Cincinnati's Oakley Square Loses Large Shade Trees: City Beautification Project In Clearcutttng Mode

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- All that remain of the hardwood trees that graced the Madison Road esplanade in the heart of Oakley are stumps in the ground. They'll be ground to sawdust soon. Amy Teitelman wonders what kind of government-funded beautification project sacrifices beautiful trees. She's written an open letter to Cincinnati officials on Triple Witching Hour and sees waste and devastation: "Now I look out the window and see a scene from fucking Lorax."

The Lorax is a Dr. Seuss story about a creature who works to save trees and does battle with loggers, or despoilers. Here's some of Amy's letter to the City of Cincinnati:

"Here's what I can't forgive: you just cut down the beautiful old trees in the esplanade on Madison Road. Cut most of them down, and lopped the branches off the rest, leaving four or five amputee trees standing pathetically among their fallen neighbors. (Are you going to at least put them out of their misery?) Last October, I looked out my dining room window at a just-married couple getting some pictures taken under those trees before heading into their reception at the 20th Century Theatre. Little kids were taking the fallen leaves and throwing them into the air around the couple for some of the shots. If I were the sort of person who used the word 'heartwarming,' that's how I would describe the moment. But now? Well, now I look out the window and see a scene from the fucking Lorax.I understand that this is an ARRA [American Reinvestment and Recovery Act] project and I support reinvestment and recovery and good jobs. I understand that you are using 'green' technology and there will be some sort of rain garden, which is dandy - but can it possibly make up for all the fossil fuels you are burning and materials you are using and TREES YOU ARE CUTTING DOWN? I understand it will look pretty, but didn't it look pretty before?"

Yes, it did look pretty before. And Amy has another excellent question: Why was Oakley, one of Cincinnati's economically healthier neighborhoods on the East Side, targeted for beautification? She's says there are other Cincinnati neighborhoods that are shabbier and would benefit from a sprucing up. And yes, she's right about that, too.

Cincinnati's New Street Paving Plan: Downtown, High-Income 'hoods Get Bumped

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- At least $10 million a year flows into the city's program to construct, repair and maintain its streets. The new plan for 2008 and 2009 appears to focus more on Cincinnati's urban and low-income neighborhoods than its upscale ZIP Codes. In fact, not a single street in Clifton, Hyde Park, Mt. Lookout, Pleasant Ridge or Mt. Washington seems to be on the list. Over-the-Rhine is missing, too.

As for the Central Business District/Riverfront, only 5th Street from Main to Walnut is scheduled for a facelift. The city tries to care for about 100 lane miles of streets each year, including reparing and replacing curbs where needed. A pamphlet prepared by City Hall about the street rehabilitation program is available online here. It lists all of the scheduled projects.

Westwood, the city's most populous neighborhood, isn't on the list. But Avondale has 16 projects, Camp Washington has 14, and Madisonville is in line for 22. The rehab includes grinding off the old pavement and adding new. City officials say they work through neighborhoods on a three-year rotation. Mayor Mark Mallory and City Manager Milton R. Dohoney Jr. explain:

"The street rehabilitation program is one very important way that the City of Cincinnati is working to improve the quality of life in our neighborhoods. It is through this program that we continue to invest in our communities and make life safer by improving the quality of our street system . . . Every neighborhood will have the condition of its streets examined at least once every three years based on extensive evaluations by an outside consultant under the direction of city engineers. Streets are then selected for inclusion in the program based on the results of this appraisal."