April 2022 Newsletter

The East Price Hill Improvement Association (EPHIA) is our neighborhood’s City of Cincinnati designated Community Council.  Our objective is the encouragement and promotion of the civic advancement of East Price Hill, all of Price Hill, and the West Side of Cincinnati

LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT

Dear Neighbor,

It’s spring…. well, almost… and a time of new beginnings. So here we go! Our April meeting will be LIVE and IN PERSON for the first time in over two years!!! We’re excited! And we hope to see you there! Where? We are moving to ARCO at 3301 Price Avenue, which is the former Masonic Lodge at the corner of Price and Purcell Avenues. ARCO has been beautifully renovated into a gorgeous community event space which is the new home of the offices of Price Hill Will. The space will allow for social distancing for those who are more comfortable with that, while still allowing us to gather as a community. Our meeting begins at 6:30pm, so please arrive a couple of minutes early to grab a snack or a drink and meet some of your neighbors. We are planning to add a few fun things to our meeting:  please come out and join us in celebrating our East Price Hill neighborhood!

In addition to the fun things, we will also have a few “special” guests:

Captain David Johnston, the District 3 commander will be attending. While Captain Johnston will attend our meetings regularly and has been the District 3 commander for some time, this is his first opportunity to be introduced and meet our community members, and he is looking forward to it.

Councilmember Mark Jeffreys will be joining us to talk about pedestrian safety. This has been a huge concern in our community for many years. East Price Hill has had the highest number of pedestrian fatalities of any neighborhood in the city, and we have been working with City Council and the Department of Traffic Engineering (DOTE) for a very long time to change this. Please come out and share your concerns with the Councilmember. A representative from DOTE will also be attending to listen to neighborhood concerns, share some information, and discuss future plans.

City Manager John Curp has also graciously accepted our invitation to join us in celebrating our neighborhood and our return to in-person meetings. He will be joining us and has been asked to speak on how he envisions our role as a community council in city government. We look forward to hearing Mr. Curp’s thoughts, and hope they will inspire us all to find ways to be engaged.

We very much hope that you will join us on Monday evening. It promises to be a full and interesting conversation made all the better for your being part of it.

I hope to see you there!

Sheila Rosenthal

President, EPHIA

Minutes

from the March 21, 2022

General Membership Meeting

1. Call to Order, Pledge of Allegiance
2. Roll Call
   
   Present
   President – Sheila Rosenthal
   Corresponding Secretary – Greg Shaw
   Treasurer – John Ridder
   Membership Officer – Nikki Franz
   Director – Mary Croft
   Director – Newman Lain
   Trustee – Eric Buhrer
   Trustee – Tom Gamel
   
   Excused
   Director – Amber Kassem
   
   Absent
   Recording Secretary – Natasha Mitchell
   
   Vacancies
   Vice President
   Director
   Director
   Director
   Trustee
   
   
3. First Time Attendees:
   A number of students from West High are present.
   a. Rickell, Howard, Smith.
   
   
4. Communications:
   # New 21 # In 3 # Out 2
   
   
5. Treasurer’s Report:
   $30,623.49
   
   
6. Membership Report
   # New 0 # Renewal 3
   
   
7. Safety & Government Reports
   a. Police
      i.      Officer Emody and Sgt. Hicks: anticipating a “Summer Safety Plan” which will allow for PVO. Traffic issues throughout the community include a significant number of unlicensed vehicles, speeding, red light/stop sign violations . Another traffic fatality on Warsaw. “Self initiated” traffic stops were again raised, and the community was directed to city council. A question was raised about traffic crossing left of center on the turn from Elberon to W. Eighth
   b. Probation
      i.      John Schwind reported on multiple arrests for weapons and drug sales, and explained how probation connects with probationers over the holidays to positively impact their lives.
   c. Safety CAT
      i.      No report as members are at Lindner Summit
   
   
8. Old Business and Projects
   a. Zoning Density- Report
      i.      City council rejected the ordinance and will be working on density as an issue.
   b. Website & Database- Report
      i.      Please update memberships that may have expired!
      ii.      Events are online. Members are able to receive notifications about meetings.
   c. Events
      i.      Eggstravaganza- April 9th, Wilson Commons, 1:00-2:30pm, 3-10 year olds
      ii.      Spring Into Summer Picnic at Mt. Echo Park coming up on May 21st!
   d. Vacancies on the board
       Please contact info@ephia.org if you are interested in serving.
   
   
9. New Business
   a. In person meetings will resume in April, same date, same time at ARCO, 3301 Price Avenue
      i.      We will look into hybrid / streaming meetings
   b. City Budget Process beginning
      i.      Budget Basics Sessions
           The City of Cincinnati's Office of Budget & Evaluation and        Department of City Planning & Engagement will be holding Budget Basics Sessions for residents to learn more about City's budget structure, the budget development process, and how to provide feedback during the upcoming Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 Budget Update process. Must request Zoom access. Email budget@cincinnati-oh.gov
      ii.      First public hearing set for April 4th
      iii.      Community Budget Requests (CBRs)
             part of biennial budget process. This is the community’s opportunity to drive improvements from the city side.
   c. Traffic
       DOTE proposing temporary speed cushion traffic calming for Warsaw
      i.      We have been working on getting traffic calming on Warsaw for many years with little progress
      ii.      Another traffic fatality on Warsaw this month: motorcyclist was struck by a hit and run driver
      iii.      Looking for community input / effort with the city to drive traffic calming
      iv.      Councilmember Mark Jeffreys will be attending next month’s meeting to discuss pedestrian safety
   d. Homeownership Meetings
      i.      Jan-Michele Kearney is holding a workshop on March 23 at the Price Hill Recreation Center at 5:30pm.
   e. Water Shut Offs
      i.       returning on April 4. Help is available through the Water Works website
   f. Audit Committee
      i.       will be meeting March 30th and will report in April
   g. Zoning Variances
      i.      Tom Croft moved to support the requested zoning variances for 2617 W. Eighth St. Eric Buhrer seconded. Tom Gamel moved to table the motion in order to allow the board to meet and review the report and form a position. Greg Shaw seconded. The motion to table carried.
      ii.      Mary Croft moved that if the board cannot get a quorum together in time to take a position before the hearing, that we inform the city that we did not receive notice in time to consider the request and object to the lack of notice. Eric Buhrer seconded. Motion carried.
   
   
10. Other Organization Announcements
    a. Metro / SORTA
       i.      Fare free through March 26
    b. Rees E Price Elementary
       i.      The school is looking to expand community events. They are having a Field Day on May 18th from 9 to 1, and are looking for volunteers to help hand out prizes, etc. They have a full-service pantry with food, household and hygiene items available to anyone in the community.
    c. Price Hill Library – Sondra Presley
       i.      One position is available for someone who is bi-lingual in English and Spanish
       ii. Summer program will be starting in May.
       iii Workforce Development Office Hours will start in May: help with resumes, applications, cover letters will be available
    d. Mount Echo Advisory Council – Eric Buhrer
       i.      The restrooms should open by April 1
       ii.      Beginning planning for Riverfest West in April for Labor Day
    e. Wilson Commons Advisory Council - Mary Croft
       i.      Eggstravaganza
    f. Olden View Park – Mary Croft
       i.      3 concerts in the park in June, July, and August
    
    
11. Announcements
    a. The next General Membership meeting will be April 18th @ 6:30pm at ARCO at 3301 Price Avenue.
    
    
12. Adjournment
    a. Motion: Chandran Achutan Second: Eric Buhrer Consent unanimous

Forgiveness

Forgiveness In the Community

vs. bitterness

(Releasing feelings of resentment)

To practice Forgiveness I will:

• be quick to forgive
• apologize and ask for forgiveness
• let go of hurts
• not seek revenge
• respond kindly to those who hurt me

Choosing the Peace of Forgiveness

-Brianna Morehead

Forgiveness is consciously choosing to pardon someone from inflicting an insult or injury on you. This conscious act releases the tension of hurt and dissipates lingering anger. Forgiveness creates in the forgiver a peace and a freedom to move forward without continuing to carry around the weight of the hurt.

This choice can be the catalyst in restoring relationships. Expressing sincere remorse, identifying the wrong and asking for forgiveness can mend a broken relationship. Granting forgiveness, however, does not mean condoning the wrong. Sometimes forgiveness is given without the hope or need for reconciliation of the broken relationship, especially in situations where abuse of a physical or emotional nature has occurred. Forgiveness often is more for the healing of the offended person than the offender.

Indeed, withholding forgiveness proves to be of no benefit to the hurt individual. The result is usually bitterness, i.e. “feeling anger or disappointment at being treated unfairly” (Google). This anger can grow into indignation and create a desire for revenge. The hurt person then focuses their energy on how to exact justice and becomes consumed by bitterness. Marriane Williamson paints an accurate image of the consequence of our resentment by comparing our unforgiveness to consuming poison and waiting for the other person to die. Withholding forgiveness does not change the action done or control the other person’s future. It is, simply put, not only fruitless but harmful.

Let us then consume the antidote to bitterness by forgiving. Examine your internal landscape and see if there are any areas of lingering resentment or anger. Forgive them so that you may move forward in peace and lay your hurts to rest.

https://charactercincinnati.org/

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Visit our website at www.ephia.org.

Our mailing address is:

East Price Hill Improvement Association

PO Box 5420

Cincinnati, OH 45205