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New Vision of Middletown

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Vivian Moon View Drop Down
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    Posted: Nov 16 2015 at 8:11am

Posted: 12:00 a.m. Monday, Nov. 16, 2015

Middletown community visioning sessions have started

By Ed Richter

Staff Writer

MIDDLETOWN 

Have you ever wanted to have a conversation about Middletown’s future?

A series of “community conversations” are being offered for Middletonians to share what they appreciate about the city and thoughts about what Middletown can become by helping to create a vision and an action plan to make that happen.

Since June, the “What If Middletown” visioning effort has been collecting input and ideas at community events such as the Broad Street Bash and the outdoor movie nights in the parks. Now the effort is focusing on having more extended conversations with Middletonians to more fully understand what the community wants.

Calista H. Smith, interim director of Middletown Moving Forward, said the organization is working together with the Community Building Institute of Middletown to facilitate the process.

“So far, we’ve trained nearly two dozen facilitators and have already had a handful of conversations,” Smith said. “People are hosting these conversations in their homes with people in their business networks, churches and friends.”

In a community conversation, a small group of community members gather and begin by telling stories about their experiences, focusing on identifying Middletown’s assets, she said. Participants also share positive examples of using their own strengths to help the community, she said. From the initial conversations, participants then share needs, desires, and wishes for Middletown’s future.

The Community Building Institute of Middletown and Middletown Moving Forward are working together with a steering committee to facilitate this process.

“We know we have only been able to reach a small population with what has been scheduled to date,” Smith said. “So we are looking to have more community conversations in a variety of locations with a diversity people over the next couple of months.”

Anyone who lives, works, or is involved in Middletown is welcome to attend one of these upcoming Community Conversations by registering with the Community Building Institute at 513-425-7866. Organizations and individuals that would like to host or help arrange a conversation can also contact the Community Building Institute. Refreshments will be provided at each conversation.

Upcoming conversations are scheduled for the following dates:

* Monday from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Atrium YMCA. This session will have childcare available for those who register by calling 513-425-7866 and providing the children’s names and ages.

* Sunday, Nov. 22 from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Robert “Sonny” Hill Jr. Community Center. Childcare will be available for those who register. You can register your children’s names and ages by calling 513-425-7866.

* A special conversation for young professionals in Middletown is also being held on December 15. For more information about this community conversation or any of our conversations, please contact Karin Maney at 513-425-7867.

If you cannot make a meeting, a virtual way of providing ideas and suggestions is also being offered. An online survey is available and only takes about 15 minutes. To access the survey go to: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MiddletownCC.

 

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acclaro View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote acclaro Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Nov 16 2015 at 9:37am
Is anyone getting tired of the vision statements, strategies, analysis, studies, being done, with no results, nor task driven efforts?

What does Middletown want?

-  Fully paved roads and a strong infrastructure

-  Council that focuses up0n whole city, not Main Street and downtown

-  Reality vs What If, Only Imagine, Re-imagine, Someday, Greenville Like Lite

-  0% tax

- Excellent Rated Schools

-  Affluent population

-  Competency

-  Efficiency

-  > 7% annual property valuation increases annually

But....it won't happen, but we can talk about how nice it would be or just move. The latter is reality, talk is to dream.

'An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last.' - Winston Churchill
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Vivian Moon View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Vivian Moon Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Nov 16 2015 at 12:36pm
Link:  http://www.whatifmiddletown.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7&Itemid=120

What If Middletown Community Visioning Process

Successful communities recognize the future is something they can create.  These communities take the time to produce a vision of the future they desire and employ a process that helps them achieve their goals.  Achieving the future you desire is hard work.  Yet successful communities understand that the things they dream about will only come true through great effort, determination and teamwork. Middletown is one of those communities.

The What If Middletown comprehensive visioning process is underway.  By Summer 2016, the process will have produced

  1. A comprehensive report of findings gathered from community conversations, forums, and workshops encompassing all the neighborhoods of Middletown. These events will focus on defining the issues that affect the quality of life for ALL residents and economic sustainability for the businesses of our city.
  2. A final vision statement painting a compelling picture of Middletown’s desired future that dares people to dream and act.
  3. Recommended measurable and attainable strategies based on community input and research of best practices and programs with proven results.

January – March 2016

COMMUNITY WORKSHOPS

All of the input from comment cards, community conversations and surveys will be tallied and analyzed. The results and themes will be shared with the community in general workshops to verify what was heard from the community. The input will be organized and provided to taskforce teams that will help craft high-level priorities by topic area. The key topic areas are:

  • Arts, Culture, and Recreation
  • Diversity & Inclusion
  • Economy and Jobs
  • Education
  • Environment & Beautification
  • Health, Wellness & Safety
  • Housing & Neighborhoods
  • Infrastructure & Transportation
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote VietVet Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Nov 16 2015 at 2:11pm
"A series of “community conversations” are being offered for Middletonians to share what they appreciate about the city and thoughts about what Middletown can become by helping to create a vision and an action plan to make that happen."

In order to make the city what it can become, there needs to be a meeting for identifying what is wrong with it in the first place. IE- the age old problem solving technique of knowing what your issues are before you can fix and improve a situation. Doesn't appear that this article is headed this way. More so, the idea seems to be "we will only take suggestions that will be in the direction and thinking of how we (MMF-city leaders) see it going and any talk about what is wrong with the city now and any different course of action outside our scope will not be considered in these community events".

“People are hosting these conversations in their homes with people in their business networks, churches and friends.”
In a community conversation, a small group of community members gather and begin by telling stories about their experiences, focusing on identifying Middletown’s assets, she said. Participants also share positive examples of using their own strengths to help the community, she said. From the initial conversations, participants then share needs, desires, and wishes for Middletown’s future"

So meeting in homes like garden club or social club agendas with people with like ideas. And, as pointed out above, "share POSITIVE examples"......

“So far, we’ve trained nearly two dozen facilitators....."

THEY have trained the facilitators". THEY will control the horizontal. THEY will control the vertical. Will the facilitators allow for free and open discussion including opposing ideas or will they control the direction and content of the meetings? I think the answer is rather obvious.

The city hierarchy will control these meetings and it will not be free speech in any of them. This is pre-programmed nonsense, just like the citizens comments portion of the a city council meeting is. If they like what you have to say, they will let you speak as long as you wish. If not, Mulligan will cut you off right at the three minute time limit. They are not interested in ideas coming from the average citizen. They are only interested in hearing from their programmed "only good news" puppets who spout the company doctrine.

Not even worth giving it a chance knowing what the game is. This story is proof of that. It does no good to show interest, attend these meetings, just to be ignored or ganged up on as you attempt to participate. City theme.....exclusion for the majority of the residents. What else is new?

Ya know, the schools tried this same "community involvement" years ago having a kick off dinner at the high school and then dividing up into subgroups to work on school issues. It was controlled also and it appeared the direction and game plan was already decided. That makes it an appeasement event as if to simulate inclusion for the regular citizen.
I'm so proud of my hometown and what it has become. Recall 'em all. Let's start over.
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Dean View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Dean Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Nov 16 2015 at 4:04pm
They attempted this at MUM without success and really limited to no student involvement.

Neighborhoods don't imagine what they can become, nor residents. In fact, hands down, with the exception of only a full neighborhoods, nearly every neighborhood in Middletown with house values above $125,000 and greater are maintained to pristine standards, as good or better, than Springboro or Oakwood.

The sessions are designed to convince residents the city is trying to do something, than actually doing something. The city doesn't show pride of ownership in Middletown, but the individual resident in most instances, does.

A wise man say, best practices of pride of home-ownership was mowing the grass, painting the house, edging, and planting nice trees. Thankfully, MMF is doing research as to how a house should be maintained and through a network of neighborhood visits, the voices of thousands tell Ohioans just how great a city Middletown is, because it has MUM, Cincinnati State,  Smith Park, and Wildwood golf course.

Forget about the house visits and facilitation, let YELP tell it all.    
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Vivian Moon Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Nov 16 2015 at 5:19pm
Hmmm....Isn't this the same survey that Miami did 5 years ago?
Isn't this the same plan that gave City Hall permission to buy the all the buildings of the Thacher Estate and set up Downtown Middletown Inc. and the Main Street Program?


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Dean Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Nov 17 2015 at 3:35pm

‘What If’ idea pays off for MUM student

  •  1 22 2 38

By Ed Richter

Staff Writer

MIDDLETOWN —

A local nursing student’s idea for an after-school and community education program has netted her a $1,000 scholarship prize.

Rebecca Henry is the winner of the first Middletown Idea Challenge, sponsored by the Middletown Community Foundation, Middletown Moving Forward and the Community Building Institute. Area students were encouraged earlier this year to submit “What if Middletown” ideas that could be implemented by the community, volunteers, and public and private sectors to benefit the city.

More than 45 college students used their imagination and creativity in this competition to come up with ideas that were later narrowed down, and the community selected the best idea through a vote on the contest’s Facebook page. The idea with the most “likes” won the prize. The topics ranged from education to the environment and beautification of the city and from arts and culture to local jobs and the economy. Students were encouraged to write their essays on ideas that had not been done before and had a reasonable chance of becoming a reality.

Henry’s winning idea was for a program that would provide homework help and extracurricular activities for K-12 students through community volunteers, including college students, offered at schools, community centers, churches and libraries in walking distance for students. Health and community education classes can also be offered to the general community.

“It was awesome to win,” Henry said. “I’m really glad that people liked my idea, and the scholarship is really a big help.”

Henry said she was in a number of latch-key programs while she was growing up and believes it helped her to be a better learner.

“It sparked more of interest in learning for me,” she said. “It really helped me, and I think it could have that effect on other people. Volunteers would provide these services for free or at reduced cost so many can have access to it.”

Henry, a Franklin High School graduate who is a nursing student at Miami University Middletown, said her mother, who is a nurse, was a big inspiration for her.

She said she was watching the Facebook voting teeter between her and another student, and said it was “a big relief” when she received the call telling her that she was the winner.

Calista Smith, Middletown Moving Forward interim director, said the voting was “an exciting piece” of the competition and that more than 1,000 votes were recorded on the web page. In addition to Henry, the other finalists were Adela Deaton, E. Anne Grady, Crystal Prater, Jeremy Bailey, Kayla Philpot and Sabrina Cox.

“We want to use this as a cadre of young people for future community projects,” Smith said.

She said the sponsors were excited to get so many submissions and she thanked MUM and Cincinnati State for making the extra efforts to make students aware of the contest.

T. Duane Gordon, Middletown Community Foundation executive director, said all of the ideas submitted would go the respective community organizations for consideration and possible implementation. He said the competition was patterned after a similar program that was being utilized in Greenville, S.C. After a visit of community leaders to that city last spring, it was one short-term project that could be implemented quickly.

“I think it was a success,” he said. “This was a process of getting young people involved in the community.”

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote spiderjohn Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Nov 18 2015 at 9:59am
AND we are paying staff, planning, ED, MMF, DMI, CBI etc also?
Can't anyone here simply do their job effectively and productively without costing extra?
We now have to PAY citizens for IDEAS?

Must be nice to have that kind of $$ to toss around--hey! Maybe the city can finish Central Ave sometime soon and quit being small business/neighborhood terrorists! Becoming more like the Supthin st debacle every day/week/month.....

Will that concept get me paid?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Dean Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Nov 18 2015 at 10:34am
Even worse is this fact. MMF PAID a Franklin student for the idea. I believe the city is using the playbook they borrowed from Greenville to implement in Middletown, with one difference.

Middletown doesn't have $65 Mm top put into the downtown effort as Greenville SC did, nor does it have top private schools like Furman in its back yard.

There are many one eyed people associated with MMF and the city leadership, and all calling themselves the KING. Open liquor carry, reading programs, and imaging it will be better, doesn't make it reality. Not certain what is being smoking downtown, but it appears its a beta site for legalization of hallucination agents. 

Next stop Mars.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Vivian Moon Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Dec 19 2015 at 11:21am
Here is the link for the New Vision of Middletown 5 year Plan:

http://www.cityofmiddletown.org/ednews/2015/3/page2.html
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