WestChesterBuzz.com

Performance Automotive recently agreed to purchase the field naming rights at the West Chester Baseball Complex. The youth baseball facility’s management group was given permission by the township in April to seek a sponsor.

Financial details of the deal are not being disclosed. However, there are two parts of the three-year agreement. First, the park will be referred to as Performance Automotive Fields at WCBC. Second, each of the fields will be named after one of the Performance Automotive brands including Performance Lexus Field (No.1), Performance Honda Field (No. 2), Performance Toyota Field (No. 3) and Kings Honda Field (No. 4).

There are new signs throughout the park to help with the transition to the new name.

The West Chester Baseball Complex, which features four well-groomed fields located off Union Centre Boulevard, has an economic impact of just more than $1 million annually, according to the Butler County Visitors Bureau.

Roughly $110,000 is needed to annually operate and maintain the complex, which hosts 900 youth baseball games each year.

West Chester does not provide the complex any money for maintenance of the complex. The management group, made up of seven unpaid volunteers, actually pays the township $10,000. That money is used on replacing items in the complex that have reached the end of their life.

Mark Dunaway, who leads the management group, says the complex is the only one in Cincinnati and one in a handful in the Midwest that is operated on fees that it raises and through advertisements.

“Most baseball operations are supported by the township or cities. It is pretty unusual we are able to do this,” Dunaway said.

The baseball complex cost West Chester $1.3 million to build in 2005. Township officials say it was constructed with tax increment financing and as a tourism driver for the community. Since it was built, the township has contributed $19,000 to the complex.

Posted in: Board of Trustees, Business, Government, News |

Tags: Tags: Performance Automotive Fields, Performance Automotive Fields at West Chester Baseball Complex, West Chester Baseball Complex, West Chester Board of Trustees

Sue Kiesewetter reports:

By summer’s end it may be more difficult to put up a cell phone tower near the Hawthorne Hills subdivision here.

Trustees initiated a process Tuesday night to rezone 310 lots owned by 276 property owners from agriculture to residential. The land is located in an area roughly bordered by Kyles Station, Millikin, Yankee and Ava roads.

The action can’t stop construction – under Ohio law cell phone towers are considered public utilities and not subject to most zoning laws.

However, setback and other guidelines would be required in a residential zone but not an agriculture zone, said Jon West, the township’s planning and zoning director.

“This doesn’t guarantee there won’t be a cell tower. This is one more step they will have to go through…It would make it more difficult for a cell tower,” said Trustee David Kern

“They’re going to follow the path of least resistance and we don’t want to be that path,’’ added Trustee Tom Farrell.

Still, the decision to begin the rezoning process met with some resistance from property owners who feared it might restrict or prevent the agricultural work on their property.

Chris Boerger, who raises alpacas and other animals on his 5-acre lot, and Karen Kestermann, who has goats and chickens on her 4.88-acre property, asked to opt out of the rezoning.

“I bought my five acres because it was zoned agriculture. I use it for agriculture. I’d like to opt out. I don’t want my zoning changed,’’ Boerger said.

Even if their land were rezoned, the property owners would be able to continue to use it for agricultural purposes, West said.

“If (this action) would limit your use, I would not be having this conversation,” Farrell said.

Under a proposed timeline, public hearings on the matter will be held by the Butler County Planning Commission June 11; the Liberty Township Zoning Commission, July 1; and back to township trustees either July 16 or Aug. 6 for a decision.

Following the decision there would be a 30-day referendum period before the rezoning would take effect.

Posted in: Board of Trustees, Business, News |

Tags: Tags: Liberty Township Trustee Tom Farrell, Tom Farrell, Verizon, Verizon cellphone tower, Verizon cellphone tower Liberty Township, Verizon cellphone tower Liberty Township Ohio, Verizon cellphone tower Ohio

Sue Kiesewetter reports:

The possibility of a cellphone tower being constructed near a residential neighborhood here has prompted trustees to look at rezoning some properties.

“I don’t think anybody wants one of those in their back yard,’’ Trustee Tom Farrell said Tuesday during a work session on the matter. “I think we owe it to residents to do what we can to stop it.”

At issue is a cellphone tower Verizon would like to construct off Millikin Road near the Hawthorne Hills subdivision, which is located north of Millikin Road and east of Maud Hughes Road.

Many of the properties in that, and neighboring, subdivisions are zoned agriculture, which allows single-family homes.

That zoning designation also allows cellphone towers as a permitted use, said Jon West, director of planning and zoning.

Trustees decided to rezone subdivision homes now zoned agriculture in an area roughly bordered by Kyles Station, Millikin, Yankee and Ava roads, to a residential zone, which has more restrictions.

That process is expected to be initiated at trustees’ May 21 meeting. Letters to the 276 affected property owners informing them of the process and timeline will be mailed out once a location for the meeting is determined. (more…)

Posted in: Board of Trustees, Business, News |

Tags: Tags: Liberty Township Trustee Tom Farrell, Tom Farrell, Verizon, Verizon cellphone tower, Verizon cellphone tower Liberty Township, Verizon cellphone tower Liberty Township Ohio, Verizon cellphone tower Ohio

A youth baseball complex in West Chester is looking for a sponsor to name its fields, as township trustees unanimously voted Tuesday night in favor of allowing its management group to search for sponsorship opportunities.

The West Chester Baseball Complex, which features four well-groomed fields located off Union Centre Boulevard, has an economic impact of just more than $1 million annually, according to the Butler County Visitors Bureau.

Its management group, headed by Mark Dunaway, is seeking the sponsorship opportunity to help the park raise the $110,000 it needs annually to operate and maintain the complex, which hosts 900 youth baseball games each year.

“Our task is a very difficult one. We are competing against other baseball complexes, many of which are larger, and we are also doing it in a sluggish economy,” Dunaway said. “We expect with the signage program we can be on more solid financially footing by reducing the uncertainty of raising that $110,000.”

West Chester does not provide the complex any money for maintenance of the complex. The management group, made up of seven unpaid volunteers, actually pays the township $10,000. That money is used on replacing items in the complex that have reached the end of their life.

Dunaway says the complex is the only one in Cincinnati and one in a handful in the Midwest that is operated on fees that it raises and through advertisements.

“Most baseball operations are supported by the township or cities. It is pretty unusual we are able to do this,” Dunaway said.

The baseball complex cost West Chester $1.3 million to build in 2005. Township officials say it was constructed with tax increment financing and as a tourism driver for the community. Since it was built, the township has contributed $19,000 to the complex.

Posted in: Board of Trustees, Business, Government, News |

Tags: Tags: West Chester Baseball Complex, West Chester Board of Trustees

Developer to hold public input meeting on Thursday

Last month, a Blue Ash developer scrapped plans to bring a Kroger Marketplace to West Chester after local residents convinced the township’s zoning commission that it wasn’t good idea.

The original plan involved building a shopping center, which included a 133,000-square-foot Kroger Marketplace on the corner of Tylersville and Princeton-Glendale roads. Residents of nearby streets objected, due to traffic and safety concerns.

Those concerns convinced the zoning commission to reject the planned development by a 4-1 vote March 18. Less than 48 hours later, Silverman and Company decided to withdraw its plan before it could reach the West Chester Township Trustees for the final vote.

The developer, Silverman and Company, is considering a new plan, but wants to hear from their opposition first by hosting a public input meeting at the Wingate Inn, 7500 Tylers Place Blvd., at 6 p.m. Thursday.

Timothy Burgoyne Sr., an executive with Silverman and Company, called the meeting “informal” where his company will show the original plan and ask what community members liked and disliked.

“There is the presumption that the property is going to be sold and is going to be developed – if not by us, then someone,” Burgoyne said. “We are hoping we can find a way to work with the community.”

Burgoyne said no new plan will be presented at the meeting. The process to resubmit and have a plan voted on by the trustees takes about three months.

Posted in: Board of Trustees, Business, News |

Tags: Tags: Crossings of Beckett, Kroger, Kroger Marketplace, Kroger Marketplace West Chester, Kroger West Chester, Silverman and Company, Tom Eggert, West Chester Township Zoning Commission

West Chester Township is currently seeking applicants for its Zoning Commission and its Olde West Chester Architectural Advisory Committee.

The deadline for West Chester residents to apply is next Tuesday, April 16. Interviews are currently scheduled for the following Tuesday, April 23.

The West Chester Board of Trustees will be responsible for appointing one member to the Zoning Commission to fill an expired five-year term effective June 1, 2013 through May 31, 2018, and another member to fill an expired three-year term effective June 1, 2013 through May 31, 2016.

The specific powers of the Zoning Commission are described in Article 7 of the West Chester Township Zoning Resolution, and generally involve the review of requests of zone changes, preliminary and final development plans.

The Board of Trustees will also appoint one member to the Olde West Chester Architectural Advisory Committee to fill an expired five-year term commencing on June 1, 2013 and expiring on May 31, 2018. The specific powers of the Olde West Chester Architectural Advisory Committee are to hear and decide or make recommendations to the Zoning Commission on architectural related issues in Olde West Chester under Article 33 of the Zoning Resolution. To be eligible for this position on the Architectural Advisory Committee, the applicant must be a West Chester resident, preferably being a registered architect or an individual with an architectural, historical, planning or related background.

Any interested person wishing to review the specified powers of the Zoning Commission or the Olde West Chester Architectural Advisory Committee may obtain a copy of Article 7 and Article 33 of the West Chester Township Zoning Resolution online at www.westchesteroh.org/CDZoning.cfm or at the Community Development Department during normal business hours (M-F, 8:30 am-4:30 pm).

Letters should be addressed to Michael Juengling, Director; West Chester Township Community Development Department; 9577 Beckett Road, Suite 100; West Chester, OH 45059.

For questions, call 513-777-4214.

Posted in: Board of Trustees, News |

Tags: Tags: Olde West Chester Architectural Advisory Committee, West Chester Board of Trustees, West Chester Township Zoning Commission

The West Chester Board of Trustees approved contributions this week to help fund the West Chester Activity Center and the The National Voice of America Museum of Broadcasting.

The Trustees agreed to contribute $75,000 in 2013 to Partners in Prime, an organization that operates the West Chester Activity Center.

The West Chester Activity Center, which opened in the fall of 2010 in the building off Cox Road that used to be the home to the West Chester Library, serves as a club for seniors and also includes a fitness facility, an electronic gaming room, study space for teens, meeting space and room rentals.

Partners In Prime president Stephen Schnabl told the trustees during its meeting Tuesday night that the Activity Center is projected to have a shortfall in 2013. Schnabl said that the estimated expenses in 2013 are $401,888, while the projected revenue is $316,000.

The $75,000 is part of a descending contribution schedule created by the township. Between 2008-2011, the township contributed $100,000 to Partners in Prime each year. In 2012, the amount went down to $85,000.

• West Chester Activity Center website
• Story: Voice of America Museum rich in Cincinnati history
• Story: Anniversary of VOA marks beginning of national museum
• Story: Voice of America Museum Board gets official go ahead

“If Partners in Prime had not stepped forward and done this (taken over the old library building) – this facility would probably be a bigger burden to the tax payers than the dollar amount we are contributing,” trustee George Lang said.

According to the planned descending contribution scale, the amount given to Partners in Prime will decrease to $65,000 in 2014, to $50,000 in 2015, to $40,000 in 2016, $30,000 in 2017 and $25,000 in 2018 and in subsequent years if the township’s budget permits.

Since 2001, the township has contributed $1,120,250 to Partners in Prime.

The trustees also agreed to contribute $85,000 to the board of the National Voice of America Museum of Broadcasting. Earlier this month, the trustees officially agreed to enter into a five-year lease with the museum board. The lease agreement put the museum board in charge of maintaining the landmark off Tylersville Road and allowed them to raise funds as a non-profit corporation.

Currently, the museum is open for a few hours for tours on the third Saturday of each month. In order to open on a full-time basis and become a revenue-generating landmark, the museum board must raise approximately $12 million in funds.

If and when the fundraising is completed, it is expected to attract 25,000 visitors, bring in $475,000 in out of area direct spending and provide an overall economic impact in excess of $1.7 million annually, according to estimates by museum design firm Jack Rouse Associates.

Contributions to the museum board, like to Partners in Prime, decline over time. The declining schedule includes contributions of $75,000 in 2014, $75,000 in 2015, $50,000 in 2016 and $50,000 in 2017.

“Development on the site will return millions of dollars to the tax payers in a variety of different ways,” trustee Catherine Stoker said. “I think this is a modest return to ensure we can meet our commitment that we made when we received all of this acreage and help secure the future of the Voice of America Museum.”

Scheduled contributions to both Partners in Prime and to the board of Voice of America Museum will be reviewed annually by the board of trustees.

Posted in: Board of Trustees, Business, News |

Tags: Tags: Catherine Stoker, George Lang, Lee Wong, National VOA Museum of Broadcasting, National Voice of America Museum of Broadcasting, Partners In Prime, VOA Museum, VOA Museum of Broadcasting, Voice of America Museum, West Chester Activity Center

To let West Chester and Liberty Township residents catch up with the news that they need to know, WestChesterBuzz.com will list and link to all of last week’s top local stories every Monday.

WestChesterBuzz.com also recently added a new video page last week. To view West Chester and Liberty Township related videos, visit westchesterbuzz.com/videos.

Developer withdraws plans for Kroger Marketplace – A Blue Ash developer has scrapped plans to bring a Kroger Marketplace to West Chester Township – at least, for now. West Chester Township officials received a notice of withdrawal Wednesday morning from Silverman and Company, which planned to build a shopping center that included a 133,000-square-foot Kroger Marketplace on the corner of Tylersville Road and Princeton-Glendale Road (Ohio 747).

Liberty Township names Thomas Farrell trustee – A small business owner has been tapped to join the Liberty Township Board of Trustees. Thomas P. Farrell was named trustee Tuesday to fill the unexpired term of Patrick Hiltman, who resigned his seat last month. Farrell was selected from a field of 13 who submitted letters of interest and resumes.

Deputies plan daily visits to Butler schools – Butler County sheriff’s deputies will be stopping by county schools every day beginning this week through a new initiative being launched this week to help make schools safer. Sheriff Richard K. Jones on Monday announced the start of Operation Safe School, which is designed to have a deputy stop by any school in his or her geographical patrol area every day that school is in session.

VIDEOS: Lakota students do the Harlem Shake - Last week WestChesterBuzz.com posted four videos of Lakota students doing the Harlem Shake. Tell us which one is your favorite and pass on any others that might be floating around the Web.

Butler County prosecutor wants Punxsutawney Phil executed – Death to Punxsutawney Phil! That’s what Butler County Prosecutor Mike Gmoser has suggested. Gmoser on Thursday issued a fake single-count direct indictment of the groundhog charging him with “misrepresentation of spring” for making people believe the season would arrive early.

Princess Paige lives on through foundation – Heather Alessandro, mother of Paige, created the Princess Paige Foundation in honor of her daughter, who passed away unexpectedly in May of 2010 at the age of 6. The foundation provides grants to pediatric patients who need therapeutic services and equipment that might not be covered by insurance.

Posted in: Board of Trustees, Business, Government, News, Schools |

Tags: Tags: Butler County Prosecutor Mike Gmoser, Crossings of Beckett, Groundhog Day, Harlem Shake videos, Heather Alessandro, Kroger, Kroger Marketplace, Kroger Marketplace West Chester, Kroger West Chester, Lakota East, Lakota East Harlem Shake, Lakota East Young Life, Lakota East Young Life Harlem Shake, Lakota West, Lakota West Harlem Shake, Lakota West Young Life, Lakota West Young Life Harlem Shake, Liberty Township Ohio, Liberty Township Trustee Pat Hiltman, Liberty Township trustees, local harlem shake videos, Mike Gmoser, Paige Alessandro, Paige's Princess Foundation, Paige's Princess Run, Pat Hiltman, Punxsutawney Phil, Silverman and Company, Thomas Farrell, Thomas P. Farrell, Tom Eggert, Tom Farrell, West Chester Township Zoning Commission, Wyandot Early Childhood School, Wyandot Early Childhood School Lakota, Wyandot Early Childhood School Liberty Township

A Blue Ash developer has scrapped plans to bring a Kroger Marketplace to West Chester Township – at least, for now.

West Chester Township officials received a notice of withdrawal Wednesday morning from Silverman and Company, which planned to build a shopping center that included a 133,000-square-foot Kroger Marketplace on the corner of Tylersville Road and Princeton-Glendale Road (Ohio 747).

Timothy Burgoyne Sr., an executive with Silverman and Company, declined to comment, but in previous interviews said the planned shopping center would “enhance” the community.

Residents of Wethersfield Drive and other streets near the proposed development led a campaign against the development and lined Tylersville Road with signs that read “StopKroger.com.” The group was most concerned about traffic and safety.

“If they went through with this project, the traffic would have been very hectic,” said Tom Eggert, who lives on Wethersfield Drive. “There are also 600 kids at the Lakota West Freshman School and other children at Creekside Elementary. That was probably the biggest issue – the safety issue.”

While both schools are located roughly 1,000 feet from the back end of the proposed center, there are many businesses that line 747 in that section of West Chester, including a small strip mall on the other side of the 747/Tylersville intersection.

“We are not naive as residents,” Eggert said. “We expect that land to be developed, but it needs to be developed in a way that the land use plan dictates and not be developed in a way that harms the residents of West Chester.”

The township’s land use plan, which was last updated in 2004, reads, “careful consideration has gone into these areas (where 747 intersects Hamilton-Mason Road and Tylersville Road) to promote and protect existing and future residents.”

That and other language from the land use plan, as well as a packed meeting of concerned residents, helped convince the West Chester Zoning Commission board members to reject the planned development by a 4-1 vote on Monday night.

If the developer had not withdrawn its application, the plan would have likely been brought before the West Chester Township Board of Trustees in April. To overrule the zoning board’s recommendation, all three trustees would have had to vote for the development.

The development appeared to be dead upon arrival.

“In my 10 years as a trustee, I can’t remember ever overruling a decision by the zoning commission,” Trustee George Lang said. “The zoning commission spoke pretty resoundingly.”

Silverman and Company can re-submit a new plan, but the process would take time.

Requests for zone change has to be heard by three separate boards: the Butler County Planning Commission, West Chester Zoning Commission and West Chester Board of Trustees.

The process takes about three months after a plan is submitted.

The timeframe for the Silverman and Company proposal was not typical because it was tabled several times, however, the developer first submitted their plan Sept. 10, 2012.

(more…)

Posted in: Board of Trustees, News |

Tags: Tags: Crossings of Beckett, Kroger, Kroger Marketplace, Kroger Marketplace West Chester, Kroger West Chester, Silverman and Company, Tom Eggert, West Chester Township Zoning Commission

Sue Kiesewetter reports:

A small business owner has been tapped to join the Liberty Township Board of Trustees.

Thomas P. Farrell was named trustee Tuesday to fill the unexpired term of Patrick Hiltman, who resigned his seat last month. Farrell was selected from a field of 13 who submitted letters of interest and resumes.

He will serve through Dec. 31, unless he runs for and wins the seat in the Nov. 5 election. Farrell said he plans to take out petitions for that race early next week.

“I want to give back to the community. It’s an exciting time to be living in Liberty Township,’’ Farrell said.

Trustee President Christine Matacic said the decision of who to name trustee was tough because of the quality of those who applied. Farrell, she said, was involved with the community even before he was appointed to the Zoning Commission nearly 10 years ago.

“We have someone who has extensive background with the community,” Matacic said. “He sits on several boards. When it comes to money – he treats those dollars like they were his own.”

Farrell is the owner and president of Alternative Computer Technology in West Chester Township. Besides serving on the Zoning Commission, he sits on the board of Fenwick High School and the Atrium Medical Center Foundation.

“Tom’s business background and commitment to the Liberty Township community is impressive,’’ said Trustee David Kern. “I’m confident we have selected someone who will leave a positive impact on the community.”

A 14-year resident of the township, Farrell holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Dayton and a master’s degree from Harris University of Florida.

He lives in the Four Bridges subdivision with wife Kim; and three children, Chelsea, a sophomore at Hillsdale College in Michigan; Brady, a senior at Fenwick High School; and Kyle, a sophomore at Fenwick.

Posted in: Board of Trustees, News |

Tags: Tags: Liberty Township Ohio, Liberty Township Trustee Pat Hiltman, Liberty Township trustees, Pat Hiltman, Thomas Farrell, Thomas P. Farrell, Tom Farrell