Community brainstorms on Rothenberg engagement process

Photo courtesy of Urban Ohio

Now that Rothenberg School will apparently be saved as a neighborhood school and community learning center, Over-the-Rhine residents and stakeholders are beginning to brainstorm on how to jumpstart the community engagement process.

A working group is being assembled that includes assistance from the Community Building Institute, with the goal of bringing together neighborhood and community council representatives, school staff, Rothenberg partners, parents and students to decide what types of programs should be offered in a renovated facility.

As a gauge of the community's reaction, the group is considering holding a "pep rally" to get people excited and informed about the project.

At a recent meeting, they also discussed:

* How the design process can be reconciled with the Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS) building "template"
* How to present information on the types of educational styles available and what would bring people back to the neighborhood school
* Whether or not surveys are a reliable way to gauge public opinion, given that many may be uninformed

The shift to a community-based facility will require residents and stakeholders to line up project partners to fund and implement the desired programs.

The working group and the resulting public meetings are a direct outgrowth the citizens' desire to save a neighborhood anchor.

The historic brick building at Main Street and Clifton Avenue (BIRD'S EYE) was originally scheduled for demolition and a rebuild, but CPS reconsidered after finding that the cost savings of such a move would be minimal.

The design process is scheduled to begin in April.

Renovation is expected to take about 18 months.

Previous reading on BC:
Peaslee to host meeting on Rothenberg (1/15/08)

EXTRA: BOOST! at Metaphor Flats

In the February 12 issue of Soapbox, I wrote about Jenny White's new meeting space BOOST!, located in Metaphor Flats at 538 Reading Road (BIRD'S EYE).

Though I missed her open house due to the inclement weather, she was nice enough to give me a tour last Friday.

The space exceeded my expectations and was well worth my drive through a near blizzard.

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OTR Part III: The Q Blogger Tour

I'm a little bit late in posting these, but here are my shots from the Q Blogger Tour on February 9.

A little over a dozen of us got an inside look at some of the projects from the Gateway Quarter's first two phases, including the Gateway Condos, Duncanson Lofts, Duveneck Flats and Centennial Row.

We also got to visit the construction site of Tridecka, a building at 13th and Vine being rehabbed by Urban Sites Properties.

The final few shots were taken through the window of a Downtown high-rise. I'll leave it to you to guess which one.

I would like to personally thank Holly and Michael Redmond, Jim Moll, and the rest of the people working at the Gateway Quarter information center for the brilliant idea for a tour, for accommodating us and our cameras, and for buying us lunch.

Thanks also go out to developers from Al Neyer, Inc., B2B Equities/NorthPointe Group, the Model Group, Over-the-Rhine Community Housing and Urban Sites Properties for taking time out of their day to show us around.

And thanks to the other local bloggers for their interest!

These photos have been added to a special gallery called "Q Blogger Tour 2008". This gallery and those for dozens of other neighborhoods can be found in the pull-down menu at the top of the right-hand column.

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Previous reading on BC:
Read about the Q Blogger Tour (2/11/08)