Evendale continues with bike master plan - Cincinnati Area

[Garrison Hilliard]

As Evendale Recreation Department officials wrap up phase 3 of the
bike
master plan, the focus has turned to prioritization and, eventually,
funding.

Michele Gottschlich, who has been working on the bike plan with the
recreation center, said they're finishing up phase 3, which involved
establishing potential projects for the plan and prioritizing which of
those options are more desired within the village. She said that
residents are being asked to fill out a survey that will help them
better understand what they would like to see come out of the plan
first.

Although they've only received about 70 responses so far, those
working
on the plan are seeing a higher demand for a trail to run along the
Mill Creek. Gottschlich, who is also a founder of the Connecting
Active
Communities Coalition, or CACC, said the village is working with
Reading and Sharonville to create a trail that would run the length
of
the three municipalities.

Evendale has about 3.1 miles of the proposed walking and biking
trail,
and involves the three communities to negotiate partnerships with
companies such as General Electric, Dow, Formica and Duke Energy.
They
are also working with CACC and the Mill Creek Watershed Council,
which
would usher in environmental improvements to the creek in addition
to
the trail.

Gottschlich said that while the most popular option, the Mill Creek
trail is also the most expensive, with a possible $2.7 million price
tag. The high cost is a result of a number of bridges that would
likely
need to be built across the creek to avoid running through
industrial
property, but she said some negotiation could allow for some changes
that will reduce the cost.

"It's going to take a little time and some negotiation," Gottschlich
said. "Everyone has been embracing this notion (of a trail) and has
been willing to talk."

Other options include a trail to the former Blue Ash airport, now
Summit Park, which could run through several sites in the village,
including Gorman Heritage Farm and Griffin Nature Preserve. Those
projects could cost anywhere from about $100,000 to $1 million, she
added.

The next step is looking for grants, which Gottschlich said is where
the funding for projects will come from. Several foundations and
businesses are being considered, she said, and added that sources
such as the Clean Ohio Trails Fund and the Recreational Trails Program
are
also in the works.

"I truly believe this money is there, we just need to do our
homework,"
she said.

Gottschlich added that she expects the recreation center will take
the
findings to council, and possibly the planning commission as well,
during the first quarter of the year.

http://news.cincinnati.com/proart/?aid=/ab/20130118/news01/301180090/&pagerestricted=1

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[Garrison Hilliard]

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20130226/NEWS/302250171

On the East Side, plenty of people want the Wasson Way bike and pedestrian
trail to be built.

�If you�re looking for transformational bang for your buck, Wasson Way is
the project the city should be supporting,� said Janet Buening, president
of the Hyde Park Neighborhood Council.

�It would be a great benefit,� said Craig Rozen, Oakley Community Council
vice president, �not only to our community and our neighbors in Hyde Park,
but for the entire city of Cincinnati.�

And yet when City Manager Milton Dohoney Jr. said last week he wants to
allocate $3 million to the trail project, to some it was like a five-star
meal arriving at the table ... with a hair in it.

That�s because the money hinges on City Council approving a controversial
long-term lease of the city�s parking system.

�The cynic in me says this (money for the trail) was added to try to hush
Oakley and Hyde Park, two of the most vocal neighborhoods against the
privatization of parking,� said Peter Draugelis, president of Oakley
Community Council. He�s an attorney who�s done pro bono legal work for
Wasson Way.

Under the proposed parking deal, the city would receive an upfront $92
million payment. That money would help convert Downtown�s Tower Place to a
30-story residential building with grocery store; jump-start the
Interstate 71 interchange at Martin Luther King Jr. Drive; balance the
city�s 2014 and 2015 budgets; buy a carousel for Smale Riverfront Park;
add $6.3 million to the city�s reserves.

And acquire the right-of-way for the bike trail.

Meg Olberding, Dohoney�s spokeswoman, said Wasson Way was included in the
parking plan because it�s a timely project that neighborhoods want and
fits within the plan�s financial framework.

The trail project would convert 6.5 miles of a mostly unused railroad
right-of-way owned by Norfolk Southern into a bike and pedestrian path
linking Xavier University in Evanston to the Little Miami Scenic Trail in
Newtown. About 3.5 miles are within the city of Cincinnati.

Hyde Park resident Jay Andress two years ago began leading a grassroots
effort to get the trail built. He�s now board president of the nonprofit
Wasson Way organization.

He�s excited the city recognizes the importance of the project. But as a
nonprofit, Wasson Way can�t take a position on a political issue such as
the parking proposal, he said.

�We�re trying to stay out of as many political fights as we can,� he said.
�We just want to do something pretty simple: We want to build a bike
trail.�

His group estimates the cost at $7.1 million, which does not include
right-of-way acquisition.

Among the positives he cites:

� Recreational and health benefits. An estimated 120,000 people live
within a mile of Wasson Way. By connecting it to established paths � such
as the Little Miami Scenic Trail, the Lunken Bike Trail, Ohio River Way
and Armleder Park � people would have access to more than 100 miles of
trails.

� An economic boost for nearby neighborhoods and homeowners.

A 2011 study by University of Cincinnati researchers Rainer vom Hofe and
Olivier Parent examined how a 12-mile stretch of the Little Miami Scenic
Trail in Hamilton County affected residential property values. The study
concluded that for the average home, people were willing to pay a $9,000
premium to be within 1,000 feet of the trail.

About 4,000 houses are within 1,000 feet of Wasson Way. �We think we would
see similar increases in property values,� Andress said.

He also points to the success of hike/bike trails in other cities. In
Indianapolis, the 10.4-mile Monon Trail, completed in 2003, is used more
than a million times a year, the city says.

Supporters of Wasson Way who have qualms about Cincinnati�s parking
proposal find themselves between the proverbial rock and a hard place.
Community councils in Hyde Park and Oakley opposed an earlier version of
the parking plan, but have yet to take a stand on Dohoney�s newest
proposal.

Concerns remain that increased parking fees and longer hours of meter
enforcement will harm neighborhood business districts. And some residents
believe the city should continue to manage and operate its parking
operations.

But Lori Wellinghoff, president of the Hyde Park Square Business
Association, said the parking plan brings Cincinnati�s rates more in line
with other metro areas. She isn�t worried about a detrimental effect on
businesses.

And as a Wasson Way backer, including funding for the trail in the parking
proposal is �small bucks for big bangs,� she said.

Even if the parking proposal dies, Wasson Way won�t, supporters say. Said
Draugelis: �It�ll just be a slow and steady effort.�