FOREST HILLS
JOURNAL
Your Community Press newspaper serving Anderson Township, California, Mount Washington, Newtown 50¢
WEDNESDAY, MAY 9, 2012
INSPIRATION A recently installed garden celebrates the work of a former principal. Full story, A5
BECAUSE COMMUNITY MATTERS
Newtown hires annexation lawyer
By Rob Dowdy
rdowdy@communitypress.com
NEWTOWN — Despite being turned down by Hamilton County officials, Newtown is still working on annexing property in Anderson Township and Columbia Township. Newtown Village Council is moving forward with its quest for annexation by hiring an attorney to work with the county to see what needs to be done to complete the process.
“I’m hopeful we can sit down with (the county) … and see exactly what the problem is,” said Mayor Curt Cosby. Hamilton County commissioners unanimously rejected Newtown’s application for annexation of Anderson and Columbia townships’ property in early March because county officials said drawings of the proposed annexation were not complete and that the county did not have materials for the village's proposal to maintain state Route 50, also
known as Wooster Pike. The village will have to begin the process again in order to seek approval a second time. The 233 acres Cosby of property the village plans to annex include the Hamilton County Park District's Little Miami Golf Center and Bass Island Park on the south side of the Little Miami River in
Anderson Township and Hahana Beach, 7605 Wooster Pike, and the former Heritage Restaurant, 7664 Wooster Pike, on the north side of the river in Columbia Township. Most of the acreage Newtown is attempting to annex is owned by the Hamilton County Park District and lies in Anderson Township. The village also proposed annexation of property owned by Little Miami Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to the resto-
ration and preservation of the Little Miami River, and TD Management. Cosby said the village is still unsure if it will continue the process, and is hoping assistance from an attorney will help Newtown “see which direction we need to go from here.” According to Keri Everett, village fiscal officer, Newtown has spent approximately $60,000 on the annexation process to this point.
Anderson dog park to get mural By Lisa Wakeland lwakeland@communitypress.com
In the middle of the dog field at Kellogg Park sits a tall, concrete structure. Parts of the former river lock testing building are covered in moss and trees sprout out of the middle. The drab building is expected to get a partial makeover by the end of the year, however, thanks to a grand idea from Anderson Township resident Claudia Cline. Cline, who regularly visits the dog park with her beagle-mix dog, Pflash, said she appreciated the Anderson Township Park District’s recent upgrades to the area and that’s when the idea struck. “I wanted to do something for the Park District, kind of as a thank you (for the renovations), and I though it could use something creative,” she said. In January, she sent an application to ArtWorks to have a mural painted on one side of the former lock-testing building. When the mural application was accepted Cline approached Park District officials about the idea. “I think it’s really neat that someone saw (the opportunity) and thought they could make it happen,” Park District Executive Director Ken Kushner said at a recent meeting. “These murals are throughout the city and we’d be one of the locations” The mural will privately-funded, and the Park District only has
to provide the canvas, he said. Cline estimated it will cost around $30,000 for the mural, and she’s raised almost half the money. “We want it to be something fun, showing dogs playing,” she said. “The (dog park) members are excited, and I think it will appeal to dog lovers and art lovers alike.” The mural will be on the northeastern side of the building, which faces out toward the rest of Kellogg Park, 6701 Kellogg Ave. Because the dog field is a members-only area of the park, Cline said they picked that side of the lock-testing structure so more people can enjoy it. Cline is currently reviewing portfolios from different artists, and she said the project will likely take between eight and 10 weeks to complete. Area residents will be able to contribute at a certain level to have his or her dog painted on the mural, but she said they’re still finalizing the details for different sponsorship levels. ArtWorks is expected to start the mural later this summer, and its student apprentice artists would likely paint the mural as part of the after-school program, Cline said. Artists use special paint that adheres to the concrete and the murals last for decades, she said. Contact Claudia Cline, ccline4@cinci.rr.com, to make a donation or for more details on the project.
Anderson Township resident Claudia Cline sits with her dog, Pflash, in front of the former river lock-testing building at Kellogg Dog Field. She's spearheading an effort to have ArtWorks paint a mural on the side of this structure. LISA WAKELAND/THE COMMUNITY PRESS
WATER WALK
THE FUTURE
Students at Summit Country Day School aren’t only learning about the global water crisis. Photos, B1
Anderson Township residents will have another chance to view plans for the Ohio Riverfront area. Full story, A3
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