There has been a flurry of activity regarding the Kroger development at Wayne and Wyoming Avenues in the last two weeks. Without boring everyone with details a group of neighborhood leaders met to discuss ideas that would push this project along. A letter was written and sent to the city leaders with some questions and ideas. The letter asked if the city had been in communication with Kroger directly instead of their developer Midland Atlantic. We felt that it was important that Kroger was aware of the support that they would have in the community. Letters have been sent by neighborhoods to the CEO of Kroger and an appeal went out for others to follow suit. The response from the city manager was swift and is as follows;
Dear Concerned Citizens:
I want to take the time to thank you for your interest in the redevelopment of property at the Wayne and Wyoming intersection. We share your interest in moving this project forward and are committed to bring new investment to East Dayton. City staff have been working with the Midland Atlantic development group to bring in a new development opportunity that will provide an important amenity and job generator to the neighborhood. Those discussions continue, but there are some critical issues that we are still working through.
The biggest challenge is the amount of public investment that is appropriate for a development of this size and nature, particularly in a city that is facing significant funding challenges. While financial assistance may be appropriate and some funding has been preliminarily committed to facilitate this new development, the City has limited resources. As you are aware, property acquisition costs are a significant concern given prior negotiations that homeowners and businesses had with Midland Atlantic. The City and Midland Atlantic have both worked to identify additional funding sources for the project, but we are still trying to address a funding gap that has grown threefold since the project was first proposed.
Some people have expressed concern that the reason this project is not moving forward is due to the Ballpark Village project. I can assure you that the two projects are unrelated and that Krogers is not contemplated for Ballpark Village.
I also want to assure you that this project is a priority for the City Commission and staff is working diligently to bring this project to fruition. Funding sources, such as tax increment financing, have been part of the project for quite some time and we continue to look for other alternatives.
Our immediate next step is for me and my staff to meet with the Developer to discuss project financing and refine our strategic acquisition plan in an effort to move the project forward. We certainly want to include the citizens and other stakeholders as the development evolves. As soon as we get a firm and workable financing and acquisition plan in place, we will come to the community and provide updates to and solicit feedback from our stakeholders.
I appreciate your commitment and continued interest in our community.
Sincerely,
Rashad M. Young
City Manager
I will keep you posted as I get information.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Little Lambs Private Daycare
Little Lambs Private Daycare
269 Virginia Ave.
Dayton, OH 45410
Open House
August 1, 2007
4p-6p
Normal Business Hours
Monday-Friday
7a-6p
Open for Business
August 6, 2007
Owner and Director: Blythe Williams
Phone # 937.305.0957
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Neighborhood Security
Security and quality of life issues are our responsibility. By our, I mean the residents of this community. If we fail to live responsibly then we shouldn't complain when others around us act irresponsibly. In the past, law enforcements motto was "to protect and serve" but this is no longer the case. Law enforcement should be there to enforce the law. This doesn't seem to be the case any more either. It seems that our police force reacts to crimes in progress or after the fact and is forced to focus on felony crimes that a jury will convict. If this is the case then WE have to become responsible for "Crime Prevention" in our neighborhood.
Walnut Hills is not a high crime area when it comes to quality of life issues. Most police calls are domestic disputes or petty thefts and vandalism. Petty crime however should be curbed because it can cause good residents to move away because they feel that nothing can be done to prevent it.
The problem is that we still expect the police force to "protect and serve" at a time when their job is to arrest criminals. They can't arrest criminals in Walnut Hills if we actively make an effort to prevent crime. If we can prevent crimes from occurring then the criminal element will reside and do their deeds elsewhere.
We are going to make an effort to form active and organised block watch groups. Blythe Williams has volunteered to spearhead this effort and can be contacted at blythewilliams@earthlink.net
A tentative plan is to divide the neighborhood into at least 7 sectors as follows. Section #7 may need to be divided into two managable areas.
We would hope to find one responsible person per block to be block captains and one of those captains should be a sector leader. People can report anything unusual to the block captains who can convey relevant information to the sector leader who could broadcast to the neighborhood via this web page or through email.
We don't expect miracles overnight and some sectors will exhibit more volunteerism than others, but it is a start. A block watch group is only as good as it's best leader. If we only establish this in 4 sectors then at least half the neighborhood is a safer place to live in.
We need to locate block captains and sector leaders so if you know the name of the most likely candidate on your block, please submit the name to Blythe. We won't take just anybody. I tend to do criminal and civil record searches on individuals on a regular basis. We may also consider a residency requirement for captains and sector leaders to ensure longevity of the block watch group.
In the last two years we have done a lot of exciting things and this is just one more to make this a more tightly knitted community.. The ultimate goal here is to make Walnut Hills the most desirable neighborhood to live in within 2 miles of downtown Dayton. I think that is an achievable goal.
Walnut Hills is not a high crime area when it comes to quality of life issues. Most police calls are domestic disputes or petty thefts and vandalism. Petty crime however should be curbed because it can cause good residents to move away because they feel that nothing can be done to prevent it.
The problem is that we still expect the police force to "protect and serve" at a time when their job is to arrest criminals. They can't arrest criminals in Walnut Hills if we actively make an effort to prevent crime. If we can prevent crimes from occurring then the criminal element will reside and do their deeds elsewhere.
We are going to make an effort to form active and organised block watch groups. Blythe Williams has volunteered to spearhead this effort and can be contacted at blythewilliams@earthlink.net
A tentative plan is to divide the neighborhood into at least 7 sectors as follows. Section #7 may need to be divided into two managable areas.
We would hope to find one responsible person per block to be block captains and one of those captains should be a sector leader. People can report anything unusual to the block captains who can convey relevant information to the sector leader who could broadcast to the neighborhood via this web page or through email.
We don't expect miracles overnight and some sectors will exhibit more volunteerism than others, but it is a start. A block watch group is only as good as it's best leader. If we only establish this in 4 sectors then at least half the neighborhood is a safer place to live in.
We need to locate block captains and sector leaders so if you know the name of the most likely candidate on your block, please submit the name to Blythe. We won't take just anybody. I tend to do criminal and civil record searches on individuals on a regular basis. We may also consider a residency requirement for captains and sector leaders to ensure longevity of the block watch group.
In the last two years we have done a lot of exciting things and this is just one more to make this a more tightly knitted community.. The ultimate goal here is to make Walnut Hills the most desirable neighborhood to live in within 2 miles of downtown Dayton. I think that is an achievable goal.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Another Park Event
I received an email from the Teens of Promise Youth Ministry announcing this event for Saturday July 28th at the park.
PRESENTING
Celebrate Jesus!
A FREE Neighborhood Community Event
Celebrate Jesus!
A FREE Neighborhood Community Event
Celebrating the Lord Jesus Christ and His Love for Us!
WHEN: Saturday, July 28, 2007
From 12:00 PM to 6:00 PM
WHERE: Walnut Hills Park
FOOD MUSIC FUN
Entertainment
Skits
Puppets
Illusions
Trinkets
WHEN: Saturday, July 28, 2007
From 12:00 PM to 6:00 PM
WHERE: Walnut Hills Park
FOOD MUSIC FUN
Entertainment
Skits
Puppets
Illusions
Trinkets
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Wednesday, July 04, 2007
What About That Free Pizza?
Our May website promotion was a smashing success, we were able to attract new visitors to our blog and add a few names to our mailing list! I'd like to congratulate William Herzog of Virginia Avenue as our winner, he takes home a $15 coupon for free pizza from Dewey's @ UD.
Thanks to all of those who entered!
Thanks to all of those who entered!
What About That Krogers Development?
I got this emailed to me today.
July 2, 2007
Dear Neighborhood Organization Leader,
For literally years now the City has been talking with an agent of Kroger’s about building a new, larger, better positioned, Kroger store at the corner of Wayne and Wyoming in East Dayton. East End Community Services along with many of our friends from surrounding neighborhood associations and community councils have expressed our strong support for such a development. We share the notion that a new Kroger store would add high quality retail services to the City, support inner ring neighborhood vitality, add a significant number of new jobs, and help catalyze much needed new development along the Wayne Avenue corridor.
The proposed Kroger development requires a significant investment in property acquisition and public infrastructure dollars by the City. Unfortunately, Dayton and Kroger’s development agent, Midland Atlantic, seem to have come to an impasse in their negotiations and the project appears to be stalled. The possibility exists that the project could be abandoned entirely. In our view losing the Kroger development would be a huge blow to the continued growth and redevelopment of many of our inner ring neighborhoods.
If you agree, and are interested in voicing your concerns over the stalled talks, please join us for a meeting with the leaders of other inner ring Dayton neighborhoods who would benefit from a new Kroger Store at Wayne and Wyoming Streets. The agenda is simply to brainstorm and come to consensus about actions we could take as concerned residents to encourage the City and Kroger to take the steps needed to make the proposed new Kroger a reality. Paul Woodie will chair the meeting.
The East End Community Services Board of Trustees is hosting the meeting, which is scheduled for Thursday July 19 at 7:00 PM. The meeting will be held at the East End Community Center, located at 624 Xenia Avenue Parking is in the rear, off Steele Avenue.
Please call Jan Lepore-Jentleson, East End Community Services’ Executive Director, at 259-1898, if you have any questions or comments. We hope to see you on the 19th.
Sincerely,
Frank Surico
East End Community Services Board President
July 2, 2007
Dear Neighborhood Organization Leader,
For literally years now the City has been talking with an agent of Kroger’s about building a new, larger, better positioned, Kroger store at the corner of Wayne and Wyoming in East Dayton. East End Community Services along with many of our friends from surrounding neighborhood associations and community councils have expressed our strong support for such a development. We share the notion that a new Kroger store would add high quality retail services to the City, support inner ring neighborhood vitality, add a significant number of new jobs, and help catalyze much needed new development along the Wayne Avenue corridor.
The proposed Kroger development requires a significant investment in property acquisition and public infrastructure dollars by the City. Unfortunately, Dayton and Kroger’s development agent, Midland Atlantic, seem to have come to an impasse in their negotiations and the project appears to be stalled. The possibility exists that the project could be abandoned entirely. In our view losing the Kroger development would be a huge blow to the continued growth and redevelopment of many of our inner ring neighborhoods.
If you agree, and are interested in voicing your concerns over the stalled talks, please join us for a meeting with the leaders of other inner ring Dayton neighborhoods who would benefit from a new Kroger Store at Wayne and Wyoming Streets. The agenda is simply to brainstorm and come to consensus about actions we could take as concerned residents to encourage the City and Kroger to take the steps needed to make the proposed new Kroger a reality. Paul Woodie will chair the meeting.
The East End Community Services Board of Trustees is hosting the meeting, which is scheduled for Thursday July 19 at 7:00 PM. The meeting will be held at the East End Community Center, located at 624 Xenia Avenue Parking is in the rear, off Steele Avenue.
Please call Jan Lepore-Jentleson, East End Community Services’ Executive Director, at 259-1898, if you have any questions or comments. We hope to see you on the 19th.
Sincerely,
Frank Surico
East End Community Services Board President
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
The Festival Was a Success!
The first Southeast Festival at Walnut Hills Park was a huge success despite a few faux pas that crept up on us along the way. Here are some pictures of the event. I may add some more later. We even got a visit from the mayor!
Here is the list of people who should be thanked for their roles in making the event a success.
Harold Ayres
Ed Ayres
Mike Schommer
Doug Schommer
Beverly Dunnington
Kent Lyon
Lela Estes
Bob Lipps
Chad Snoke
Kelly Claypool
Sarah Abernethy
Ben Abernethy
Mitch Kearns
Meg Malcolm
Shawnte Shepherd
Stephanie Llacuna
Koa Llacuna
Krissy Mayes
Josh Mayes
Ella Smith
Billy Stevenson
Steven Dalton
Joe Lacey
Kate Good
Brian Good
Ashley Wilcox
Jim Trickey
Jane Fries
Nicki Craft
There are at least four more who helped on the day but I didn't get their names so thank you too!
Here is the list of people who should be thanked for their roles in making the event a success.
Harold Ayres
Ed Ayres
Mike Schommer
Doug Schommer
Beverly Dunnington
Kent Lyon
Lela Estes
Bob Lipps
Chad Snoke
Kelly Claypool
Sarah Abernethy
Ben Abernethy
Mitch Kearns
Meg Malcolm
Shawnte Shepherd
Stephanie Llacuna
Koa Llacuna
Krissy Mayes
Josh Mayes
Ella Smith
Billy Stevenson
Steven Dalton
Joe Lacey
Kate Good
Brian Good
Ashley Wilcox
Jim Trickey
Jane Fries
Nicki Craft
There are at least four more who helped on the day but I didn't get their names so thank you too!
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