FLORENCE RECORDER
Your Community Recorder newspaper serving Florence and Union $1.00
THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 2016
EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION 7A NKY’s big night for school awards is April 28
BECAUSE COMMUNITY MATTERS
SARAH BROOKBANK/THE COMMUNITY RECORDER
Ly Sreng and his wife own Pink in a Blanket. Their new location on Mount Zion Road opened in April. The couple started making doughnuts as something fun to do together. FILE PHOTO
Doughnut shop Mary Rose Mission plans now taking 30-bed inn for homeless orders on Mt. Zion Road
President of Mary Rose Mission Cindy Carris said the idea for a homeless shelter began one cold February when a volunteer asked if there was anywhere for people to stay. Now the mission will try to open an inn before winter.
Sarah Brookbank
sbrookbank@communitypress.com
FLORENCE – When Mary Rose Mission opened on Main Street in Florence it only served two meals a week. Three years later, it serves five meals a week and is adding to its services. “Mary Rose Inn” is a nickname for a facility the soup kitchen hopes to open by the end of 2016. It’s a homeless shelter of sorts that has been in the works for two years. President of Mary Rose Mission Cindy Carris said the idea began one cold February when a volunteer asked if there was anywhere for people to stay. When Carris said most of them live in tents, the volunteer suggested putting people up in hotels for the night. The volunteers set out and by the end of the season, Mary Rose Mission had raised enough money to bring 24 people out of the cold. The inn isn’t a traditional homeless shelter. Guests will pay a small fee to stay at the inn, which will run as a hotel. A true homeless shelter isn’t specifically allowed within Florence city limits because of certain ordinances. Kevin Wall, director of
To help
To help Mary Rose Mission visit its website at http://maryrosemission.org. The mission is always in need of food or monetary donations, volunteers and prayers.
Boone County Zoning Services, said Boone County zoning code does not have a specific category for homeless shelters, but they are considered transitional housing facilities. A transitional housing facility is a “community-based residential facility that provides room, board, and counseling or other rehabilitative services for persons with medical and/ or social disorders or problems, such as physical or mental disabilities, homelessness, income disparities, drug or alcohol abuse, or behavioral disorders,” according to the Boone County 2012-2013 Zoning Regulations. A transitional housing facility could be built anywhere within the county zoned as a public facility district, except in Florence. Carris said because the planning commission told them why they couldn’t open a homeless shelter, they found a
RITA’S KITCHEN
YOUR ONLINE HOME
Bake bread from scratch (it’s not that hard). 9A
Find local news from your neighborhood at Cincinnati.com/ communities
way to work around the zoning issues. “The plan fits the definition of a hotel. The structure design and operation plan fit,” Wall said. “If they keep the operation plan as a hotel and it fits within the preliminary definition it will work.” The concept plan Mary Rose Mission sent as a hotel was approved by the Boone County Planning Commission, Boone County Health Department and Boone County Building Department. “In some regard there is a perception in our community that a homeless shelter isn’t allowed but that isn’t correct,” said Wall. “It depends on how it is operated and what category it falls under.” Now the mission needs to close on the building. The vacant Computer Mania building at 6608 Dixie Highway, Florence, will be the site of the inn. Mary Rose Mission hopes to purchase the building on Dixie soon so renovation on the building can begin. The proposed inn will have five rooms, each with a bathroom and bunk beds. Carris said they hope to serve 30 people a night. Carris said the driving See MIISSION, Page 2A
Sarah Brookbank sbrookbank@communitypress.com
FLORENCE – From fresh doughnuts and coffee to chilled frappes and breakfast sandwiches, Pink in a Blanket has something for everyone. The doughnut shop on Ky. 18 near Boone County High School has been thriving since opening in 2014. Pink in a Blanket’s success has allowed them to open a new shop on Mount Zion Road near Kroger. “We have a lot of customers
asking for another location. So we moved out to Mount Zion. We are very busy here and we want to grow,” said owner Ly Sreng. The shop is open from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays and 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. on weekends. Sreng and his wife started making doughnuts as something fun to do together. Now they make fresh doughnuts and their own take on a summer favorite. The namesake of the shop, Pink in a Blanket, is a smoky See DOUGHNUT, Page 2A
IT’S COLLECTION TIME In the next few days, your Community Recorder carrier will be stopping by to collect $3.50 for delivery of this month’s Florence Recorder and Union Fuller Recorder. Your carrier retains half this amount along with any tip you give to reward good service. This month we’re featur-
Contact us
News ........................283-0404 Retail advertising ......513-768-8404 Classified advertising ..513-421-6300 Delivery ......................781-4421 See page A2 for additional information
The place for summertime fun! Buy Online Pick Up Today
8515 US Hwy 42 Florence • 859-525-2038
ing Molly Fuller who attends Gray Middle School and is in National Junior Honor Society. In her free time she likes to play tennis. If you would like more information about the junior carrier program, call Melissa Lemming, Community Recorder district manager, at 859-4423462.
Vol. 21 No. 33 © 2016 The Community Recorder ALL RIGHTS RESERVED