City Council Member Seeks
to Redefine Community Councils

Cincinnati City Council Member Y. Laketa Cole has proposed dramatic changes to the way that community councils operate. The Vibrant Neighborhood, Recreation, Parks and Public Services Committee of City Council held a public hearing at 2PM on April 14th regarding proposed changes to Ordinance No. 220-1989 which established requirements for community councils. Helpful Links: The Original Community Council Ordinance The Motion An Analysis (prepared by Carl Uebelacker, President of Hyde Park Community Council) Invest in Neighborhood's Response Reply by Council Member Cole Revised New Ordinance (4/19)

The Liquor Czar

About the Tsar:

The Civic Association has elected Richard Ketterer to be our new "Liquor Czar."  He will be tracking the liquor license applications, transfers, and renewals in our neighborhood.  He will also be collecting data on problem liquor establishments diminishing the quality of our neighborhood so that we can object to them at the proper time and attempt to get their license revoked.  This is a difficult, time consuming process, and your help is crucial.  If you have information on a problem liquor business in our community, e-mail Rick or Westwood Civic.   

Problems to be reported include litter, loitering, public drunkenness, selling alcohol to minors, drug activity, criminal activity by owners or managers, particularly alcohol or drug abuse, building code violations, and other problems affecting the quality of life in Westwood.  Be as specific as possible and include dates, times, names of witnesses, photographs or video if possible, and your contact information.  With your help we can stop problem liquor businesses!

Helpful Links:

• Guide to Liquor Permit Objections
• Liquor Permit Objection Contacts

Westwood Elementary School

There are two sides to every issue. The Westwood Elementery School improvement project is no exception. In this case, the two sides are the north side and the south side (of the school). For several years, planning has been in the works to add a building to the Westwood Elementary location to house a gymnasium and other improvements. The core issue is whether the the building will be located on the Harrison Avenue side or the Epworth Avenue side. After numerous hearings and presentations, the Westwood Civic Association voted to support placing the building on the Epworth side. The school board, however, decided to proceed with placing the building on the Harrison side.

This decision was not the final word. Either location required a zoning variance. After a hearing, the application for the zoning variance was denied. The School Board has decided to appeal that decision. That appeal is pending.

Helpful Links:

• Letter from Westwood Civic Objecting to Zoning Variance
• Decision Denying Zoning Variance
• Appeal Letter from CPS
• Letter from Westwood Civic Re: CPS Objection