Middletown Forum : AGENDA 12--15-2015 http://www.middletownusa.com/forum/ This is an XML content feed of; Middletown Forum : City Council : AGENDA 12--15-2015 Tue, 06 Oct 2026 13:52:32 +0000 Mon, 14 Dec 2015 17:43:47 +0000 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Web Wiz Forums 10.12 360 www.middletownusa.com/forum/RSS_post_feed.asp?TID=6234 Middletown Forum http://middletownusa.com/images/blog-logo.jpg http://www.middletownusa.com/forum/ AGENDA 12--15-2015 : Correct acclaro All necessary... http://www.middletownusa.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=6234&PID=46433&title=agenda-12152015#46433 Author: spiderjohn
Subject: 6234
Posted: Dec 14 2015 at 5:43pm

Correct acclaro
All necessary parts of the package

I try to be the best that I can be analytical
A work in progress
i take offense to anyone who demeans the MUSA family
They are not the root of middietown's problems]]> Mon, 14 Dec 2015 17:43:47 +0000 http://www.middletownusa.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=6234&PID=46433&title=agenda-12152015#46433 AGENDA 12--15-2015 : Good roads. good schools, low... http://www.middletownusa.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=6234&PID=46431&title=agenda-12152015#46431 Author: acclaro
Subject: 6234
Posted: Dec 14 2015 at 3:29pm

Good roads. good schools, low crime, and positive reputation FAR MORE IMPORTANT to higher earner or business,

than....

dining and local shopping. I go up and down Oakwood to Montgomery to Hyde Park, Fresh Thyme in Centerville to Montgomery, 3 Costco stores, Rickwood Commons, and that would not discourage nor encourage, a house purchase over schools, and infrastructure. Trained workforce is not impeding Middletown. MUM, Greentree, all have nursing, healthcare programs, as does C State. 

Minimum wage $15.-- Hour?
]]> Mon, 14 Dec 2015 15:29:55 +0000 http://www.middletownusa.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=6234&PID=46431&title=agenda-12152015#46431 AGENDA 12--15-2015 : Excellent observations Spiderjohn.... http://www.middletownusa.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=6234&PID=46430&title=agenda-12152015#46430 Author: Analytical
Subject: 6234
Posted: Dec 14 2015 at 2:57pm

Excellent observations Spiderjohn.  I know a just a little bit about commercial real estate and concur with you.  From "Anal-ytical" as you previously referred to me.  I'm certain that you are a kind, Christian man.]]> Mon, 14 Dec 2015 14:57:18 +0000 http://www.middletownusa.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=6234&PID=46430&title=agenda-12152015#46430 AGENDA 12--15-2015 : City needs to focus on retail... http://www.middletownusa.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=6234&PID=46429&title=agenda-12152015#46429 Author: spiderjohn
Subject: 6234
Posted: Dec 14 2015 at 2:25pm

City needs to focus on retail also, to provide more lower/mid level jobs, AND to keep residents with disposable income shopping in town. Sales tax/payroll tax/income tax as a complimentary supplement. When residents go out of town to shop, they often dine out of town and/or seek entertainment out of town. Lack of quality retail amenities are an important factor in choosing a residence. This is a necessary amenity and can be primary before the bigger things.

It has to happen at all levels in order to re-build our community base.

Too many important families at all income levels are quietly leaving, and the same with businesses. ]]> Mon, 14 Dec 2015 14:25:51 +0000 http://www.middletownusa.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=6234&PID=46429&title=agenda-12152015#46429 AGENDA 12--15-2015 : Scouter not long ago you indicating... http://www.middletownusa.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=6234&PID=46428&title=agenda-12152015#46428 Author: acclaro
Subject: 6234
Posted: Dec 14 2015 at 12:27pm

Scouter not long ago you indicating the city's plan to lure the FAA into establishing Hook Field to operate as a regional maintenance site was terrific. If that is so, and you are stating the workforce is unskilled and devoid in Middletown, how would that plan successfully work?

Certainly mean no disrespect but your premise is wrong. It is not lack of skilled workers that impede Middletown's economic development. On the contrary, there are many CNC shops all over the area, including Middletown, Carlise, and up and down the 75 corridor to Dayton and south. There are programs at C State that focus upon IT analytics, healthcare, and general business and operations. Indeed, southwestern Ohio, like Milwaukee and other areas that have many skilled German immigrants, are known worldwide, to have the best skilled technical manufacturing craftsman in the nation. And, some of the best welders, including underwater, are residing in Middletown and the general area.

No longer do you have journeyman programs for high school grads. You have two year programs where you earn a diploma, or two year degree, in CNC, water jet programming, robotic repair, et al. These schools are highly competitive and do attract students. Many companies pay students to attend them, including an excellent program Toyota has with UK in robotics engineering, which is coop, and you can obtain a guaranteed job at about $85,000 annually, while going to school and making an income.

Simply put, IT IS NOT shortage of trained workers prohibiting companies moving in. That's untrue. GE Aviations is 20 minutes down the highway, C State has the aviation maintenance program, as does several Dayton based institutions offering the two year CNC trade programs.

THE PROBLEM IS companies don't want to come to Middletown, for several reasons, which include crime, taxes, difficulty in working with city management, and countless other reasons. BUT, it is NOT associated in the least WITH A LACK OF TRAINED WORKFORCE. You have one of most trained advanced manufacturing workforces in the nation in southwestern Ohio, and Middletown.

Read the reasoning behind Mr. Adkins stating the city needs to focus upon retail. He starts with talking about foreclosure and the lack of disposable income, and yet states residents want places to spend disposable income. Middletown WILL NEVER be a success built upon a foundation of retail business. The effort needs to focus upon WHY businesses don't want in, as opposed to suggesting the workforce is inadequate. That is untrue.

Breihel businesses are leaving so fast you can't keep up with the FOR LEASE signs.

         
 ]]> Mon, 14 Dec 2015 12:27:49 +0000 http://www.middletownusa.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=6234&PID=46428&title=agenda-12152015#46428 AGENDA 12--15-2015 : Middletownscouter: "The... http://www.middletownusa.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=6234&PID=46427&title=agenda-12152015#46427 Author: VietVet
Subject: 6234
Posted: Dec 14 2015 at 10:41am

Middletownscouter: "The city will not be able to pull in high wage manufacturing jobs from growth sectors such as aviation, biotech, etc. UNTIL we have a labor pool to draw from of educated people who WANT to work"

In the past, companies located in Middletown drew from the local labor pool here. Now, I would imagine companies don't rely on local talent as much. The majority of companies expect that their employees will be from out of town and will be commuters. I have worked for eight different companies in 48 years and very few relied solely on pulling from residents of the town in which the company was located. Companies assumed the trend is to drive as much as an hour to work as opposed to the old trend of living a few miles from work. I would guess Middletown is already a town of commuters as most people must leave town to work at a job that paid wages they can live on. Currently, Middletown doesn't offer enough jobs, and hasn't for decades, that would fulfill the livable wage criteria. Dayton or Cincy is the destination of work for most I would imagine.

If Middletown has the land, can give a company a "deal of a lifetime" for the land and guarantee a low company tax rate, I would hazard to guess, that, given time, they would acquire enough skilled labor people from out of town, and, as people who work in Middletown but live out of town see how cheap housing is here, and, to reduce their commute time, they will start buying here. Of course, there are the old problems of lousy schools, poor reputation concerning how the city is operated, the overabundance of low income, limited shopping choices and high property taxes that may drive most away from that idea. Probably wishful thinking here.

If city leaders, over time, hadn't driven this city into the ground and had made some progressive decisions along the way and the new breed of school administration, over time, hadn't trashed the schools, we might never have had these problems. However, it is what it is and the city and schools are going to have to do a total about face to make any difference........ realistically, I don't see that happening in the near future. Both too stubborn to change.....or are unable, skill-wise, to correct the problems. ]]> Mon, 14 Dec 2015 10:41:24 +0000 http://www.middletownusa.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=6234&PID=46427&title=agenda-12152015#46427 AGENDA 12--15-2015 : The city will not be able to pull... http://www.middletownusa.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=6234&PID=46426&title=agenda-12152015#46426 Author: middletownscouter
Subject: 6234
Posted: Dec 14 2015 at 9:57am

The city will not be able to pull in high wage manufacturing jobs from growth sectors such as aviation, biotech, etc. UNTIL we have a labor pool to draw from of educated people who WANT to work. We've got everything else going for us in regards of available land, location, access to utilities, the interstate, an airport, etc. But we don't have an available labor pool. Those types of employers that we have now, such as AK, Aeronca or Middletown Tube, has been embedded for years. Were they startups looking to locate somewhere right now, I don't think they would choose Middletown.

To beef up our labor pool requires excellent local schools that graduate students prepared for college or skilled trade schools. And there's a host of things that can and should be done by MCSD to right the ship, but the biggest factor they cannot control.

The generation of kids in school now, in this area, are largely coming from un- or under-educated households where there is little to no value placed on education. Learning starts at home. Discipline starts at home. Character, work ethic, citizenship...it all starts at home. These values and concepts can be taught all day long at school, but without being encouraged and reinforced at home it makes it very difficult to see success.

I've worked in manufacturing in and around Middletown my whole life, and I can tell you that not all, but the vast majority of the younger set who are just hitting the labor force over the last decade and a half who aren't leaving this area for college or better career opportunities are either unprepared or unwilling to step into those skilled labor roles. The ones who are willing and able to succeed are mostly leaving because there's not much left for them here.

It's a cycle. The educated and skilled labor won't stay because there aren't any good jobs. The employers won't come because there isn't a big enough labor pool.

Local government can only work on two of the three corners of the triangle. They can try to make the city more high wage employer friendly (which they have been working on, with very limited success). They can work to improve the local schools and the education it provides to the area youth (which again they have been working on, also with very limited success). But in the end it's that third corner, the families, that is failing us the most. How do you fix that?

A three legged stool with only two working legs cannot stand on it's own.]]> Mon, 14 Dec 2015 09:57:16 +0000 http://www.middletownusa.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=6234&PID=46426&title=agenda-12152015#46426 AGENDA 12--15-2015 : Does the insanity and lack of... http://www.middletownusa.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=6234&PID=46418&title=agenda-12152015#46418 Author: Dean
Subject: 6234
Posted: Dec 11 2015 at 5:50pm

Does the insanity and lack of preparation ever cease with the city? This is a $150,000 expense for Middletown to pay leads to the development team, for retail businesses that pay low wages, are available all over southern Ohio, and have already pulled out of Middletown. This includes Target and others.

If the city wants to pay $150,000 in cash for lead generation, at least Mr. Adkins and others, get large manufacturing in, biotech, semiconductor, or ANYTHING, but cheap retail businesses. Let the Towne Mall folks take care of their recruitment, and you focus upon jobs paying more than minimum wage.

And for what its worth for clarification, Mr. Adkins did not drive down vouchers by 700. He lost the revenue associated with the administration, 10% bounty, and cost the city tens if not hundreds of thousands, in legal fees and insurance premium increase, associated with their payment of the fees to defend HUD action. Add to that the $1.8 Mm the city lost by selling Weatherwax, one wonders how many times the spin in a major defeat, continues to be spun as a win.
HUD was a LOSS, Weatherwax was a LOSS, Downtown is a LOSS, retail is a LOSS.

Good news just isn't appearing anywhere.   ]]> Fri, 11 Dec 2015 17:50:51 +0000 http://www.middletownusa.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=6234&PID=46418&title=agenda-12152015#46418 AGENDA 12--15-2015 : Hmmm...Buxton will be paid from... http://www.middletownusa.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=6234&PID=46417&title=agenda-12152015#46417 Author: Vivian Moon
Subject: 6234
Posted: Dec 11 2015 at 2:11pm

Hmmm...Buxton will be paid from the Civic Developement Fund? 
When did we establish the Civic Developement Fund?
Why wouldn't this be paid for from the Community Developement Fund?
]]> Fri, 11 Dec 2015 14:11:56 +0000 http://www.middletownusa.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=6234&PID=46417&title=agenda-12152015#46417 AGENDA 12--15-2015 : A pinning ceremony? Are we pledging... http://www.middletownusa.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=6234&PID=46416&title=agenda-12152015#46416 Author: middletownscouter
Subject: 6234
Posted: Dec 11 2015 at 8:09am

A pinning ceremony? Are we pledging somewhere?]]> Fri, 11 Dec 2015 08:09:39 +0000 http://www.middletownusa.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=6234&PID=46416&title=agenda-12152015#46416