EASTERN HILLS JOURNAL Your Community Press newspaper serving Columbia Tusculum, Hyde Park, Mariemont, Mount Lookout, Oakley and other Northeast Cincinnati neighborhoods
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 14, 2019 ❚ BECAUSE COMMUNITY MATTERS ❚ PART OF THE USA TODAY NETWORK
Cincinnati offi cials: Norwood lacked ‘sense of urgency’ to solve water concerns Chris Mayhew Cincinnati Enquirer USA TODAY NETWORK
shaped glasses, to market his goods. He also, he said, did bagels the right way, boiling them for a good chewy crust and baking them on stone shelves. “It was harder, a lot more trouble that way,” he said. “But we always did it the right way – and it worked.” He also was asked by the Orthodox community to make his bagels under kosher supervision, and he has done that since the beginning. His wife Danielle worked with him, training staff and doing party trays. “If it wasn’t for her, we wouldn’t have been successful,” he said. At one time, he had four stores, in Roselawn, Tri-Coun-
Cincinnati and Ohio EPA offi cials found Norwood’s initial response to concerns about public drinking water lacked “a sense of urgency,” according to messages from offi cials released this week. Norwood has been working to keep its water system online after an OEPA report found the city didn’t adequately fi x water tank issues fi rst uncovered in 2014. The OEPA has consistently said the water is being tested daily and is safe to drink. The messages were given to The Enquirer by Norwood councilman James Bonsall, who requested them from Greater Cincinnati Water Works (GCWW) because he said he couldn’t get answers about the water system from his own city. Water Works offi cials later shared the same messages with The Enquirer. Once the OEPA realized the severity of the water system issues, it helped broker a deal with Greater Cincinnati Water Works to provide emergency assistance to Norwood. Since then, state and Cincinnati offi cials found Norwood’s response lacking at times, according to the messages. On the morning of July 11, Mariano Haensel, an OEPA environmental specialist, sent Norwood Safety Service Director Joe Geers a blistering email for lack of action. Geers is the permit-holder for Norwood’s water system. Haensel said he had asked Geers to put in writing by 3 p.m. on July 10 when the water tanks would be taken out of service for repair. Haensel said he called Geers after not hearing from him at the deadline and there was no answer. Geers said in a reply to Haensel that he informed the OEPA that the answer wouldn’t come until July 11. “It is not acceptable to operate with fi nished drinking water storage tanks expose(d) to the atmosphere and to animal and vermin intrusion,” Haensel said. Cincinnati’s emergency agreement to help Norwood started Friday, July 12. Cathy Bailey, executive director of GCWW, said a Water Works employee tried to call Geers three days later on Monday, July 15, regarding some documents. “Verna called Joe Geers at 3 (p.m.) and he was at a boat race,” Bailey said. Geers declined to even listen to ques-
See BAGELS , Page 2A
See WATER, Page 2A
John Marx, owner of Marx Bagels, holds a batch of orange and black Bengal Bagels at his shop in Blue Ash on Sept. 12, 2003. ENQUIRER FILE
THE BAGEL MAN is hanging up his bagel cape Polly Campbell Cincinnati Enquirer USA TODAY NETWORK
John Marx, who owned Marx Bagels for 50 years, is retiring. He has sold his Blue Ash store, Marx Hot Bagels, and is hanging up the apron. The new owner is Y. Y. Davis, who has retained Marx as a consultant for a year. Marx started in business in Roselawn in 1969, taking over a bagel store run by a company from New York, after it went bankrupt. At the time, bagels were still known mostly to Jews, and hadn’t entered the mainstream. Marx turned himself into Bagel Man, a superhero with bagel-
How to submit news
To submit news and photos to the Community Press/Recorder, visit the Cincinnati Enquirer’s Share website: http://bit.ly/2FjtKoF
Contact The Press
News: 248-8600, Retail advertising: 768-8404, Classified advertising: 242-4000, Delivery: 513-576-8240. See page A2 for additonal information
Vol. 39 No. 30 © 2019 The Community Recorder ALL RIGHTS RESERVED $1.00
WFDBHE-23050y