The Cincinnati Enquirer from Cincinnati, Ohio • Page 5

OMOWN News tips: Editor: Nancy Berlier 768-8395, Fax 860-51 90 THK CINCINNATI EnCJUIKKR Covering Hamilton County west of 1-75 Wednesday, October 15, 1997 D3 CONGRATS ilsmsoE Ave. study rcwin gup ELECTIONS i I School club will take about a year. The Green Twp. hopes to avert gridlock names umcers BY BETH MENGE The Cincinnati Enquirer GREEN TOWNSHIP After and began raising money from businesses, with the hope that planning now will prevent gridlock later. "I think the advantage is we're starting before a lot of development occurs, and this is hopefully a kind of pre-emptive engineering almost," said Adam Goetzman, township development director.

"Traffic problems never go away, and hopefully this will be an opportunity to analyze a road that is maybe not yet at full capacity and enhance traffic movement." The study will cover Harrison Avenue from the Cincinnati line to Ohio 128. TEC Engineering in Spring-dale will do the study. Initially, the consultants will gather information about the corridor, said Tim Gilday, planning and design engineer for the Hamilton County engineer. Eventually, a series of meetings will be held with property owners to discuss sections of the corridor, Mr. Gilday said.

Similar studies have been conducted of Beechmont and Colerain avenues, he said. Ultimately, the study will deal with traffic, access, curb cuts, zoning issues, utilities and sewers, Mr. Upton said. "They will take that block-by-block for the complete corridor," he said. "When that's finished, they will put together a comprehensive report and recommendations.

Those recommendations will become the cornerstone of any development." $75,000 cost will be paid for by the township, city of Cheviot, Harrison Avenue businesses and the Hamilton County engineer's office. "I'm real happy," Trustee Tony Upton said. "I was the one who first talked to the county about doing this. I'm very glad to see it going." The Harrison Avenue corridor study has been in the works for more than two years. A task force formed in January 1995 more than two years of preparation, a long-awaited study of traffic patterns on Harrison Avenue has begun.

The study which officials hope will offer ways to prevent gridlock on the commercial strip On an adventure in learning if i "iff 'ft 'Kmr a i If NsT V-l' 1 7 if i nit Mother of Mercy High School has announced the Key Club officers for the 1997-98 school year. Elected were: President: Angie Toerner of West-wood. Vice president: Jen Robb of Delhi Township. Secretary: Cynthia Valdez of Westwood. Treasurer: Emily Crea of Green.

Township. Activities chairwoman: Heather Kauffold of Westwood. The Key Club recently participated in the Harvest Home Fair, where members staffed the LaRosa's Pizza booth. ACHIEVEMENTS 10 picked for youth orchestra Ten students from Walnut Hills High School have been chosen to participate in the Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestra's 1997-98 season. They are: Violin: Breana Bauman of Madi-sonvijle, Leila Mansouri of Anderson Township, Fanta Powell of Bond Hill, Joe Ryan of Northside, Carl Storrs of Hyde Park and Sarah Zun of Clifton.

Viola: Jacob Adams of Hyde Park. Percussion: Noah Ehrenpreis of East Walnut Hills. Harp: Madigan Fichter of East Bassoon: Emily Flanagan of Hyde Park: Concerts this year: 3 p.m. Oct. 26, St.

Barnabas Church; 3 p.m. Nov. 16, Lakota School District; 7:30 p.m. Dec. 14, Greaves Auditorium, Northern Kentucky University; 2:30 p.m.

Feb. 15, Princeton High School; 7:30 p.m. March 15, Greaves Auditorium; 10:15 a.m. March 31, Music Hall; 3 p.m. May 25, Season-good Pavilion in Eden Park.

Please send announcements and photos of community honors, achievements, promotions and activities to Fred Reeder, Enquirer Eastgate Bureau, 831-A Eastgate South Drive, Cincinnati 45245. Or call 752-0500. YOUR TOWN Crime prevention workshop planned HARRISON A workshop on crime prevention will be held Nov. 11 for business owners, hosted by the Harrison Merchants Organization. The workshop will be at 5:30 p.m.

at the Community Center, 300 George St. The workshop, sponsored by Main Street Harrison will be conducted by trwrr 1CY7 Campaign vi Schools give levy 3rd try Mount Healthy faces cuts in transportation BY GINA GENTRY-FLETCHER The Cincinnati Enquirer MOUNT HEALTHY Officials in the city schools will try for a third time Nov. 4 to muster voter support for an operating levy. Without revenue from the 5.57-mill levy, cuts in transportation and extracurricular activities likely will be added to the $750,000 in reductions made this summer, said Chester Banks, chairman of Citizens for Healthy Schools, the levy committee. "Transportation would be the first to go, and we don't want to do that," Mr.

Banks said. "We'll have to cut out extracurricular activities, plus things like music. We sure don't want to do that, either. We cannot touch any teaching staff it would be devastating." If approved, the levy would raise $1.4 million a year and cost the owner of an $80,000 home $131 a year in additional taxes. The millage is re- duced from an 'Transporta- 8.35-mill operat- ing levy rejected tlOrl WOUld in May and Au- be the fir St tO gust.

o0 We Passage is cru- cial to district sol- Cannot tOUCfl vency, said Lee any teaching Suman, board of nff education vice dluJJ 11 president. WOUld be "it's more than important; it im -W The Cincinnati EnquirerElisabeth Heimlich Natasha Pekarik, a Heritage Hill Elementary kindergartner, pastes down a piece during a chronological exercise Monday. Natasha, along with second-grade teacher Paula Matre and pupil Sam DeCambra, right, are part of a pilot program launched this week by Princeton City School District. The program, for children in grades K-6, is in partnership with Voyager Expanded Learning a Dallas-based educational initiative. It includes field trips, special events using community resources and hands-on educational activities.

The goal is to transform core subjects into activity-based adventures that make learning fun and build academic and social skills. Target hearing continues tonight allow for the department store. Proposed store's traffic a concern Chester Banks, pro-levy leader perative, Mr. human said. "We're just really going to BY BERNIE MIXON The Cincinnati Enquirer SPRINGDALE Council ing official.

"That leaves a 4.4-acre parcel for future development on the east side of Century Boulevard," Mr. McErlane said, adding that storm-water retention would be on the opposite side of Century Boulevard. Should council approve the rezoning, the developers would have to come back to the planning commission with a final plan. Construction could begin as early as December, Mr. McErlane said.

cent properties," City Administrator Cecil Osborn said. Property owners adjacent to the site are negotiating to sell their properties, and if that occurs, there would be no residential use in the vicinity of the store's location, Mr. Osborn said. Plans for the 15.4-acre site include the store and parking field, as well as extending Century Boulevard from East Kemper to Commons Drive, said Bill McErlane, city build The hearing will be at 7 p.m. at the municipal building, 11700 Springdale Pike.

Council is expected to vote on the proposal after the public hearing. The hearing is a continuation of a public hearing in August. "The critical issues for the city on the project include the management of traffic in a safe manner in the public right of way and compatibility of the proposed Target site with adja will continue a public hearing tonight on a proposal by Target to locate a store at East Kemper Road and Century Boulevard. The property must first be rezoned from residential to planned unit development to Trotta's Pizza returning, with a twist BUSINESS NOTES be in terrible shape in another year. We're not going to have enough money to operate." School officials say reforms in the state's school funding formula won't happen soon and cite it as a reason for lagging support in many cash-strapped districts.

"The state doesn't seem to be doing much at this point, and we have no idea when they will," Mr. Suman said. "A lot of people feel that the state is going to do something now and that we really don't need to pass this (levy)." Officials are also concerned that more reductions in teaching positions will be detrimental to students' performance on standardized tests and the battery of state-mandated proficiency tests. Nine positions were eliminated, mostly through attrition, Mr. Suman said, but the district had to reinstate two teaching positions because of enrollment increases.

"We can only cut so much as far as the teaching staff goes," he said. "The largest part of the budget goes toward salaries." And with those cuts come reductions in building maintenance and other programs, he said. "We've been operating on a small budget the last few years, and we've got a lot of problems with the buildings, as well," he said. "It's very difficult to cut anything. You end up cutting things that are important." Sgt.

Steve Wilson and others of the Harrison Police Department. The workshop is free. Candidates to be heard COLERAIN TOWNSHIP Candidates for the township's board of trustees and a representative from the Northwest Local School District will participate in a Candidates Forum on Thursday at the Colerain Township Senior and Community Center, 4300 Springdale Road. The seven candidates for the three trustee seats will make their case for residents' votes, and a representative from the school district will talk about a combination 1.64-mill bond issue and 5.56-mill operating levy on the Nov. 4 ballotC -The program, sponsored by the Cole-rain Township Business Association, will begin at 6:30 p.m.

and should last until 8 p.m. Fall Fest at Taylor High NORTH BEND The Three Rivers Local Schools' Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) is sponsoring Fall Fest on Saturday from 4-10 p.m. in the Taylor High School athletic field. The festival will include food and game booths, a student council talent show, cow dump raffle (tickets are $5 for a chance to win $1,000) and a split the pot raffle. Information: call the PTSA at 467-3200.

DAYBOOK Government schools South Filtmount Civic league, 8 San Antonio Church. Queen City Avenue and White Street. Springdili: City council, 7 p.m. 11700 Springfield Pike. Community events Trtttitt: Mercy Regional Health System Greater Cincinnati and Clermont College Student Organizations are sponsoring a mission collection In honor ol Mother Teresa today at Mercy Hospital Hamilton and Thursday at Mercy Hospital Anderson, Clermont Mercy, Mercy St.

Teresa Center, Mercy Home Health and the Mercy Medi-Center Eastgate. i tarnation: 732-6617. i I Community groups ind organiations should send tmt listings to i Forrest Sellers, Enquirer lii-County Bumu, 4820 Business Center toy, Cmcinruti 4M6, Or all 860-nOO. nati location in Springdale's Princeton Plaza last week. Two more stores in Cherry Grove and Westwood are expected to open by year's end.

It's under new moniker FOREST PARK Tri-State Copy, at 11120 Ash-burn Road here, has changed names. The company is now called Corporate Document Solutions. The company provides document reproduction, documentforms management and in-house bindery services. It is the largest commercial digital printer in Greater Cincinnati. Information: 595-8200.

Compiled by Angela Koenig wide chain specializes in Philadelphia style cheesesteak sandwiches and home cut french fries. This franchise is owned by Caspar Restaurant Enterprises. Hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and noon to 8 p.m.

Sunday. For more information: 522-0060. Funco Landstore coming COLERAIN TOWNSHIP On Thursday, a Funco Land-store will open on Colerain Avenue, in the Colerain Town Center. The company buys and sells home video entertainment products, such as Nintendo, Sega Genesis and Sony Playstation. The 216-store chain opened its first Greater Cincin A familiar name in the local pizza trade is returning to Cin-' cinnati's West Side.

"It's the old, original Trotta's Pizza, but with new owners," said Dave Trotta, now in partnership with Mike Bessler and Jeffery Kline. The Trotta family ran a pizza business, with seven Greater Cincinnati locations, from 1981-91. Those stores are all closed. The new store, Trotta's Pizza and Drive-Thru, under construction near the corner of Werk Road and Glenway Avenue in Westwood, will be a completely different kind of operation, Mr. Trotta said.

A pizza kitchen will be adjacent to a drive-thru convenience store, where customers can pick up their pizza orders and purchase items such as beer, chips and lottery tickets. There will be no delivery iservice or dining room. There will, however, be a walk-in Italian delicatessen, with imported meats and cheeses. The drive-thru portion of the business is expected to open in November. The pizza kitchen and deli are expected to open in early 1998.

Next stop, Penn Station NORTH COLLEGE HILL A Penn Station restaurant has opened at Hamilton and Goodman avenues. The nation Black caucus comes out against workers' comp reform plan 5742 Hamilton Ave. Thursday: Cincinnati school board, League of Women Voters, 7-9 p.m., Bond Hill Community Center, 1501 Elizabeth Place. Monday: Cincinnati council, Carthage candidates night, 7:30 p.m., recreation center, 19 E. 72nd St.

Tuesday: Cincinnati council, Over-the-Rhine Chamber of Commerce candidate lunch, 11:45 a.m., Memorial Hall. message the signs will try to get across is that voting yes won't increase taxes, says Vicki Bar-ger, co-chairof the campaign with Dean Langevin. Two mills will drop from tax bills in January after the district makes its last payment on a 1976 bond issue. Calendar Thursday: Cincinnati council, Mount AiryCollege Hill candidates night, 7 p.m., College Hill Presbyterian Church, for on-the-job injuries. Business groups support Issue 2 and argue it is needed to streamline the state bureaucracy and prevent abuses.

YARD SIGNS: Residents in Fairfield and Fairfield Township will soon see a crop of red and white signs dotting yards and roadways. Citizens for Fairfield Schools on Friday will begin placing more than 2,500 yard signs in support of the 2-mill levy on the property of school supporters. The big Members of the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus have announced their opposition to State Issue 2, saying the workers' compensation reform plan would deny injured workers their rights. "We do not support any plan that is not fair, and sufficient for our working constituents in Ohio," said Rep. Mark Mallo-ry, a Cincinnati Democrat and first vice president of the group.

Carnpaign '97 POLITICS NOTEBOOK Politics Notebook is compiled by Enquirer staff and appears Tuesday through Saturday. He contends the fcgislation, passed by the General Assembly, denies injured workers the right to an independent diagnosis by a doctor and curtails workers' rights to win claims HOW TO REACH US DivMHofmlstir. 860-7114 Assistant local news editor ...4820 Business Center Way, Cincinnati 45246 i TilefliOM 5 860-5190.