The Fun Stuff

Ridge Road Trail Head

View from French Park driveway

Standing on the corner of Ridge and Section Roads this morning with Councilman Tom Muething, and Steve and Wes from Amberley's Public Works Dept, going over logistics for next Friday's We THRIVE! event, I couldn't help but grin. We were planning for an event that is going to be one of the culminating pieces of the improvements we've made to the Village with a grant from We THRIVE! and Hamilton County Public Health with the goal of improving our residents' access to nutritional foods, healthy lifestyles and exercise, and reduced use of tobacco. The particular project we were discussing is unique in that it involves a sharing of assets with the Cincinnati Park Board and Amberley.

You may have noticed the "We THRIVE!" sign by the side of Ridge Rd. about 100 feet north of Section. This sign indicates a project that is funded by Amberley's grant. In this case, it is a new trail in French Park, with the trail head located at the sign on Ridge Road. The trail will increase options for walkers and runners who currently use the existing Village Hall walking path and a sign will be placed on the west side of Ridge Rd., at the ball fields, informing users of increased opportunities for exercise. What's particularly exciting is that in order to reach the connecting piece of trail located within French Park proper, users must cross a yet-to-be-constructed bridge.

Two roads diverge...

Which brings me to this morning's meeting... The bridge itself will be constructed by a group of young Israeli Scouts and a group of inner-city teens from The Mayor's Summer Greanleaf Program. The teens will not only be literally building a bridge on June 22, but will also be, figuratively speaking, bridging the culture gap and forming connections with kids their age from different countries and backgrounds. Local Amberley businesses Topicz and PepsiCo are donating snacks and water for the teens, and a resident has donated pizza.  The actual bridge building will take place next Friday at 8:00 AM, but there will be a dedication and laying of the final plank, as well as a tree dedication and a Proclamation from the Mayor at 12:00 Noon. All residents are invited and encouraged to attend.

In the wake of budget cuts, belt-tightening, and a police levy, I could only smile and say "this is the fun stuff!"

A surprise awaits inside!

Gardening on the Green

The sky is grey today and I awoke to the sound of rain.  Don't you just love December in Cincinnati?  I just finished reading Tomatoland: How Modern Industrial Agriculture Destroyed Our Most Alluring Fruit by Barry Estabrook and I'm now consumed with the thought of selecting which tomato varieties to plant this year. It has been at least five years since I've struggled against the wilds of Amberley Village to grow my own vegetables in my beautiful, sunny backyard.  Since I gave up the fight, my tomatoes have been languishing in the shade of my backyard deck, relegated to my largest pots.  I'm lucky if I get a handful of tomatoes each August because my dogs refuse to let them ripen on the vine without succumbing to the temptation to take a bite of each nearly-red orb.

Luckily, things may be different this summer.  With a We Thrive! grant behind us, Amberley is on the verge of becoming one of a handful of communities in the nation to pave the way to committing to providing the means for a healthier lifestyle for its residents. Just last week, council member Tom Muething met with Public Works Supervisor, Steve Rasfeld, to determine what, if any, water sources were still available at Amberley Green. Some of the options presented were truly unique and don't even require turning on a water source! Can you imagine watering your garden with the rainwater that accumulates in one of the existing lakes or even in the old swimming pool? Bill and Mary Lennard later met Tom Muething and myself to walk the Green and see for ourselves what the possibilities were for planting gardens. To learn more about this exciting initiative, please join our planning meeting on Thursday, December 29th at 4:00 in the lower level Community Room.

Another thing we will be discussing, as part of the grant requirement, are "Shared Use Agreements." The purpose of the shared use agreement is to examine our existing amenities and see how we can share them with other communities to encourage more physical activity.  We can either share what we have, or develop agreements with neighboring communities to share what they have and we lack. Resident Jim Rulli is chairing this committee and the possibilities that have been suggested so far are unique and may even provide a little income to Amberley, as well as developing goodwill across communities.

Finally, please forward this post to your Amberley neighbors.  Also, encourage everyone you know to sign up for the Village e-news and meeting announcements.  The fastest, and most economical way, to communicate with our residents is by email and the Village has access to only 400 emails out of 3500 residents.

I hope to see you at Thursday's meeting, and if not, have a happy and healthy New Year!