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)

Peaslee to host meeting on Rothenberg

Over-the-Rhine residents and stakeholders will meet this evening in an effort to save the current Rothenberg School for use as a community learning center.

The community engagement session, to be held at 5 PM at the Peaslee Neighborhood Center, is an opportunity for neighborhood residents to give their input into the kinds of uses and programs they would like to see in the center.

The idea is to create a building that is useful to every neighborhood resident, while maintaining a neighborhood school that could help make the area more attractive for young families.

In September, state architects revised their construction cost estimates and determined that it would be cheaper to tear down Rothenberg and replace it with a brand new structure on the same site at Main Street and Clifton Avenue (BIRD'S EYE).

However, a little-publicized Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS) memo in November noted that the costs to maintain an empty Westwood School outweighed any savings they would gain by building a new school there, possibly opening the door for reconsideration of the Over-the-Rhine anchor.

If CPS opts to renovate Rothenberg, a neighborhood group will be formed to explore ideas from the engagement sessions.

The group will then assemble project partners to help fund and implement the chosen programs, and it would take approximately 18 months for renovation work to begin.

This is the third meeting in the effort to save Rothenberg - the first two being purely exploratory - and is the direct result of neighborhood pressure on the CPS board.

The Community Building Institute has been brought in to collaborate on the effort, with executive director Liz Blume acting as facilitator.

More meetings are planned for the future, but no dates have been announced.

Representatives of the neighborhood will also be making a presentation on how the building can be renovated at the CPS board meeting on January 28.

The renovation has the full support of City Council, having been made official by a resolution passed at its October 24 meeting.

The massive landmark has been a neighborhood anchor since it was built between 1911 and 1914.

Aside from establishing a sense of pride in the neighborhood, Over-the-Rhine resident Mary Anne Berry, who is helping to spread information about the effort, believes saving the building will help people establish roots in the community.

"The building is part of the historical heritage of our community," Berry said. "We need to teach children our heritage and our history. What better place to do that than this building."