CITY INVESTMENT IN DOWNTOWN

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   Mr. Adkins has dug (no pun intended) deep to dredge up so much crap to present as the wonderful job that the city has done downtown AND claim they have spent so little in the process.

Has everyone figured out that maybe half of the lengthy list of small businesses are under the same one or two roofs?  No addresses have been revealed.  We wish Ms. Vitori well but we would like to know which and how many of this list presented by Mr Adkins are under her roof.  Very few people will be employed there.

The tax abatements given to several small businesses is a considerable cost for the city over ten or twelve years.

Buildings that the city gave away cost the city their purchase price, never to be reimbursed.

Wasn’t Ms. Greenham director of Downtown Middletown Inc. when her fiance acquired 1201 Central Ave. from the city for a bargain basement price?   DMI under Ms. Greenham’s leadership had to approve this sale (remember the required approval for O’Reillys)  for the bike shop that they will now run together.   Isn’t that a conflict of interest? 

Adkins says that we have grant money left over from 1989!   What a joke!!   Now he says that DMI oversees the funding for facade grants. Since when can a non-governmental agency handle government money?   And the city was paying Ms. Greenham’s salary.  Weren’t the original facade grants limited to $5000?  When did DMI raise the grant limits?  A grant, by definition is just that, a grant, which does not have to be paid back.  How can the city “loan and recycle” grant money (not a loan) since 1989?

I was going to try to correct all of Mr. Adkins false statements, but my computer has a limited amount of memory. 

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whistlersmom Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List MUSA Citizen Joined: Mar 11 2016 Status: Offline Points: 722	Post Options Post Reply Quote whistlersmom Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: May 19 2017 at 11:00pm
	Mr. Adkins has dug (no pun intended) deep to dredge up so much crap to present as the wonderful job that the city has done downtown AND claim they have spent so little in the process. Has everyone figured out that maybe half of the lengthy list of small businesses are under the same one or two roofs? No addresses have been revealed. We wish Ms. Vitori well but we would like to know which and how many of this list presented by Mr Adkins are under her roof. Very few people will be employed there. The tax abatements given to several small businesses is a considerable cost for the city over ten or twelve years. Buildings that the city gave away cost the city their purchase price, never to be reimbursed. Wasn’t Ms. Greenham director of Downtown Middletown Inc. when her fiance acquired 1201 Central Ave. from the city for a bargain basement price? DMI under Ms. Greenham’s leadership had to approve this sale (remember the required approval for O’Reillys) for the bike shop that they will now run together. Isn’t that a conflict of interest? Adkins says that we have grant money left over from 1989! What a joke!! Now he says that DMI oversees the funding for facade grants. Since when can a non-governmental agency handle government money? And the city was paying Ms. Greenham’s salary. Weren’t the original facade grants limited to $5000? When did DMI raise the grant limits? A grant, by definition is just that, a grant, which does not have to be paid back. How can the city “loan and recycle” grant money (not a loan) since 1989? I was going to try to correct all of Mr. Adkins false statements, but my computer has a limited amount of memory.
	"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil, is for good men to do nothing" Edmond Burke

whistlersmom Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List MUSA Citizen Joined: Mar 11 2016 Status: Offline Points: 722	Post Options Post Reply Quote whistlersmom Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: May 19 2017 at 10:59pm
	Read the City Manager's Blog on City of Middletown!! Here are excerpts...Comments will follow on next post City Investment in Downtown Businesses MAY 19, 2017 LEAVE A COMMENT Our friends over at Middletown USA seem fixated on the millions of dollars that we pump into downtown each year. I thought it was important to lay out the facts and then have a discussion. I started on this blog post yesterday and hit the wrong button and published it half written. I apologize for the confusion if you saw the earlier posting. Our intention was always to prime the pump for private sector commercial redevelopment and then to get out of the way. We did that with Pendelton Arts Center and Cincinnati State and earlier with Beau Verre. Here is our investment in downtown since I took over as City Manager in 2015: The City has also provided funding for the façade grant program. This is a reimbursable grant for exterior repairs to storefronts. The façade grant program is funded through a HUD program from the 1980’s called UDAG. Here is HUD’s explanation of the program: “The Secretary is authorized to make urban development action grants to cities and urban counties which are experiencing severe economic distress to help stimulate economic development activity needed to aid in economic recovery. There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $225,000,000 for fiscal year 1988, and $225,000,000 for fiscal year 1989. Any amount appropriated under this subsection shall remain available until expended.” We have been loaning and recycling that fund since 1989. DMI (Downtown Middletown Inc.) currently oversees the receipt of applications and the distribution of funding for façade grants. To date it has been used for downtown façade renovations. The thought was to utilize the grants in a small area to make a noticeable difference in storefront appearance. We have temporarily suspended the program for 2017 and are looking at future uses for the remaining funds, including opening the program up to some other dedicated area outside of downtown. The following grants have been made since 2015: Year Owner Amount 2015 Middletown Arts Center $ 1,890.00 2015 Middletown Better Homes $ 2,000.00 2015 Barbara Park Realty $ 10,000.00 2015 Pendleton Corp $ 7,713.00 2015 2005 Group $ 956.00 2015 Art Central Foundation $ 1,693.00 2015 Middletown Better Homes $ 5,000.00 2015 Cincy by the Slice $ 4000.00 2015 Denny Lumber $ 4,000.00 2015 Art Central Foundation $ 1,500.00 2015 Liberty Spirits $ 2,000.00 2015 1310 Pendleton $ 3,000.00 2016 Liberty Spirits $ 500.00 2016 Torchlight Pass, LLC $ 30,000.00 2016 All About You Catering $ 600.00 2016 One Market Eatery $ 7,926.00 2016 Gracie’s LLC $20,000.00 2016 Central Y Canal Investment $ 1,580.00 2016 West Central Wine $ 432.00 Total: $104,840.00
	"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil, is for good men to do nothing" Edmond Burke