Greatest Need
Printed From: MiddletownUSA.com
Category: Middletown City Government
Forum Name: City Council
Forum Description: Discuss individual members and council as a legislative body.
URL: http://www.middletownusa.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=3632
Printed Date: Nov 21 2024 at 11:51am
Topic: Greatest Need
Posted By: Vivian Moon
Subject: Greatest Need
Date Posted: Jan 29 2011 at 6:39am
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In 2006 Mr. Kohler promised CDBG fund to the The Certified Local Government Program is designed to promote the preservation of historic structures and districts by establishing a partnership between the local government and the Ohio Historic Preservation Office. By becoming certified, the City receives additional access to technical assistance and advisory services from the Ohio Historic Preservation Office (OHPO) and the City becomes eligible to apply for grants annually from the Certified Local Government fund established by the OHPO. As part of our 5 year Consolidated Plan with HUD, concentrated code enforcement efforts will begin in 2011 or 2012 on the Fiscal 2012 Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) There is a proposal by the Obama administration to reduce Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding by up to 25% for the 2012 program year. This would reduce CDBG funded activities in programs. However I do not think that Ida Vail Gunckel 1837-1920 would think well of your historic plans and I believe she has a “greater need” since city staff drives across her tombstone every day at the Middletown Cemetery.
Yep this is the same Vail family that has some type of historic significance here in  |
Replies:
Posted By: Vivian Moon
Date Posted: Jan 29 2011 at 7:04am
Old South Park 8-02-2010
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Posted By: Vivian Moon
Date Posted: Jan 29 2011 at 7:38am
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Middletown Cemetery 8-02-2010 Please City Council tell me again about "Greatest Need"
   
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Posted By: VietVet
Date Posted: Jan 29 2011 at 8:27am
| The photos provide good ammunition to support the complaints Vivian, if ya know what I mean. Sure beats Leslie's pathetic explanations on why the city can't take care of the cemetery properly. Even the "Landen spin machine" can't compete with actual pictures. Wonder what Landen would say if that last picture was a member of his family and the headstone was in the direct path of the tire tracks??? There's some callous people down at city hall, aren't there? |
Posted By: Vivian Moon
Date Posted: Jan 29 2011 at 8:58am
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Well Vet The City has assured me numerous times that they don’t have any funds for the cemetery. However since I started working on the cemetery seven years ago, CDBG Historic Preservation Grant funds have been given to properties owner in the Main Street Historic District. Downtown Funds have been given to business owners in the downtown area to restore and improve the front facades and loans and grants have been given for the restoration of the buildings in the area. Downtown Funds have also been used for the numerous meetings and studies of the Main Street Program and then last year more funds were used for the City of Middletown to become a member of Heritage, Ohio, so tax credits and grants could be made available for historic preservation and revitalization. Last year they established the Highland Historic District so those properties owners could get tax credits and use of CDBG funding. However with all the above historic funding the City of |
Posted By: VietVet
Date Posted: Jan 29 2011 at 9:16am
Vivian- wonder how fast funding would be provided if the property the cemetery occupies were owned by a person in the Highlands or S.Main St. areas? How can private home owners receive fed taxpayer money to fix up their private residences? If they bought the fikkin' house, and it needed to be repaired, let them use their own money. Fixing up their privately owned house, using taxpayer money to do it, benefits the taxpayer how?????? The city leaders must help their buddies. It's a cozy relationship with a lot of back-slapping and whispering, with the occasional laughter as they discuss how they are shafting the general public who are not worthy of membership, with all the rights and privileges, into their "exclusive" club. I say the citizens need to revolt and "off with their heads" 
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Posted By: SupportMiddletown
Date Posted: Jan 29 2011 at 11:12am
Do you have any actual proof of this?
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Vivian Moon wrote:Posted By: Bocephus
Date Posted: Jan 29 2011 at 11:48am
what he said |
Posted By: Vivian Moon
Date Posted: Jan 29 2011 at 12:23pm
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When I take you to court you can see everything in my briefcase |
Posted By: acclaro
Date Posted: Jan 29 2011 at 1:24pm
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I find it nunconscionable the city manager has the audicity after two decadesof the city taking monies from the street and infrastructure funds, which have not been dedicated since 1986-1987, to state if residents in certain streets want the city to resurface the street, they will, either by paying lump funds, or amortizing the expsense through proiperty tax.
How many residents is that going to bring in the Middletown and new businesses? You have the nuxury of having the city resurface your street if you pay for it in lump sum, or include it in your taxes? Now Highland Historic area getting the Ritz treatment. The city will be challenged on this act assuredly.
Isn't it a basic duty for the city to maintain streets and infrastructure, provide public safety, and that's really the core focus isn't it? My gosh, the city mainatins the golf cart route at Weatherwax better than the streets, and now the city manager thinks the city is offering a great deal for residents to PAY for streets they live on, for maintenance. How on earth does anyone believe this benefits Middletown, provokes others to move in?
Get ready for a challenge to the allocation of funds for "selective" streets around Highland where Kohler, Mulligan, others live, and the detriment of those having to PAY for streets to be paved or sealed? No way.
According to Ordinance 2910. it is not an option for maintenance NOT to be performed, regardless of prioritization. Would a resident have a higher priority to have a broken auto fixed, and not paint a house based upon Doug Adkins 'crack-down"? I think not.
This is why the city is failing in everu conceiveable manner. What is it that city hall, city coucnil, and the gang of 200 who run the city, don't get? The danageis done, but the taking away of the leaf service, the unwillingness to repair roads, the rasing of water bills, and now the city offering to resurface streets at a price to be paid is too much. They tax for the maintenance of Weatherwax, including the golf cart path, and expect residents to pay if they want their street paved? Ain't going to happen.
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Posted By: Vivian Moon
Date Posted: Jan 29 2011 at 2:23pm
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Acclaro
Last February Mr. Adkins promised $100,000 of CDBG funds for the improvement of Neither last year nor this year will barely any HUD funds be spent in the Amanda area where it is well known that this area desperately needs infrastructure and rehab assistance. In the HUD Five Year Plan presented before City Council last year Mr Adkins indicated that neighborhoods such as Church, Sherman, and Oakland areas are “to far gone” to merit HUD funding. Instead the upper middle-income Highland Historic District will be the target area for CDBG and NSP funding. Yep that 54% Rule is reeeally working well for all them poor folks. |
Posted By: acclaro
Date Posted: Jan 29 2011 at 3:01pm
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The old "bait and switch". Declare > than 50% of Middletown poverty, fine as many people as you can, then divert funds that are to be used to mitigate foreclosure and help poor neighborhoods, to areas which have bankers, doctors, and friends and partners with city leadership? Well, Thornhill, DaVinci, and Curryer, among other streets where residents live with comparable incomes but horrific streets, aren't going to stand for this shell game. Nice they are taking care of McGee from what I recall, sure Dr, Ionna and others are thankful for the "white gove" treatment with federal funds to "stabilize these dire neighborhoods. |
Posted By: Vivian Moon
Date Posted: Jan 29 2011 at 3:10pm
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HUD has given the City the tools, such as CDBG & NSP, to help solve the problems of revitalization, high crime and high poverty areas of this community.
HUD funding was never intended to be used in this manner.
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Posted By: Bocephus
Date Posted: Jan 29 2011 at 4:43pm
Shocking stuff to say the least.
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Posted By: Vivian Moon
Date Posted: Jan 29 2011 at 9:26pm
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Please remember that more than 50% of this HUD money never leaves the doors of City Hall…and then the poor folks get the left overs. I hate to admit it but it has been shocking to me also. But I will tell you that over the last seven years they have broken every agreement they have made with me. |
Posted By: VietVet
Date Posted: Jan 29 2011 at 9:45pm
| IF it is true that 50% of the fed money never leaves the city building as Vivian states, where is it going and if not going for the intended purpose, can it be reported to the feds and will they respond? This is what we were talking about the other day......CS&H auditing the city's financial situation. This information from Vivian, IF accurate, is a perfect example and reason for the city to be investigated and if need be, prosecuted for misappropriation of funds. Is there no way to inquire to the feds about having someone follow the money trail? |
Posted By: SupportMiddletown
Date Posted: Jan 30 2011 at 12:13am
Vivian, you suggested above that NSP and CDBG funds are being used in the Highlands. I think you confused things, the paragraph you posted is about Certificed Local Government (CLG) funds, which don't come from HUD. CLG is a historic preservation designation through the Ohio Historic Preservation Office that opens up grant opportunities for Middletown. Oxford, for example, is a CLG and thus eligible for these grants. The report only mentions HUD because the grant-funded efforts would be in accordance with the city's 5 year consolidated plan.
I feel like you make many assumptions without giving City Hall any benefit of the doubt.
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Posted By: Mike_Presta
Date Posted: Jan 30 2011 at 3:15am
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From the HUD Annual Action Plan (see either of the January Council meeting workbooks):
4. Identify the federal, state and local resources to be made available to address the needs identified in the plan. Federal resources should include Section 8 funds made available to the jurisdiction, Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, and competitive McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act funds expected to be available to address priority needs and specific objectives identified in the strategic plan. Program Year 2 Action Plan General Questions response: As noted in the Strategic Plan, based on the latest U.S. Census data and Comprehensive Housing Affordability Strategy (CHAS) information, the City of Middletown qualifies as a low- to moderateincome area on a citywide basis. The areas of racial concentration are primarily on the west side of town. The areas that the program will focus assistance on this year are broken down into 38 individual neighborhoods (see attached map). These are the City’s target areas. Each year of this 5 year consolidated plan will focus the majority of all activities to 1 to 2 of the neighborhoods in the most need of revitalization. The selection is based on the data listed in the neighborhood strategy section of the consolidated plan and with consultation of the Consolidated Planning Committee. Work will continue in these target neighborhood(s) until all available efforts have been depleted or until statistics show the area has become self-sustaining. For the FY 2011 action plan, the City will continue to focus on the Douglass and Harlan Park neighborhoods. It is our intention to start focus on the Highlands and El Dorado neighborhoods as well. NOTE: I believe that "El Dorado neighborhood" as defined in this document, includes streets such as Rosedale Road, Thorn Hill Lane, The extreme northern portion of Curryer Road, etc. Arguably, these streets comprise one of the nicest and wealthiest areas of Middletown!!! I believe that everyone is familiar with the "Highlands neighborhood".
NOTE 2: Emphasis (red) added by this poster!!! ------------- “Mulligan said he ... doesn’t believe they necessarily make the return on investment necessary to keep funding them.” …The Middletown Journal, January 30, 2012 |
Posted By: Vivian Moon
Date Posted: Jan 30 2011 at 4:05am
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Vivian, you suggested above that NSP and CDBG funds are being used in the
I feel like you make many assumptions without giving City Hall any benefit of the doubt. I do NOT agree with CDBG funding being removed from the 1st & 2nd Wards when their need is so great. The City made this mess and these funds should be used to solve the problems. |
Posted By: Vivian Moon
Date Posted: Jan 30 2011 at 4:14am
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Support
Here is the link from Aug 19, 2010 where we had the full discussion of the new 5 Year Plan that M.r Adkins spoke of Tuesday night
http://middletownusa.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=3223&KW=HUD - As you will notice it just doesn't match the facts given earlier by Mr. Adkins about high crime and proverty areas. |
Posted By: Vivian Moon
Date Posted: Jan 30 2011 at 5:47am
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IF it is true that 50% of the fed money never leaves the city building as Vivian states, where is it going and if not going for the intended purpose, can it be reported to the feds and will they respond? This is what we were talking about the other day......CS&H auditing the city's financial situation. This information from Vivian, IF accurate, is a perfect example and reason for the city to be investigated and if need be, prosecuted for misappropriation of funds. Is there no way to inquire to the feds about having someone follow the money trail?....Vet |
Posted By: Vivian Moon
Date Posted: Jan 30 2011 at 6:46am
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The photos provide good ammunition to support the complaints Vivian, if ya know what I mean. Sure beats Leslie's pathetic explanations on why the city can't take care of the cemetery properly. Even the "Landen spin machine" can't compete with actual pictures. Wonder what Landen would say if that last picture was a member of his family and the headstone was in the direct path of the tire tracks??? There's some callous people down at city hall, aren't there?
Vet You can't believe the horror stories that I and my cuzzie Mitch heard while working at the cemetery over the years. If a family member came in with a complaint we tried to solve it ASAP Family members have been crying and complaining for years and years, and nothing was done. One day I was working at the cemetery and I was hot and tied and smelled like a goat when a car pulled up and a little 90 year old lady climber out of the back seat of the car, got her walker and came over to talk with me. She told me how beautiful the cemetery looked and how happy it had made her as she drove throught the gates and saw all the flowers I had planted blooming all over the cemetery. Said I was the answer to her prayers because she had worried for years about who would take care of her bothers, mother and grandmothers graves. On that she placed a ten dollar bill in my hand and gave me a hug and said that was all she could afford because she had been ill. She wanted me to use the money to buy pretty flowes for the cemetery because her mother just loved to smell and look at pretty flowers...well needless to say on that I went into complete tears and she gave me another hug and I cried even harder and this time we cried together. I never forgot the little lady and I never complained about working in the cemetery again. I had received payment in full that day. Gee I'm crying again just telling you the story. And that vindictive bunch at City Hall stole her flowers! |
Posted By: spiderjohn
Date Posted: Jan 30 2011 at 10:25am
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Sorry to return, however I have thoughts on this very important topic and direction, especially when companioned with the street paving thread.
For starters, I hope that everyone has read or will reference an editorial authored by the very knowledgeable Robert Reich from yesterday's MJ print edition. Not only does it capture the national dilemma, but also mirrors the local situation, paryicularly our Council's/Admin's approach of slanting govt. funding away from the areas of greatest need to the more affluent "historic" neighborhoods. In essence, the "haves" continue to get more at the expense of the "have nots". I really don't see this as following the true intent of federal funding.
To pave McGee, the Highlands area and El Dorado before attempting to shift partial re=surfacing costs to local desiring neighborhoods is very disconcerting logic and blatant malfesance of duty. If streets will mainly be re-done in the future after 60% neighborhood agreement, only the upper-class neiborhoods will see improvements. The lower income areas simply can't approve these projects simply because they won't be able to pay the assessments. The direction of our Admin has turned the federal intent upside down, along with using an abnormally high % of funding for Admin salaries in order to protect those in the golden bunker.
I also see this as a future trend, accelerated by the misguided and under-handed legislation eliminating the ward system. Decisions are now being made to shamelessly benefit the wealthy but over-emphasized historic, former downtown and now uppewr-class east end areas. I saw this coming, as I have witnessed the long-term dismantling of our "neighborhoods" to focus only on specialized pockets inhabited by the most influential residents. We used to have neighborhood schools, diners, grocery markets, diners and retail pockets coveniently catering to each area. This brought familiarity and inclusiveness for everyone, meshing together with adjacent sectors to form a well-served and balanced local community. As we choose our next Council at-large, it will be hard to effectively respresent the entire community, particularly those who need assistance the most. Face it--our east end "politicians" seldom go west of Breiel, dren't aware and often don't care about the most troubled neighborhoods. I know this--because I often talk with them. They honestly don't know what it is like to spend the majority of their time in these challenged areas. Crime--poverty--unemployment--poor conditions.
Do you REALLY think that an important east end roadway would have suffered through the long delay and 5-month re-surfacing project that many of us endured with the bumbled Supthin Street project?
Well--look what we have now.
The former downtown area honestly doesn't exist, and hasn't for decades. Actually it looks worse now than at anytime prior, after tens of millions of expenditures. The Towne MKall area has deteriorated and the east end area beyond I-75 has not grown nearly as promised and anticipated. Retail and dining options locally are few and far between, with empty commercial properties dominating the landscape. Our schools are now large modern and centralized, yet our academic results still languish at the bottom of the area ratings.
While constantly claiming to be out of the real estate business, local govt. continues to buy empty properties with no real purpose or long range effective usage plans. The "to be torn down" list is growing longer, and you could honestly level evey building in the former S Main business district without anyone missing anything. The Sorg Opera House has been allowed to become a disgrace, as has the Sorg Mansion. The list of bad real estate in that area is far too long to list.
I agree with the majority of Mr.Adkin's intent, however there are serious flaws in the areas mentioned above. As a community, we cannot allow some of these concepts to move forward. Ms.Moon and Mr.Presta have raised very serious topics that need to be forcefully and honestly addressed.
jmo
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Posted By: acclaro
Date Posted: Jan 30 2011 at 12:13pm
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The city may have an attorney running HUD and they will need him. This blatant and allegedly fraudulent manipulation and movement of intended Revitalization funds to Highland and the most prominent areas in Middletown is unacceptable, and frankly, fraudulent and a misuse of the guideline associated with it. The efforts and funding was in large part, to focus upon prevention of foreclosure and stabilization. Instead, city officials have used the capital to buy housing stock at low prices, run residents out, and pay back the close fans of city hall, through the quid pro quo network. The last straw for me was reading about the city's generous offer to buy paving equipment for residents who want to pay lump sum to have streets repaired or have the expense spread through taxation over time. This maneuver is muck akin to the unconstitutional violation of the Commerce Cause associated with Obama care. It is not constitutional because 60% may want to pay for asphalt as the city does not. Then we add in the discrimination policy. What makes Highland, Thorn Hill, northern Curryer a more deserving target than DaVinci, or any number of cul de sacs which also have nice homes? Mr. Adkins, this will not fly, be warned. This blatant misuse and turning the pineapple cake "upside down" as sj calls it, is an antithesis of the intent of the Recovery Act. It is severe malfeasance which has the markings of fraud and misappropriation. There are reporting mechanisms and specific guidelines associated with the Recovery Act, just as there are guidelines for reporting federal violations of Medicare and Medicaid, and waste through qui tam. Apparently it is asking any council member to reset the ordinance where funds were once dedicated to streets and infrastructures, in contrast to the now wonderful gift the city provides, through petitioning the fellow resident to have your street paved. This is the most of the fundamental of city responsibilities, with public safety, which the city is not performing. Putting this in perspective, this is almost six elections or greater, of council members who have made no attempt, to reset the clock and make funds dedicated to streets and repairs of infrastructure. Housing stock is a mess in Middletown. Who do you think benefits from the re-allocation of funds from what the Recovery Act was intended, to specifically targeted neighborhoods? Highlands, other wealthy areas, while other wealthy areas, and poor, have cracked streets, craters, and now white asphalt. Mike Presta and Vet stated "how can we follow the track of money misappropriated from the levy passed to 1.75%? That's an easy one. Pull up the city documents, calculate the annual amount te city received, and how much is applied annually to salaries of fire and police. The levy was written to solely support police/ fire wages. If it was diverted, it is a crime. Hamilton could not take a % of the MetroPark funding passes by the county, and use it for other purposes. What is the motivation behind Cincinnati State---is it truly saving The Manchester legacy, or about jobs? Same with PAC---is it about saving downtown, or is it about enhancing the value of the Highland Park area around Main? You know the answer. As Artlover states, "you have not only art, but blatant misappropriation of Recovery Act funds. Anyone tired of being told actions are "game-changer" when they border on malfeasance? |
Posted By: Vivian Moon
Date Posted: Jan 30 2011 at 1:42pm
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Gentlemen There is something terribly wrong when we need to take funds from the poor to fill the coffers of city hall. I believe we may be on the very edge of a discrimination suite. Therefore last Monday I requested a full and detailed accounting of all CDBG Funds from After these records are fully reviewed I will request a meeting with the City to give them the opportunity to answer any and all questionable uses for funding of projects under the HUD rules and regulations. We need hard facts and truthful answers. It is time for the City to answer these difficult questions and concerns of the citizens. |
Posted By: Vivian Moon
Date Posted: Mar 02 2011 at 1:23am
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