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Price Hill Press

May 26, 2010

EDITORIALS

LETTERS

Editor Marc Emral | memral@communitypress.com | 853-6264

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Thank you, Delhi police

Recently we honored police in Cincinnati with a memorial service at Fountain Square. We in Delhi have the honor and privilege to be served by the finest group of police individuals I have known (and I do know many). May God continue to bless these officers and protect them from harm. Thank you for your service to our community. Janet Rosenthal Allenwood Court Delhi Township

Nice store

Shopping for groceries should be a pleasant experience and that is what you get when you shop Delhi Kroger, from your entrance to the produce and the pleasant aisles and the smiling workers who so gratefully help you along your way. I have been shopping Delhi Kroger for many years and always find a new adventure and the courteous employees who seem to enjoy their workplace. You can always tell a happy workplace by the smiling faces. I love to chat and find my philosophy of being happy in your work has found a home here and the managerial staff must share

OFFICIALS Here is a list of addresses for your public officials:

Ohio Senate

• 8th District – Bill Seitz (R). In Cincinnati, call 357-9332, In Columbus, write to: Senate Building, Room No. 143, First Floor, Columbus, Ohio. 43215; or call 614-466-8068. E-mail: SD08@senate.state.oh.us.

Ohio House of Representatives

• 30th District, Bob

Mecklenborg (R). In Columbus, write the Ohio House of Representatives, 77 S. High St., 11th floor, Columbus, Ohio 432154611 or call 513-481-9800 or 614466-8258; fax 614-719-3584. E-mail: district30@ohr.state.oh.us. The 30th District includes Green, Miami and Delhi townships. • 31st District – Denise Driehaus (D) In Columbus, write to: 77 S. High St., 13th Floor, Columbus, OH., 43215-6111 or call 614-466-5786; fax 614-7193585 E-mail: district31@ohr.state.oh.us.

Cincinnati is owner of railroad The city of Cincinnati is the only American city that owns a railroad. The idea began with a public meeting in 1835 to expand the cities economy by creating a railroad south to purchase and sell Cincinnati’s products. The prospects looked good for a rail line from Cincinnati to Louisville and Charleston, after Cincinnati sent representatives to the Southwestern Railroad Convention. Then the financial crash of 1837 stopped all plans. And they learned that Ohio’s Constitution prohibits counties, cities and towns from becoming owners in any joint stock company. The railroad was doomed. Hopes rose again during the Civil War when Gen. Ambrose Burnside wanted a military railroad to the south. Surveys were made, but other war events overshadowed the project and it, too, was abandoned. Cincinnati still wanted a southern railroad. In 1868 E.A. Ferguson put forth a proposal that the city of Cincinnati itself should build and own a southern railway. His idea was endorsed by the population and the city of Cincinnati spent $578.90 lobbying the measure in Columbus. The law was passed May 9, 1869. A jubilant City Council adopted plans for the railroad and proposed a bond issue for $10 million to build the railway. The issue passed and there was celebrating in the streets. Nine bands paraded the street all day. The fire bells rang at six in the morning, at noon, at three in the afternoon. The Superior Court of Cincinnati appointed the first board of directors. They were: Edward A. Ferguson, Richard M. Bishop, Miles Greenwood, William Hooper and Philip Heidelbach. Miles Greenwood became the first president. The last two hurdles would be getting the funds and getting permission to go into cities. In 1870 Tennessee passed the Tennessee Public Act 291 allowing the railroad in. However, Kentucky –

Louisville specifically – did not want the railroad in the state. But the central and eastern Kentuckians wanted it. Two years later after Betty Kamuf much debate Community K e n t u c k y Press guest approved the and the columnist measure railroad was off and running. Contracts were let and work began. In 1875, the $10 million in bonds was used up. And the trustees were forced to ask the city for an additional six million dollars. Doubts about the project began to surface, but $6 million bonds were approved by voters and work continued. In 1877 a portion of the railroad opened from Ludlow to Somerset. But the trustees were again out of money, and were forced to go to the voters again. Another $2 million was approved. In 1879 the last spike was driven in place. The railroad was finally finished. In 1880, the first freight train completed the route from Cincinnati to Chattanooga, and a passenger train followed a month later. To celebrate the railroads completion trainloads of southern dignitaries came to Cincinnati for a grand banquet at Music Hall which was described as the largest banquet ever attended in the United States. Doubts are gone today about the railroad. It has proven to be a great moneymaker for the city. At times the street lamps on moonlit nights were turned off to meet interest payments, but the rewards are traffic supremacy, and a substantial return on the investment. Betty Kamuf is a winner of Griffin Yeatman Award for Historical Preservation. She lives in Sayler Park. You can reach her at sp.column@fuse.net.

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my endeavors. My favorite haunts are the deli and the wonderful, courteous smiling faces in the pharmacy. What a great adventure awaits me every week. David Schaffner Allenwood Court Delhi Township

Thank you, Delhi

The Western Wildlife Corridor would like to thank the community of Delhi and all of our friends for coming to our Wildflower Festival on April 9. We had a record-breaking attendance and everyone there, whether young or old, had the opportunity to learn something

We welcome your comments on editorials, columns, stories or other topics important to you in The Delhi Press and The Price Hill Press. Include your name, address and phone number(s) so we may verify your letter. Letters of 200 or fewer words and columns of 500 or fewer words have the best chance of being published. All submissions may be edited for length, accuracy new about nature and wildflowers. We also appreciate your additional support of our group and our vendors through the purchase of wildflowers and nature items. Finally, we would like to thank the Delhi Press for kindly getting the word out about our festival.

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and clarity. Deadline: Noon Friday E-mail: westnews@communitypress.co m Fax: 853-6220 U.S. mail: See box below Letters, columns and articles submitted to The Delhi Press and The Price Hill Press may be published or distributed in print, electronic or other forms. We look forward to seeing everyone again next year and if you weren’t able to be there, we hope you will consider joining us for the 2011 Wildflower Festival! Adele Grout Zion Road Cleves

It’s Price Hill and we do care Maybe you living in Price Hill feel as I do many times that our elected officials care little or nothing about Price Hill. In fact I think sometimes they have the attitude: It’s good the heck with what the people on the West Side think. When they decided to tear down a bunch of buildings down in the West End the thought was “What are we going to do with all the people we are displacing? That is OK we will just give them a Section 8 voucher and tell them to go to the West Side and live.” Look at what this has done to our neighborhood. Then they promised a new police station West Side. They don’t need a new building we will just convert an old department store. We complained as we should so then they expanded the 100-year-old building by relocating some offices across the street to a 100-year-old firehouse. How about a new firehouse to

replace the one that has been housing firefighters for more than 70 years. Think they would build a new one; we will just put an on the Larry addition side of the old Schmolt one. We don’t Community care if the elecPress guest tric is overused or the floors are columnist cracking, this is Price Hill and it is good enough for them. We are gong to fix up around St. Lawrence Corner even though on major thoroughfares work is only supposed to be performed between the hours of 9 and 4 not to disrupt traffic – this is Price Hill we can start at 7 and work until 6. This is Price Hill and we don’t care. It is OK to block drives, dis-

rupt the children going to school, block sidewalks for several blocks and close down people’s businesses. This is Price Hill and we do not care. When a hydraulic line breaks on one of the machines digging the water line and sprays hydraulic fuel all over the front of a building, we don’t care this is just a building along Warsaw Avenue and not Erie Avenue in Hyde Park. This is Price Hill and we do not care. It appears that the Tea Party on the national level is having an effect, maybe it is time for us to have a Tea Party right here in Price Hill because this is Price Hill and we are proud of it and We Do Care. Larry Schmolt is coordinator of the Price Hill Historical Society and Museum. He lives on Rutledge Avenue.

Minutes highlight department’s history In September 2010, The Delhi Township Fire Department will commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the department, formerly Delhi Volunteer Fire Department. In recognition of the sacrifices of our former members made to establish fire protection in our community and how the organization developed into what it is today; we have combed through the meeting minutes to find interesting historical events that have occurred since 1935. Each month we would like to share a small excerpt of facts taken from our history, and encourage our community to come in and visit the Delhi Fire Museum. The museum is funded through private and corporate donations, and independently run by the Delhi Historical Fire Museum Society. It is open to the public during normal business hours and after hours by appointment. May 18, 1937 – A meeting of the Delhi Volunteer Fire Department was held at the Engine House at 8:25 p.m. Chairman Joe Lampe, later to be designated as the fire chief, turns the meeting over to the Fish Fry Committee, Al Lockhorn and Dick Linneman Chairman of the committee reports the following: Amount taken in from Picnic is $224.32, expenses $127.78, profit shown is $96.54. This is to help fund the operations of the volunteer fire department for the year. It is noted that the “Affair” got under way at 3 pm. But the local bingo and graduation exercises reduced local attendance and that 75 percent of patrons were strangers,

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Fire Chief Joe Lampe stands next to one of the department's cars. they sold out of fish at 10 p.m. and sold out brats at 11 pm. May 22, 1944 – Henry Radel of the Radel Funeral Home donates a hearse to the volunteer fire department .This is the beginning of EMS care in the department. Chief Lampe instructs the men to call the sherriff's office and an officer will escort the ambulance to the hospital. All runs are to be transported to St. Mary's Hospital unless otherwise instructed. Chief Lampe also gives a direct order to the men not to drive over 35 M.P.H. on emergency calls and 25 M.P.H. when returning to the station. Once the ambulance has returned to the engine house, the man in charge should call Joe Klawitter at Klawitter's Store to report that the ambulance is back in service. Mr. Klawitter handles all emergency calls at his store; phone service has yet to be established at the engine house. The ambulance made 14 first-aid calls that year. May 17, 1949, Mr. McDonally will bring along a “land” station radio and will demonstrate it along with any receiving sets we can try out. The cost of two portable radios and one land sta-

A publication of Your Community Press newspaper Serving Price Hill and Covedale

Price Hill Press Editor . . . . . . . .Marc Emral memral@communitypress.com . . . . . . .853-6264

tion at the fire house is about $2,515. May 15, 1956 – Chief Kusar reports on bids for the new Greenwell Ave. station. Motion by Beep Wittich seconded by Elmer Ohmer that we build the firehouse ourselves and motion carried. The construction of the Greenwell Ave. station is to increase our response time to the east side of Delhi Township and to hold off a proposed annexation from the city of Cincinnati. May 19, 1959 – Chief Kusar reports that we have two requests from the community. The first is from Colonial Stores who has invited us to attend the opening of the new Albers store in Del-Fair Shopping Center. Also, Our Lady of Victory has invited the Department to attend the cornerstone laying for their new school building on Sunday May 23, 1959. May 18, 1965 – Chief Kusar presented Assistant Chief Bill Hengehold with a retirement badge and thanked him for his fine work in the last 30 years. Chief Hengehold was a charter member from 1935. May 20, 1975 – Chief Kusar reports that John Schill was hired as the new full-time fireman and that he began work on the fifth of May. John Schill would eventually attend medical school and become a much respected emergency room doctor in Northern Ohio. Pete Pritchard is a part-time Delhi Township firefighter and curator of the department’s museum.

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