Updated: 1:22 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 28, 2010 | Posted: 1:21 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 28, 2010

City has high hopes for revitalization projects

Art center and Cincinnati State branch campus take more feasible approach, says mayor.

By  http://www.journal-news.com/staff/jessica-heffner/" rel="nofollow - Staff Writer

    MIDDLETOWN — Walking the main drag of Central Avenue through the center of downtown, counting the 37 vacant storefronts that line the street, it’s hard to imagine Middletown is on its way up.

    Many can still remember when you couldn’t drive down that main drag because city officials had spent $2.6 million to create a walkway and canopy for the City Centre Mall. Resident Hugh Kindwell, 70, while strolling the sidewalks in front of the now-defunct mall stores, said he doesn’t remember a lot of people being negative about the mall in 1973 when it broke ground.

    “I think people thought it would help bring people down here,” he said. “And it did bring some — just not enough.”

    So when Kindwell said he heard about plans for the city to open a new art center and possibly a new college branch campus, his interest was tainted with skepticism of the past.

    “I hope they can do it. I hope it’s not another City Centre Mall,” he said.

    Despite ongoing economic problems, downtown has seen its share of action in 2010 with the city spending roughly $1.9 million on various renovation and revitalization projects. Some of those projects include razing several old buildings in hopes of future development, the signing of the final contract for Pendleton Art Center to open a new studio on Broad Street and negotiations with Cincinnati State Technical and Community College to open a new branch campus.

    “I think the biggest difference this go-round is we have partners coming to the table,” Mayor Larry Mulligan said. “It was strictly the city’s idea for a mall. This time we aren’t the only party.”

    And while he said the city could have opened its own art or education center, it is instead partnering with institutions that have a track record of success and can operate the programs.

    “We are encouraging and doing some planning to shake things up,” Mulligan said.       
“That is the role the government should play. It is not a developer.”

    Local historian Sam Ashworth said he feels the new projects coming to downtown are not so much trying to change the city’s identity as actually creating one for its downtown.

“This is different than the past because we aren’t really turning it into anything else. For many years, it hasn’t been anything,” he said.

Is the city turning a corner?   
    City officials have plans in the works to turn things around downtown. But are the plans enough to revitalize an area that has struggled for more than 30 years? That’s the question on everybody’s minds.

    Ann Mort said she moved to Middletown 40 years ago because of its schools and the promise it held for her family. Since then, she has lived through some of its low points, such as Lake Middletown and the end of the City Centre Mall. All through that time she said she has never given up hope on the city she calls home, but she has also never felt so optimistic.

    “I am very encouraged by all the action. There are a lot of little things happening and a lot of big things,” she said. “Sometimes things don’t work out the way we intend, but you pick up and go in another direction.”

    Projects that have especially piqued her interest are the new $7.4 million Greentree Health Science Academy and preliminary plans by Cincinnati State Technical and Community College to move a new branch campus downtown. Mort said she thinks the city is finally taking advantage of its strategic position between Dayton and Cincinnati to bring in new business.

    “It’s a new world,” she said. “Lots of things are different and it’s a bigger world out there than we saw in the past,” Mort said.

Why save downtown?

    Since the 1970s, city officials have chased project after project in an attempt to revitalize downtown. Much focus and development recently has centered on Middletown’s East End near Interstate 75, but Economic Development Director Mike Robinette said downtown is also very marketable and worth saving.

    “I think the perception is it is dead and that some people even question why we are trying to save it, but if you look objectively at the assets of our downtown and compare those to (other) downtowns, I would say the opposite is true,” Robinette said.

    The historic significance tied to downtown coupled by the nearby South Main Street Historic District is a draw for many residents. It has buildings that can be renovated — which Robinette said can equate to cost-savings when compared to constructing new in the East End. Those businesses that are drawn to downtown are not as dependent on highway access, either, and would not have as much franchise, big box competition.

    “I don’t see (downtown and the East End) competing against each other... and we’re lucky to be able to supply such two distinct opportunities for business.”

Money vs. risk

    Kris Allen, 28, said she was born in Middletown and can only remember its downtown with the City Centre Mall and watching the roof come down in the new millennium. It’s a place she only comes to now to pay the occasional late water bill.

    “I don’t care what they do, really, but I think the city should stop spending money,” Allen said. “If people want to come here, great. But they should use their own money at least for projects, not taxpayers’ money.”

    For its two major downtown projects announced in 2010, the city has promised up to $450,000 in loans and grants to the Pendleton Art Center and up to $500,000 to buy five buildings for the Cincinnati State campus.

    Robinette said both of these projects hold some form of risk to the city, but the benefits outweigh it. Having partners with knowledge and experience to make the projects happen will help downtown’s success as well.

    “In my experience finding key partners to work with to move these different initiatives forward is what makes this progress happen,” he said.

Learning and losing

    While Robinette said he believes the city is not repeating its mistakes of the past, he hopes Middletown learns from those mistakes.

    “I think you work on the issues of your project and pay attention to the criticisms, but don’t lose focus on what you have accomplished,” he said. “It would be a mistake to ignore the criticism completely because the critics may raise issues you haven’t thought of.”

    One project Middletown may lose in 2011 is a stop on the 3C Corridor passenger rail line. Preliminary plans had the city listed as a possible stop; however, Gov.-elect John Kasich said he plans to kill the project.

    City officials recently exchanged property with Duncan Oil Company to obtain the former Shamrock fuel station and Office Outfitters sites for possible development for the 3C rail stop. Duncan Oil is developing land on the other side of Central Avenue previously owned by the city for a new service station and convenience center.

    Robinette said that deal was never dependent on the train project and is still viable for other uses.

    “We’re not holding the bag on the 3C project,” he said. “It was a bigger win with the 3C, but (the Duncan Oil project) will generate jobs and other investment we wouldn’t have gotten with the way it was before.”

No singular savior

    City officials said they recognize none of the city’s current projects — including those outside the downtown — will singularly “save” a city that has struggled with various economic issues, some of which date back long before the national recession.

    Robinette said every project the city has scored this year has helped. Marketing those successes and what Middletown still has to offer is what Robinette said is needed to keep the momentum going in the coming years.

   “There isn’t a ‘most important thing’ because I have never believed that you make progress in communities ... that have had struggles in the recent past on one item alone,” he said. “But I think there are a number of reasons to be optimistic.”

    Cincinnati State is still arranging a financial agreement with the city to renovate several downtown buildings and the Manchester Inn before it will commit to opening a new campus.

    At a recent board of trustees meeting, school President O’dell Owens said the project could help transform both the college and the city, but made it clear Cincinnati State would not be the sole bearer of Middletown’s fortunes.

    “I think every opportunity has possible downsides, obviously,” said Trustee Cathy Crain after Owens’ remarks at the trustees meeting Nov. 23. “As long as we are going into this because it is the best thing for the school. ... I think that would be a better process than to think we are turning Middletown around. We are not, but we will be one of the pegs that is doing that.”

    Mayor Larry Mulligan said efforts to revitalize downtown also don’t center on economic development alone. Much time has been spent enforcing building and sign codes, repairing roads, fixing up and removing dilapidated structures and partnering with area schools to improve educational opportunities. It’s all connected to the city’s success.

    “We’ve always said it never happens overnight. We have many years to go yet, but we are preparing to turn a corner, and hopefully, we see this development take hold,” he said.

Middletown Journal
Updated: 9:02 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 21, 2010 | Posted: 9:01 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 21, 2010

Pendleton Art Center project experiences delays

By Eric Robinette and Jessica Heffner and Hannah Poturalski

Staff Writer Staff Writers

    MIDDLETOWN — The Pendleton Arts Center plans to open its doors on Saturday, but the doors are all that will open for now.

    Jim Verdin, the founder of the center, said late last week that he plans to have the building open during TV Middletown’s Home for the Holidays Santa Parade at 5 p.m. that day.

    “I’m still working with the city on the final documents. They should be settled probably (this) week,” Verdin said.

    During the parade, the buidling at 7 N. Broad St. would have its “doors open with sort of the spaces put in so people can look at the size of the spaces. We’ll be in the building showing people the plans and how it’s going,” Verdin said.

    Verdin previously said he planned to have the building open in November, but that the permit process with the city took longer than he thought it would.

   “There’s not an issue. There’s just a lot of people involved,” he said.

    Little renovation has been performed on the building, though the city has remediated some mold and abestos issues, said Mike Robinette, Middletown economic development director.

    “Things are still moving forward. I think ideally we would have liked to be open by Thanksgiving but that was never a firm date,” Robinette said.

    Gathering estimates for the renovations needed for the future art center, which is in the old Armco building, also have taken longer than expected. However, Robinette said the work should be able to be completed within the limitations of the funds being provided for the project.

    The city is providing a $200,000 loan to the Pendletown Art Center for interior improvements through the money comes from an Urban Development Action Grant. That loan would be forgivable after 10 years of PAC operation. The city also will spend about $250,000 on repairs using money from the Downtown Improvement Fund.

    While these details were approved by City Council in August, the final agreement between Verdin and the city will be signed today, Robinette said.

    Also complicating matters was the project to adorn the exterior of the building with 200 car hoods, in a sculpture that will be designed to catch nationwide attention and tie into the city’s roots as a steel town. Finalizing those plans also has stalled the opening, which will now take place early in 2011, but there’s no targeted date. Ken Cohen of Cohen Brothers Inc., a Middletown-based scrap processing company, is procuring the hoods, Verdin said,

    “It just takes time. Everybody’s still enthusiastic about doing it and everybody wants to do it right ... I don’t know that we’ll have a date until we get settled with the city,” said Verdin.

Staff Writer Jessica Heffner contributed to this report.

Middletown Journal
Updated: 12:26 a.m. Saturday, June 5, 2010 | Posted: 12:25 a.m. Saturday, June 5, 2010

Downtown parking garage demolition work to start

Former Swallens building also coming down

By  http://www.journal-news.com/staff/jessica-heffner/" rel="nofollow - Staff Writer

    MIDDLETOWN — The garage in downtown Middletown may not have been pretty, but for Samuel Davidson it was a place to park.

    “It’s convenient to get to any place downtown. But I can understand taking it down,” he said while pointing to a chunk of concrete in a parking spot inside the garage. “It’s not safe.”

    June 4 was the last day for residents to use the parking garage as the city plans to demolish the structure along with the former Swallens building beginning Monday, June 7.

    Davidson was the driver of one of about 50 cars parked inside of the garage during its last day. The vehicles inside were as varied as a Honda Civic with a missing fender and mismatched hood to a red Chevrolet Corvette. Any cars left inside the structure will be issued a notice to move. Those still in the building next week will be towed, said Rob Nicolls, senior engineer for Middletown.

    Work will begin with perimeter fencing being installed and some asbestos removal. The right lane of southbound Verity Parkway will be closed in front of the Swallens building for about a month while it is taken down. Debris will be pulled inward as it is torn down to prevent having to close more roadways, Nicolls said.

    “There’s no doubt it will be tight, but we don’t feel there will be any problems with that,” he said.

    While the city had billed removing the garage and Swallens building as a cost-saving measure — about $90,000 is expended annually to keep the garage open — local Realtor Walter Leap said the entire measure would be unnecessary if officials had properly marketed the property.

    “They never put the (Swallens building) up for sale or put a price on it,” Leap said. “They could put it on the market with a legitimate broker and let it sell... but they are really concerned about not having ultimate control.”

    The demolition, which city officials estimate will cost about $950,000, should be finished by July 30, said City Manager Judy Gilleland.

Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2843 or jheffner@coxohio.com.

Garage costs

Breakdown estimate of annual garage maintenance costs:

$77,000 for utilities

$13,000 for maintenance

$5,000 for property and liability insurance

$400 for taxes

Middletown Journal
Updated: 1:59 p.m. Saturday, June 16, 2012 | Posted: 1:58 p.m. Saturday, June 16, 2012

The man behind the stained glass

BeauVerre Riordan Studios teaches art at its workshops.

By Pamela Dillon

Contributing Writer

    When your business is the oldest of its kind in the nation, you have a distinct reputation to uphold. Jay and Linda Moorman do a fine job of that. They own BeauVerre Riordan Stained Glass Studios at the corner of Central Avenue and Broad Street in Middletown.

    When you have a passion for what you do, success comes easy.

    “I was in my 20s, and Cincinnati was known for its stained glass. I tried to buy it because I thought it was beautiful, but could never afford it,” said Jay Moorman, 64. “So I asked a friend of mine to teach me how to do it. It quickly became an addiction.”

    He worked for General Electric by day and spent his off hours consumed with his new passion — stained glass. His mentor was Walter Bambach of Riordan Studios in Cincinnati. Twenty-nine years ago, Moorman was able to devote full time to his creative endeavors when he received a $500,000 commission to create windows for an Islamic Center.

    In 2002, Bambach sold Riordan to the Moormans, who operated BeauVerre Studio at the time. They only had 3,300 square feet of space in Middletown; it was time to move. Luckily, the city of Middletown was trying to unload a three-story building seven miles away that was becoming a prominent eyesore downtown. The Moormans snatched it up for $100.

    “The refurbishing had to be done within a year; we barely made it. We had to move 80,000 pounds of glass,” Moorman said.

    For their hard work, they now have an expansive, 24,000 square-foot space, comprised of three levels, plus a basement. The BeauVerre Riordan Stained Glass Studio includes many tenants: artists, photographers, a dance studio and a frame shop. The culture-minded couple also purchased the Pendleton Art Center across the street. Eighty artists hold exhibits there during the First Friday of the month.

    “We try to do everything art related for the studio,” Moorman said.

    They are deviating from that formula somewhat; an upscale restaurant is planned for the first floor. They hope to have it open by September.

    “They can come in and get a steak and some crabmeat, a glass of wine and then take a tour of the studio,” Moorman said.

    The stained-glass workshops that were held on the first floor will now be moved to a spacious room in the basement. The next six-week class session will begin July 14.

Contact contributing writer Pamela Dillon at pamdillon@woh.rr.com.

Stained-glass workshops

Where: BeauVerre Riordan Stained Glass, 1054 Central Ave., Middletown

Next session: 10 a.m. to noon Saturdays beginning July 14

Cost: $60 class fee, plus beginners kit: $133 or deluxe kit: $191

More info: (513) 425-7312 or www.beauverre.net

Middletown Journal
Updated: 3:03 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13, 2009 | Posted: 3:02 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13, 2009

Adriane Scherrer: Heritage Ohio or Woolpert? Please participate

    I remember when Heritage Ohio/Downtown Ohio came to the Manchester Inn and facilitated a day-long workshop in 2007. During the workshop, we learned of their suggestions for downtown revitalization, as well as the details of their highly successful national program.

    There were 80-plus community leaders, members, etc., who participated. It was called a DART (District Assessment Revitalization Team) visit. We learned that once a community is accepted into their program, it is termed a “Main Street” program, no matter the names of the actual streets you plan to revitalize.

    Since then, too much water has gone under and over the bridge. The energy we had, as we formed our required committees, has been lost. While largely completed, the benchmarks we strove to meet — to become one of their programs — currently sits untouched, with no support for implementation.

    Why? Well, among other reasons, the DART presenter warned us that day of the CAVEMEN (Citizens Against Virtually Everything). It appears CAVE persons are alive and hanging out in Middletown, much as they are in all the towns Heritage Ohio assists.

    For me, the best prospects for the success of Main Street programs are their well-known history, the benchmarks you must meet to remain in the program, and the fact that renovation consulting is the only thing they do. Therefore, they do it well.

    Their success makes bank loans and grant acquisitions easier, as the lenders know they will not “send good money after bad.” Tried and successful programs with benchmarks make banks more comfortable than new concepts.

    The structure of Heritage Ohio/Downtown Ohio does this work, not just in Ohio, but nationally. We Can – Business Incubator Inc. has remained a member of their organization for many years, and we have attended many of their wonderful and helpful workshops. We also nominated the Sorg Mansion for one of their awards, and they won! Their committee has not yet confirmed the extent of the assistance for renovation to be provided to the owners of the Sorg.

    Now it appears we have a strategic plan, which has suggested many of the same steps as the Main Street program. This plan, written by Woolpert Associates, was paid for and endorsed by city government and perhaps the Community Foundation. (Main Street program history warns against having the government entity, from which you must acquire permits, licenses, etc., as plan leaders.)

    There also is a lot of support for United Way’s Place Matters initiative. All are tied together by a new entity led by Miami University Middletown, called the Community Building Institute.

    On Nov. 5, the final meeting — presenting the plan — was conducted at Miami University Middletown. While I was unable to attend, and I do not have any idea the response they received, it is clear that we need the original 80 DART attendees to get behind this collaborative initiative. Not because it will take us back to the Main Street structure, but because this program moving forward is better than none at all. Eighty-plus supporters to learn of the new concept will give us a foundation.

    Go online, ask around and check the city’s Web site. See where your interests can fit.

Adriane Scherrer is CEO of the We Can — Business Incubator Inc. in Middletown.

Middletown Journal
Updated: 12:34 a.m. Monday, April 5, 2010 | Posted: 12:33 a.m. Monday, April 5, 2010

Land swap issue noticeably absent from council agenda

Cabinet company still hoping for deal

By  http://www.journal-news.com/staff/ryan-gauthier/" rel="nofollow - Staff Writer

    MIDDLETOWN — A controversial land swap that would have seen the city pay $95,000 to secure the former Middletown Antique Mall is on hold for the time being.

The deal would have seen the city purchase the former mall, 1607 Central Ave., for $90,000 and then turn around to trade that land with Midd-Town Custom Cabinets for its property at 1316 Vail Ave. The city would have also provided Midd-Town Custom Cabinets with $5,000 to help cover their moving expenses.

    The city council was set to hold a second reading on an ordinance approving the land swap at its Tuesday, April 6 meeting, but the legislation did not make the final council agenda.

    Economic Development Director Mike Robinette said the land swap was pulled from the agenda while staff “works on some alternatives for the project.”

    “We’re trying to look at alternatives that would allow them to move forward with the project they’re wanting to do, but not have us involved in the land swap,” Robinette said.

The city became involved in the deal mainly over tax issues, Robinette said, as Midd-Town Custom Cabinets initiated swap conversations in an effort to avoid paying up to $15,000 in capital gains taxes.

    Midd-Town Custom Cabinets, co-owned by Jeff Brown and Don Kennedy, is responsible for carpentry inside of numerous local businesses, including the Middletown Public Library, Java Johnny’s and the now-closed 56 Degrees Wine Bistro.

    Kennedy said the deal has always been “designed to save the city money.”

    “Rather than paying $15,000 in taxes and passing that along to the city in our sale price, we figured we could just do an exchange,” Kennedy said. “It was an even deal as far as we were concerned.”

    Council raised questions about the swap when it came to light the current owner of the Central Avenue property had purchased it for $50,000 mere weeks before the deal was proposed. Kennedy dismissed claims the proposed swap was a “good old deal,” as he said his business is eating the $40,000 loss, not the city.

    “We were in talks with the bank to purchase the land, but (Daniel) Diver made a bid on it and had already been approved,” Kennedy said. “I was two weeks too late in planning this. I pretty much cried my heart out.”

    Their three-man operation has been able to survive for so long by picking from the corpses of larger carpentry operations that went under during the recession. A move to the larger building would allow them space to create a “drop-dead gorgeous showroom” and ideally hire on some additional staff.

Middletown Journal
Updated: 8:55 p.m. Tuesday, April 6, 2010 | Posted: 8:54 p.m. Tuesday, April 6, 2010

City steps back from contentious land swap

by  http://www.journal-news.com/staff/ryan-gauthier/" rel="nofollow - Staff Writer

    MIDDLETOWN — True to their word, city staff kept a $95,000 land swap from coming before Middletown City Council for approval Tuesday, April 6.

    City Manager Judy Gilleland asked that a second reading of the ordinance be removed from the agenda to allow the city’s economic development staff more time to “help facilitate the expansion of a business without getting in the middle of a land swap.”

    “Hopefully in the next several weeks we will return with a draft agreement that suits all parties,” Gilleland said.

    The proposed deal called for the city to purchase the former Middletown Antique Mall, 1607 Central Ave., for $90,000 and then turn around to trade that land with Midd-Town Custom Cabinets for its property at 1316 Vail Ave. The city also would have provided Midd-Town Custom Cabinets with $5,000 to help offset a portion of their moving expenses.

    Jeff Brown, co-owner of Midd-Town Custom Cabinets, spoke before the council during Tuesday’s meeting, saying no hard feelings exist over the nixed swap, as he is “confident” something is going to be worked out in the near future.

    “Hard feelings don’t give you anything but hard times,” he quipped. “We want a business on Central and they want a business on Central, so it’s just a matter of dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s.”

    Brown recently decided to wander Central Avenue to tally up the number of vacant storefronts along the city’s main drag downtown. He counted 48.

    I see this as an opportunity for Middletown to acquire a large parcel of land for future redevelopment, an opportunity for Central Avenue to have an established business filling one of those storefronts and an opportunity for us to grow and expand our operation,” he said.

    City Council also got an update on the city’s 2010 street improvements project, with 13 local streets targeted for repair in the coming year. Public Works and Utilities Director     Dave Duritsch said the $2 million in roadwork is the “first substantial paving program we’ve had in a few years.”

    As part of the project, property owners along the impacted streets will be required to repair any defective curb and gutter and sidewalks as determined by city standards.    They will have the option of either doing the work themselves, hiring a contractor or having the city do the work for them and then paying the amount back either upon completion or through their property taxes over a five-year period.

    Council will be asked to vote on an emergency resolution approving the process at the group’s April 20 meeting, Duritsch said, with paving contracts scheduled to be awarded in early July.

 Isn't the building on Vail still sitting empty?

Middletown Journal
Updated: 9:44 p.m. Monday, March 15, 2010 | Posted: 9:41 p.m. Monday, March 15, 2010

Land swap could cost city $95K

By  http://www.journal-news.com/staff/ryan-gauthier/" rel="nofollow -

Staff Writer

    MIDDLETOWN — Another land swap will be up for consideration when Middletown City Council meets tonight, March 16.

    In the third instance of the city exchanging property with an area landowner in the past few months, council will be asked to authorize the exchange of a tract of land located at 1316 Vail Ave. with the former Middletown Antique Mall, 1607 Central Ave.

    The city does not presently own the Central Avenue property, but Economic Development Director Mike Robinette said it plans to purchase it for $90,000.

    “Midtown Custom Cabinets has been looking to expand their business and we have been eyeing the site for demolition as it is the only one remaining behind Barb’s Pub and the Studio Theater,” Robinette said. “They’ll get a building to grow their business, we’ll be able to finish clearing that area and will then be able to market it for redevelopment. It’s a win-win.”

The former Middletown Antique Mall property — presently valued at $125,000 — was sold on Feb. 19 for $50,000, according to the Butler County Auditor’s Office.

    Robinette said he has no qualms about paying the current owner $45,000 more than he purchased the property for less than one month ago. He said the property was recently appraised at $85,000.

    “This property was bought out of foreclosure,” he said. “But if you look at what it was carried at value wise, the market value for that is obviously much more than was paid.”

The ordinance also provides $5,000 to Midtown Custom Cabinet for what Robinette referred to as “moving costs” for the company. As the city has a lot of interest in acquiring the site, he said it has agreed to pay half of the estimated moving costs.

    “It’s not unusual to share moving costs when you have a business moving because they’re going to expand and it’s in our interest for them to move, to assist them in the cost of relocating their business,” Robinette said.

    The ordinance will be considered as emergency legislation, meaning it will circumvent the traditional process of first and second readings as well as the 30-day wait to take effect. That also means it needs at least six affirmative votes from the council to pass. With Councilman Jim Armbruster still hospitalized after undergoing open-heart surgery over the weekend, other council members will have to unanimously approve it.

    Council meets at 5:30 p.m. in Council Chambers on the lower level of the Middletown City Building, One Donham Plaza.

Updated: 8:54 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 14, 2010 | Posted: 1:41 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 14, 2010

No new stabilization funds for Middletown

But city still has $1.5M left from last round for home renovations.

By  http://www.journal-news.com/staff/jessica-heffner/" rel="nofollow - Staff Writer

    MIDDLETOWN — While Middletown may not have been tapped for more federal funds to improve its neighborhoods, the city still has $1.5 million left from the last round it has designated for home renovations this year.

    In the third round of Neighborhood Stabilization Program funding, the U.S. Housing and Urban Development department awarded $1 billion nationwide, $1,327,123 of which is headed to Butler County.

    However, Middletown did not qualify to receive any funding due to the formula and minimum requirements used by HUD this round.

    State and local governments can use NSP grants to acquire land and property; to demolish or rehabilitate abandoned properties; and to offer down payment and closing cost assistance to low- to moderate-income homebuyers.

    The news that no new funds were coming to Middletown was disappointing, but not necessarily a surprise given the limited funds, said Doug Adkins, director of Community Revitalization.

    Middletown received more than $2.1 million for NSP in the first rounds of funding, most of which already has been used for the demolition of several vacant houses and to assist with razing the Barb’s Pub and the River of Power Ministry Building on Central Avenue. Adkins said the remaining balance — about $1.5 million — has been obligated for renovations on 10 foreclosed properties acquired by the city.

    The 10 properties, located in neighborhoods targeted by Middletown officials for upgrades, are owned by the city and will be sold to households in qualifying income brackets.

Money from the sales would then go back into the fund and be reused for other property acquisitions and renovations, Adkins said.

    “We plan to put them on the market and get them refilled with taxpaying citizens soon,” he said.

Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2843 or jheffner@coxohio.com.

Updated: 8:54 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 14, 2010 | Posted: 1:41 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 14, 2010

No new stabilization funds for Middletown

But city still has $1.5M left from last round for home renovations.

By  http://www.journal-news.com/staff/jessica-heffner/" rel="nofollow - Staff Writer

    MIDDLETOWN — While Middletown may not have been tapped for more federal funds to improve its neighborhoods, the city still has $1.5 million left from the last round it has designated for home renovations this year.

    In the third round of Neighborhood Stabilization Program funding, the U.S. Housing and Urban Development department awarded $1 billion nationwide, $1,327,123 of which is headed to Butler County.

    However, Middletown did not qualify to receive any funding due to the formula and minimum requirements used by HUD this round.

    State and local governments can use NSP grants to acquire land and property; to demolish or rehabilitate abandoned properties; and to offer down payment and closing cost assistance to low- to moderate-income homebuyers.

    The news that no new funds were coming to Middletown was disappointing, but not necessarily a surprise given the limited funds, said Doug Adkins, director of Community Revitalization.

    Middletown received more than $2.1 million for NSP in the first rounds of funding, most of which already has been used for the demolition of several vacant houses and to assist with razing the Barb’s Pub and the River of Power Ministry Building on Central Avenue. Adkins said the remaining balance — about $1.5 million — has been obligated for renovations on 10 foreclosed properties acquired by the city.

    The 10 properties, located in neighborhoods targeted by Middletown officials for upgrades, are owned by the city and will be sold to households in qualifying income brackets.

Money from the sales would then go back into the fund and be reused for other property acquisitions and renovations, Adkins said.

    “We plan to put them on the market and get them refilled with taxpaying citizens soon,” he said.

Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2843 or jheffner@coxohio.com.

City Hall purchased the River of Power Ministry Building for $125,000 or $135,000 and then demoed the building....Why did they purchase this building for this amount of money? Are you telling me that City Hall thinks this building was of equal value to the Bank One property that they were willing to sell for $135,000 last month. Yes sir ya just got to love their logic and math skills.

We have had many heated discussions on this blog about the Section 8 Program over the past several years concerning who did what when and why.
No matter how you feel about this program what you really need to remember is….CITY HALL & CITY COUNCIL requested ALL the increases of Section 8 vouchers over a five year period as stated below.

When City Council hired Mr. Adkins as Community Revitalization Director
the priority became the reduction of Section 8 vouchers however HUD said NO because of the great need in this area.

So after HUD said NO….Mr Adkins and City Council came up with their own plan to reduce the vouchers.

My research has revealed some very disturbing documents. They describe in detail how Mr. Adkins is going to rid Middletown of THOSE PEOPLE…
A step by step plan to systematically remove a group of people from the city limits of Middletown…and all with the blessing of City Council. I must tell you reading all this made my skin crawl. 

It doesn’t matter how you feel about this program…what does matter is your city government is using your tax dollars and the power of their office to target real estate investors to put them out of business to cover up their royal screw up of increasing Section 8 by nearly 900 vouchers years ago..


Not only is this behavior immoral and unethical….it’s illegal

Posted: 12:00 a.m. Sunday, March 10, 2013

How much is too much Section 8?

By  http://www.journal-news.com/staff/michael-d-pitman/" rel="nofollow - Staff Writer

    MIDDLETOWN — Middletown had a total of 774 Section 8 housing vouchers at the end of 1999 and over a six-year span more than doubled that number, according to city records.

    Today, this Butler County city of 48,962 has more subsidized housing per capita than any municipality in Ohio.

    That’s a statistic that Middletown officials have been anxiously working to change in recent years. Reducing Section 8 housing has become such a priority that the city administration and City Council are willing to risk the ire of and legal action from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development by eliminating 1,008 vouchers and falling out of compliance with the agency’s regulations.

    Fourteen percent of the city’s housing stock, or 3,300 units, is subsidized housing, said Community Revitalization Director Doug Adkins. Too much Section 8 “is not the root of our problems,” he said, but it can impact the overall image of the city and hinder progress and economic development.

    “The city can only support 654 housing choice vouchers within the (Middletown Public Housing Authority) program,” Adkins said. “Any further saturation would … cross a tipping point where the additional subsidized housing creates more problems than benefits to the city as a whole.

    “At that point, families of all incomes suffer because the city cannot provide adequate services to its residents,” he said.

    But landlords like Jeff Faulkner, who rents several of the properties he owns to Section 8 tenants, disagree. They say Section 8 is big business in Middletown, bringing in millions of dollars to the city and serving hundreds of vulnerable, low-income and elderly residents who need decent, affordable housing.

    The city pays about $10 million in funds it receives from HUD to the hundreds of landlords who rent to Section 8 voucher-holders. The city’s proposed voucher cuts would eliminate $6 million in payments to those landlords.

    Faulkner said Middletown’s Section 8 program had “always been a strong, community-friendly program” until the city terminated its former administrator, Consoc Housing Consultants, and replaced them with Cleveland-based Nelson & Associates in March 2011. Since assuming more local control, he said, City Hall has been “beating up” Section 8 landlords with its strenuous property inspections and regulations.

    Faulkner the city’s plan would not only run hundreds of low-income residents out of the city, it would also create an almost equal amount of vacant housing. That’s why he and other landlords favor transferring the program out of the city’s control.

    “I think the Section 8 program needs to be moved to Butler County,” he said.

HUD had made a similar suggestion to Middletown officials in response to the city’s proposal to reduce its vouchers from 1,662 to 654. The federal housing agency objected to the city’s plan in a Dec. 18 letter, telling officials to fill 95 percent of its available vouchers, transfer its voucher program to the Butler County Metropolitan Housing Authority or face possible legal action.

    The Middletown Public Housing Authority, which is made up of all seven city council members and the city manager, has told HUD it intends to proceed with its plan. About 1,300 vouchers, or less than 80 percent of those available, have been issued to date, and that number will continue to decrease through attrition over the next five years, officials have said.

    Adkins said the data shows that — outside of the low-income housing tax credits — Middletown has almost twice as many subsidized housing units as Hamilton County and more than four times as many as other southwest Ohio housing agencies. He added that Middletown also has almost four times the state average.

    “The city suffers from an overabundance of rental property, beyond what the existing market can support and a corresponding lack of home ownership in distressed neighborhoods,” Adkins said. “During the past 10 years, the city implemented a policy of increasing the number of Section 8 vouchers to assist low-income residents.”

    Before Dec. 1, 1999, the city had 774 Section 8 vouchers. But because the city wanted to reduce the vacancy rates of older and less-desirable homes, and to ensure that housing remained in compliance with city code,Middletown officials began to accept additional vouchers, Adkins said.

    The city added 888 over the next six years, with 56.9 percent of the vouchers having been added in 2000 and 2001. The last increase came on Oct. 1, 2005 when they accepted 108 vouchers.

    In March 2011, Middletown terminated its contract with Consoc, which had managed the Section 8 program since 1996. The change happened because of 13 deficiencies related to operation of the program.

    At about the same time the city was changing program administrators, the Middletown Division of Police and the Office of the Inspector General started an ongoing investigation of Section 8, which has so far resulted in the arrest of 10 landlords — five in 2011 and five in 2012 — after they uncovered tens of thousands of dollars in alleged improper rental payments made on behalf of voucher-holders, said police spokesman Lt. Scott Reeve.

    The investigation, which is being lead by Middletown police Detective Ken Rogers, and tighter controls on the Section 8 program have had a positive effect, Reeve said.

    “Crime was down last year for the first time in a few years, and I think the Section 8 investigation has something to do with that,” he said. “The program was not supervised at all for many years, and when Doug took over the program, he enlisted our help to clean it up.”

    Some of the charges included landlords living in properties where tenants were to be living, or collecting Section 8 money when the property was vacant, Reeve said.

“There was a lot of abuse going on, in addition to the fact we have a disproportionate amount of Section 8,” Reeve said. “It hurts the crime rate, it hurts the school system, and it’s difficult to talk about because it comes across that we’re anti-poor. We’re not anti-poor, but we shouldn’t be disproportionate.”

    Real estate, rental and leasing is the largest private sector service industry in the state, Adkins said. And while home sales were on the upswing in the Cincinnati Metropolitan Area, according to 2012 and 2011 data, Middletown has not benefited from positive home growth, he said.

    “In the wake of the housing market collapse and the decrease in available credit, the city of Middletown suffers from a substantial oversupply of vacant, undesirable housing, leading to almost complete disinvestment in many neighborhoods,” Adkins said.

Councilman A.J. Smith, who cast the lone dissenting vote on the city’s plan to cut vouchers, agrees there is a need to fix the Section 8 program. But he disagrees with the way the city is going about doing it.

    Smith said Middletown will likely see some decline in the number of vouchers because of sequestration, the across-the-board federal spending cuts enacted March 1. HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan testified last month before Congress that the sequester would result in about 125,000 vouchers losing funding.

    “But I don’t think it (voucher reductions) should be initiated by us,” he said. “I think we have an obligation to care for our constituents, and we should care for those who can’t care for themselves.”

    Smith said the city’s Section 8 vouchers should be spread out better. While vouchers are peppered throughout Middletown, the highest concentrations are in the western and central portions of the city. Many of the vouchers are in the city’s 2nd Ward, which Smith represents.

    “The way we’re doing (voucher reduction) is by any means necessary,” Smith said. “I don’t think we’re taking a very diplomatic approach.”

    Smith said he doesn’t think Middletown should bear the burden of allButlerCounty’s low-income housing, but he worries about the public perception of the city’s current actions.

    “I don’t think our message should be to get rid of all the poor people,” he said. “That is what the community is feeling City Hall is trying to do.”

This is the first of a three-part series looking at the past, present and future of Section 8 in Middletown.

Showing its age

Middletown has some of the oldest homes in Butler and Warren counties:

Middletown:

52.7 percent of the city’s homes were built before 1960

11.4 percent of the city’s homes were built after 1990

ButlerCounty:

31.2 percent of the county’s homes were built before 1960

32.3 percent of the county’s homes were built after 1990

WarrenCounty:

16.6 percent of the county’s homes were built before 1960

51.9 percent of the county’s homes were built since 1990

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Residential sales

Here is the 2011 and 2012 sales data on ButlerCounty:

2011 | 2012|% change

No. of sales: 3,259|3,812|14.51%

Average home price: $134,464.00|$136,675.00|1.62%

Median home price: $122,000.00|$125,000.00|2.40%

Source: Multiple Listing Service of Greater Cincinnati

Updated: 7:34 p.m. Thursday, July 9, 2009 | Posted: 7:33 p.m. Thursday, July 9, 2009

Middletown seeking bulk of Neighborhood Stabilization Grant funding

Consortium of Butler Couty communities seeking more than $25.6 million — $19.3 million for Middletown.

By Ed Richter

Staff Writer

    MIDDLETOWN — While a consortium of Butler County communities and organizations will be seeking more than $25.6 million in the second round of Neighborhood Stabilization Grants for a number of projects, Middletown will be seeking $19.3 million of those funds.

    Doug Adkins, community revitalization director, told Middletown City Council at its Tuesday, July 7, meeting, that the proposal “is a game changer” and “a 50-year decision.”

    “We have to do it right the first time and do it smart,” Adkins said. “I think it’s a strong proposal.”

City Council voted unanimously to approve the submitting the NSP2 application for the federal economic stimulus funds as well as the consortium agreement with Butler County, the city of Hamilton, Butler Metropolitan Housing Authority and Neighborhood Housing Services of Hamilton.

    Mayor Larry Mulligan Jr. said the consortium was a great step toward regionalism.

    Of the $19.3 million, Adkins said the city is seeking $1 million will be for financial mechanisms, such as down payment assistance; $2.2 million to demolish blighted structures of which $1.2 million will be used to demolish blighted residential structures; $250,000 will be used for land banking vacant properties for up to 10 years for future redevelopment; $3.95 million will be used to purchase and/or rehabilitate homes and residential properties; $10.27 million will be used for the redevelopment of housing in the city; and $1.7 million for administration and contracting for needed services to execute the program. He said no permanent jobs will be created as a result of the program.

    Adkins said that Butler County is planning to use about $2 million to demolish the former Lemon-Monroe High School in Monroe for future redevelopment. The remainder of the funding would go to Hamilton for various projects, he said.

    Overall, the countywide consortium hopes to acquire and rehab about 70 properties; demolish 200 blighted properties; land bank about 70 lots; and provide down payment assistance for about 120 prospective homebuyers.

    The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development issued the notice about the NSP2 funding program, and the city has until July 17 to have the application in Washington. Adkins said the other entities would be voting on the agreement and the application in the coming days. The public comment period started June 30 and ends on Friday, July 10.

    He said the city will know later this year if it will be awarded funding and that the federal government may provide full or partial funding for the application.

Adkins praised the banking and real estate communities for their help in getting information to him to get the 90-page application ready.

    Councilman Bill Becker asked why Hamilton and the county did not ask for more funding. Adkins said that was all they requested during the three weeks of discussions.

    Councilman David Schiavone agreed with Adkins that “this could change the face of the city of decades.” Schiavone added that he believes HUD is trying to work with older, industrial cities and he hopes the city “can reap the rewards of this program.”

Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2871 or erichter@coxohio.com.

Here is where Mr. Adkins did the 54% rule and declared all of Middletown “Slumville USA”. Oh yes I remember it well.


Middletown Journal
Updated: 12:53 a.m. Monday, Oct. 5, 2009 | Posted: 7:46 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 4, 2009

Housing, development funds at stake at Council meeting

By Ed Richter

Staff Writer

    After a hiatus of nearly a month, Middletown City Council reconvene Tuesday, Oct. 6, to begin 2010 budget discussions, among many other items on its agenda.

    In addition to its budget discussions, council will consider an ordinance for a substantial amendment to the 2009 Community Development Block Grant annual action plan and the 2005-2010 Consolidated Plan that will be sent to the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

    According to a report from Doug Adkins, community revitalization director, the amendment is needed to clean up various program requirements since the passage of the 2009 action plan.

    The changes include expanding the target area based on HUD data that 54 percent of Middletown’s households city-wide qualify as low- to moderate-income areas. The plan has areas in the 1st, 2nd and 4th wards that qualify for CDBG funding.

    Other changes are housekeeping to adjust funding for different activities due to the city receiving federal Neighborhood Stabilization Program funding.

    One of the changes would be moving CDBG funding for demolition for other projects as the city is receiving NSP funding for demolition of blighted structures.

    Adkins’ report said expanding the area city-wide would enable the use of CDBG funding to assist homeowners to assist with property maintenance issues.

    The city annually receives about $685,000 in CDBG funding.

    Middletown City Council will meet at 5:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers on the lower level of the Middletown City Building, One Donham Plaza.

Middletown Journal
Posted: 4:24 p.m. Monday, Dec. 10, 2012

City targets five eyesores for demolition
By  http://www.journal-news.com/staff/michael-d-pitman/" rel="nofollow - Staff Writer

    MIDDLETOWN — Middletown officials are considering tearing down pieces of downtown’s history in order to build toward the city’s future.

    Years ago, the former Sonshine, Studio Theater, Middletown Cabinet and Montgomery Ward buildings were some of the most highly-used and recognizable buildings in Middletown. Today, they are among the worst eyesores.

    That’s why city officials are talking about spending between $1 million and $1.5 million to demolish those city-owned structures in the second phase of a two-part demolitions plan.   The first phase of the city’s plan involves razing the Orman building at 500 Tytus Ave., which carries a price tag of $597,000.

    “With severely blighted structures eliminated from the landscape, and fresh green space, parking lots or new buildings in their place — along with students from Cincinnati State and the draw from art establishments and restaurants — I believe our downtown will have a very lively and vital feel in five years,” said City Manager Judy Gilleland.

    The Orman building, which is expected to be torn down in late January or early February, is the only building on the city’s list guaranteed to see the wrecking ball right now. Last week, City Council approved a deal with Cincinnati-based O’Rourke Wrecking to take down the Orman building. The city has already invested $75,000 in the Orman building’s deconstruction after it began to collapse and crumble this summer.

    The falling debris covered a portion of the railroad tracks used by rail suppliers of Wausau Paper several hundred feet away. Vickers Wrecking was paid to tear down a portion of the north wing of the building and stabilize it until city officials could seek demolition proposals.

Jay Moorman, a downtown Middletown business owner, said he believes the city should try to sell the buildings before demolishing them. He said the city could offer a deal similar to the one he and his wife, Linda Moorman, got a decade ago — sell the building for $100, give a no-interest loan in the amount it would cost to raze the building and the buyer will match the loan in building improvements.

    For the $300,000 no-interest loan they received, the Moormans have invested $600,000 into transforming the old three-story G.C. Murphy Building — which at one time was targeted for demolition by the city — into BeauVerre at the Square.

    “That made perfect sense to me,” said Jay Moorman. “No matter what happened, they had to come up with the $300,000. This way, they get their money back and they got more than a parking lot.”

    While Moorman understands “it’s obvious that some of these (buildings) are beyond help,” he thinks city officials should consider it before sinking money in tearing down a building.

Gilleland said as the city does look toward its future, and where it can grow, demolishing old buildings that are condemned and vacant of squatters is an option that Gilleland said is worth the investment.

    “In an older industrial city that is very much landlocked, our opportunity and space for redevelopment is limited,” she said. “When we identify a legitimate demolition project, we’re pretty pleased.”

    If these four buildings are razed, the city would need to borrow between $1 million and $1.5 million, though the Sonshine building may not be on a demolition list as staff is “still debating” the fate of that structure.

    “Cost is certainly a consideration,” Gilleland said, noting demolishing the Sonshine building would be around $250,000. “The area would be great parking in a future phase for demolition and renovation.”

    One building that won’t be on the list is the former Manchester Inn & Conference Center, which closed in 2011. Gilleland said they’ll put the historic hotel on the market, though she didn’t say for how much.

    Middletown Board of Realtors President Reva Owens supports the efforts to get rid of those vacant buildings.

    “They’re kind of trashy,” Owens said. “If the town looks better, the more prospects will come to town — more businesses.”

    If these buildings would leave the skyline, Owens isn’t sure what could become of the property, but has faith in the city’s planners.

    “There are some really good people down at the city who have some good insight,” she said.

Middletown Journal
Posted: 5:00 p.m. Monday, Aug. 13, 2012

Second city-owned building found crumbling
By  http://www.journal-news.com/staff/michael-d-pitman/" rel="nofollow - Staff Writer

    MIDDLETOWN — A second city-owned vacant downtown building in as many months has partially crumbled due to apparent deterioration.

    Last week, the Manchester Inn’s Sonshine building, 101 N. Main St., had bricks fall from its facade onto the sidewalk. Access near the building on North Main Street and Manchester Avenue has been blocked by an orange plastic safety fence.

    “The structure of the building is fine, just the brick facade has come loose,” said Doug Adkins, Middletown community revitalization director.

    However, the future stability of the building is in question, he said.

    “The condition of the metal lintels and mortar joints makes it impossible to know the stability of the remaining facade,” Adkins said.

    Contractors removed loose brick from the building’s facade this past weekend.   However, he said metal lintels — load-bearing building components — above the windows on building’s second floor are deteriorating and rusty, and mortar joints were inspected and also found to be deteriorating.

    The sidewalk next to the building has been blocked from pedestrian access because “high winds or other conditions may trigger further collapse of the weakened facade presenting a hazard to anyone occupying the area below,” Adkins said.

    Last week the city hired Vickers Wrecking to stabilize the partially collapsed wall and roof of the Orman building, 500 N. Verity Parkway. City officials were notified on July 27 of the partial roof collapse at the northwest wing of the city-owned building. Debris fell from the side of the building — which the walls are protruding — onto the adjacent railroad track.

    The roof is apparently pushing on the building’s exterior walls, Adkins told city council last week.

    Issues with the Orman building are forcing the city to raze the building sooner than anticipated, and could cost between $500,000 to $1 million, said City Manager Judy Gilleland. She said this would “wipe out” one of the city’s last remaining downtown project funds, but city staff is looking for grants to help offset some of the cost.

    The fate of the Sonshine building, and how much that fate will cost the city, is being discussed, Adkins said.

    “We are still looking at what the options are, possible risk and benefit of each option and then gathering costs and source of funding,” he said.

The city will likely address the Orman building’s issues before rendering a decision on the Sonshine building.

    Bid packets are being prepared to be sent out to potential companies that would be interested in razing the Orman building. Packets had been sent out, but Adkins said they were pulled and reconfigured to reflect the stabilization work to be done this week. A date to open the bids has not yet been set.

Middletown Journal
Posted: 4:39 p.m. Thursday, March 14, 2013

MIDDLETOWN REVITALIZATION

Possibilities open up for downtown Middletown without the Orman building

By  http://www.journal-news.com/staff/michael-d-pitman/" rel="nofollow - Staff Writer

    MIDDLETOWN — A changed landscape means new possiblities for downtown redevelopment now that one of Middletown’s most well-known eyesores is being torn down, city officials and local businesses say.

    The Orman building at 500 Tytus Avenue showed signs of its age and neglect when it began crumbling this past summer. Fallen debris from the structure blocked the railroad tracks that run north of the property, and city officials rushed to stabilize the building before more chunks of brick fell, possibly striking something or someone.

    The city paid Middletown-based Vickers Wrecking, Inc. $75,000 to stabilize the building, which involved tearing down its crumbling northern wall. And in December, City Council agreed to pay O’Rourke’s Wrecking, a Cincinnati-based company that also tore down the old Middletown Regional Hospital, $597,000 to finish the job.

    When the site is finally cleared, and the empty land is seeded with grass, it will be “less of an eyesore, and the possibilities are endless,” said Dan McClain, store manager of Jeff Pohlman Tire and Auto Service on Verity Parkway, which sits about a block from the Orman building.

He likened the possibilities to when the 12th District Court of Appeals building — also about a block away from the auto business — was built several years ago. The courthouse replaced a few old buildings off Reinartz Boulevard, and McClain said that “lightened up and brightened the downtown.”

    “Once you have an area clear, you can put something back up and make it more prominent,” he said. “Anything that they can do for the downtown is better for the downtown.”

    O’Rourke started several weeks ago removing the asbestos inside the building. This week, crews from O’Rourke started tearing down the abandoned industrial building. On the first day of demolition, the center portion of the u-shaped building was gone.

    Jeff Sizemore with O’Rourke Wrecking said the debris that remained from the August partial demolition still needs to be inspected for asbestos, and any contaminated material would be taken to Rumpke’s dump. It will take a few months to complete the demolition and clear the site, he said.

    The business owners and managers in the block where the Orman building sits say it will definitely be a new look without it as part of the landscape.

    “It will be a hollow hole, an empty space. It will take a little while to get used to it not being there,” said Ron Cole, owner of CRC Automotive. “I hate to see old stuff go, but it’s time for it to come down.”

    Driving up on the site post-deconstruction would probably be like when people first drove past where the downtown garage stood after its demolition, said City Manager Judy Gilleland.

    “It will look very fresh and open instead of old and dilapidated,” she said.

    What will happen with the site after the building is down and the site is cleared is not yet known.

    “Sometimes projects like this they are so voluminous we need to work on the first phase and then determine the next phase,” Gilleland said.

    Marketing the parcel is a possibility. It’s in the Urban Core Support zone, which means uses like office, residential and entertainment would be permitted. Retail and restaurant uses are not permitted without the city planning commission’s approval.

    Leaving it as green space could “work well” as an extension to Smith Park, Gilleland said.

    “As long as a historic building is not involved, I love to see new green space spouting all over town,” she said.

    The site could be an opportunity for additional downtown living, which is part of the city’s downtown plan.

    But some of the business owners would like to see the space be productive.

    “I’d say put some kind of business in there,” said Ray Fields, owner of Ray’s Muffler and Brakes. “They need to draw some business back downtown and stuff. Anything would be an improvement over what it’s been in the last two years.”

Middletown Journal
Posted: 12:00 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 8, 2012

Neglected properties a drain on community and budget

By Rick McCrabb

Staff Writer

    Falling property values in the city can be traced to the supply-demand imbalance in Middletown and the large number of vacant and dilapidated properties, housing experts say.

City officials want to put a stop to this. Last year, the Middletown Journal examined five properties that readers said were among the worst eyesores in the area. In a year’s time, four of them have been demolished or are scheduled to be leveled, the Journal has learned.

Such eyesores can be hazardous to the health of residents and a burden on government budgets.

    Doug Adkins, Middletown’s director of revitalization, said his department demolishes between 40 to 50 structures a year, a number that will increase significantly in 2013. The city received a $2.4 million Moving Ohio Forward grant, and Adkins said the plan is to use the money to demolish the “worse” 300 eyesores in the city, those homes and businesses considered in most disrepair.

    There are 23,296 housing units in the city, and 20,238 are occupied, giving the city a 13.1-percent vacancy rate, according to the most recent U.S. Census. The more properties that are demolished, the greater the need for quality housing, Adkins said.

Properties demolished

    A home on Yankee Road was leveled a few days after the stories appeared on Sept. 10, 2011 in the Journal, and the Orman Building, 500 N. Verity Parkway, a vacant home on Forrer Street in Lemon Twp. and the former Wayne Elementary School, are being demolished, city and township officials said.

    The Journal asked readers to nominate the biggest eyesores in the area, and the list was narrowed to the Top 5: former First Baptist Church, 119 S. Main St.; vacant home at 411 Yankee Road; former Wayne Elementary School, 5566 Jacksonburg Road, Trenton; Orman Building and a log cabin at 1101 Forrer St.

    The land where the home at 411 Yankee Road formerly sat is covered with grass today after the home was demolished last September with Neighborhood Stabilization Funds.

    Last year, the front door was pad-locked, and most of the roof was removed and a pile of wood rested against a chain-linked fence. The property faces Old South Park, which recently received playground equipment as part of the facelift to the Historic District on South Main Street.

    The house was vandalized in 2008 when thieves stole copper and that same year, police were called several times for vagrants living there.

    One neighbor, who wanted to remain anonymous, said “it’s about time” the home was demolished, and she said the vacant house at 405 Yankee Road, just three doors away, also is a nuisance and it needs to be leveled. That home is covered with high weeds, making it nearly impossible to see from the road.

    Another property that’s seeing improvement is the former Orman Building on North Verity Parkway. Last year at this time, Adkins said the city was looking at “creative partnerships” to clean up and renovate the building.

    But in July, when part of the roof collapsed, bricks spilled onto the nearby railroad tracks, cutting off materials to Wausau Paper Co., the city had to move quicker than anticipated.   Vickers Wrecking was hired to stabilize the collapsed wall and roof, at a cost of $75,000 to the city. City Manager Judy Gilleland said a rough estimate on demolition is between $500,000 to $1 million.

    Adkins said the city hopes to have the bids for the demolition finalized next month.

The property at 1101 Forrer St. appears in better shape, though some neighbors still consider the property an eye sore. Last year, the yard was littered with two trucks, stacks of tires that were a haven for mosquitoes and 10-foot weeds. Since then, most of the front of the home has been removed, making it possible to look through the front door. The cars and tires have been removed and the grass has been mowed.

    The land is owned by Christopher Todd, who was unavailable for comment.

It appears a large eye sore in Wayne Twp. is about to be demolished, sold, then built into a residence, said Ted Ritter, zoning inspector for Wayne Twp.

    Ritter said he hates when a historical building is leveled, but the cost of renovating the nearly 100-year-old property was too expensive. He said it would have cost about $1 million to upgrade the building, which, he said, wasn’t feasible.

    So Charles Flaig, the owner, is having the asbestos removed, then selling the property to Gordon Friend, who plans to build a home on the nearly four-acre property, Ritter said. Flaig was unavailable for comment. Ritter said the title can’t be transferred until the property is demolished, hopefully by the end of January 2013.

    Ritter called the residential conversion “the best bet” for the township.

Friend, who owns other property in the county and a Cricket store in Trenton, said he’s unsure what to do with the property after it’s demolished.

    Since the previous owner wouldn’t comply with court orders, Friend said the property “fell in my lap.”

    The end appears near for the former First Baptist Church on South Main Street in the middle of the city’s historical district. Over the last years, the church was supposed to be converted into a youth training center, an art gallery, a museum or another business.

    But Adkins said the property is in the process of forfeit to the state of Ohio. He expects the church to be demolished sometime next year. The land is valued at $17,640 and the building has no value, according to the Butler County Auditor’s office.

Unmatched coverage

Following up with the investigation

Last year, The Middletown Journal asked readers to tell us where the worst eyesores were located in the Middletown area. After narrowing down the entries, the Journal analyzed property records, interviewed city and health officials, neighbors and attempted several times to contact the owners of the properties.

This year, we returned to those properties and repeated our investigation.

Facts and figures

Address: 411 Yankee Road

Owner: Innovative Research LLC (Utah)

Date built: 1900

Occupancy: Demolished

Taxes owed: $0

Value: $8,910

Address: 1101 Forrer St., Lemon Twp.

Owner: Christopher Todd

Date built: 1940

Occupancy: Vacant

Taxes owed: $0

Value: $40,040

Address: 119 S. Main St.

Owner: 119SMAIN LLC (Cincinnati)

Date built: 1908

Occupancy: Vacant

Taxes owed: $4,232.93

Value: $17,640

Address: 500 N. Verity Parkway

Owner: City of Middletown

Date built: Unknown

Occupancy: Vacant

Taxes owed: $0

Value: $19,760

Address: 5566 Jacksonburg Road, Trenton

Owner: Charles Flaig

Date built: 1914

Occupancy: Vacant

Taxes owed: $1,497.74

Value: $62,240

SOURCE: Butler County Auditor’s Office

Butler County

148,273: Total housing units

135,960: Occupied

94,757: Owner-occupied

41,203: Renter-occupied

12,313: Vacant

Middletown Journal
Updated: 2:35 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 12, 2013 | Posted: 12:00 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 12, 2013

Impound lot adds thousands of dollars to Middletown’s coffers

By Rick McCrabb

    MIDDLETOWN — More than a quarter of a million dollars has been added to Middletown’s coffers in less than two years, largely due to funds generated by the city’s impound lot.

Since April 2011, the Middletown Division of Police has impounded more than 1,700 vehicles for traffic violations, and their fines have added $252,546 to the city’s general fund, said Russ Carolus, finance director.

    Most of that money is earmarked for the police and fire departments, he said. The city’s operating budget is $29.7 million, and 72 percent of that, or about $21 million, is the combined budgets for the police and fire departments. Carolus, who retired last week after a 30-year career, said cities are always — especially with the state’s budget cuts — looking for ways to increase revenue without adding significant man hours.

    “The more money, the better,” he said, adding the implementation of the impound lot was a “pretty good idea.”

    When a motorist in Middletown is cited for a traffic offense — driving while intoxicated, driving under suspension — and their vehicle is towed, it’s taken to the impound lot, the former Orman Building on Broad Street, across the street from the City Building. The administrative fee is $175, and the cost increases $20 for each additional day the vehicle is stored after the first day, said Sgt. David Birk, who oversees the impound lot.

    In April 2011, the city contracted with Mark’s Towing, which submitted the lowest bid, to handle its impounded vehicles. Mark’s Towing is reimbursed once a month at $50 per vehicle, meaning the city nets at least $125 per vehicle, more if the owner doesn’t claim the vehicle the next day, Birk said.

    Last year, the city towed about three cars a day, according to statistics from the police department. Birk said from April 2011 to the end of the year, 638 vehicles were towed. In 2012, the city’s first full year of operating the lot, 1,080 vehicles were towed, he said. These numbers represent only impounded vehicles, not those towed because they were involved in accidents, Birk said.

    Before starting the program, the numerous tow companies in Middletown rotated removing cars to their impound lots, and they handled the administrative duties that included collection of fines and fees.

    Middletown, Trenton and Oxford are the three local communities that manage their impound lots, according to the police departments.

    Trenton opened its impound lot in 2005, said Lt. Mike Gillen, who followed policies similar to Oxford’s. He said there are two tow companies in Trenton, and they rotate towing the cars. The companies bill the city a flat fee of $100 per car, and the city charges the motorists an additional administrative fee of $100, and $15 per day after the first 24 hours, Gillen said. He said in 2011, the latest figures available, Trenton impounded 308 vehicles, about 50 higher than average. Of those, 273 were retrieved, 27 were scrapped and eight were sold at auction.

    All of the other surrounding communities don’t operate impound lots. Instead, the local tow companies rotate picking up the vehicles, and they handle all the paperwork.

    Representatives from the local agencies said they were surprised by the number of vehicles being towed in Middletown and the revenue the program generates. They’re considering adopting a similar program, they said.

    Birk said the vehicles are stored in a fenced lot near the former Orman Building. There is a motion-activated spotlight nearby, he said. One day last week, there were 25 vehicles and two motorcycles stored in the lot.

    Once vehicles are impounded, the registered owners are contacted by the police department, and Birk gives them at least 30 days to retrieve their vehicles. If they don’t pick up their vehicles, the city obtains a salvage title, and the vehicle is sold on an online auction.

    Owners are permitted to pick up their vehicles from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. — except from noon to 1 p.m. — in the Middletown detective section. All payment must be cash, said Birk, who added that policy was instituted after the department received too many checks with insufficient funds.

Birk said the department does accept checks from rental companies that have had one of their vehicles impounded.

    Some owners, who believe their vehicles aren’t worth the cost of the tow and storage fees, never claim them, Birk said. Those vehicles eventually, after their titles clear, are sold on an online auction, www.govdeals.org. The vehicle’s original owner sometimes buy their car back during the auction, Birk said.

    Eventually, probably in the spring, the city will expand its impound program to include “junk motor vehicles” that are parked on the street, Birk said. Once the Orman Building is demolished, the city’s impound lot will move to Terry Drive, which offers about twice the space, he said.

In order to evaluate the true cost of the Restoration of the Downtown Core
I believe we need to go back to when the roof of the Downtown Mall was removed 15 years ago.

Agenda
September 21, 1999

Page 2

6. CITY COMMISSION COMMENTS

III. LEGISLATION

1. Ordinance No. 099-99, an ordinance establishing a procedure for and authorizing a contract with Federal Signal Corporation for the purchase and installation of an outdoor warning system, 2nd reading.

2. Ordinance No. 099-100, an ordinance authorizing an agreement with Crystal Tissue for sewer connection, and to declare an emergency.

3. Resolution No. R99-24, a resolution in support of the D.A.R.E. Program and authorizing the City Manager to apply for a grant for the 1999-2000 school year through the Ohio Attorney General’s Office and declaring an emergency.

4. Ord/Res, Block Grant Advisory Board.

5. Fiscal Officer’s Certificate. In connection with proposed issue of $10,590,000 bonds to pay costs of the reestablishment of a substantial part or all of Central Avenue and Broad Streets, for acquisition of property, for demolition and removal of a substantial part or all of the City Centre Mall, renovation thereof and all costs necessary or incidental thereto; that the estimated life or period of usefulness of the improvement is at least five years, and the estimated maximum maturity ofthe Bonds, calculated in accordance with Section 133.20 of the Revised Code, is thirty (30) years.

6. Ordinance No. , an ordinance providing for the issuance and sale of not to exceed $10,590,000 bonds for the purpose of paying costs of the construction of street improvements and the necessary demolition, property acquisition and other activities related thereto implementing the Downtown Urban Renewal Plan, as amended from time to time, and declaring an emergency.

7. Fiscal Officer’s Certificate. In connection with proposed issuance of not to exceed $2,560,000 bonds for the municipal waterworks improvement by constructing an elevated water storage tank; that the estimated life or period of usefulness of the improvement is at least five years; and the estimated maximum maturity of the Bonds, calculated in accordance with Section 133.20 of the Revised Code, is forty (40) years.

8. Ordinance No. , an ordinance providing for the issuance and sale of not to exceed $2,560,000 bonds, for the purpose of paying the costs of improving the municipal waterworks system by constructing an elevated water storage tank and water mains, together with the necessary appurtenances thereto, and declaring an emergency.

9. Resolution No. R99-25, a resolution to make adjustments to appropriations for current expenses and other expenditures of the City of Middletown, Counties of Butler and Warren, State of Ohio, for the period ending December 31, 1999, and to declare an emergency. (Downtown Improvements Fund)

10. Resolution No. R99-26, a resolution accepting the amounts and rates as determined by the Budget Commission and authorizing the necessary tax levies and certifying them to the County Auditor, and to declare an emergency.

11. Ordinance No. 099-100, an ordinance a contract with Mid-Valley Care Net for employee health coverage, and to declare an emergency.

12. Ordinance No. 099- , an ordinance authorizing a contract modification with Dodson-Stilson for engineering work on Cincinnati-Dayton Road and declaring an emergency.

13. Ordinance No. 099- , an ordinance authorizing a contract with Dodson Stillson for design work, and declaring an emergency.

14. Ordinance No. 099- , an ordinance authorizing a contract with URS Greiner Woodward Clyde for USEPA RIP, and to declare an emergency.

15. Ordinance No. 099- , an ordinance authorizing a contract with URS Greiner

Woodward Clyde for CSO studies, and to declare an emergency.

16. Resolution No. R99- , a resolution authorizing the submission of an application for infrastructure improvements to the Ohio Public Works Commission; the execution of a contract therewith; and declaring an emergency.

17. Ordinance No. 099- , an ordinance authorizing the City to pay it’s share of the Manchester Manor 17 infrastructure improvements, and declaring an emergency.

18. Ordinance No. 099- , authorizing a contract extension with Burch Hydro, Inc. for sludge disposal, and declaring an emergency.

19. Ordinance No. 099- , an ordinance authorizing a contract with Middletown Ford for the purchase of eight police cruisers, and to declare an emergency.

20. Ordinance No. 099- , to expand the City’s Urban Enterprise Zone, and to declare an emergency.

21. Ordinance No. 099- , an ordinance modifying certain licensing requirements for mechanical contractors, and declaring an emergency.

22. Ordinance No. 099- , authorizing the application for the 2000 Ohio Elderly and Disabled Transit Fare Assistance Grant, and declaring an emergency.

It is the policy of the City of Middletown to make all public hearings and meetings accessible to all persons, in accordance with state and/or federal laws. If you have a disability which requires accommodation in order for you to attend and/or participate in this meeting, please contact us at 425-7934 or 425-7705 (TDD) at least forty-eight hours prior to the time of the meeting to advise us of the need for accommodation, and reasonable efforts shall be made to provide the same.

City explores concepts to change look of downtown

By Ed Richter, Staff Writer 10:05 PM Friday, July 31, 2009

MIDDLETOWN - Downtown could have a different look in the coming years if one of two concepts being developed by a consultant is eventually approved by Middletown City Council.

The proposed changes could include an expanded Smith Park, realigning several downtown streets, adding more streetscaping of key traffic arteries, demolishing some buildings and landbanking the properties for future development, demolishing the city-owned parking garage, developing gateways to the downtown core and identifying new uses for several buildings.

Earlier this year, City Manager Judy Gilleland made the citys Economic Development Department take charge of developing a strategic development plan for the downtown. City Council approved a consulting study to be completed by Woolpert Inc.

Since then, Woolpert has been meeting with the stakeholders and other property owners in developing the new downtown strategic plan, which will be presented to City Council on Aug. 18.

Mike Robinette, the citys economic development director, said the proposed plan is very viable.

The whole strategy is to implement the plan within a five-year window, he said. is a short term, action-oriented kind of plan which is exactly what we wanted.

Robinette said the plan shrinks commercial space downtown to build stability and sustainability, then builds out from there.

The study also identified downtown development intervention strategies that would transition, maintain, redevelop or be proactively preserving sections of the downtown area bounded by Second, Girard, First and Columbia avenues, University Boulevard, Casper, Clark, and Main streets, and Carmody Boulevard.

Both concepts are similar, but one also addresses the possibility of establishing a downtown train station off Charles Street on the east boundary of the downtown district. The train station is part of other discussions with the state that is exploring a statewide passenger rail service.

The concepts explore existing conditions such as current land use, civic assets and traffic circulation. It also explores key goals such as:

Consolidation through concentrating on entertainment, arts and retail in the downtown core. The plan seeks to encourage business relocation to the downtown core by filling vacant space; preserving building fabric and infilling the remaining gaps; strengthening the gateways; concentrating programming; and enhancing façade and storefront design. It also looks at transitioning areas east of Clinton Street to residential/office/institutional uses by preserving and rehabilitating buildings with reuse potential, demolishing and landbanking other buildings, and encouraging compatible infill.

Increased residential presence through creating attractive downtown neighborhoods along the riverfront, artist/resident space in the upper floors of downtown buildings, expanding the Trinity Place neighborhood and looking at rehabilitating the former Orman Building. It will also look at improving existing neighborhoods adjacent to downtown by demolishing/landbanking foreclosed homes, buffering or relocating heavy commercial uses, and reinforcing the South Main Historic District.

Making the downtown walkable and functioning by right-sizing streets. This could be down by converting some one way streets such as Verity Parkway and Clinton Streets back to two-way streets; reducing unnecessary lanes; extending the Central Avenue streetscaping to calm traffic. The study looks at realigning some streets to eliminate jogs and awkward intersections and eliminating unnecessary street segments. Two possible street eliminations could be Main streets between Reinartz Boulevard and Verity Parkway and Broad Street between Reinartz and Main.

Connecting assets by integrating institutional anchors with downtown. This explores relocating one or more anchor uses closer to downtown such as reusing the former Swallens building as a business incubator and partnering with Miami University to promote and manage the facility.

Another possibility would be to create a premiere downtown park system with interconnected paths and greenways. A possible greenway could be along Central Avenue to connect Bicentennial Commons with the bike path, extend the park system into the streets, converting the Dublin House front yard into a neighborhood park. This could also include expanding Smith Park into the Main/Reinartz/Verity triangle if those sections of Main and Broad streets are vacated. In addition, this could include improving pedestrian connections to Smith Park and extend the bike lane along Clinton to connect with Verity Parkways bike path.

Making the downtown more welcoming through stronger gateways at University Boulevard and Central Avenue. Other aspects include linking with the Interstate 75 gateway theme and Central Avenue streetscape; establishing north and south gateways and demolishing/landbanking the vacant properties; coordinating a western gateway with the Central Avenue gateway; exploring a complete or partial demolition of the city-owned parking garage; locating all parking lots to the rear of buildings; and creating mid-block cut-throughs with lighting, landscaping and street furniture.

The only difference in both concepts are the addition of Middletown Station and using it to leverage the passenger rail station as a catalyst for downtown revitalization by restoring the historic train depot and making the area a transit-oriented development on adjacent blocks. It would also look at improving the surrounding street grid to accommodate increased rail and auto traffic and support redevelopment. In addition, it could mean vacating Charles Street between Central and Manchester avenues.

Increased residential presence through creating attractive downtown neighborhoods along the riverfront, artist/resident space in the upper floors of downtown buildings, expanding the Trinity Place neighborhood and looking at rehabilitating the former Orman Building. It will also look at improving existing neighborhoods adjacent to downtown by demolishing/landbanking foreclosed homes, buffering or relocating heavy commercial uses, and reinforcing the South Main Historic District

The proposed changes could include an expanded Smith Park, realigning several downtown streets, adding more streetscaping of key traffic arteries, demolishing some buildings and landbanking the properties for future development, demolishing the city-owned parking garage, developing gateways to the downtown core and identifying new uses for several buildings.

Swallen's and the Parking Garage- Demo of both the Swallen's building and the Parking Garage for 1.2 million paid for by bond.

Both concepts are similar, but one also addresses the possibility of establishing a downtown train station off Charles Street on the east boundary of the downtown district. The train station is part of other discussions with the state that is exploring a statewide passenger rail service.

Consolidation through concentrating on entertainment, arts and retail in the downtown core. The plan seeks to encourage business relocation to the downtown core by filling vacant space; preserving building fabric and infilling the remaining gaps; strengthening the gateways; concentrating programming; and enhancing façade and storefront design. It also looks at transitioning areas east of Clinton Street to residential/office/institutional uses by preserving and rehabilitating buildings with reuse potential, demolishing and landbanking other buildings, and encouraging compatible infill.