Loveland, Ohio – City Engineer Cindy Klopfenstein told Loveland Magazine Thursday morning that the contractor for the Loveland Madeira Road project anticipates beginning in early September, “Weather dependent.” Klopfenstein added, “The project manager said he would give us about two weeks notice prior to starting.” The culvert replacements which will require a full road closure will be at the beginning of the work. The detour route will utilize Lebanon Road. and West Loveland Ave.
The project involves re-construction of Loveland Madeira Road from the City Limits to near the loading dock of the Kroger store. The project will include replacement of three storm sewer culverts, catch basins, the extension of sidewalk on the north side of the road to the Corporation limit, curb and sidewalk repairs, milling and paving, and other miscellaneous work.
On January 6, 2016, developers for McCluskey Automotive went before the Loveland Planning and Zoning Commission for review of plans for a new corporate headquarters in the Loveland Commerce Park at 179 Commerce Boulevard. The plans for the 42,000 square foot facility have quickly taken shape, and the facility anticipates to open in early fall according to city zoning coordinator, Eva Parker. The facility is expected to bring approximately 80 jobs to the city.
The new McCluskey Automotive building nears completion. Behind the corporate headquarters, cars will be stored and repaired.
The new McCluskey building is intended to serve not only as corporate headquarters for the car dealership but as a center for repair, maintenance, detailing, and car inventory behind the new building. The original plans failed to meet code by planting an evergreen tree per 5000 square feet of parking lot, a requirement presumably filled or else waived.
A closeup of the entrance to the new McCluskey headquarters. The facility is expected to be completed and open by early fall.
City Hall has seen the new facility as a major success for the city, and displays a rendering of the new building in the lobby. The new headquarters will no doubt encourage Loveland’s economic growth.
Construction equipment sits outside the soon-to-be complete headquarters
EDITOR’S NOTE: Please excuse the quality of our recent video work from the Loveland City Hall council chamber. After the City recently hired a Public Information Officer (PIO), LOVELAND MAGAZINE TV, USA-Today videographers, and Cincinnati Area TV stations have been put into a small corral to one side of the room, and the podium was placed so that when the public rises to speak, they have their backs toward the audience and our camera. We have talked to the PIO, City Manager and the Clerk of Council about how this arrangement significantly degrades our video, “The old set-up allowed a video camera to swing back and forth between those at the podium and the council table. That arrangement had been used for decades.”
Our plea has fallen on deaf ears. The PIO, however, did respond saying, “Unfortunately, the arrangement of the media area will not be moved to accommodate better angles at this time.”
So, for the time being, LOVELAND MAGAZINE TV is forced to show butts instead of faces, except when Councilwoman Pam Gross uses the podium. (See this recent video)
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Loveland, Ohio– Resident Tom Morris spoke at the June 13 Council meeting expressed concerns about the development of 50 or more condos on Butterworth Road which would add to traffic congestion on State Route 48 and West Loveland Avenue, and the need to improve the City’s infrastructure.
“We don’t have the roads for these kinds of projects. We don’t have the structure to get through the City. We need to be having more discussion before we go gung-ho with more condos, more properties, more apartments, more shopping places,” Morris said.
Morris asked if City Hall was sacrificing Loveland’s quality of life for people who may only live here three months to a year in an apartment at the expense of people who have lived here for sixty years in a home.
Morris said, “It’s terrible to see Historic Loveland falling apart literally and figuratively more each day.” He asked Council to involve the community in decisions affecting the future of Loveland.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Please excuse the quality of our recent video work from the Loveland City Hall council chamber. After the City recently hired a Public Information Officer (PIO), LOVELAND MAGAZINE TV has been put into a small corral to one side of the room, and the podium was placed so that when the public rises to speak, they have their backs toward the audience and our camera. We have talked to the City Manager and the Clerk of Council about how this arrangement significantly degrades our video, “The old set-up allowed a video camera to swing back and forth between those at the podium and the council table. That arrangement had been used for decades.”
Our plea has fallen on deaf ears. The PIO, however, did respond saying, “Unfortunately, the arrangement of the media area will not be moved to accommodate better angles at this time.”
So, for the time being, LOVELAND MAGAZINE TV is forced to show butts instead of faces, except when Councilwoman Pam Gross uses the podium. (See this recent video)
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Loveland, Ohio – Resident Elizabeth Blust spoke at the May 23 Council meeting. She said she only recently became more aware of City politics. The talked about her ethical concerns surrounding activities at City Hall and finished by saying she did not give Mayor Mark Fitzgerald permission to bulldoze the municipal building.
Loveland Sweets is a purveyor of hand-crafted chocolates, caramels, marshmallows, and ice creams. Our house-made candies are prepared in small batches.
Loveland, Ohio– Resident, Dick Dyson went to the Council meeting on May 23 and asked why Councilwoman Pam Gross was the City Council Representative for the Planning and Zoning Commission and was the Vice President of Community Improvement Corporation.
Loveland, Ohio – On Tuesday, May 23, Tom Morris went to the Loveland Council meeting and asked Council to slow down the demolition of City Hall. He told council members that he moved to Loveland because it was a small town that cared more about its history and its people than its desire for growth and revenue.
Morris said that Loveland Station was a blight and the project was handled terribly from selling the land to changing the laws to appease a single developer.
He also said that the community was now stuck with a cheap looking building and traffic problems.
Morris asks Council to slow the demolition of City Hall and have hearings on the project to see if the community actually wants the project to move forward. He said, “There is a suspicious lack of information about the project”
Morris said, “Instead of talking down to people, perhaps you should be explaining to us like the voting adults we are, why this is a project the City needs.”
Loveland, Ohio – Below you can read the resolution passed by a 7-0 vote at Tuesday’s City Council meeting. There was no discussion during the meeting about the proposal.
Loveland, Ohio – Diane Powers and Steven Smith took to the open forum podium at the May 9th Council meeting and both played out how they would like council member to proceed with the possible tearing down of City Hall and replacing it with a four-story commercial building in Historic Downtown. The plan is for City Hall to occupy the second floor, with retail on the bottom and apartments on the top two floors.
This memorandum is the Community Improvement Corporation’s (CIC) update to City Council regarding their recommendations and options for build a new City Hall. This recommendation was presented to City Council at their meeting on May, 9. City Council was expected to vote on setting a date and time for public hearings on the recommendation, but could not reach consensus on how the meetings should be conducted, or how many meetings to have.
Loveland, Ohio– On May 9th Jay Stewart the President of the Community Improvement Corporation (CIC) presented the final recommendations to City Council with options on how to repurpose the City Building. Part of the recommendation was for Council to hold “public hearings” on the recommendations before proceeding with the project. Mayor Mark Fitzgerald asked for a motion to hold a hearing at the next meeting.
Both Weisgerber and Phelps wanted more than a “public hearing” style of opportunity for the public to weigh-in on the proposal. They want a more give and take opportunity for the public, where there would be dialogue, instead of monologue; a more informal format. Weisgerber said he wanted, “General sessions, informational sessions, or charrettes with the public to get input.”
Phelps said that this was the first-time the CIC has addressed City Council to discuss the repurposing of City Hall. He had the same questions as Weisgerber, and, “More.” He wanted to find out more about the process and how the CIC arrived at their recommendations, and why the three- story option was eliminated. Both Phelps and Weisgerber said that he would not be in favor of holding a public hearing at this point.
Fitzgerald thought Council should follow the recommendation of the CIC.
The motion by Vice-Mayor Angie Settell was voted down with a 3-3 tie vote. Fitzgerald, Settell, and Pam Gross voted, “Yes.” Ted Phelps, Rob Weisgerber, and Kathy Bailey voted, “No.” Stephen Zamagias was absent.
Weisgerber then moved to have no less than three open sessions with the public in Council Chambers, during after-work hours that all of Council can attend, to talk about design options and receive public input. The motion was seconded by. Bailey. The motion received loud applause from the audience.
Phelps said the meetings proposed by Weisgerber would allow, “Stakeholders, neighboring property owners, and downtown residents to weigh-in on the project.”
Fitzgerald then said he did not understand why Weisgerber did not want to begin with the formal type of public hearing at the next council meeting that was the recommendation of the CIC. He then abruptly shut off debate on the motion and called for a vote.
The motion also failed, with a 3-3 tie, reversing their votes on the earlier Settell motion.
During the open forum part of the meeting, Diane Powers asked Council to have three or four, “across the table discussions” to build trust and dialogue with the residents and stakeholders. She urged Council to “take some time off” before they position themselves, and take a vote.
Fitzgerald said he found it, odd that Powers would want to delay the recommendation of the CIC, because, “It would not preclude other meetings.”
Steven Smith also took a turn at the podium urging more community input on the project and explained in a detailed handout, how it could be accomplished.
These two LOVELAND MAGAZINE VIDEOs are of the Council votes.
![[Video] Tom Morris asked if we are sacrificing Loveland’s quality of life for people who may only live here three months to a year](https://lovelandmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/maxresdefault-9-100x65.jpg)
![[VIDEO] Dick Dyson wants answers about Pam Gross sitting in too many seats](https://lovelandmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/maxresdefault-23-100x65.jpg)
![[VIDEO] Tom Morris says there is a suspicious lack of information about City Hall project”](https://lovelandmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/maxresdefault-22-100x65.jpg)
