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Home > Blogs > Hamilton News and Issues > Archives > 2008 > July
July 2008
Is the Castellini quote made in Hamilton haunting?
Despite winning last night, the Reds still have lost their most recent series to the Astros and the Rockies and have a sub-.500 record. As the team has continued its mediocre ways, I can’t help but think of when Reds owner Bob Castellini came to Hamilton in January.
Castellini, the keynote speaker at the Chamber of Commerce annual dinner, proclaimed before a crowd of 400 that the Reds would be a competitive ball club this year. Most notably, he said, “If we don’t win this year, we might all get fired and I’ll start by firing myself.”
Thoughts?
I couldn’t find the story online, but I’ve copied and pasted the Jan. 26 story from our in-house archives.
Baseball-themed chamber dinner honors Nuxhall By Joshua Rinaldi Staff Writer
HAMILTON - Cincinnati Reds President and CEO Bob Castellini stood in what he called “the heart of Reds’ country” and told a crowd of more than 400 the professional baseball team will be competitive in 2008.
“If we don’t win this year, we might all get fired and I’ll start by firing myself,” he said.
Castellini was the keynote speaker Friday night at the 98th annual Greater Hamilton Chamber of Commerce dinner held at Vora Technology Park.
Baseball was the theme of the event, which also honored Tim Nichting, who led the West Side All Stars to the Little League World Series, as citizen of the year. The lifetime achievement award was given posthumously to Joe Nuxhall.
Chamber President Kenny Craig, who donned a baseball tie, said event attendance of 443 set a record.
At the dinner, Castellini discussed off-season progress he believes the Reds have made by signing additional pitching.
In honor of Nuxhall, Castellini said the organization was trying to name a portion of Main Street Nuxhall Way in Cincinnati close to the Great American Ball Park, which also has a bronze statue of his likeness.
“I’m not promising anything yet, but I’m working on it hard,” he said.
Castellini also said he hoped to see the crowd again on June 10 at the ballpark for Hamilton Day, which also marks the 64th anniversary of Nuxhall’s history-making pitching debut at age 15 as the youngest player in the Major Leagues.
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TweetMarket Street cavity
We’ve gotten several calls since the story was published today about the cavity under Market Street that is collapsing the road. Most just wanted more information about the history of the canals, which they found fascinating.
I found this old article by local historian Jim Blount about the canals. Read all about it here.
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TweetWikipedia on Hamilton
Have you ever looked up Hamilton, oh on Wikipedia? If not, you should check it out. Where else would you find tidbits like “Hamilton is one of the few towns located at the intersection of 4 consecutively numbered highways—US 127, and State Routes 128, 129, and 130. Additionally, since State Route 126 is just south of the city, it could be argued that it lies at the intersection of 5 consecutively numbered highways.”
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TweetCity thanks West Side residents
I received the following press release from the Hamilton Electric Department. It thanks West Side residents for obliging when they asked them to help conservative power a few weeks ago. The release:
“The City of Hamilton and the Electric Department would like to thank west side residents and business owners for their cooperation the last 3 weeks. Electrical demand was significantly reduced and thus certainly helped prevent rolling blackouts.
The emergency repairs to the substation 7 (across from the High School) are complete and the Electric Department has informed the Mayor and City Manager that all businesses can return to normal operations and all residences are free to set their thermostats to normal levels.
By summer of next year, substation 12 along Carlisle and Stahlheber roads will be complete adding significantly to the electrical capacity on the West Side. Again, the City thanks everyone for their cooperation.”
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TweetCity council to meet tonight
City Council will meet in a special session at 4 p.m. tonight. Council has two items on the agenda, which would have had to wait until August 13 had they not called a special meeting.
The first item is a resolution relating to the Meldahl hydroelectric project, which the city is starting this summer.
The other item is authorizing a feasibility study for a joint city-county water system. The County Commissioners passed a similar resolution last week.
The meeting will be in Council Chambers on the first floor of the city municipal building, 345 High Street.
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TweetTowed away
The city opted to own its own impound lot Wednesday. Though, it will only receive cars from police tows. The story has not made it online yet, but essentially any vehicle that is involved in a crime will go to the city impound lot. Vehicles involved in accidents and other “owners-request tows” still go to private impound lots.
Police Chief Neil Ferdelman said the impasse in concession negotiations led to the decision. You can read his remarks here: Ferdelman comments.pdf
Other documents Ferdelman used for support: Here’s a comparison of other towing rates: comparative rates.pdf
Also, here’s the business pro forma that describes how much money the city thinks it can make: proposal.pdf
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TweetOil and water
Hamilton’s Manager of Utility Services Doug Childs recently emailed me an article about how water could quickly become more scarce than oil.
His email said “It predicts that water will replace oil as the most scarce and sought after commodity in the world. Hamilton’s water production and distribution systems are clearly even more critical to the long-term economic well being of the City.”
Is Water the Oil of the 21st Century?
CNBC.com
By Andrew Cleary, Special to CNBC.com
| 24 Jul 2008 | 07:14 AM ET
Water is set to replace oil as the commodity to watch, as soaring global demand and scarce supplies bring home the value of this most basic resource to investors, a director at an asset manager told CNBC Thursday.
“You’re going to see with the growing population, the greater need for water; it’s the one thing we can’t do without,” Ian Morley, Director at DDQ, said.
The momentum in buying commodities and selling financial stocks has made many funds a lot of money this year, but most investors have missed the investment opportunity in water altogether, according to Morley.
“This is the type of commodity that is going to be particularly strategic going forward … from an investor’s point of view this has got to be a long term and a very balanced play in the markets,” he said.
Morley said investors looking to profit from water should look take a holistic view, investing directly in water companies implementing technologies such as desalination as well as the infrastructure that supports them.
© 2008 CNBC.com
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TweetAntique cars on their way
The 54th annual Antique/Classic Car Parade is coming to Hamilton on Saturday. Starting at 1 p.m., the parade starts in Fairfield and winds its way into Hamilton. Check out all the details here.
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TweetHamilton business to move to Fairfield
Fairfield reporter Mike Pitman wrote a story today that Ohio Casualty will move the remainder of its employees to Fairfield. The first group of employees, about 970 of them, moved to Fairfield earlier in this decade. The remainder of its 350 employees in Hamilton will move over the next 18 months.
That’s not exactly good news for Hamilton, which is in a fiscal crisis already and will now lose the income tax off 350 employees. Though, Finance Director Bill Moller has said the city is anticipating the move and does include those employees in their income tax projections for 2010.
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TweetHamilton, Ohio and Hamilton, Bermuda share parking woes
Parking tickets increased eight fold in June 2008 in Hamilton. Judging by the voice mails I listened to when I came to the office Monday, it seems people were upset when they heard about it. Read about the increase here.
Google News tells me that residents of Hamilton, Bermuda are also upset about parking. According to the Royal Gazette, Hamilton just increased its parking voucher rates.
The situations aren’t quite comparable, but it seems that parking is an issue no matter what continent you’re on.
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TweetFree health services in Fourth Ward Saturday
I received this press release via email late on Thursday. It seems various medical screening will be available for free on Sycamore Street between East Avenue and NInth Street.
“Princeton Pike West- Hispanic Church of God To Host a Day of Community Service
1060 South 12th Street Hamilton, Ohio
19th of July, 2008 12:00 - 5:00PM
Princeton Pike West-Hispanic Church of God will host a Community Service Event this coming Saturday from 12:00 to 5:00PM at Sycamore Street between East Ave and 9th Street in Hamilton, Ohio. Services will include mammograms, and screenings for osteoporosis and blood pressure for woman. Music, food and fun for children and prizes also will be provided. This is the third year that Princeton Pike West has hosted the event and this year they are partnering with TriHealth Women’s Health Services, Hamilton Living Water Ministry Incorporated and The City of Hamilton Health Department.
‘The Hispanic community of Princeton Pike West and our partners see this as an opportunity to reach out to the entire community,’ explains Pastor Josh Colón. ‘That is why all of our materials and services are bilingual in Spanish and English. We understand that people feel more comfortable talking about their needs in their native language so, in order to really support the community we opened our community service event up to English and Spanish speakers.’
For more information, contact Pastor Josh Colón at 513-892-2768.”
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TweetGas rates to increase again
In what has almost become a monthly tradition, Hamilton has announced that gas rates will again rise at the beginning of August.
This is the fourth time in as many months that residents have seen an increase in gas costs. City officials blame soaring natural gas prices on the open market and are quick to point out that they still have the cheapest gas in Ohio.
They provide the following chart to back up their claim:
The latest increase will amount to approximately $42 more a year than residents would have paid a year before the increase. But after four increases, residents are paying almost $400 more a year than they were in 2007.
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TweetSpecial Pays
Do you have a bachelor’s degree? Can you run a mile and a half in 14 minutes? Are you only sick once a year or less?
If you qualify for any of the above you could make some extra dollars as an employee of Hamilton. This chart breaks the special pays down:
City Council opted not to eliminate the special pays on July 9, saying many union contracts require the bonuses and it would only affect a small portion of city employees. Read about it here.
If you’re curious, here’s a listing of city employees who were able to make the fitness run in 2007. A quick note: John Fischer, listed in with Fire, actually works in Police and Mike Hoefker, listed in Fire, actually works with the street department. Fitness run.pdf
Also, here’s a listing of those who received the education bonus in 2007. Those who received $225 have a bachelor’s degree or higher. Those who received $100 have an associate’s degree. Education bonus.pdf
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TweetCity asks West Side residents to conserve power
In the wake of a fire at the Eaton Road substation on July 4, city officials released the following press release today:
“City of Hamilton Press Release
Call to Conserve Electric Usage on the West Side of Hamilton
Substation number 7 near the High School on the west side of Hamilton was severely damaged by a fire on July 4th, 2008. This damage has caused a decrease in the reserve capacity of the Electric System on the West Side of Hamilton. Emergency repairs are on going but will not be complete for at least two weeks.
Therefore, the City is requesting all West Side residences and businesses curtail electric usage to the extent possible this Wednesday through Sunday. Please set all thermostats to 80 degrees or higher, unplug (not just turn off) all unnecessary electronic equipment (home computers, televisions, clocks, dehumidifiers, pool heaters/filters, washers/dryers etc), and turn off all unnecessary lighting.
The critical hours are from noon to 10 p.m. each day. Without this conservation effort, rolling blackouts may be necessary to prevent further damage to the Electric System.
Electric Department personnel are working very hard to repair the damage as expeditiously as possible. If you have questions or concerns, feel free to call Jerry Flick. His number is 616-4138. We are very sorry for this inconvenience.”
What do you think? Does this give you enough incentive to conserve electricity?
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TweetSchool board member thanks council
School Board Member Larry Bowling sent a letter of thanks to City Council last week. The letter follows a decision by council to continue a waiver of building permit fees for four new elementary schools within the city. Read bowling’s letter here: bowling letter.pdf
Had the city discontinued the waiver, it would have cost the district as much as $80,000. The city had considered the method as part of many revenue generating ideas following the Decosimo Report’s projection of a general fund deficit by 2009.
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TweetArmy corporal from Hamilton in Canadian jail
Hamilton resident David Shope is concerned about his son Kevin. Army Cpl. Kevin Shope, 25, was arrested last week while trying to drive from Michigan to Ft. Drum, N.Y. through Canada. During a search of his vehicle, Canadian officials found a pistol in his possession and placed him under arrest for Canadian gun laws, according to his father.
The Sarnia Observer, a Canadian newspaper presumably has a story about the incident. Though, no actual names are mentioned. You can view it here.
We’ll keep you updated as the story progresses.
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TweetFort Hamilton expansion
The Hamilton Planning Commission on July 7 approved plans for Fort Hamilton’s Hospital’s expansion. Health care reporter Tiffany Latta wrote a story about the expansion a few weeks ago. The expansion is expected to nearly double the size of the Gebhart Cancer Treatment Center.
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TweetRonda’s to offer breakfast
Ronda’s Courthouse Cafe, the luncheon on Third Street in downtown Hamilton, is breaking into the breakfast market.
On Monday, July 14, the eatery will offer breakfast sandwiches, mini-omelets and biscuits and gravy among other items.
View her menu here: Rondas breakfast menu.pdf
Ronda’s opened in late April. Breakfast will be served from 7 until 11 a.m. Monday through Friday.
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TweetCat registration?
Leland Gordon, director of the Animal Friends Humane Society, passed me the following story from the Dayton Daily News about cat registration. Gordon said that he pitched the idea to Hamilton about a month ago, but has received no bites yet.
What do you think? Is cat registration something that Hamilton or Butler County officials should consider?
Oh, and it’s also worth noting that the Journal Sluggers, competing in a Hamilton Softball League, broke into the win column with a 22-15 victory.
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TweetFirefighter blasts council
Steve Timmer, a captain in the Hamilton Fire Department, vocally criticized council for over-reacting to the Decosimo report and jumping too soon to make cuts.
“I don’t fully believe the Decosimo report is as valid a report as you give it credit,” he said.
Timmer backed up his claim by citing a financial forecast from 2002 that said in 2007 the city of Hamilton’s general fund would be $7 million in deficit. In 2007, the city had a $4 million surplus in the general fund. Timmer said that means the report was off by $11 million dollars and the Decosimo report could be too. He also read several, if not all, of the disclaimers in the report.
“You basically paid $50,000 for a financial department report,” he said.
Timmer isn’t just a fireman though, he’s also active in the community and the image chairman for the Vision 2020 Commission. Still, he scolded council for considering cutting police and fire departments. He said just a few years ago voters overwhelmingly approved levies to increase service to both departments. A cut now would keep residents paying the tax levy, but not getting the services for which they voted.
He also said that the city’s option of taking a fire station out of service was a “load of bull” and should be removed from their discussion menu completely.
“Engine companies are strategically placed around the city to get there while it makes a difference,” he said.
The audience, which was about 30 people including a few firefighters, gave Timmer a round of applause.
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TweetTowing companies v. city of Hamilton
The four towing companies sent City Manager Mark Brandenburger their latest counter offer in the negotiations between the two parties. Though, Brandenburger did not ask council to vote on an impound lot Wednesday as he said he would.
Read the letter from their lawyer here: City of Hamilton Ltr re Agr 7-8-08.pdf
The letter doesn’t offer much to the city, but suggests it raises its revenue by raising release fees and impounding vehicles belonging to people who are in debt to the city. It does ask the city to allow the company to raise the fee it charges for accident tows from $90 to $125.
What do you think? Who is in the right here: the towing companies or the city?
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TweetRed light cameras
With traffic monitoring cameras in Hamilton’s near future, I was curious what other cities were considering the measure. Most notably, Cincinnati has been considering the idea but a Google News search yielded more than 1,600 results.
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TweetKeno coming to Hamilton
Keno, a gambling game where players choose between one and 10 numbers out of 80 and then win money depending on how many numbers match those selected, is coming to Hamilton.
The Riverbank Cafe, Turner Gill’s and the Hamilton Moose Lodge No. 36 are the Hamilton businesses that will feature the game. JournalNews reporter Josh Sweigart has the story. The Toledo Blade broke the story statewide yesterday.
The game is set to debut August 4.
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TweetMayor eyes joint water system
About 4:30 p.m. Thursday, moments away from starting the holiday weekend, Mayor Don Ryan called me to tell me he was dropping off a letter that was also sent to the county commissioners.
The city has taken flak from county officials in recent weeks, claiming their water rates are too high. Ryan thinks a joint water system could lower prices.
As I was leaving for Chicago in 20 minutes Thursday, my co-worker Josh Sweigart, our county reporter, handled the story. You can read it here. You can also check out his blog to see a copy of the mayor’s letter.
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TweetBody found in Hamilton
Hamilton police are currently investigating the death of a man found off Ohio 4. Read about it here.
You can hear the 911 tape here: 08-35435.WAV
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TweetThe naked prosecutor
More than a year and a half later, Scott Blauvelt still wants his job back with the city of Hamilton. Blauvelt, occasionally referred to as the naked prosecutor, was fired in Sept. 2006 after surveillance video allegedly showed him walking through the Government Services Center naked.
Though, on June 25 just a week ago, a visiting judge ruled that Blauvelt is entitled to a civil service hearing on his termination. Read about it here.
You can also read the judge’s decision here: Blauvelt decision.pdf
View our affiliate Local 12’s report on the story here. It is complete with censored video of Blauvelt walking naked through the city building.
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TweetThe room is getting crowded
In the negotiations between towing companies and the city, it’s becoming standing-room only.
When I sat in on a meeting last week, it was in a small room in the Police Department. There were representatives of the four towing companies and representatives of the city in the form of City Manager Mark Brandenburger, Police Chief Neil R. Ferdelman and Police Capt. Joe Murray.
On Tuesday, both sides brought out some more help for the meeting on the seventh floor of the city building. For the city, Law Director Hillary Stevenson, Vice Mayor Pat Moeller and FOP President Brian Robinson joined the fray. For the towing companies, attorney Kevin L Swick and Bob Day, father of Mike Day of Day’s Towing, sat in.
The city is facing financial crisis as projected by the Decosimo Report in May. Officials think a city-owned impount lot could generate some revenue. The towing companies worry that a city-owned impound lot would put them out of business.
The two sides are trying to hammer out an agreement before July 9. The goal is to allow the city a bigger share of the profits while not harming the towing operations too much.
If the matter goes to council on July 9, it’s a gamble on both sides. If the city opts in favor of an impound lot, the towing companies’ fears may be realized. If the city opts not to approve the impound lot, than the city gets no additional revenue.
July 9 is one week away. I guess we’ll see.
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TweetJuly is a good month to visit parks
July is parks and recreation month. City Council made a proclamation of that at its meeting Wednesday, June 25, but the month is celebrated nationwide. Read about it here.
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