Month: September 2010

Categories
News Politics

Cincinnati to take part in fifth annual international PARK[ing] Day

The third Friday in September marks the 5th annual Park[ing] Day, celebrated across the globe. From San Francisco to San Juan and in between, people will be taking over ordinary parking spaces to demonstrate the need for more public space in cities.

PARK[ing] Day started as a collaborative art project with the group REBAR in San Francisco. What was one group’s side project has turned into a global phenomenon, as people across the continents have teamed up to take back the asphalt, if only for one day.

According to the group’s website, “The mission of PARK[ing] Day is to call attention to the need for more urban open space, to generate critical debate around how public space is created and allocated, and to improve the quality of urban human habitat … at least until the meter runs out!”

PARK[ing] Day has since been adapted and remixed to address a variety of social issues in diverse urban contexts around the world, and the project continues to expand to include interventions and experiments well beyond the basic “tree-bench-sod” park typology first modeled by REBAR.

In recent years, participants have built free health clinics, planted temporary urban farms, produced ecology demonstrations, held political seminars, built art installations, opened free bike repair shops and even held a wedding ceremony! All this in the context of this most modest urban territory – the metered parking space.

Cincinnati has participated in the movement for the past four years with community members setting up in the Central Business District, Over-the-Rhine, and Uptown neighborhoods. These Cincinnatians have taken the few basic guidelines for PARK[ing] Day to create an open-source project and creation completely of their own making.

Last year UrbanCincy was on the scene as several parking spaces throughout Over-the-Rhine were transformed. UrbanCincy will once again be back this year with its own space (or two) outside of Park+Vine (map) from 10am to 4pm.  I hope you will come and join me at our little community space.

Cafe de Wheels will be just down the road at Court and Vine streets offering a free beverage, with the rest of their purchase, to those who mention PARK[ing] Day.  Get your food there and then bring it up to our urban oasis where we will have a couple tables, chairs, and more.  Plus at the end of the day, you can keep the fun going by helping Park+Vine move to their new location on Main Street at 6pm.

Categories
Business News Transportation

ArtWorks looking to secure sponsors for final nine Queen City Art Racks

After installing the first Queen City Art Rack in May 2010, ArtWorks is in the process of securing sponsors for the remaining 14 artist-designed bike racks they hope to have installed around Cincinnati by May 2011 to coincide with National Bike Month and ArtWorks’ 15th Anniversary.

ArtWorks executive director Tamara Harkavy said that the non-profit organization has now secured enough sponsors to fund six of those remaining bike racks which cost approximately $7,500 each. The additional money came through sponsorships by Kroger, the Duke Energy Convention Center, Truepoint Financial, Pantene, and Clairol.

The organization plans to install these recently funded bike racks in Northside, Price Hill and Hyde Park Kroger stores, and two locations in downtown Cincinnati. All of the rack locations are being determined based on the needs identified in the city-wide Bicycle Master Plan.

“We are excited about the early support of the Queen City Art Racks program,” said Harkavy. “We have at least nine more funding opportunities along with a number of creative proposals from artists, and we are now looking to close the funding phase and move to the creation phase of the project.”

Project officials at ArtWorks say that the designs for these bike racks will not be developed until December 2010 when they have finalized all fund raising efforts with potential sponsors.

In May, the first Queen City Art Rack was celebrated outside of Coffee Emporium in Over-the-Rhine where it was installed. Named Tours de Cincy, the first rack was designed by Pam Kravetz, Carla Lamb, and Karen Sanders. It was fabricated by Cincinnati-based Vulkane Industrial Arts, and sponsored by the NLT Foundation.

Those interested in sponsoring one of the additional nine racks needing funding can contact Michael Stout at ArtWorks by phone at (513) 333-0388 or email at Michael@ArtWorksCincinnati.org. All sponsorships must be submitted by Thursday, September 30.

Categories
Arts & Entertainment Business News

Neighborhood-wide home tour to showcase Price Hill’s comeback story

West side residents and community leaders are gearing up for the fall Price Hill Showcase of Homes that will take place on Saturday, September 18 from 11am to 3pm. The neighborhood-wide open house will include close to four dozen homes that highlight what the historic neighborhood has to offer.

Matt Strauss, director of Marketing and Neighborhood Promotion at Price Hill Will, says that this will be the neighborhood’s first showcase of homes since the end of the first-time home buyer tax credit. At the same time, Strauss is excited to show off what Price Hill has to offer in the new real estate landscape that is emerging nationwide.

One of the homes on this year’s tour is located at 918 Elberon Avenue, and homeowner Lorain Mendleson says that she and her husband will look back on their eight years living there fondly.

“The neighborhood has a variety of architectural styles, including some beautiful churches, and it is great to have such a close proximity to downtown and several bus lines,” Mendleson explained. “We’ve been able to walk to the library, grocery store, convenience store, and the Corner BLOC coffee shop.”

The Mendlesons say that as their family has matured that they no longer need the space their 105-year-old house currently provides. They believe that whoever ends up buying their home could take advantage of its space by potentially renting out the first floor while still keeping a three-bedroom house for themselves upstairs. The couple also believes that the next owners will be able to take advantage of the positive momentum the neighborhood is experiencing.

“In the eight years we’ve lived here, this street has greatly improved. When we moved in there were several abandoned houses, and now most have been renovated and occupied,” Mendleson stated. “People wave and say hello to each other, and it’s easy to get involved and invested in this community. It is going to be difficult to move away.”

Much of that progress the couple attributes to the hard work of organizations like Price Hill Will and the East Price Hill Improvement Association, saying that they do not know where the neighborhood would be today without their tireless work.

Those attending the Price Hill Showcase of Homes are encouraged to stop by the Price Hill Housing Resource Center at 3724 St. Lawrence Avenue to pick up a map of participating homes. Organizers state that refreshments will also be available at the office. For more information, please contact Matt Strauss at (513) 251-3800 or Matt@PriceHillWill.org.

Categories
Business News

FUEL Cincinnati to provide technical assistance and funding for creative young professionals

On Thursday, September 16, Give Back Cincinnati will host an event to showcase Cincinnati’s newest young professional retention tool called FUEL Cincinnati. FUEL provides technical assistance, volunteers, capital funds, and directional assistance to individuals who are looking for the means to start a new business in Cincinnati.

FUEL is a program of Give Back Cincinnati, which uses a diverse set of resources to enhance neighborhoods through the use of volunteers and leadership development. They are the region’s largest young professional organization.

Thursday’s event lasts from 6pm to 8pm at Northside Tavern, and is free and open to the public.  Reservations are appreciated due to limited space and can be made online. The event will discuss new ideas for the region, will describe the types of programs that FUEL seeks to fund, and will provide insight about how to apply. The event will also feature the opportunity to submit ideas for a $1,000 grant. Free appetizers and drink specials will be available.

Northside Tavern (map) is located in the highly accessible Northside neighborhood. Plenty of on- and off-street parking is available. Northside is served by several bus lines (plan your trip), and was the first neighborhood in the city to install free, on-street bicycle parking in addition to the many bicycle racks found along the neighborhood’s sidewalks.

Read more about FUEL Cincinnati in this week’s issue of Soapbox.

Categories
News Transportation

Metro announces winners of “Tell Your Story” contest

Metro officials have announced the winners of their Tell Your Story contest that asked Metro riders to share their stories about how transit benefits their lives and their community in terms of jobs, the environment, energy independence, and overall quality of life. The transit agency narrowed down the many entries to five finalists for the written and video entries, then opened the contest to public voting which determined the winners of each category.

After hundreds of votes were cast, Teresa Roush of Wilmington and Travis Theiss of Hamilton respectively won the written and video contests. According to Metro officials, both individuals won a year of free rides on Metro and will be featured in the transit agency’s advertising this fall.

Roush’s written entry described her five-day-a-week commute on the 71X from Kings Island to downtown Cincinnati and back. In her story Roush highlighted how she is able to use her time effectively by knitting afghans that she donates to a children’s charity in Clinton County.

Meanwhile, in Theiss’ video entry filmed at the Taste of Cincinnati he described how he uses Metro as an opportunity to catch up on sleep, and he explained how his Metro bus route provides him with easy access to work while also providing a time to take a nap.

“I just gave it a shot and thought it would hopefully entertain people, and I was glad I could share my feelings that Metro is a great option for transportation,” said Theiss of his video entry.

Metro also awarded 96-year-old William Kenny a year of free rides on Metro for his written story on August 21. In his entry Kenny described how he uses Metro to get to and from the Over-the-Rhine soup kitchen where he volunteers five days a week. It is also believed that Kenny is Metro’s oldest regular rider.