Posts tagged “events”

PHOTOS: A Look Back at Spring in the Queen City

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We have had an eventful spring at UrbanCincy. We’ve had our monthly URBANexchange events at Moerlein Lager House, we hosted the 2013 edition of Bikes+Brews, produced original videography and photography, and dozens of original stories.

Our annual Bikes+Brews ride on May 4 attracted our largest crowd yet and we traveled from Findlay Market through Over-the-Rhine, to Nicholson’s Pub in the Central Business District, across the Ohio River to Keystone Bar & Grill in Covington and The Elusive Cow Cafe in Bellevue, and then back across the river to Via Vite at Fountain Square.

Our URBANexchange events, meanwhile, continue to attract people who are new to Cincinnati and those that are interested in getting more involved with the growing urbanist movement in the Queen City. These events are smaller than the Bikes+Brews ride, but they tend to attract one to two dozen people to the biergarten at Moerlein Lager House. Hopefully we’ll see you at the next one on Wednesday, July 10 from 5:30pm to 8:30pm (come and go as you please).

With summer officially beginning this Friday, June 21, I thought it would be a good time to share 28 of my favorite photos from this spring. Enjoy!

Craft Beer Series Continues at Findlay Market This Weekend

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Elm Street Esplanade

Findlay Market is hosting a monthly craft beer series, focusing on local brewers, this summer at the OTR Biergarten.

The first weekend for the craft beer series took place in May and featured beer from MadTree Brewing Company. The next weekend for the series will occur this June 15-16, and will feature beers from Listerman/Triple Digit.

“Findlay Market is always trying to showcase anything and everything that has to do with ‘local’ Cincinnati,” explained Findlay Market’s public relations intern, Tanner Hinds. “We are a local, non-profit market and most of the business we delve into has some sort of local ties to Cincinnati or Over-the-Rhine.”

Other local brewers to be featured at the Craft Beer Series will include Blank Slate in July, Mt. Carmel in August, and Rivertown in September.

According to Hinds, featured brewers at the Craft Beer Series will be open from 11am to 5pm on Saturdays, and 12pm to 4pm on Sundays when there will also be live music.

In addition to the summer’s Craft Beer Series, the OTR Biergarten is open every weekend at the western entrance to the market house on the Elm Street Esplanade.

Findlay Market officials say that the event will take place every third week of the month until September when the season-long series will wrap up September 21-22.

URBANexchange Returns Tomorrow

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Summer is in full swing and what better way to enjoy it than to grab some beer, eat some pretzels and meet new friends! URBANexchange returns this Wednesday evening at 5:30pm at the Morelein Lager House for our fourth URBANexchange of the year. The event is located at the Lager House’s biergarten which overlooks the scenic Jacob G. Schmidlapp lawn in the Smale Riverfront Park.

URBANexchange

The goal of the URBANexchange gatherings is to maintain a monthly event where fellow urbanists can gather to discuss what’s going on in the city, and meet others with similar interests as their own.

The event is a casual way to unwind from the day and an opportunity to meet similar like minded people. There is no formal presentation or formal anything. And as always there is no cover charge for attending.

We encourage people to come out, bring some friends, and make some new ones.

“I’ve been to many of the events this year and its been a great way to meet new people and have great discussions,” said Andrew Stahlke, a frequent visitor to URBANexchange, “There’s a wide range of discussions and people from different backgrounds and all walks of life.”

As usual, we host a small raffle at the end with prizes. At this month’s event we’ll be giving away two gift certificates to the Morelein Lager House.

A percentage of all purchases at URBANexchange go to support the operations of the adjacent Smale Riverfront Park. We hope to see you there!!

Cincinnati Expands, Streamlines Mobile Food Vending Zone Program

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Last month Cincinnati City Council approved changes to the city’s Mobile Food Vending Program, which oversees food truck operators choosing to take advantage of mobile food vending zones throughout the city.

According to city officials, two new mobile food vending zones will be added in Over-the-Rhine. The changes were approved 8-1 by city council, with Councilmember Christopher Smitherman (I) casting the lone opposition vote.

The first is at Washington Park and will accommodate up to three food trucks at any given time. This location, officials say, will be open to mobile food vendors from 6am to 3pm, and will be open during evening hours based on agreements between the Cincinnati Center City Development Corporation (3CDC) and those vendors who are in the program.

Cincinnati Food Truck at Court Street

The second Over-the-Rhine location will be at Twelfth and Clay Streets, and is the result of much negotiation with nearby restaurants that had been wary of a mobile food vending zone near their establishments. This location will accommodate up to two food trucks at a time, and unlike the Washington Park zone, will allow vendors to operate between 6pm and 3:30am.

The new Over-the-Rhine mobile food vending zones add to the other six locations in place throughout the city. According to Councilmember Laure Quinlivan (D), who first proposed legislation to create the mobile food vending program in 2010, those who would like to see mobile food vending zones established elsewhere throughout the city can contact her office at laure.quinlivan@cincinnati-oh.gov.

City officials say that all of the following official mobile food vending zones are open seven days a week, and are available to operators with mobile food vending licenses on a first come, first serve basis.

  • 12th/Clay Streets (6pm to 3:30am)
  • Court Street Market (6am -3pm)
  • Fountain Square/North Vine Street (6pm-3:30am)
  • Fountain Square/North Fifth Street (6am to 3:30am)
  • Fountain Square/South Fifth Street (6am to 3:30am)
  • Purple People Bridge (6am to 3:30am)
  • University Hospital (6am to 3:30am)
  • Washington Park zone (6am to 3pm)

“If you have additional mobile food vending zones you’d like to see created, please contact me to learn how to get it done,” Quinlivan stated. “The bottom line is that you need to get support for the new zone from nearby property owners.”

Cincinnati Food Truck Zones

Food truck operators interested in getting a mobile food vending license will not see their annual fees change from the current $600 for a six-month license or $1,000 for a full year. But, according to city officials, they will now apply through the Cincinnati Health Department in an effort to streamline the application and licensing process since the health department also must issue a health license for the food trucks.

Other approved changes include the elimination of the non-refundable $25 application fee, and structural changes for the mobile food vendor zone at the foot of the Purple People Bridge to allow for more consistent space availability for food truck operators.

Due to the court-issued restraining order on the City of Cincinnati, the changes could not take effect immediately, and will finally go into effect this Friday, May 17 following the required 30-day waiting period.

To celebrate, the Cincinnati Food Truck Association, Quinlivan and community leaders will gather at Washington Park this Friday at 11:30am to celebrate the new food truck zones.

“I’m excited our program has created jobs and livened up city streets,” Quinlivan stated. “I’m told we now have 28 mobile food trucks in Cincinnati and we hope all of them participate in our program.”

Cincinnati’s Recommended Budget Calls for 201 Layoffs, Program Eliminations

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Cincinnati City Manager Milton Dohoney released his recommended budget that makes a large number of cuts to fill the $35 million budget gap left behind following the State of Ohio’s reduction of $26 million in funding to the City of Cincinnati.

The original budget proposal from Dohoney included $25.8 million from an upfront payment included in the parking lease and modernization plan, which would have also included $3 million in annual payments thereafter. This proposal was approved 5-4 by City Council, but was put on hold by a local court until opponents were able to file petitions and get the proposal put on this November’s ballot for public vote.

“Though a legal victory is being vigorously pursued, the ultimate resolution is not assured in time to affect what must be in place by June 1 to take effect July 1, 2013,” Dohoney explained. “Should a final legal victory be realized after July 1, the Administration would presume to move expeditiously to reverse some of the impacts of the cuts contained within the recommended budget.”

Cincinnati Mounted Patrol
Cincinnati’s mounted patrol would be cut entirely if City Council passes the recommended budget. Photograph by Randy Simes for UrbanCincy.

The end result of these cuts includes the elimination of 66 police officers, 71 fire fighters, 64 city employees, and the elimination of 60 vacant positions. The recommended budget will also eliminate funding for the following items:

  • Greater Cincinnati Energy Alliance ($150,000)
  • Urban Agricultural Program ($65,000)
  • Heritage Events Subsidy – Opening Day Parade, St. Patrick’s Day Parade, Black Family Reunion, Juneteenth ($36,000)
  • Camp Washington, Fairview, Filson, Spring Grove Village, and Ziegler Pools ($167,650)
  • Bush Recreation Center in Walnut Hills ($127,710)
  • Energy Management Program ($100,010)
  • Mounted Patrol ($95,000)
  • Community Prosecution Program ($83,857)
  • Delinquent Accounts/Receivables Program ($75,460)
  • Claims Program ($55,680)
  • Tire Collection Program ($30,880)

In addition to the elimination of these programs, no funding is budgeted for either 2014 or 2015 as a result of limited General Fund resources.

Furloughs for City Management staff will also take place, and the City of Cincinnati would also use a larger amount of projected casino revenues to balance this budget, even though Dohoney has recommended against that in the past due to the unpredictability of these funds.

“While balancing a budget deficit with mostly cuts is not preferred, the timing of the new fiscal year coupled with the timing of the litigation over the parking deal makes it the only real option with a number this large,” Dohoney stated in a prepared release. “Our goal is going to be to recall staff as soon as possible and provide the best customer service we can deliver for the citizens in the meantime.”

A number of other measures are taken in the recommended budget to help close the budget gap, but the large amount of savings is realized through personnel layoffs. Dohoney has also recommended that the property tax millage increase from 5.7 mills to its maximum allowed 6.1 mills to raise an additional $1.3 million annually.

To help engage the public in this budget process, Cincinnati Vice Mayor Roxanne Qualls (C) has scheduled three public hearings. The first will take place at the Duke Energy Convention Center on Thursday, May 16 at 6:30pm, the second will occur on Monday, May 20 at 6:30pm at the College Hill Recreation Center, and the final meeting will take place at the Madisonville Recreation Center on Wednesday, May 22 at 6:30pm.

“My priority for the FY 2014 city operating budget is to make sure that all Cincinnati’s neighborhoods are safe and that we continue to attack blight that breeds crime,” Qualls stated. “As chair of the Budget and Finance Committee I will work to further reduce the number of layoffs for police, fire and health department personnel, to ensure that we keep all our neighborhoods safe and clean.”

Via Vite to Open New Rooftop Piazza Today

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Via Vite PiazzaVia Vite will host a grand opening party for their new rooftop bar and dining space overlooking Fountain Square. The new space, referred to as a piazza, features an outdoor bar and unobstructed views of Fountain Square and video board.

The piazza will naturally expand the outdoor dining options Via Vite has been adding in between its main entrance and the Fountain Square Garage headhouse, and follows the same general design concepts used on the existing Via Vite structure.

Managers say that the new space can handle approximately 40 to 50 people, and guests will be able to get both drinks and light food served there. Management also says that the piazza can be reserved for special events.

Via Vite opened in 2007 following the $49 million renovation of Fountain Square and its underground garage.

The restaurant sits directly above the parking garage entrance along Vine Street, and was opened by the son of Nicola Pietoso who continues to run the acclaimed Nicola’s Ristorante Italiano in Over-the-Rhine.

This Month’s URBANexchange to Take Place Tomorrow Evening

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photo (3)

The biergarten doors will swing open this Wednesday evening at 5:30pm at the Morelein Lager House for our third URBANexchange of the year.

The goal of the URBANexchange gatherings is to maintain a monthly event where fellow urbanists can gather to discuss what’s going on in the city, and meet others with similar interests as their own.

The event is a casual way to unwind from the day and an opportunity to meet similar like minded people. There is no formal presentation or formal anything. And as always there is no cover charge for attending.

We encourage people to come out, bring some friends, and make some new ones.

“Its exciting to see newcomers at these URBANexchanges because they frequently come not knowing anyone and make some great connections with some of our more regular attendees,” noted Randy Simes, founder of URBANexchange. “I take every chance I get to come to event and I am very impressed with the way it has been able to bring people together and foster the exchange of different ideas about Cincinnati.”

At this month’s event we’ll be giving away two signed copies of James Jenkins’ Photography for the People coffee table book. The book, which is part of a limited series of 100 copies on first printing, features many stunning and vivid color photographs of downtown and Over-the-Rhine. Mr. Jenkins’ will also attend on Wednesday to discuss his book and other topics.

A percentage of all purchases at URBANexchange go to support the operations of the adjacent Smale Riverfront Park. We hope to see you there!!