Middletown Community Guide 2022

COMMUNITY GUIDE 2022–2023

A Place to Call Home In Southwest Ohio ENTERTAINMENT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PUBLIC WORKS DISPLAY UNTIL WINTER 2024

OUTDOOR RECREATION

Welcome

Middletown is a

PASSIONATE FAMILY

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aving traveled the world—visiting rural villages with a handful of residents to cities with millions—I have observed firsthand that each community of individuals identifies by a common shared theme of sorts: an identity. As humanity and nations have aged, these communities have seemingly become less tied to each other by shared values and more tied by less personal geographic and/or commercial focuses. While these factors can assist a community to rally around a shared identity, they only scratch the surface of what truly bonds humans.

Middletown’s identity does far more than scratch the surface.

As Middletown has grown, we have morphed from a reliance upon commercial identity to a partnership with it. The passion of our citizens and businesses is rivaled by few communities around the world. Why? We Middies believe you cannot have a community without having a family.

Unashamedly leaning on a science metaphor, pores in the membrane of a nucleus allow for passage of molecules in and out. In that same vein, our family nucleus here in Middletown involves not just those who sleep under the same roof, but the community who surrounds them. THIS. THIS is the identify of Middletown: a passionate family.

To find a rural village with a handful of residents who consider themselves family is expected and perhaps admirable. For a city approaching 51,000 citizens to identify as a passionate family?

Only in Middletown, Ohio. If you are considering becoming one of our citizens or stakeholders and are without Thanksgiving plans, fill in your calendar; you are welcome to our table. Just remember that the salt travels with the pepper, and the bread plate is on the... Meh, who cares? Take Uncle Ed’s bread plate. He’s always late. See you at supper!

Blue Skies over Middletown,

Nicole Condrey Mayor, City of Middletown, Ohio

Table of Contents

Published in Partnership with:

Welcome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Economic Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Employers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Public Works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Housing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Outdoor Recreation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Locally, Family & Veteran owned Publisher: Eric Harmon Editor: Corinne Minard Custom Publisher: Brad Hoicowitz Creative Director: Guy Kelly Contributors: Bill Ferguson Jr., David Holthaus, Ginny McCabe, Deborah Rutledge, Sam Salmon, Terry Troy Contact Cincy (Cincy Co. LLC) Cincinnati Club Building 30 Garfield Place, Suite 440 Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 cincymagazine.com information@cincymagazine.com (513) 421-2533

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Events

Something for

EVERYONE

Middletown stays busy with a variety of events all yearlong

BY DEBORAH RUTLEDGE

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esigned to draw out the locals and attract out-of-towners, Middletown’s slate of events offers something for everyone, from kids and dogs to car enthusiasts.

“We strive to get people excited about the unique character of our downtown,” says Jeff Payne, executive director of Downtown Middletown Inc. “Our real effort is to get people consistently downtown.”

To that end, there are First Fridays, which are themed events often linked to the season, and scheduled for the first Fridays of the month. Downtown Middletown partners with businesses or institutions that take the lead on the month’s entertaining event. They feature a variety of activities, with events occurring indoors or outdoors depending on the season.

On the third Saturdays from May through September, Downtown Middletown Inc. partners with the People’s Initiative Network to present Jazz on the Square at Governor’s Square. The event includes live entertainment featuring performers with regional popularity.

Middletown also will host marquee events in July at Smith Park, “the heart of community gatherings in Middletown,” says Mary Huttlinger, executive director of the Middletown Visitors Bureau.

Hops in the Hangar

Those include fireworks commemorating Independence Day and the annual Ohio Challenge Balloon Festival, featuring tethered hot air balloon rides and a spectacular balloon glow at sunset. About 20 to 35 hot air balloons are included in the display, which is set off by the view of the Great Miami Riverway, Huttlinger says.

These events not only serve as a community connector for residents, The Thunderfest Cruise-In roars into town in July. but also showcase the beaut y and histor y “unique to Middletown and the Midwestern region,” Huttlinger adds. plans to partner with the Holiday Hoopla comMiddletown events will hum through the mittee, which last year illuminated the town summer, beginning with a parade and African for a festive view with more than 300,000 American Cultural celebration commemorat- new holiday lights, Payne says. ing Juneteenth this June. Downtown MiddleAs a nonprofit, Downtown Middletown Inc. town Inc. will again partner with the People’s offers sponsorship package opportunities, Initiative Network for this event. and hosts a few of its own popular events to The popular Thunderfest Cruise-In will roar help support it and the work it does in Middleback to town in July. The event features classic town, Payne says. cars, hot rods, street rods, rat rods, pulling Those events include the Annual Women’s tractors, motorcycles and more. Unique prize Wine & Chocolate Walk in historic downtown categories and trophies will be awarded, and Middletown. The wine and chocolate tasting an hourly cackle fest gets every engine revving. event has a long reach, with up to 70% of its The quieter Port Middletown Arts Festi- ticket purchasers coming from outside Butler val and Dog Day Downtown Friday are also and Warren county zip codes, Payne says. The slated to return in September. Kids and fami- event takes place in May. lies are catered to during Middletown’s signaHops in the Hangar is another event hosted ture family event, Hocus Pocus, a Halloween- by Downtown Middletown Inc. Scheduled time festivity inspired by and based on the for August at the Middletown airport, the day Disney movie of the same name. will feature live entertainment, an air show For Small Business Saturday, which follows and sky diver event, plus beer tastings from Thanksgiving, Downtown Middletown Inc. more than 30 breweries. n M I D D L E T O W N • 2 0 2 2–2 0 2 3

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History

Home to History

Middletown’s historical homes can be found throughout the city

BY SAM SALMON, PRESIDENT OF THE MIDDLETOWN HISTORICAL SOCIETY

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iddletown’s streets are graced with many historical homes that have stood the test of time. The houses are more than examples of beautiful architecture—they also offer insight into the past of the city.

JOSEPH DOTY HOUSE

The Joseph Doty House at 2209 Carolina St. in the Mayfield Neighborhood was built in 1824 and is currently one of the oldest houses on its original foundation in the Middletown City Limits. Joseph Doty, a farmer, was the son of Middletown’s first settler, Daniel Doty and was married to Mary Vail, who was the great granddaughter of Stephen Vail, who platted out the city of Middletown. Today, the owners of this property are the Cope family.

HOOK MANSION

The Hook Mansion at 7 Alameda Circle was the home of Charles Ruffin Hook and Leah Verity Hook. Leah was the daughter of ARMCO founder, George Verity. Situated in the Historic Highlands District, this home was built in 1914. Charles Hook was the second president of ARMCO and later the chairman of the board. He was also the founder of Junior Achievement and a civic leader of Middletown, establishing Boy Scout Camp Hook and later having his name bestowed on Middletown’s municipal airport. Today this house is owned

by Mark and Wendy Booker.

GARDNER MANSION

Named the Gardner Mansion, after Colin Gardner who purchased the house and land in 1892, the house at 1 Gardner Place in the Lakeside Neighborhood was initially constructed in 1839 for Samuel Bonnell.

Gardner remodeled and added to the original 4

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John B. Tytus House

farmhouse, creating the impressive Greek Revivial structure that you see today. Gardner was also a prominent Middletown businessman, owned the Gardner Paper Company and served as the vice president of the Tytus Paper Company. Today, the home is owned

by John and Jennifer Ridge.

JOHN B. TYTUS HOUSE

The John B. Tytus House at 300 South Main St. was constructed in the 1860s in what is now the South Main Street Historic District. John Tytus was a revolutionary in the steelmaking industry and invented a practical continuous steel-rolling process that changed the steel game. This house was built combining elements of the Romanesque and Tudor Revival styles. The house is both a U.S. National Historic Landmark and on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. The current home is owned by Pamela Murphy.

THE SHARTLE HOUSE

Built on North Broad Street around 1900, the Shartle House was the home of the Charles Shartle family. Shartle was an industrial leader in Middletown and founded both the Midldetown Machine Company and the Shartle Brothers Machine Company. In 2012, the Middletown Historical Society acquired the building and has established it as a museum.

Called the Shartle House, the museum helps the society stay true to its mission of “Linking the Past to the Present for the Future.” The house is located at 120 North Verity Parkway in the Downtown Middletown District.

PHOTO CREDIT

All pictures belong to the MidPointe Digital Archives, and are used with persmission from the Middletown Historical Society. n

VAIL HOUSE

Prior to being the home of the Knights of Columbus, this Oakland Historic District building was constructed as the homestead of the Hugh Vail family at 1402 First Ave. Hugh Vail, owner of the Vail Mills, was the son of Stephen Vail, who filed the charter for Middletown in 1802. The house transferred to the Knights of Columbus in 1919, when it was sold by the Crane family. In 2001, the property was transferred to Williams Edwards. The current future of the Hugh Vail homestead is uncertain as the site is being considered for redevelopment purposes.

Vail House

Community

A Place to CONNECT Middletown’s community center continues to foster success stories

BY GINNY MCCABE

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or generations, the Robert “Sonny” Hill Jr. Community Center (RSHCC) has continued to build success stories—one life at a time.

“One of the biggest things we like to brag about at the center is just how much people feel connected to the community center. Almost every young person in the 1970s went through the community center and grew up there,” says Verlena Stewart, assistant executive director of the Community Building Institute, which manages the center.

As one of the oldest institutions in Middletown, the center has continued to provide a safe, fun and educational environment for members of the community. The center even displays a historical timeline, along with photos of individuals who came through the community center.

Notable names that have been touched by the center include Cris Carter, who played in the NFL for the Philadelphia Eagles, the Minnesota Vikings and the Miami Dolphins.

He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2013.

“We have also noted individuals like Stephen Hightower, who now has one of the largest Black-owned petroleum companies in the country,” Stewart says.

These individuals and countless others have gone on to be successful in different careers, but as children, they spent time at the center.

“They were all little kids that grew up at the community center, and many of them feel like if it had not been for the community center, they’re not sure which path their lives may have taken. So, the community center is near and dear to many individuals around the city,” Stewart says.

The community center is known as a place where families and parents feel comfortable allowing their children to come to get a hot meal and hang out with their friends, she says.

The Robert “Sonny” Jill Jr. Community Center offers a variety of programs to residents of all ages, from young children to adults.

“I applaud the City of Middletown for their work, and for their continued connection with the community center. We will celebrate 80 years in October 2022 and the City of Middletown has continued to support and invest in this asset that belongs to the community,” says Stewart.

“We are looking at an expansion right now. It’s an expansion made possible through the work of the City of Middletown and the Middletown

City School District. We’re looking at a potential $6.1 million, to as much as $12 million, project, depending upon the final outcome of a grant request pending before the Butler County Commission,” Stewart says.

The potential expansion project would provide better youth services and allow for more space and activities. Offerings could include a culinary component, expanded early education services with a preschool, expanded rental services with a nicer all-purpose center, and a larger STEAM or STEM room with expanded activities, just to name a few. The project is expected to be completed in 2023 with a launch in 2024.

“The community center has always been this asset, this beacon of light for families in the Middletown community. It continues to serve families in the community. We have a much larger, or much broader, outreach now to make sure that everyone feels at home when they walk through the doors of the community center, and that everyone is served,” Stewart says. n M I D D L E T O W N • 2 0 2 2–2 0 2 3

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Economic Development

A City

Middletown is in the midst of a series of projects that are meant to update and reinvigorate the city.

REINVENTION Middletown setting itself up for success with new developments across the city

BY BILL FERGUSON JR.

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f the Destination Middletown Comprehensive Plan is any indication, the city is seeking to transform itself economically in the near future.

The plan, as of press time, was still in the draft-and-review process before City Council and is an update to the 2005 Master Plan.

With community input and much work by city officials and stakeholders in the past few years, the plan is expected to be the guiding document for the community’s vision and goals for development in the next 10 years.

The city identified five key areas, all of which are key to attracting companies, jobs and residents to fill those jobs: Resilient Neighborhoods, Thriving Economy, Strong Infrastructure, Healthy and Safe Living and Pride in Community.

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“There are so many unmatched opportunities here,” Economic Development Director Chris Xeil Lyons says. “Middletown is vast and there are so many things happening here. It has a lot of history. It’s a very diverse community.”

Over the last several years, the economic development department has updated its website—choosemiddletownoh.org—and social-media channels to better communicate with the area’s business owners and beyond.

In 2021, the department also created the city’s Small Business Alliance, which provides resources, training and networking opportunities for businesses of 35 or fewer employees. That includes sending text messages to businesses to keep them in the loop on city dealings, road closures, events, loan/ grant opportunities and so on.

Membership in the alliance also provides a complimentary personalized Google Business Profile setup; one annual social-media post promoting the business; one professional head shot for business use; and shared marketing with the Middletown Visitors Bureau.

Membership is free, and registration is required. About 75 businesses have joined as of press time, Lyons says.

Middletown, with over 50,000 residents, sits along Interstate 75 in an ideal crossroads location: Two-thirds of the city is in Butler County, with the remaining third in Warren County. From downtown to downtown, it is close to midway between Dayton (24 miles) and Cincinnati (38 miles). According to the city’s website in2022, about 500 acres of professional/commercial development space is available, and about 200 residential acres remain developable, with sites for expansion located in the downtown, industrial parks and prime interstate areas.

In 2021, the city received $18.9 million through the federal American Rescue Plan Act, all of which “has been directed toward large, strategic economic-development projects because it’s one-time money,” Lyons says. “We’re using it for the re-development of large, transformative projects.”

Such large projects include: - Towne Mall redevelopment. The mostly vacant mall, built in 1977, is being repurposed into a retail/entertainment/recreational/ sports/lifestyle center that will feature a K1 Speed indoor electric go-kart racetrack; a destination sports and entertainment venue featuring three indoor ice sheets and changeable, multi-purpose floor-pads; several hundred luxury apartments with secured, indoor parking and amenities; multiple dining and entertainment venues; and an outdoor plaza and pedestrian gathering spaces. While some aspects remain under feasibility studies, reports estimate the price tag of developing the mall—now Towne Mall Galleria—at $100 million. The city, in partnership with Warren County and the mall’s owners, hired Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based RINKA, an architecture/design firm, to develop a comprehensive redevelopment plan for the property. The mall sits just off Interstate 75.

- Route 4/Oakland neighborhood community center. The city, in partnership with Middletown City Schools, is planning to rebuild a community center in the historic Oakland

Middletown has several large developments in the works that will make the city more attractive to businesses, such as the MADE Industrial Park and the Towne Mall redevelopment.

neighborhood. The center is expected to include job-training resources and possibly a kitchen/culinary incubator to help small businesses launch catering or food-or beverage focused businesses or to develop edible consumer products for retail shelves.

- Residential housing. In what is being described as an affordable-housing builder’s showcase the city is partnering with builders to construct modest, single-family homes on city-owned lots to make home ownership more accessible.

- Brownfield redevelopment. The city is completing acquisition of three brownfield sites, about 50 acres in total, in order to remediate them environmentally and make them available for job creation.

- Downtown redevelopment. Seeking to bring market-rate residential housing downtown, the city is partnering with a number of developers to reimagine and reinvest in a number of high-profile sites where live-workand play opportunities might be realized.

But there is still more that Middletown has been up to. The Middletown Port Authority was founded in January 2021 to replace the Community Improvement Corp.

Since then, the Port Authority has been hard at work, partnering with the City to add

another 42 acres to the MADE Industrial Park near the corner of Yankee and Todhunter roads. Of those new acres, 12 have already been claimed by Phoenix Metals, which will be building a 156,000-square-foot facility that will enable the company to grow its workforce.

Lyons says that many companies are looking for properties to be “shovel ready” as they expand and grow.

The Port Authority, which is a separate governmental authority with a board of directors, can create sales-tax exemptions, issue bonds, facilitate some land transfers and eliminate some red tape involved in other governmental operations.

The city also is in the midst of a major reinvestment in its roadways. With the passage of a $30 million street levy last year, combined with other committed local, state and federal funding, the city will make $51 million in road improvements between 2021 and 2023 — more than 200 lane-miles in total “The city is reinvesting in itself,” she says.

As the city makes such improvements, “several companies are meeting with us and talking about reinvesting in their own properties—making building improvements.

We’re already seeing a positive outcome of the public infrastructure that’s going in.” n M I D D L E T O W N • 2 0 2 2–2 0 2 3

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Employers

Middletown’s central location and connection to the aviation industry make it attractive to many companies.

Bringing In BUSINESS Middletown’s location makes it an easy choice

BY TERRY TROY

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ith its unique location spanning Butler and Warren counties along the Interstate 75 corridor, the City of Middletown is within reach of both the Cincinnati and Dayton metropolitan markets.

It has a well-developed highway system that gives it easy access to international shipping by air, rail or water. More than 50,000 residents also call the city home, offering support for independent restaurants and businesses located there.

While obviously proud of the way Middletown’s Economic Development Department works with new businesses, even Chris Xeil 8

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Lyons, economic development director, is quick to admit that it’s the City’s location that really makes it attractive.

“We are right in the center of four growing counties right along the I-75 corridor,” Lyons says. “So we have access to two major metropolitan areas with a combined population of more than 3.1 million.

“Our road infrastructure, although it needs some paving, is actually pretty good because it was over-built back in the day,” Lyons adds.

“And we have four-lane highways into our downtown from I-75, with five different ways of getting into the city.”

The repaving issue is already being addressed, says Lyons. A road levy was passed in 2021 and work is underway to provide more than $51 million in paving upgrades throughout the City.

And there are companies relocating to the city as well. Access Envelope and LubriSource

are just two of the companies recently moving to Middletown.

“We wanted to be more centrally located to our clients and to be in the hub of manufacturing,” says Angela Morrow, president of LubriSource. “Personally, I like being in Middletown, but it is also strategically located between Dayton and Cincinnati.”

Downtown Middletown

Butler Tech’s Aviation Exploration program introduces high school students to the aviation industry.

Which makes it easy to attend meetings and events from the Dayton Region Manufacturers Association, while also connecting to Cincinnati clients and business partners.

Another positive is that the company is able to attract potential hires from a larger geographic radius without encumbering its prospects with a long commute.

For over 20 years, LubriSource has provided automated lubrication equipment, system design and maintenance services to companies spanning steel, pulp and paper, food and beverage, automotive and aerospace industries, which are in abundance in the region. A large portion of LubriSource’s business is providing preventive maintenance services. That includes collecting and testing oil samples, performing gearbox filtration or doing routine maintenance.

“We see the manufacturing ecosystem in Middletown as a vibrant business community that is very embracing and willing to network,” adds Morrow. “Also, we are launching robot greasing services and being right off of 1-75, which is considered ‘robot alley,’ we are looking forward to serving more manufactures that are utilizing robots.”

Those are just two of the newer companies relocating to the area. However, Middletown is also home to several companies and industries with histories that date back more than 100 years.

“We are an older city and we are right off the highway, but the other part of it is that we are also located right off the Great Miami River,” says Rick Pearce, president and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce serving Middletown, Monroe and Trenton.

Middletown Works steel mill now owned by Cleveland-Cliffs dates back to 1899, when it was founded as American Rolling Mill Company. It was later incorporated in 1909 as Armco and later became AK Steel. The paper industry started in the area before the Civil War. While it enjoys a rich tradition of manufacturing, Middletown also sits in a corridor with cutting-edge industries including aviation and aerospace, with access to two major international airports as well as being home to Middletown Regional Airport.

“Our Aviation Exploration program is housed at the Middletown Regional Airport,” says AJ Huff, spokesperson for Butler Tech.

“The students learn aviation theory, navigation and management, learn principles of me-

teorology forecasting, and apply knowledge of aircraft ground handling safety procedures to aviation maintenance.

“The program absolutely aids in workforce development and was actually created just a few years ago for the exact purpose of meeting the growing demand in the aviation industry,” Huff adds. “Currently, the industry transports over 10 million passengers and approximately $18 million worth of goods each day—however the number of pilot certificates issues by the FAA has decreased more than 60% since 1980.”

The chamber is also focused on meeting the workforce needs of its members, an issue that is now center stage, especially with the end of the pandemic in sight.

“We are now in our seventh year of working with our members to solve their workforce issues,” says Pearce, whose organization works with four different school districts, including the Middletown City School District. “We’re doing a lot with K-12 schools to get them prepared for life after high school.

“We host a manufacturing month in October where we try to take students out on tours of local manufacturers. During COVID, we had to make those virtual tours, but in a more perfect world, we will get them out to tour the actual facilities. We do the same thing with health care in November. Then, from January to April, we try to get our members into schools to keep that conversation going.”

And the Middletown Schools are an active partner, with a strategic vision called “Passport to Tomorrow. Dream Today. Rise Tomorrow,” that shows students how to translate aspirations into careers, whether it’s work or continuing education.

The chamber also has a new workforce initiative called “Skills2Careers.”

“It’s a ground-breaking technology that matches people with skills to employers that need those skills,” says Pearce. “We are one of only a few organizations piloting this technology, and we have been working on it since July of 2020.

“The workforce challenges we all face are not going away any time soon. People are having less children and a good workforce takes 18 years to develop.”

But with the help of partnerships among schools, the chamber of commerce and private businesses, Middletown is already a step ahead. n M I D D L E T O W N • 2 0 2 2–2 0 2 3

9

Public Works

Time for an Update

Conceptual rendering of the updated Central Avenue

Middletown invests in streets and new developments

BY DAVID HOLTHAUS

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uch of Middletown’s infrastructure is in the midst of upgrades.

The city has embarked on a street paving project that will condense 10 years worth of resurfacing into a little more than two years, with a centerpiece of the project being the reconstruction and redesign of a key downtown corridor.

The street project is already under way and will continue throughout 2022 and into 2023, says Scott Tadych, Middletown’s public works director. “We’re repaving one-third of all the 10

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streets in Middletown over a two-and-a-halfyear period,” Tadych says.

The city typically spends about $3 million a year on street paving. This project will total a little more than $31 million. “We’re doing 10 years of work in two-and-a-half years,” Tadych says.

That’s thanks to a quarter-cent, 10-year income tax levy Middletown voters overwhelmingly approved in November 2020. Because of low interest rates, city officials decided to issue bonds for the full amount of the levy, and get the work done more quickly rather than stretch it out over 10 years.

Most of the work will be done on neighborhood streets that have not seen significant improvements in decades. “It’s focused almost exclusively on residential streets,” Tadych says.

Streets are assessed using a paving index ranging from 0 to 100, with 100 being a newly paved street. Pavement condition is the chief factor in the assessment, with traffic volume, safety issues, maintenance concerns and utility considerations also taken into account.

One non-residential street on the list is Central Avenue, which is not only scheduled for repaving but also for a makeover meant to attract visitors and improve walkability.

Central will be reconstructed between University Boulevard and Verity Parkway, a project that will include replacing the pavement, curbs and gutters. New traffic signals will be installed and new sidewalks will be built. Water mains and storm sewers will be replaced or improved.

What the public may notice most will be new, decorative LED street lighting, decorative

brick pavers between curb and sidewalks, new street furniture, landscaping and trees.

“We’re reconstructing this street from building face to building face,” Tadych says.

The $7.6 million project is being partly funded with a federal grant for $4.6 million administered through the Ohio-KentuckyIndiana Regional Council of Governments.

The Central Avenue reconstruction is part of Middletown’s downtown master plan that was adopted in 2019, a plan that calls for a downtown district that is pedestrian friendly.

“Part of the goal is to add new businesses,” Tadych says. “There’s a lot of empty storefronts there right now. We hope this initiates some private investment once the public investment has been made.”

Construction began in early March 2022 and should be completed, weather permitting, by 2023.

There’s more infrastructure development taking place largely underground that will have a substantial impact on the water quality of the Great Miami River.

In 2018, the city reached an agreement with the state and federal Environmental Protection Agencies to reduce the amount of stormwater and wastewater that is discharged into the Great Miami River. Middletown’s sewers handle both stormwater and wastewater, and, when flows are heavy, typically during heavy rainfalls, the combined sewers overflow into the river.

The agreement, called a consent decree, includes three main components: Implementing a Long-Term Control Plan to reduce combined sewer overflows into the Great Miami; rehabilitating about 40 miles of sewer pipes that are in need of repair; and Street repaving is underway.

A map showing the Central Avenue project area and the impacted roads M I D D L E T O W N • 2 0 2 2–2 0 2 3

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Public Works

When the Long-Term Control Plan is completed, Middletown anticipates reducing the amount of untreated water flowing into the Great Miami and other waterways by 386 million gallons.

rehabilitating and upgrading the wastewater treatment plant to keep it viable for another 25 years.

The city has 25 years to complete the $270 million overall project and has recently completed two parts of it.

“We’re on track to meeting the EPA deadlines,” says Nakita Lancaster, Middletown’s assistant public works director.

In Sunset Park, a large, landscaped detention basin was built to hold stormwater, which will then be released slowly into the sewer system to prevent overflows. The project is considered green infrastructure and makes use of natural elements rather than constructing a new plant or pump station.

The city made significant investment into the 12

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redesign and upgrade of Sunset Park and it was reopened in 2020.

The second project was a stormwater pump station that was completed in December 2021 at 700 N. University Blvd. The project, known as the Lakeside Redirect Project, reduces stormwater flowing into the combined sewer system, improving the sewer capacity, reducing potential for street and basement flooding, and lowering the amount of untreated water entering the Great Miami. A new storm sewer collects stormwater and redirects it to a surface water canal. This portion of the plan cost $12 million.

The city is currently evaluating design proposals for the next project—an underground

water storage basin to be built downtown, at a location still to be determined. The basin will hold up to 5.1 million gallons of stormwater until the sewer system is able to process it, as it is more slowly released.

Design work on the project should begin in mid-2022, with construction starting in late 2023, Lancaster says. Work on the project is expected to continue into 2025, she says. After construction, the surface will be finished to allow it to remain a permanently useable public space.

When the entire Long-Term Control Plan is completed, it’s anticipated that Middletown will reduce the amount of untreated water flowing into the Great Miami and other waterways by 386 million gallons, Lancaster says. n

Services

Time for a

New Home Middletown plan would build four new stations for City’s fire department

BY CORINNE MINARD

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s in all communities, the fire department of Middletown is an integral part of the city. In 2021 alone, the Middletown Fire Department answered 12,590 calls for service, ranging from fires to EMS and other needs of its citizens.

The fire department has been taking care of the community for decades, but it now may be time for Middletown to take care of the fire department. All four of the city’s fire stations do not meet current safety standards and codes of modern-day stations. The newest stations were built in 1977 and the oldest still currently in use was built in 1953.

For example, the fire stations do not meet the Ohio Building Code for fire suppression and none of the stations have sprinklers.

They also do not meet today’s accessibility requirements or other requirements for an essential facility.

To address this need, the City is looking to take advantage of economies of scale and build all four new stations at the same time.

The projected cost is $16.8 million. Each station will move from its current location to a new one that takes into account response times, roadway accessibility, neighborhood type and land availability: - The Fire Headquarters/Station 83 will relocate from Roosevelt Boulevard to Yankee Road and Cherry Street, site of the former Garfield School.

- Station 81 will move from North Clinton Street to Charles Street and Henry Avenue, the site of the former Jefferson School.

- Station 82 will move from Dixie Highway to Atrium Boulevard and Ohio 122.

- Station 85 will move from Central Avenue to Sophie Street and Stolz Drive.

In addition to making the fire stations safer for fire department personnel, the City believes the new facilities will help the fire department be more competitive and attractive when it comes to recruitment and retention of employees.

Middletown residents will have the opportunity to vote on this issue on the May 2022 ballot.

More information about the Middletown Division of Fire and these fire stations can be found at MiddletownFireStations.com. n

Middletown is looking to build new, modern fire stations for its fire department.

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Housing

Reinvesting in Oakland

The Oakland neighborhood

Middletown promotes building affordable housing in the historic neighborhood

BY DAVID HOLTHAUS

M

iddletown’s Oakland neighborhood is an older community comprised of homes 100 years old or more.

Over the decades, the neighborhood experienced a lack of investment and the population declined—aggravated by the Great Recession, which pushed some of the homeowners into foreclosure.

The neighborhood is historic, and, in fact, is an official Middletown historic district, as

The concept for the Vail School site 14

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it is near the original ARMCO facility, home to the Carnegie Library and Oakland Park, and populated with venerable housing stock.

Now, city officials want to bring new, affordable housing to the neighborhood, and have a plan to spark new investment there.

Over the years, the city acquired many housing lots out of foreclosure, or sites where homes had been demolished. As officials considered how to return those lots to decent housing, they assembled 10 of them near the site of the former Vail School, which was recently torn down.

City officials have asked for proposals from homebuilders to construct affordable, quality, single-family housing there. Not McMansions, but homes of two or three bedrooms, perhaps 1,500 square feet, with a porch and a garage.

“Something a family can get into at a decent price,” City Manager Jim Palenick says.

“A builders showcase,” Palenick says. “A kind of Homearama-style project for modest, affordable, single-family homes in a neighborhood that really hasn’t seen any building for a very long time.”

The project is called A.T. H.O.M.E., which stands for Affordable, Transformative, Housing Opportunities Made Easy.

The homes would be attractive to firsttime buyers, empty nesters and others who want to live near downtown amenities, says Ashley Combs, Middletown’s development services director.

To encourage builder participation and insulate them from the risk of losing their investment, the city is partnering with selected builders to help fill financing gaps that can come with building modest homes in such a neighborhood.

“We know there’s a not a current market established” Palenick says. As such, “we’ll backstop it to guarantee you’ll get a minimum return. We provide the lot, waive connection fees, assist homeowners with down payments, and then we’ll market it as well. We’re trying to jumpstart what otherwise wouldn’t happen if it was left up to the market.”

City officials would like to have three or four builders build two or three homes each to create the “builders showcase,” perhaps

by Fall 2022.

“Our hope is that then the local builders will continue without necessarily needing that subsidy from the city,” Palenick says.

The city is also working with the Middletown Community Foundation to see if it can help provide construction financing at lower rates, which could, in turn, result in lower financing rates for homebuyers.

The housing plan is the top priority of an overall revitalization vision for the Oakland neighborhood that also includes infrastructure improvements, wayfinding, safety and lighting improvements, enhancing walkability and cultural assets, and further redevelopment of the Vail School site, the Carnegie Library and Oakland Park. n

Outdoor Recreation

Plenty of Options Middletown residents can enjoy the Great Outdoors thanks to many outdoor activities

BY GINNY MCCABE

W

ith a vibrant community that is home to popular recreation options, events and attractions, Middletown has plenty to offer outdoor adventurers.

“Middletown really has a laundry list of outdoor adventures for the thrill-seekers and the casual outdoor explorers,” says Mary Huttlinger, executive director of the Middletown Visitors Bureau.

People from all over the country come to Middletown for the Adventures Through Art Walking Mural Tour. The tour can be enjoyed by guests of all ages and physical abilities.

“This outdoor, self-guided mural tour, which is a 1-mile flat loop, encompasses views and background on 16 different, outdoor murals.”

Huttlinger says.

The Adventures Through Art Walking Mural Tour takes guests through the heart of historic Middletown. Guests can follow along on a smart device in Google Maps, as each mural stop provides visitors with the history of each piece of public art.

“It’s not just simply walking around and looking at murals. There’s a lot of historical

context that is included, but then you also get to enjoy the downtown area.”

The New Discoveries GeoTour was formally launched in 2021.

“There are 25 hidden GeoCaches around the Greater Middletown area that people can seek out and find. Then, they turn in a passport for a unique, custom-made glass coin that’s a keepsake for completion, made by our local glass artist at Haute Fusion Glass Studio,” Huttlinger says.

Residents and visitors across the region are also excited about the newly opened bike trail on the Great Miami Riverway that connects Middletown to Franklin.

“Biking along the Great Miami Riverway with a 99-mile stretch of paved bike trail, which connects us to endless amounts of miles and other bike trails, really opens up that stretch of the riverway for all types of opportunity, and day excursions, but also for races,” Huttlinger says.

The Great Miami Riverway has multiple access points throughout Middletown. Running from Sidney to Hamilton, the Great Miami Riverway connects riverfront communities

The Great Miami Riverway offers opportunities for recreation on the water.

Middletown is home to many different types of trails.

that engage in recreational and cultural opportunities. This interconnected system offers 99 miles of river, paved trails and communities in Southwest Ohio.

“The City of Middletown and the City of Franklin worked hard to fill that gap in on the Great Miami River Recreation Trail, and the importance of that is once they did that, the City of Middletown is now connected to the nation’s largest paved trail network,” says Dan Foley, director of the Great Miami Riverway.

Because that trail gap has been filled in, you can bike from the City of Piqua to Middletown, he says.

Those looking for sporting activities may also enjoy Middletown’s status as the Pickleball Capital of Ohio.

“Pickleball is definitely part of the outdoor adventure. As you know, pickleball is the fastest growing sport in America right now across all age demographics,” Huttlinger says. “We host two Association of Pickleball Professionals (APP) Tournaments every year.”

Once a week, community members can receive a free pickleball lesson from the Middletown Pickleball Association. They can also hangout with expert players and be taught by professionals who are avid pickleball players, she says.

“In Middletown, we offer a lot of non-traditional outdoor activities. Many of them are on people’s bucket lists. A lot of them are for thrill seekers, but all of them are family-friendly, low-cost experiences,” Huttlinger says. n M I D D L E T O W N • 2 0 2 2–2 0 2 3

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