOT SO MUCH ACTIVITY BEHIND CLOSED DOORS. OR HOW THEY FEEL ABOUT 1% OF THE PEOPLE RUNNING THE TOWN FOR THE OTHER 99%, WHO HAVE NO SAYSO. HOW THEY WOULD ADDRESS THE ROADS/INFRA. IN THE BUDGET. WHAT THEY THINK OF ALL THE SECTION 8 AND LOW INCOME BEING INVITED TO TOWN. ARE THE PEOPLE'S NEEDS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE SPECIAL AGENDAS SET UP BY THE CURRENT CITY MANAGER.

JUST A FEW TOPICS TO DISCUSS.
I'm so proud of my hometown and what it has become. Recall 'em all. Let's start over.
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Middletown USA Bloggers

Over the past several years we have had many informative and even heated debates on this blog about numerous very important issues concerning our community. And sometimes as
Adriane Scherrer has suggested above..maybe we do sound like CAVEMEN.

Why do sound like CAVEMEN?  Why do we get on this blog and waste our time expressing our views about what is happening in our community?
The answer is simple…Because we care.

After the above article was written the City of
Middletown joined the Main Street Program and these views were then incorporated into the 2010 FIVE YEAR PLAN.

Since 2010 City Hall has spent huge amounts of tax payer’s dollars on their vision for “THEIR DOWNTOWN”. As I talk to other residents of the community, they can’t seem to understand why I’m so upset about the spending habits of City Hall. Then they say “after all they have only spent $500.000 buying the building from the Thatcher Estate for the Cincinnati State Deal.” WHAT!!....NO, NO, NO!

So this brings us to my latest postings to this blog under the heading of “
A Stroll Down Memory Lane.” I will continue to post old article under this heading to remind you “WHERE THE MONEY WENT & WHAT IT WAS USED FOR” Then you can decide if the taxpayers have gotten any bangs for their bucks.

I will complete this project with an article called “BY THE NUMBERS”.
This article will be just what the title suggests…an accounting of what City Hall has really spent in the past several years on “THEIR DOWNTOWN”.
WARNING!..This article could be hazardous to your health so make sure you take your blood pressure medication.

And hopefully it will answer the above question, Why do we sound like CAVEMEN?

We must fully understand what has happened in the past before we can make a better future for this community…Vivian Moon





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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Vivian Moon Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 12 2014 at 5:17pm

Middletown Journal
Updated:
12:34 a.m. Monday, April 5, 2010 | Posted: 12:33 a.m. Monday, April 5, 2010

Land swap issue noticeably absent from council agenda

Cabinet company still hoping for deal

By Ryan Gauthier

Staff Writer

    MIDDLETOWN — A controversial land swap that would have seen the city pay $95,000 to secure the former Middletown Antique Mall is on hold for the time being.

The deal would have seen the city purchase the former mall, 1607 Central Ave., for $90,000 and then turn around to trade that land with Midd-Town Custom Cabinets for its property at 1316 Vail Ave. The city would have also provided Midd-Town Custom Cabinets with $5,000 to help cover their moving expenses.

    The city council was set to hold a second reading on an ordinance approving the land swap at its Tuesday, April 6 meeting, but the legislation did not make the final council agenda.

    Economic Development Director Mike Robinette said the land swap was pulled from the agenda while staff “works on some alternatives for the project.”

    “We’re trying to look at alternatives that would allow them to move forward with the project they’re wanting to do, but not have us involved in the land swap,” Robinette said.

The city became involved in the deal mainly over tax issues, Robinette said, as Midd-Town Custom Cabinets initiated swap conversations in an effort to avoid paying up to $15,000 in capital gains taxes.

    Midd-Town Custom Cabinets, co-owned by Jeff Brown and Don Kennedy, is responsible for carpentry inside of numerous local businesses, including the Middletown Public Library, Java Johnny’s and the now-closed 56 Degrees Wine Bistro.

    Kennedy said the deal has always been “designed to save the city money.”

    “Rather than paying $15,000 in taxes and passing that along to the city in our sale price, we figured we could just do an exchange,” Kennedy said. “It was an even deal as far as we were concerned.”

    Council raised questions about the swap when it came to light the current owner of the Central Avenue property had purchased it for $50,000 mere weeks before the deal was proposed. Kennedy dismissed claims the proposed swap was a “good old deal,” as he said his business is eating the $40,000 loss, not the city.

    “We were in talks with the bank to purchase the land, but (Daniel) Diver made a bid on it and had already been approved,” Kennedy said. “I was two weeks too late in planning this. I pretty much cried my heart out.”

    Their three-man operation has been able to survive for so long by picking from the corpses of larger carpentry operations that went under during the recession. A move to the larger building would allow them space to create a “drop-dead gorgeous showroom” and ideally hire on some additional staff.

 

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Middletown Journal
Updated: 8:55 p.m. Tuesday, April 6, 2010 | Posted: 8:54 p.m. Tuesday, April 6, 2010

City steps back from contentious land swap

by Ryan Gauthier

Staff Writer

    MIDDLETOWN — True to their word, city staff kept a $95,000 land swap from coming before Middletown City Council for approval Tuesday, April 6.

    City Manager Judy Gilleland asked that a second reading of the ordinance be removed from the agenda to allow the city’s economic development staff more time to “help facilitate the expansion of a business without getting in the middle of a land swap.”

    “Hopefully in the next several weeks we will return with a draft agreement that suits all parties,” Gilleland said.

    The proposed deal called for the city to purchase the former Middletown Antique Mall, 1607 Central Ave., for $90,000 and then turn around to trade that land with Midd-Town Custom Cabinets for its property at 1316 Vail Ave. The city also would have provided Midd-Town Custom Cabinets with $5,000 to help offset a portion of their moving expenses.

    Jeff Brown, co-owner of Midd-Town Custom Cabinets, spoke before the council during Tuesday’s meeting, saying no hard feelings exist over the nixed swap, as he is “confident” something is going to be worked out in the near future.

    “Hard feelings don’t give you anything but hard times,” he quipped. “We want a business on Central and they want a business on Central, so it’s just a matter of dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s.”

    Brown recently decided to wander Central Avenue to tally up the number of vacant storefronts along the city’s main drag downtown. He counted 48.

    I see this as an opportunity for Middletown to acquire a large parcel of land for future redevelopment, an opportunity for Central Avenue to have an established business filling one of those storefronts and an opportunity for us to grow and expand our operation,” he said.

    City Council also got an update on the city’s 2010 street improvements project, with 13 local streets targeted for repair in the coming year. Public Works and Utilities Director     Dave Duritsch said the $2 million in roadwork is the “first substantial paving program we’ve had in a few years.”

    As part of the project, property owners along the impacted streets will be required to repair any defective curb and gutter and sidewalks as determined by city standards.    They will have the option of either doing the work themselves, hiring a contractor or having the city do the work for them and then paying the amount back either upon completion or through their property taxes over a five-year period.

    Council will be asked to vote on an emergency resolution approving the process at the group’s April 20 meeting, Duritsch said, with paving contracts scheduled to be awarded in early July.

 Isn't the building on Vail still sitting empty?

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Middletown Journal
Updated:
9:44 p.m. Monday, March 15, 2010 | Posted: 9:41 p.m. Monday, March 15, 2010

Land swap could cost city $95K

By Ryan Gauthier

Staff Writer

    MIDDLETOWN — Another land swap will be up for consideration when Middletown City Council meets tonight, March 16.

    In the third instance of the city exchanging property with an area landowner in the past few months, council will be asked to authorize the exchange of a tract of land located at 1316 Vail Ave. with the former Middletown Antique Mall, 1607 Central Ave.

    The city does not presently own the Central Avenue property, but Economic Development Director Mike Robinette said it plans to purchase it for $90,000.

    “Midtown Custom Cabinets has been looking to expand their business and we have been eyeing the site for demolition as it is the only one remaining behind Barb’s Pub and the Studio Theater,” Robinette said. “They’ll get a building to grow their business, we’ll be able to finish clearing that area and will then be able to market it for redevelopment. It’s a win-win.”

The former Middletown Antique Mall property — presently valued at $125,000 — was sold on Feb. 19 for $50,000, according to the Butler County Auditor’s Office.

    Robinette said he has no qualms about paying the current owner $45,000 more than he purchased the property for less than one month ago. He said the property was recently appraised at $85,000.

    “This property was bought out of foreclosure,” he said. “But if you look at what it was carried at value wise, the market value for that is obviously much more than was paid.”

The ordinance also provides $5,000 to Midtown Custom Cabinet for what Robinette referred to as “moving costs” for the company. As the city has a lot of interest in acquiring the site, he said it has agreed to pay half of the estimated moving costs.

    “It’s not unusual to share moving costs when you have a business moving because they’re going to expand and it’s in our interest for them to move, to assist them in the cost of relocating their business,” Robinette said.

    The ordinance will be considered as emergency legislation, meaning it will circumvent the traditional process of first and second readings as well as the 30-day wait to take effect. That also means it needs at least six affirmative votes from the council to pass. With Councilman Jim Armbruster still hospitalized after undergoing open-heart surgery over the weekend, other council members will have to unanimously approve it.

    Council meets at 5:30 p.m. in Council Chambers on the lower level of the Middletown City Building, One Donham Plaza.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Vivian Moon Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 13 2014 at 8:15am

Updated: 8:54 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 14, 2010 | Posted: 1:41 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 14, 2010

No new stabilization funds for Middletown

But city still has $1.5M left from last round for home renovations.

By Jessica Heffner

Staff Writer

    MIDDLETOWN — While Middletown may not have been tapped for more federal funds to improve its neighborhoods, the city still has $1.5 million left from the last round it has designated for home renovations this year.

    In the third round of Neighborhood Stabilization Program funding, the U.S. Housing and Urban Development department awarded $1 billion nationwide, $1,327,123 of which is headed to Butler County.

    However, Middletown did not qualify to receive any funding due to the formula and minimum requirements used by HUD this round.

    State and local governments can use NSP grants to acquire land and property; to demolish or rehabilitate abandoned properties; and to offer down payment and closing cost assistance to low- to moderate-income homebuyers.

    The news that no new funds were coming to Middletown was disappointing, but not necessarily a surprise given the limited funds, said Doug Adkins, director of Community Revitalization.

    Middletown received more than $2.1 million for NSP in the first rounds of funding, most of which already has been used for the demolition of several vacant houses and to assist with razing the Barb’s Pub and the River of Power Ministry Building on Central Avenue. Adkins said the remaining balance — about $1.5 million — has been obligated for renovations on 10 foreclosed properties acquired by the city.

    The 10 properties, located in neighborhoods targeted by Middletown officials for upgrades, are owned by the city and will be sold to households in qualifying income brackets.

Money from the sales would then go back into the fund and be reused for other property acquisitions and renovations, Adkins said.

    “We plan to put them on the market and get them refilled with taxpaying citizens soon,” he said.

Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2843 or jheffner@coxohio.com.

 

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Updated: 8:54 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 14, 2010 | Posted: 1:41 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 14, 2010

No new stabilization funds for Middletown

But city still has $1.5M left from last round for home renovations.

By Jessica Heffner

Staff Writer

    MIDDLETOWN — While Middletown may not have been tapped for more federal funds to improve its neighborhoods, the city still has $1.5 million left from the last round it has designated for home renovations this year.

    In the third round of Neighborhood Stabilization Program funding, the U.S. Housing and Urban Development department awarded $1 billion nationwide, $1,327,123 of which is headed to Butler County.

    However, Middletown did not qualify to receive any funding due to the formula and minimum requirements used by HUD this round.

    State and local governments can use NSP grants to acquire land and property; to demolish or rehabilitate abandoned properties; and to offer down payment and closing cost assistance to low- to moderate-income homebuyers.

    The news that no new funds were coming to Middletown was disappointing, but not necessarily a surprise given the limited funds, said Doug Adkins, director of Community Revitalization.

    Middletown received more than $2.1 million for NSP in the first rounds of funding, most of which already has been used for the demolition of several vacant houses and to assist with razing the Barb’s Pub and the River of Power Ministry Building on Central Avenue. Adkins said the remaining balance — about $1.5 million — has been obligated for renovations on 10 foreclosed properties acquired by the city.

    The 10 properties, located in neighborhoods targeted by Middletown officials for upgrades, are owned by the city and will be sold to households in qualifying income brackets.

Money from the sales would then go back into the fund and be reused for other property acquisitions and renovations, Adkins said.

    “We plan to put them on the market and get them refilled with taxpaying citizens soon,” he said.

Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2843 or jheffner@coxohio.com.

City Hall purchased the River of Power Ministry Building for $125,000 or $135,000 and then demoed the building....Why did they purchase this building for this amount of money? Are you telling me that City Hall thinks this building was of equal value to the Bank One property that they were willing to sell for $135,000 last month. Yes sir ya just got to love their logic and math skills.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote spiderjohn Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 13 2014 at 11:13am
Great job Ms.Moon!

Hopefully the new city manager candidates are reading this, and may understand the concern about and lack of trust in our current Council and Admin. These failed projects have cost taxpayers millions of $$ and decades of lost time. Pretty much everyone who opposed these projects has been purged(Becker,Laubaugh,AJ), and the top endorsing players(Mulligans, Picard, Scott-Jones, Judy G, Doug A, Marty K, Les L etc.) still remain.

Hopefully the candidates will get ?s about these actions, and how they might do things differently and with much more transparency.

Was riding down S Main the other evening. Didn't realize that not only are we ALL paying for the NEW FAKE street lights, the OLD LIGHTS are still in operation. So we are now paying for both!
Don't remember that ever being an option.

Maybe we will have a "new" vision and more inclusive direction soon?

Let's hope so!
More of the same simply won't work(again).
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote acclaro Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 13 2014 at 11:39am
When thinking about the fake street lights, I recalled a post Ms. Moon made about a week ago. In that, she copied and pasted a Journal article associated with the Thatcher state being worth in excess of $15 Mm, with liability claims against it, for about $1.2 Mm, which Dan Picard was handling for First Financial Bank, which Laryy Mulligan is President, for Butler and Warren Cty.

My question is; Why would the city spend $500,000 to absorb the Manchester and other buildings, when the estate would have in excess of nearly $14 Mm after paying the claims against the estate? What would the creditors against the estate, GAIN, for forgiving nearly $800,000. in alleged claims against the estate?

And how much federal  money has been spent downtown, after the city bailed out an estate which had 15 times the assets to absorb any liability against the Thatcher estate, for .45 for every $ in alleged claims against the estate?

Perhaps a question to the city manager candidates should be---would you have the city spend $500,000 to absorb an alleged claim on an estate, when the estate had the assets to pay for the liability? If so, why; if not, why not?

Link the creditors and see a trail associated with a firewall.    
'An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last.' - Winston Churchill
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We just take taxpayers money and spend it to assure OUR vision downtown is NOT derailed by some "undesirable" entity stepping in. We must at all cost and expense (regardless of who's money) keep moving forward with OUR dream and we don't give a damm about nasayers. IMO
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Vivian Moon Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 18 2014 at 9:40am

We have had many heated discussions on this blog about the Section 8 Program over the past several years concerning who did what when and why.
No matter how you feel about this program what you really need to remember is….CITY HALL & CITY COUNCIL requested ALL the increases of Section 8 vouchers over a five year period as stated below.

When City Council hired Mr. Adkins as Community Revitalization Director
the priority became the reduction of Section 8 vouchers however HUD said NO because of the great need in this area.

So after HUD said NO….Mr Adkins and City Council came up with their own plan to reduce the vouchers.

My research has revealed some very disturbing documents. They describe in detail how Mr. Adkins is going to rid
Middletown of THOSE PEOPLE…
A step by step plan to systematically remove a group of people from the city limits of
 Middletown…and all with the blessing of City Council. I must tell you reading all this made my skin crawl

It doesn’t matter how you feel about this program…what does matter is your city government is using your tax dollars and the power of their office to target real estate investors to put them out of business to cover up their royal screw up of increasing Section 8 by nearly 900 vouchers years ago..


Not only is this behavior immoral and unethical….it’s illegal

Posted: 12:00 a.m. Sunday, March 10, 2013

How much is too much Section 8?

By Michael D. Pitman

Staff Writer

    MIDDLETOWN  Middletown had a total of 774 Section 8 housing vouchers at the end of 1999 and over a six-year span more than doubled that number, according to city records.

    Today, this Butler County city of 48,962 has more subsidized housing per capita than any municipality in Ohio.

    That’s a statistic that Middletown officials have been anxiously working to change in recent years. Reducing Section 8 housing has become such a priority that the city administration and City Council are willing to risk the ire of and legal action from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development by eliminating 1,008 vouchers and falling out of compliance with the agency’s regulations.

    Fourteen percent of the city’s housing stock, or 3,300 units, is subsidized housing, said Community Revitalization Director Doug Adkins. Too much Section 8 “is not the root of our problems,” he said, but it can impact the overall image of the city and hinder progress and economic development.

    “The city can only support 654 housing choice vouchers within the (Middletown Public Housing Authority) program,” Adkins said. “Any further saturation would … cross a tipping point where the additional subsidized housing creates more problems than benefits to the city as a whole.

    “At that point, families of all incomes suffer because the city cannot provide adequate services to its residents,” he said.

    But landlords like Jeff Faulkner, who rents several of the properties he owns to Section 8 tenants, disagree. They say Section 8 is big business in Middletown, bringing in millions of dollars to the city and serving hundreds of vulnerable, low-income and elderly residents who need decent, affordable housing.

    The city pays about $10 million in funds it receives from HUD to the hundreds of landlords who rent to Section 8 voucher-holders. The city’s proposed voucher cuts would eliminate $6 million in payments to those landlords.

    Faulkner said Middletown’s Section 8 program had “always been a strong, community-friendly program” until the city terminated its former administrator, Consoc Housing Consultants, and replaced them with Cleveland-based Nelson & Associates in March 2011. Since assuming more local control, he said, City Hall has been “beating up” Section 8 landlords with its strenuous property inspections and regulations.

    Faulkner the city’s plan would not only run hundreds of low-income residents out of the city, it would also create an almost equal amount of vacant housing. That’s why he and other landlords favor transferring the program out of the city’s control.

    “I think the Section 8 program needs to be moved to Butler County,” he said.

HUD had made a similar suggestion to Middletown officials in response to the city’s proposal to reduce its vouchers from 1,662 to 654. The federal housing agency objected to the city’s plan in a Dec. 18 letter, telling officials to fill 95 percent of its available vouchers, transfer its voucher program to the Butler County Metropolitan Housing Authority or face possible legal action.

    The Middletown Public Housing Authority, which is made up of all seven city council members and the city manager, has told HUD it intends to proceed with its plan. About 1,300 vouchers, or less than 80 percent of those available, have been issued to date, and that number will continue to decrease through attrition over the next five years, officials have said.

    Adkins said the data shows that — outside of the low-income housing tax credits — Middletown has almost twice as many subsidized housing units as Hamilton County and more than four times as many as other southwest Ohio housing agencies. He added that Middletown also has almost four times the state average.

    “The city suffers from an overabundance of rental property, beyond what the existing market can support and a corresponding lack of home ownership in distressed neighborhoods,” Adkins said. “During the past 10 years, the city implemented a policy of increasing the number of Section 8 vouchers to assist low-income residents.”

    Before Dec. 1, 1999, the city had 774 Section 8 vouchers. But because the city wanted to reduce the vacancy rates of older and less-desirable homes, and to ensure that housing remained in compliance with city code,Middletown officials began to accept additional vouchers, Adkins said.

    The city added 888 over the next six years, with 56.9 percent of the vouchers having been added in 2000 and 2001. The last increase came on Oct. 1, 2005 when they accepted 108 vouchers.

    In March 2011, Middletown terminated its contract with Consoc, which had managed the Section 8 program since 1996. The change happened because of 13 deficiencies related to operation of the program.

    At about the same time the city was changing program administrators, the Middletown Division of Police and the Office of the Inspector General started an ongoing investigation of Section 8, which has so far resulted in the arrest of 10 landlords — five in 2011 and five in 2012 — after they uncovered tens of thousands of dollars in alleged improper rental payments made on behalf of voucher-holders, said police spokesman Lt. Scott Reeve.

    The investigation, which is being lead by Middletown police Detective Ken Rogers, and tighter controls on the Section 8 program have had a positive effect, Reeve said.

    “Crime was down last year for the first time in a few years, and I think the Section 8 investigation has something to do with that,” he said. “The program was not supervised at all for many years, and when Doug took over the program, he enlisted our help to clean it up.”

    Some of the charges included landlords living in properties where tenants were to be living, or collecting Section 8 money when the property was vacant, Reeve said.

“There was a lot of abuse going on, in addition to the fact we have a disproportionate amount of Section 8,” Reeve said. “It hurts the crime rate, it hurts the school system, and it’s difficult to talk about because it comes across that we’re anti-poor. We’re not anti-poor, but we shouldn’t be disproportionate.”

    Real estate, rental and leasing is the largest private sector service industry in the state, Adkins said. And while home sales were on the upswing in the Cincinnati Metropolitan Area, according to 2012 and 2011 data, Middletown has not benefited from positive home growth, he said.

    “In the wake of the housing market collapse and the decrease in available credit, the city of Middletown suffers from a substantial oversupply of vacant, undesirable housing, leading to almost complete disinvestment in many neighborhoods,” Adkins said.

Councilman A.J. Smith, who cast the lone dissenting vote on the city’s plan to cut vouchers, agrees there is a need to fix the Section 8 program. But he disagrees with the way the city is going about doing it.

    Smith said Middletown will likely see some decline in the number of vouchers because of sequestration, the across-the-board federal spending cuts enacted March 1. HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan testified last month before Congress that the sequester would result in about 125,000 vouchers losing funding.

    “But I don’t think it (voucher reductions) should be initiated by us,” he said. “I think we have an obligation to care for our constituents, and we should care for those who can’t care for themselves.”

    Smith said the city’s Section 8 vouchers should be spread out better. While vouchers are peppered throughout Middletown, the highest concentrations are in the western and central portions of the city. Many of the vouchers are in the city’s 2nd Ward, which Smith represents.

    “The way we’re doing (voucher reduction) is by any means necessary,” Smith said. “I don’t think we’re taking a very diplomatic approach.”

    Smith said he doesn’t think Middletown should bear the burden of allButlerCounty’s low-income housing, but he worries about the public perception of the city’s current actions.

    “I don’t think our message should be to get rid of all the poor people,” he said. “That is what the community is feeling City Hall is trying to do.”


This is the first of a three-part series looking at the past, present and future of Section 8 in Middletown.

Showing its age

Middletown has some of the oldest homes in Butler and Warren counties:

Middletown:

52.7 percent of the city’s homes were built before 1960

11.4 percent of the city’s homes were built after 1990

ButlerCounty:

31.2 percent of the county’s homes were built before 1960

32.3 percent of the county’s homes were built after 1990

WarrenCounty:

16.6 percent of the county’s homes were built before 1960

51.9 percent of the county’s homes were built since 1990

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Residential sales

Here is the 2011 and 2012 sales data on ButlerCounty:

2011 | 2012|% change

No. of sales: 3,259|3,812|14.51%

Average home price: $134,464.00|$136,675.00|1.62%

Median home price: $122,000.00|$125,000.00|2.40%

Source: Multiple Listing Service of Greater Cincinnati

 

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Vivian Moon Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 21 2014 at 12:08pm

Updated: 7:34 p.m. Thursday, July 9, 2009 | Posted: 7:33 p.m. Thursday, July 9, 2009

Middletown seeking bulk of Neighborhood Stabilization Grant funding

Consortium of Butler Couty communities seeking more than $25.6 million — $19.3 million for Middletown.

By Ed Richter

Staff Writer

    MIDDLETOWN — While a consortium of Butler County communities and organizations will be seeking more than $25.6 million in the second round of Neighborhood Stabilization Grants for a number of projects, Middletown will be seeking $19.3 million of those funds.

    Doug Adkins, community revitalization director, told Middletown City Council at its Tuesday, July 7, meeting, that the proposal “is a game changer” and “a 50-year decision.”

    “We have to do it right the first time and do it smart,” Adkins said. “I think it’s a strong proposal.”

City Council voted unanimously to approve the submitting the NSP2 application for the federal economic stimulus funds as well as the consortium agreement with Butler County, the city of Hamilton, Butler Metropolitan Housing Authority and Neighborhood Housing Services of Hamilton.

    Mayor Larry Mulligan Jr. said the consortium was a great step toward regionalism.

    Of the $19.3 million, Adkins said the city is seeking $1 million will be for financial mechanisms, such as down payment assistance; $2.2 million to demolish blighted structures of which $1.2 million will be used to demolish blighted residential structures; $250,000 will be used for land banking vacant properties for up to 10 years for future redevelopment; $3.95 million will be used to purchase and/or rehabilitate homes and residential properties; $10.27 million will be used for the redevelopment of housing in the city; and $1.7 million for administration and contracting for needed services to execute the program. He said no permanent jobs will be created as a result of the program.

    Adkins said that Butler County is planning to use about $2 million to demolish the former Lemon-Monroe High School in Monroe for future redevelopment. The remainder of the funding would go to Hamilton for various projects, he said.

    Overall, the countywide consortium hopes to acquire and rehab about 70 properties; demolish 200 blighted properties; land bank about 70 lots; and provide down payment assistance for about 120 prospective homebuyers.

    The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development issued the notice about the NSP2 funding program, and the city has until July 17 to have the application in Washington. Adkins said the other entities would be voting on the agreement and the application in the coming days. The public comment period started June 30 and ends on Friday, July 10.

    He said the city will know later this year if it will be awarded funding and that the federal government may provide full or partial funding for the application.

Adkins praised the banking and real estate communities for their help in getting information to him to get the 90-page application ready.

    Councilman Bill Becker asked why Hamilton and the county did not ask for more funding. Adkins said that was all they requested during the three weeks of discussions.

    Councilman David Schiavone agreed with Adkins that “this could change the face of the city of decades.” Schiavone added that he believes HUD is trying to work with older, industrial cities and he hopes the city “can reap the rewards of this program.”

Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2871 or erichter@coxohio.com.

 

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote over the hill Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 21 2014 at 12:35pm
Could change the face of the city for decades.well that was 5 years ago and what has changed? Downtown? We could have done so much more with those funds. And now you probably won't get any more money from HUD because I don't think they liked the way Dougie used it before. IMO
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Cooper Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 21 2014 at 12:41pm
Any of the $ 1 Mm used as a reserve to pay for the city's million contribution to get a million from AG Dewine and the Land Bank? Were there vouchers tied to this, or not (8)? Becker seemed to get the reason Hamilton didn't go for the gold was there was a negative relationship between NSP 2 and the request? Right, wrong, maybe, don't know?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote over the hill Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 21 2014 at 12:50pm
Well if Dougie declared the entire city at 54% poverty then they can use those funds any place they want again how nice for Dougie more job security. City manager job has a limited contract with options to renew. He could be out of here faster that he thinks if things change with council.(and it will). He might have more security where he is.Oh well, Roll the dice. imo
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