Tag: events

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News

Increasingly urban Hamilton County Fair goes green

Last year’s 155-year-old Hamilton County Fair saw its return to relevance, with a 56% increase in fair-goers, but it also saw the debut of the GoGreen Area. The GoGreen Area of the Hamilton County Fair focuses on environmental and sustainability awareness and educational opportunities, and it got its start thanks to the frustration of a Carthage resident.

“I didn’t really like what was going on with the fair,” said Jennifer McWhorter, GoGreen Area chairwoman. “I live down the street and I really wanted to see things change and get better [at the fair], so I thought I should share some of my ideas.”

That’s exactly what McWhorter did, and with that, the GoGreen Area was born at the 2009 Hamilton County Fair. For the first year, McWhorter was able to have 23 recycling bins placed around the fair grounds in addition to the extremely popular Kids Day activities focused around her concepts.

“A lot of people out there want to go green,” explained McWhorter. “So I thought, why don’t we bring this to the fair and help make a positive change in the community. I wanted to create educational opportunities for children and other residents so that they could learn how to go green.”

McWhorter was able to do this in part because she is certified as a Master Composter and Gardener by Purdue University. She also is a practicing vermicomposter – a composting process that uses red worms. In the end, McWhorter just wanted to share her talent and passion with other people in the community.

GoGreen Area at the 2009 Hamilton County Fair – images provided.

McWhorter continued, “The Hamilton County Fair is leaning towards being more of an urban fair nowadays, and while there is still a good amount of agriculture in Hamilton County, there is a strong desire amongst people wanting to be sustainable in their urban communities throughout the county.”

This year fair-goers can look forward to GoGreen Area partnerships with Building Value, Findlay Market’s urban gardening program. The 2010 Hamilton County Fair will take place from August 10 through August 14 and will once again include the GoGreen Area. McWhorter is looking to grow the impact this year by engaging other Hamilton County residents to come up with ideas for green events that they want to make happen by contacting gogreenwiththehcfair@gmail.com. The GoGreen Area is also looking for a sponsor and volunteers for this year’s Kids Day.

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Arts & Entertainment News

Pecha Kucha + Ignite = ?

Pecha Kucha came full circle this past Friday at the Contemporary Arts Center in downtown Cincinnati when it returned to the spot where PK Cincinnati got its start. But there is a new addition to the “interesting presentation” scene in Cincinnati, and that is Ignite Cincinnati.

Ignite Cincinnati and Pecha Kucha are very similar in scope and execution. The biggest difference is that Ignite presenters get 15 seconds per slide while Pecha Kucha presenters get a whopping 20 seconds. The PK idea was started first and has a more international audience, but Ignite is no less of a format for presenting ideas. Founders for both forums have acknowledged the similarities and are currently working together to collaborate on future projects.

“We’re competing for the same spaces, same presenters, same audience,” Pecha Kucha Cincinnati leader Greg Lewis says. “They have more of a handle on the young professional crowd, and obviously we want to work together to achieve the same goals.”

It is too soon to tell how this coalition will manifest itself, but it is safe to say there will definitely be something new happening in the future. In the mean time, let the battle of the interesting presentation styles continue in Cincinnati…we are all reaping the benefits.

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News

This Week in Soapbox 3/23

This Week in Soapbox, UrbanCincy has the following five stories to check out. Read about Sen. Voinovich’s involvement with the CRP, an advertising agency relocating to OTR, an upcoming conference on neighborhood walkability, Bellevue’s four-day form-based code charrette, and a feature story about Zipcars in Cincinnati.

If you’re interested in staying in touch with some of the latest development news in Cincinnati please check out this week’s stories and sign up for the weekly E-Zine sent out by Soapbox Cincinnati. Also be sure to become a fan of Soapbox on Facebook!

TWIS 3/23/10:

  • Senator Voinovich tours Cincinnati Riverfront Park construction site, pledges additional support – full article
  • Cincinnati-based Lohre & Associates relocating to historic Over-the-Rhine – full article
  • ULI Cincinnati to host Walkable Neighborhoods Conference – full article
  • Bellevue hosting four-day charrette on form-based code – full article
  • Is Cincinnati Ready to Zip It? (feature story) – full article
Categories
News

Roebling Suspension Bridge gets fresh coat, impacts nearby neighborhood

The Roebling Point Planning Committee for the City of Covington is meeting tonight from 6pm to 8pm to discuss design, land use, economic conditions and potential public improvements in the Roebling Point area of Covington. The Committee hopes to take the information gathered at this meeting and use it to formulate plans and recommendations for changes that might be made in the area.

Meanwhile the Roebling Suspension Bridge, connecting downtown Covington with downtown Cincinnati, is getting a fresh coat of paint. The new coat will help protect the 144-year-old river span designed by German immigrant John A. Roebling who later gave the world New York City’s famed Brooklyn Bridge.

Work continues on the bridge’s new paint job – photos by Jake Mecklenborg.

Specifically, the paint will protect the suspension cables from rust and corrosion, and thus extend the serviceable life of the bridge. In 2007, the Roebling Suspension Bridge had a new 11-ton weight limit put in place by the state of Kentucky that prohibited large vehicles, most notably TANK buses, from crossing the span to help preserve the bridge’s functionality for automobiles and pedestrians.

The $16.2 million paint job is ongoing and will continue for another eight months before the bridge will finally be reopened to automobile traffic in November 2010. During that time, project officials state that pedestrians will still be able to cross on the bridges walkways as they normally would.

The Roebling Point Committee meeting is being held at the Commission Chambers at Covington City Hall (map). Those driving to the meeting are instructed to park in the City Center Garage adjacent to Covington City Hall, and bring their parking receipts for validation.

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Development News Politics

Bellevue ‘Smart Code’ workshops begin Monday

You may know Bellevue, Kentucky for its historic neighborhoods and the unique shops in the pedestrian-friendly Fairfield Avenue business district. Or you may know its “shopping center district” with big box retailers and fast food restaurants in an auto-oriented plaza. City leaders want new developments to be more like the former and less like the later. That’s why the Bellevue community is working on a new form-based zoning code that fits with the city’s motto of “Preserving the Past, Preparing for the Future.” The code will reportedly encourage walkability and the mixing of uses in new developments.

People who live, work or play in Bellevue have been able to get involved in the efforts to adopt a ‘Smart Code’ from the beginning. On January 27, the first public meeting featured architect Jeff Raser of glaserworks explaining how the code works. At the meeting, many residents were initially skeptical, not understanding the purpose or implications of the change, but came to understand the benefits as Raser answered their questions.

Raser explained that public involvement is essential if the code is to be successful. If citizens participate now, they have the chance to “prescribe” how new developments should look, feel, and function. Residents and developers will both benefit as new projects get off the ground quicker due to the reduced need for zoning variances and other time-wasting processes.

The next public meeting was held in February, allowing citizens to participate in a “visual preference survey.” Results from the meeting showed that citizens overwhelmingly wanted new developments to better fit in with existing historic structures. They also wanted to preserve public parks, plazas, and views of the Ohio River and Cincinnati skyline.

The last chance for citizens to have their voices heard will be next week, from Monday, March 22 to Wednesday, March 24, when the city is holding a charrette, or public workshop, at Bellevue’s Callahan Community Center (616 Poplar Street). Various topics will be covered throughout the charrette, and open house hours will allow citizens to share any other opinions or concerns they may have. An open house “pin up session” will be held on Thursday, March 25 from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m., where final results from the charrette will be presented.

Photo courtesy of the Coding Bellevue.