BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT B1
LeEtta Jasper recently opened Seconds R Best in Newtown.
Your Community Press newspaper serving Anderson Township, California, Mount Washington, Newtown E-mail: foresthills@communitypress.com We d n e s d a y, S e p t e m b e r
Volume 50 Number 23 © 2010 The Community Press ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Bye muddy lot
Muddy parking spaces will soon be a thing of the past at Riverside Park. The Anderson Township Park District recently received a $150,000 grant from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency to install a permeable paver parking lot at the Round Bottom Road park. SEE STORY, A3
Marine honored
Alexander Bachman has a sense of both relief and reward. After nearly a year of fundraising, design and construction, Bachman recently finished his Eagle Scout project, a gazebo on the grounds of Turpin High School. But this isn’t merely a shady spot for students. It’s a memorial to a former Turpin graduate, Marine Capt. Warren A. Frank, who was killed in Iraq two days before Thanksgiving in 2008. SEE STORY, A5
Voice your opinion
Magistrate Michael Bachman recently ruled that Anderson Township and First Financil Bank should resolve issues regarding the township’s rights to the the proposed Anderson Towne Place parking garage and cinema development prior to any issuance of an order for the foreclosure sale of the property. What do you think? Let us know by going online and voicing your opinion by typing Cincinnati.com/anderson township into your Web browser’s address bar and voting on our poll. We’ll run the results in next week’s edition of the Forest Hills Journal.
Poll results
The results of the Aug. 25 unscientific poll on our Anderson community site at Cincinnati.com/andersontowns hip asking readers if voters would approve a future levy or bond issue based on the initial costs associated with the Forest Hills Local School District’s consolidated building options are: Yes: 10% No:
(10) (87) 90 percent 90% Total votes: 97
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1, 2010
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Township, bank in talks
Topic is foreclosure of proposed parking garage, cinema By Lisa Wakeland
lwakeland@communitypress.com
Anderson Township is investigating options for the proposed parking garage and cinema property. In November, First Financial Bank filed for foreclosure of the mortgages the JFP Group held for the proposed Anderson Towne Place parking garage and cinema development. Magistrate Michael Bachman recently ruled that Anderson Township’s interests in the property were recorded prior to the bank’s mortgages. Bachman’s decision stated that the two parties should resolve issues regarding respective rights to the property prior to any issuance of an order for the foreclosure sale of the property. Anderson Township has already paid the JFP Group $5.8 million for
LISA WAKELAND/STAFF
Anderson Township is weighing options to ensure the planned parking garage is finished. Work has stopped for almost a year because project developer, the JFP Group, went into foreclosure on the property. the parking garage construction and has a lease for parking spaces in the completed garage.
Township Administrator Vicky Earhart said the lease has some restrictions regarding time and
availability of parking spaces that another developer would have to honor. “We’re seeing what our options are for development,” she said. “It’s an investment we don’t want to lose.” Earhart said the township recognizes that in the current economic climate it could take years to find another developer for the site. Developers broke ground for the new Anderson Towne Place cinema and parking garage in 2007 and first aimed for an opening the following year. Dan Heilbrunn, co-owner of DanBarry Cinemas, said his company planned to operate a 10screen, first-run theater for the site. “I think if the project moved forward, we’d still be interested,” he said.
Newtown mayor: Start park restroom By Rob Dowdy rdowdy@communitypress.com
Newtown Village Council is considering starting construction of a restroom at Short Park, even though the village has yet to receive funding for the project. During the most recent village council meeting, Mayor Curt Cosby said the Hamilton County Park District has delayed the purchase of a small easement in Short Park, which will be used for the extension of the Little Miami Scenic Trail. The village plans to use the $40,638 the Park District agreed to pay for the permanent easement, which is two-thirds of an acre, to fund the restroom project. Ross Hamre, planning director with the Park District, said the district will also pay $7,766 for a half-acre of temporary easement that will be used for construction purposes. The village agreed to sell the
Park District the easement in June, and the district plans to begin the trail extension in 2012. According to Cosby, the counCosby ty is still finalizing the agreement for right of ways for the trail extension. He suggested the village build the restroom and get reimbursed by the county once the agreement is complete. “We don’t know if that money will get funded this year or early next year,” Cosby said, adding that the village will definitely get the funds. The restroom is expected to cost approximately $80,000. However, the village plans to use the $48,404 from the easement sales as well as an approximately $24,000 grant the village received in 2008 for the project.
In other news
• Council heard a brief presentation from Mario Cicchinelli, director of Reach Event Marketing, on the 2010 Pro Beach Volleyball Players Championship, which will be conducted Sept. 2-5 at Hahana Beach on Wooster Pike in Columbia Township.
Cicchinelli noted the event will have sufficient parking, all the top beach volleyball players will be in attendance and though he expects large crowds, he doesn’t expect any issues to arise. • Councilman Curt Tiettmeyer gave a brief update on the village’s new website. Council voted to hire Sund and Co. to redesign the site during its July 13 meeting, and the project is expected to take eight weeks to complete.
Cosby said Newtown would only be responsible for about $8,000 for the entire project if its done this year. He said the village could lose the grant, which has already been extended, if the restroom isn’t built soon. “We really want to see that restroom finally in this year,” Cosby said. Bruce Brandstetter, village engineer, said a meeting was
scheduled to discuss the project with the Park District. Cosby said he met with Brandstetter, Councilman Brian Burns, who’s chairman of the village parks committee, and Ron Dickerson, street maintenance supervisor, to discuss building options and possible locations for the restroom. Cosby said Brandstetter will attend the next village council meeting Sept. 14 to present the information to council.
Here’s a look at other topics of discussion during Newtown Village Council’s recent meeting:
Anderson man faces burglary charge Community Press staff report
Sheriff’s deputies arrested a theft and burglary suspect in Anderson Township on Aug. 19. Tom Iredale, 37, of 7102 Salem Road, was charged with attempted burglary, forgery, passing bad checks, misuse of credit cards and two counts of receiving stolen property, according the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies investigated a series of incidents that began on July 6 and a patrol officer found Iredale
in the 6100 block of Corbly Road on Aug. 19. Incidents include: • On July 6, an unknown male attempted Iredale to gain entry into a home in the 8000 block of Bridle Road and successfully opened an unsecured rear window. This triggered an alarm and the
Tips? The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office is continuing its investigation of theft and burglary suspect Tom Iredale. Anyone with information on any other offenses Iredale allegedly suspect fled. • On July 9, the same suspect tried to negotiate a stolen/forged check at the Fifth Third bank in Mt. Washington. The bank held the check and determined it was stolen and forged. • Also on July 9, the same suspect
committed is asked to call the Sheriff’s Office, 851-6000, or Crimestoppers, 352-3040 or via text to 352-3050. Crimestoppers will provide cash for clues and callers remain anonymous. used a stolen credit card to buy $110.91 worth of merchandise from the Anderson Towne Center Kroger store. Iredale confessed to being the unknown person in those incidents, and was later charged, according to police.
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