Council Meeting Minutes, September, 2010

East End Area Council
September 2010 Minutes

The September 13, 2010 meeting was held at Leblond Recreation Center and called to order by president, Laurie Keheler at 7:00 PM.
Reports
Riverside East Academy:
Monica Miller, Resource Coordinator for Riverview East Academy, gave a school update about the 2010/11 school year. A new principal is at the helm and enrollment is steady as the school continues its educational mission. Monica expressed interest in improving the connection between the school and its home base neighborhood, the East End, while also serving the youth of Columbia Tusculum, Linwood and Mt Adams. The school library is open to the community on Tuesdays. Call the school for details.

Police:
Officer Love of District 2 reported 24 offenses for the month of August. Six were thefts from UDF at Kellogg and Wilmer. Among the property thefts were garden tools stolen from a shed located in the main community garden on Strader Ave. Sadly the tools taken where used by volunteers in the East End Garden District to keep the neighbor clean and as well as make ready the additional garden space granted by the city. Residents can call District 2 or 911 to report any suspicious activity or to aid in the recovery of stolen goods. Neighborhood watchfulness is a proven crime deterrent.

Leblond Recreation Center:
Christian reported on the Great Outdoor Weekend to be held Sept 25, 26. She also talked about a program that is being held at the Mt Auburn Recreation Center that teaches swimming lessons. Call the Mt Auburn Recreation Center for details. Cincinnati Recreation Commission is recruiting people with special skills to teach courses as program instructors. Interested parties should contact the CRC.

Treasurer’s Report:
The NSP funding from the city is likely to be cut further next year from $5k budget this year so our 2011 budget will have to be adjusted accordingly. Moreover, we have only received $2543.20 of the $5k in our 2010 budget.

Other Topics Discussed:
• Volunteer based clean-up along Eastern Ave starting at the RR underpass (across form Tostados) has been completed all the way to Stanley.
• The city now agrees that with East Enders that the traffic on Riverside Drive, especially during rush hour, is excessive. A study reported that 95% of the traffic during rush hour averaged 46 MPH.
• The EEAC approved a motion to establish a neighborhood garden on Worth Street as part its commitment to the East End Garden District bounded by Riverview East Academy, Riverside Drive, Corbin St and the Ohio River. The new garden will be made from formally vacant city lots. Clean-up of debris and soil preparation is underway for spring planting.
• The Leblond pool is in jeopardy of being closed. A call by Laurie Keheler was made for a committee to save the pool and to insure the continued availability of the Lebond Center. Volunteers are being accepted.
• Patrice Allen solicited project suggestions that will help build the community. Ideas put forth included clean-up of the tunnels, placement of an East End sign at the Miami Bridge and landscaping at the corner of Delta and Kellogg.
• The EEAC approved a motion to oppose a change in the zoning variance procedure that is before Cincinnati City Council.
• John and Margaret Powers over many years put much effort to revitalizing the East End. Mr. Powers has passed away and Margaret is in falling health. There was widespread support for honoring the tradition they established for community service in some kind of reoccurring memorial. TBD
• Notice was given of a Meet-and-Greet to be held at Maribell’s on Sept 21 6pm. All are welcome.
• A guest speaker from the Ohio Attorney Generals Office spoke on consumer scams. In the past 2 years the internet has replaced the phone as the number one contact method of scam artists. These perpetrators often fish off of public documents to target homeowners.

The discussion adjourned at 8:40 p.
Michael Bolan, Secretary
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