Parking Lot Completed At Bicentennial Commons
Printed From: MiddletownUSA.com
Category: Middletown City Government
Forum Name: Economic Development
Forum Description: Local government efforts to develop the local Middletown area economy.
URL: http://www.middletownusa.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1966
Printed Date: Jul 17 2025 at 9:49am
Topic: Parking Lot Completed At Bicentennial Commons
Posted By: randy
Subject: Parking Lot Completed At Bicentennial Commons
Date Posted: Sep 21 2009 at 8:31am
 Photo submitted By Ann Mort News Release from Ann Mort Bicentennial Commons, on the banks of the Great Miami River in downtown Middletown, has long needed additional parking space. The Bicentenial Commons Council’s surviving members of the Executive Committee: J. Knight Goodman, Jack Howard and Ann Mort recently made arrangements to make that improvement with the cooperation of the City of Middletown, MiddletownCommunity Foundation and contractor SK Construction Company. Landscape Architect and member of the Middletown Pride in Action committee Chris Papakirk donated his services to design the area. For the full story click here http://www.middletownusa.com/view_news.asp?a=4644 - Middletown's Bicentennial Commons Improvements Completed ------------- Call me for a www.CameraSecurityNow.com" rel="nofollow - www.CameraSecurityNow.com quote 513-422-1907 x357 |
Replies:
Posted By: VietVet
Date Posted: Sep 21 2009 at 9:29am
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Story embellishes on the usage of the Commons. Several questions need to be asked here.
1. What is the justification for the activity at the Commons when there has been very little usage since it was built. A few Blues Festivals, a wedding and some drill team practices hardly qualifies it for high usage. Couple the infrequent usage with the problem of the mosquito breeding ground by the former Lake Middletown and the river (which caused problems at the Blues Fest years ago) and the facility isn't as "entertaining" as one would have hoped it would be. 2. Where did the "recyled asphalt" come from? The North Breil project perhaps? Who authorized that pavement to be laid and were the proper work permits acquired by the PRIDE group? 3. How can the PRIDE group get this project done so easily and the group that wants the vault restored has to fight every inch of the way with the city? 4. Were any taxpayer funds used for this or was this all private PRIDE funded monies that paid for this 5. Are the PRIDE group and city officials really expecting this much activity at the Commons to justify additional parking? |
Posted By: Mike_Presta
Date Posted: Sep 21 2009 at 4:06pm
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Here's hoping that the four present Ward councilpersons can start pending the first and third Tuesdays of every month "sitting, chilling and watching the sunset from a park bench" at the Commons beginning in January of 2010!!! ------------- “Mulligan said he ... doesn’t believe they necessarily make the return on investment necessary to keep funding them.” …The Middletown Journal, January 30, 2012 |
Posted By: Vivian Moon
Date Posted: Sep 21 2009 at 5:16pm
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“the Bicentennial Commons account” Hmmmm…the Bicentennial Commons account…I thought this was a restricted perpetual care fund set up to take care of the Commons area such as lights and flowers. Have they now closed out this account? You will notice that they don’t tell you where the City funds came from to help pave this parking lot. Again Ms Judy Gilleland has granted another of the items that were on the Wish List of Ann Mort and Sam Ashworth. |
Posted By: Smartman
Date Posted: Sep 21 2009 at 5:43pm
| And why not Viv? Auntie Ann runs things and Sam is Judy's boy toy! |
Posted By: Rail Fan
Date Posted: Sep 21 2009 at 6:30pm
Smartman..................................
Vivian........................................
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Posted By: lrisner
Date Posted: Nov 20 2009 at 1:00pm
| By the way, recycled Asphalt has value nearly as much as new Blacktop. This was a ruse to spend City funds for inappropriate reasons,Just another reason for me to leave Midd and make my Property just another Rental, |
Posted By: SupportMiddletown
Date Posted: Nov 30 2009 at 1:12am
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[QUOTE=VietVet]Story embellishes on the usage of the Commons. Several questions need to be asked here. 1. What is the justification for the activity at the Commons when there has been very little usage since it was built. A few Blues Festivals, a wedding and some drill team practices hardly qualifies it for high usage. Couple the infrequent usage with the problem of the mosquito breeding ground by the former Lake Middletown and the river (which caused problems at the Blues Fest years ago) and the facility isn't as "entertaining" as one would have hoped it would be. PERHAPS THE LOW USAGE IS DUE TO A LACK OF PARKING.
2. Where did the "recyled asphalt" come from? The North Breil project perhaps? Who authorized that pavement to be laid and were the proper work permits acquired by the PRIDE group? 3. How can the PRIDE group get this project done so easily and the group that wants the vault restored has to fight every inch of the way with the city? THE MONEY WAS SITTING THERE READY TO GO. THE CEMETERY PROJECT STILL HAS A LARGE FUNDING GAP.
4. Were any taxpayer funds used for this or was this all private PRIDE funded monies that paid for this THE MAJORITY CAME FROM THE BICO ENDOWMENT, BUT I'M SURE SOME CITY FUNDS WERE USED, IF ONLY THROUGH STAFF TIME
5. Are the PRIDE group and city officials really expecting this much activity at the Commons to justify additional parking? IS THERE A BETTER USE OF FUNDS THAT ARE SPECIFICALLY FOR BICO? ------------- |
Posted By: VietVet
Date Posted: Nov 30 2009 at 6:48am
| SupportMiddletown- Reference question #3- "The cemetery project still has a large funding gap". At last count, the money needed to repair the vault was around $68,000. (Correct Vivian?) This parking lot paving job probably cost at least that much or more. Do we take care of the Pioneer Cemetery or do we pave a parking lot that may never see a car parked in it? Apparently, we do the parking lot thing, holding out hope that, as someone wrote on this site, "If you build it, they will come". How is the BICO Endowment tied in to the PRIDE groups wants and wishes? You attempted to answer all but question #2- where did the asphalt come from, who authorized the pavement and acquiring the work permits issue. No info. for that? Are you going to stick by your answer to question #1? Little usage, perhaps due to a lack of parking? Lack of parking didn't seem to hamper the folks at the Blues Festivals. I believe the lack of activity at the Commons is simply a lack of interest by the city to use the facility. It was someone's pipe dream years ago as an attempt at creating an "entrance way" from the west into the downtown area and it, like the Lake and the Mall, flopped. The city has a history of creating "attraction points", but then have no clue how to market them after they are built nor how to get the maximum usage from these projects. Most die on the vine and are demolished years later, wasting more "cash strapped city" money. |
Posted By: Vivian Moon
Date Posted: Nov 30 2009 at 7:20am
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Who is holding the endowment for the Bicentennial Commons account ..the City or the Middletown Community Foundation? How much money is in this endowment?
Is this endowment set up to where only the interest can be used each year? It was my understanding that this parking lot was really for those working at Mid-Fest. Who paid for this work to be completed and from what fund? |
Posted By: SupportMiddletown
Date Posted: Nov 30 2009 at 11:58am
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I believe the BICO endowment is at the community foundation. It was created when the Commons was constructed and they use the interest to make improvements. VietVet, they surely cannot use this fund to upkeep the cemetery. It is only to invest in BICO. The money was donated originally for this purpose, so I don't see how you can argue against using it there. It is not like the city choose between funding the BICO and not the cemetery.
I am 100% for preserving the cemetery (especially the vault), but it seems quite odd that so many people on this site seem to be against spending money for old things that few visit. How can people see potential at the cemetery, but not downtown? ------------- |
Posted By: Vivian Moon
Date Posted: Nov 30 2009 at 12:24pm
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Support |
Posted By: VietVet
Date Posted: Nov 30 2009 at 1:21pm
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SupportMiddletown- I was asking how the BICO Endowment was connected with the PRIDE group. I was not trying to suggest that the city use the BICO money to fund the cemetery. Just asked the connection, if any, with Mort's group. Another thing to consider is that the city is legally obligated to take care of the cemetery, whereas the downtown area is at the discretion of the city leaders and the funds available. Do you know who donated the BICO money for the Commons? Wonder how much money is accumulated each year from the endowment and how much has been spent since it's inception????? (and on what)
You mentioned that "they surely can't use this fund to upkeep the cemetery". On the contrary- they certainly can use funds intended for a specific purpose on other things (and have)--- look at what happened to the road funds in the 80's. It went into the General Fund and hasn't been returned to the road fund yet!!!!! That's why there's been no road improvements all these years. This city is famous for it's "creative financing"/numbers juggling/phantom funds movements over the years. |