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.
The latest proposal for Liberty Center in Butler County’s Liberty Township shaves some retail in favor of increased space for office buildings and luxury apartments. Rendering provided.
Liberty Township retail project has new look – A Columbus developer returned to Butler County Thursday with a slightly revised plan for the $300 million shopping destination spot it wants to build in Liberty Township, Sheila McLaughlin reported for The Cincinnati Enquirer. Yaromir Steiner, founder and chief executive officer of Steiner + Associates, is counting on $35 million from the county and township to make improvements around the 100-acre site, at Liberty Way west of Interstate 75.
West Chester Hospital tax status case watched closely – Butler County and the cash-strapped Lakota Local School District stand to lose a combined $43 million over the next 18 years if West Chester Hospital’s charitable tax status is upheld, Sheila McLaughlin of The Cincinnati Enquirer reported. County commissioners are appealing the case to the Ohio Board of Tax Appeals, saying the county failed to receive a hearing on the matter. School officials are keeping an eye on it.
The Home Builders Association of Greater Cincinnati (HBA) held a groundbreaking ceremony for its Homearama 2013 location, Carriage Hill in Liberty Township, on Nov. 8, 2012. File photo.
Summer’s Homearama being delayed until July – The director of the Home Builders Association of Greater Cincinnati confirmed Thursday that due to unforeseen construction delays, that this summer’s Homearama at Carriage Hill in Liberty Township is being pushed back to July. It will be the latest summer Homearama, which will now take place July 13-28, in the 50-year history of the home showcase, according HBA executive director Dan Dressman. The event was previously scheduled to take place June 8-23.
Bridgewater Falls is back on the block – Fairfield Township’s upscale shopping center, Bridgewater Falls, is for sale. And this time it’s for a positive reason, Cindi Andrews reported for The Cincinnati Enquirer. Blue Ash-based Phillips Edison bought Bridgewater Falls out of foreclosure in 2010. It boosted occupancy to 97 percent and is now testing the possibility of cashing in on its investment.
Due to fire code, West Chester residents were forced to watch a zoning commission meeting March 18 in the lobby of Township Hall. More than 100 residents attended the meeting, many of them were against a proposed shopping center being built near homes.
Kroger Marketplace discussion to be revisited – 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 developer, Silverman and Company, is considering a new plan, but wanted to hear from their opposition first by hosting a public input meeting at the Wingate Inn Thursday. During that meeting, many residents continued to voice their concerns.
Larry Sykes named Lakota East girls’ basketball coach – Larry Sykes was named the Lakota East girls’ basketball coach Tuesday. Sykes, an assistant at Lakota East the past two seasons, was formerly the Purcell Marian head coach during the 2010-11 season. Sykes, 40, replaces Nikki Drew, who stepped down at the end of this past season in order to spend more time with her family.
Butler County and Lakota schools stand to lose millions in revenue if charitable tax status for West Chester Medical Center is upheld. An Ohio tax commissioner ruled last year that a previous tax increment financing agreement did not apply to the hospital’s current owners, UC Health. File photo.
Sheila McLaughlin reports:
Butler County and the cash-strapped Lakota Local School District stand to lose a combined $43 million over the next 18 years if West Chester Hospital’s charitable tax status is upheld, officials said.
County commissioners are appealing the case to the Ohio Board of Tax Appeals, saying the county failed to receive a hearing on the matter. School officials are keeping an eye on it.
For the county, it means the difference between future road improvements and traffic backups at Tylersville and Cox roads as the hospital campus there expands. “If it’s ruled against us and there’s no money, there will be no improvements,” Commissioner Don Dixon said.
“Whoever is using it will make the improvement,” he said. “If they need another turn lane into the development, that development is going to pay for it.”
“We are exploring all of our options to protect the school district’s interest,” Lakota spokesman Randy Oppenheimer said.
The 17,300-student district, the second largest in Southwest Ohio, has not seen voters pass a new operating levy since 2005 and saw three school-tax issues rejected at the ballot in the last two years. The district has cut more than $36 million in personnel and programs – including laying off dozens of teachers and eliminating busing for thousands of students – in recent years, and it is anticipated to go back to the voters for a new school tax later this year.
The tax issue involves an 11-year-old agreement between the county and the former owners of the hospital land. In it, the owners promised to pay annually into a tax increment financing account through 2031 instead of paying property taxes on new buildings. For the county, that money was to be earmarked for road and other improvements as the hospital complex grows. Thirty-five percent of the proceeds were pegged for Lakota Local Schools.
Last year, however, Ohio Tax Commissioner Joseph W. Testa granted an application from West Chester Hospital’s former owner, the Health Alliance of Greater Cincinnati, for charitable tax status on the hospital property and backdated it to 2007 when the project was under construction. Testa also ordered the county to refund payments the hospital already made – an estimated $5 million, according to Butler County Auditor Roger Reynolds. (more…)
West Chester Hospital is offering free cardiovascular health seminars Wednesday and Saturday. The seminars aim to educate how the heart works, how to recognize signs and symptoms of heart disease and how to take better care of your heart.
In addition, the seminars will also cover the latest treatments for common heart conditions.
Below is a portion of a press release about the seminars from the hospital:
Recognizing that heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women in the U.S., it is vital for people to be informed about their hearts.
This month, West Chester Hospital is pleased to offer two free cardiovascular health seminars featuring the region’s leading cardiologists who will provide helpful information about the heart.
A variety of questions will be answered including: How does the heart work? What happens to our hearts as we age? What are the most common heart ailments? What are the most current treatments for common heart conditions? What is life like after a heart attack? What role does cardiac rehabilitation play in a successful recovery? How does one keep their heart healthy as they age?
The seminars will be held from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday and from 9 to 10:30 a.m. on Saturday in the plaza conference room (level A).
Area residents are now able to receive more technologically advanced heart care closer to home at West Chester Hospital. Through a national research study, cardiologists with UC Health, Ohio Heart and Vascular Center, and Middletown Cardiovascular Associates will be providing coronary angioplasty and stenting services at West Chester Hospital.
“Together, the hospital and the cardiology staff are developing a more sophisticated heart care program to ensure quality care for patients in this area.” says Massoud Leesar (photo), MD, medical director of the cardiac catheterization lab and UC Health cardiologist.
Cardiac services available include inpatient congestive heart failure care, cardiac imaging, electrophysiology, and coronary and peripheral angioplasty.
“This is an important step for the hospital to provide this level of cardiac care service to the community. Emergency Medicine Squads will now be able to bring patients here that they were not previously able to do, saving time and potentially lives,” says Kevin Joseph, MD, interim president of West Chester Hospital and UC Health physician.
For more information or a referral to a physician who practices at West Chester Hospital, please call 513-298-3627 (DOCS).
West Chester Hospital is a new 160-bed hospital in West Chester, Ohio, providing the latest technology delivered in a healing environment. The hospital is conveniently located and easily accessible from Interstate 75 at Tylersville Road. Services include a full-service emergency department, inpatient and outpatient surgical services, and inpatient and outpatient diagnostic and treatment services. For more information about West Chester Hospital, go to www.westchestermedcenter.com.
