I’ve been meaning to write about this for a bit: The Chief of Police seems to understand what is happening better than the people in planning or in “economic development”- he’s redistricted South Park, the Oregon District and the Fairgrounds neighborhood into the Central Business District.

‘Bout time. Downtown just started being bigger than a thimble.

He’s coming to the Historic South Park, Inc meeting tomorrow night to fill us in.

The HSPI General Meeting is scheduled for this Tuesday, April 27th at 7:00 pm at Hope Lutheran Church (500 Hickory Street). This month’s guest speaker will be Dayton Police Chief Richard Biehl, who will speak about the redistricting of the Dayton Police Department and its impact on South Park.

Dayton Police Chief Richard Biehl today outlined plans to expand the boundaries of the Central Business District (CBD) to better align downtown policing services with the broader community and economic development strategies occurring in the area.
Currently the CBD is generally bounded by Washington Street to the south, Wayne Avenue and U.S. 35 to the east, and the Great Miami River to the north and west. The expanded CBD boundaries will extend eastward to include Wayne Avenue to Wilmington Avenue and further southward to encompass Irving Avenue and Stewart Street to the river, areas formerly included in the Second Police District. The change is expected to take effect mid-May.
“It makes more sense to broaden the CBD boundaries slightly to better connect police services with the various economic and community development projects occurring in the area,” Chief Biehl said. “As the greater downtown area grows and changes, we want our police services to grow and change with it.”

For all the bad news and naysayers- this one’s for you.

I’ve even done my share of pointing out the flaws in our fair city- but with the goal of moving us forward.

Today, I decided to interview a neighbor, the lovely and talented Melissa Aldridge. She graduated from Belmont High School, attended Wright State and Miami – and graduated from Wright State with a degree in business with a concentration in Econ. Then, she got a job in Downtown Dayton and bought an amazing house in Historic South Park.

We talk about why she chose to live in South Park and why we love it here. Something new for the Dayton Grassroots Daily Show- a real pretty face for once.

Now if we could only get another thousand like her every year to do the same- all our problems would be solved.

In my congressional run, I made a video featuring Woodland Cemetery, one of my favorite places in Dayton. That it’s just four blocks away helps too.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Besides being the tallest point in Dayton, it’s absolutely breathtaking at the crack of dawn when I like to either run or walk through the final resting places of every major name in Dayton- from Dunbar and Deeds to Bombeck, Patterson and Wright.

Founded in 1841, Woodland Cemetery is one of the nation’s five oldest rural/garden cemeteries and a unique cultural, botanical and educational resource in the heart of Dayton, Ohio.

via Woodland Cemetery & Arboretum.

However, a few weeks ago, my secret entrance, a hole in the fence off an alley off Wyoming was repaired. That hole had been there for more than 23 years- and was the South Parkians secret short cut since the big gates by the pump house on Wyoming have been locked at least that long.

I called Dave FitzSimmons, the CEO of Woodland to ask if there might be a way to open the gates to the regular walkers, half expecting a big no. Instead, a week later, he sent me a note saying they’ve put a new lock on the gate and have keys for neighborhood walkers.

Note to most business owners, this is the kind of customer service (and I’m not dead yet) that makes people believe that your brand is better than others. So, if you’re a South Park walker- who misses our old hole in the fence, get in touch with me- I have a key to the pearly wrought iron gates for you.

If you’re going to die anytime soon, and are looking for a cemetery that is more than a cemetery to the community- I can’t recommend any better cemetery than Woodland. However, let’s hope a casket isn’t on your holiday wish list- although he has creches for sale in the new lookout point construction.

Greg Hunter and David Esrati talk about your tax dollars being donated to corporate America in the name of “economic development.” With Montgomery County cutting money and jobs for services, we still have money to hand over to private enterprise as payola for running their business here.

Also mentioned- the Historic South Park Home tour that’s going on TODAY!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Enjoy!

The kids’ book about “the little engine that could” is a parable for the South Park neighborhood in Dayton Ohio. The largest historic district in the city, South Park is a neighborhood defined not by its vast mix of homes, from manses to miniature (there is one house, the “Gingerbread cottage” that is smaller than most garages) but by a spirit of the people that takes on all challenges and then some.

From a neighborhood production of Shakespeare in the park (2 years running) to starting a for-profit development corporation to reclaim a troublesome bar, the people of South Park are willing to try almost anything to create a place where people know each other- and care about each other.

Today’s Dayton Daily News has a front page story as an introduction to our home tour this weekend about my neighbors Bill and Amy Kennedy and their house that love rebuilt- it starts like this:

Amy Kennedy put the word out on Facebook: She needed help decorating for the Historic South Park Holiday Home Tour.Within minutes, it seemed, neighbors were knocking on her door with ornaments, decorations, and helping hands.Within hours, the house had been transformed into a glittering Victorian Christmas showplace.“That’s just the kind of neighborhood it is,” said Amy, a Stebbins High School biology teacher.

via Renovation project became a life lesson.

I was there the night the house burned, It was a bad fire. My friend and neighbor Loni Podiak, was there performing mouth to mouth resuscitation on some of the cats that the firemen had rescued, The house was written off by its owner as totaled. That anyone was interested in buying it was amazing to the last owner (a client of mine, who had it as a duplex or triplex rental).

If you think some of the “demolition structures” that Commissioner Nan Whaley seems so anxious to tear down- this one had them beat hands down. Which brings me to the real story in Dayton- is that no amount of building new homes, or fixing old ones will fix our problems. What fixes problems is motivated people. If we spent more time working on building neighborhood organizations and supporting the communities, people like Bill and Amy will solve your housing problems- because they want to, not because they have to.

It’s a lesson the whole city could learn, from the little neighborhood that can.

Please come to our home tour and get a better idea of what this neighborhood represents- but instead of paying attention to the homes, pay attention to the owners and the neighbors who are volunteering. They are what makes South Park a great neighborhood, not the bricks and mortar, or in the Kennedys’ case, lumber and shake shingles.

Historic South Park Holiday Home Tour
Saturday, December 5, 2009 12N-7P
Tickets $15 day of tour, $10 in advance

The day of the tour, pick up your tickets at Hope Lutheran Church, 500 Hickory St., across from the Emerson Academy. (Turn west off Wayne Avenue onto Hickory. Enter through the church parking lot.)

If your business is a restaurant, you can spend all day dreaming about the fine china you want to buy, or the dishes you could prepare, or you could work hard on working with what you have.
If you are the City of Dayton, you come up with dreams for “MidPark” the area just North of South Park and South of Downtown.
Someone has spent a lot of time dreaming up a new way to call “urban renewal” via bulldozer and new construction- something different.
Read the whole plan:

Neighborhood Development Strategic Planning Group (NDSPG) specifically chose to look at the MidPark geography because of its perceived long?term
marketability and the ability to leverage previous successful development in adjacent areas.  The
MidPark District has been a virtual “no mans land”…a mish mash of underutilized land and
buildings with no real focus or continuity for a very long time.  However, because of its location the group felt it had extreme potential.

MidPark is located between Downtown and two of Dayton’s largest institutions ? The University
of Dayton and Miami Valley Hospital who have made huge investments not only on their own
campuses, but have reached out to the areas that surround them as well.

recommendations_housing_appendix1.pdf (application/pdf Object).

With an overabundance of inexpensive real estate, including some amazing homes for a song, we’re talking about concentrating efforts on a pretty new green field and its surrounding area mostly because it’s near two of our biggest income tax generators (since both UD & MVH get property tax exemptions).

Do you remember Courthouse Square, The Arcade, Riverscape? All of these projects were supposed to “jump start” the community. Midpark is yet another dream, much like Ballpark Village.

The reality is Dayton should be getting out of the real estate game. Unload all the property we own to people who want to build something on them or own real estate and pay taxes. What? No one wants to buy our real estate? You don’t say… maybe it’s because we’re so busy dreaming about projects like this, that we’ve failed our basic service commitments like safe neighborhoods, good schools, parks and recreation and well maintained infrastructure.

There is an interesting analysis by Daytonology’s Jeffery over at Dayton Most Metro on this “plan”: http://www.daytonmostmetro.com/forum/index.php?topic=1364.msg12802#msg12802

Wouldn’t it be better if private developers felt they could pull this off on their own? What could the city do to encourage private development?

What I don’t understand is why the apartment buildings lining the East side of Warren are written off? Marvin Gardens had been rumored to be close to being acquired by someone with the ability to properly rehab and manage them. The new Coco’s is going to be at the corner of Warren and Lincoln- all without tax incentives.

If a private developer can’t make something work here without a handout, all hope for Dayton is lost. We just saw how the city totally botched the Wayne and Wyoming “Kroger” development over five years and wasting millions of dollars- why should it be involved here?

Would our “development dollars” be better spent on big ticket development like trolleys, or smaller noticeable improvements like better lighting under the overpasses, or configuring the nearby park with usable soccer/football fields, tennis courts that aren’t a joke, a basketball court that doesn’t include the San Andreas fault, and maybe a fountain to play in during the summer?

Need something to compare to? Head over to Lincoln Park in Kettering or Delco Park. Why not take the old Cliborne Manor site and make it into a dog park? Or a skate park, or a BMX track? We still have space for in-fill housing and rehab opportunities in South Park. Build public amenities nearby and the rest of the area may attract more investment. Add a walk-to-work tax credit- and UD and MVH employees may consider moving down into the area.

Government should be spending tax dollars providing services that don’t make sense for private businesses and create value for the greater good- and greater area. These micro development projects that subsidize private investors are hurting all of us.

Focus on getting the basics right- the flourishes will follow.

If it doesn’t rain, tonight is your last chance to see “A Midsummer’s Night Dream” in South Park. Show starts at 8, come a bit early if you want a good spot for a chair- blankets guarantee a front row seat. It’s 90 minutes of fun. ADDITION: If in it rains- it will be held in Hope Lutheran Church, 500 Hickory Street.

Easiest parking is at the bottom of the hill, along Buckeye. The location is South Park Green, across from James Street on Hickory.

Next week, we have the South Park Jazz Festival- another free event brought to you by those crazy dreamers in Historic South Park along with Ron Gable of the Jazz Advocate.

What: South Park Jazz Festival

When: Saturday, Sept. 26

Where: At the gazebo on Park Drive, west of Wayne Avenue and north of Wyoming Street

Cost: Free

Parking: Free parking is available at Rite-Aid at Wayne Avenue and Wyoming Street, at Hope Lutheran Church and at Emerson Academy on Hickory Street

More information: Maps and information are available online at www.jazzadvocate.com or by calling (937) 648-0627. In case of rain, the event will not be canceled, but will be moved into the Emerson Academy Auditorium at 500 Hickory St.

Music schedule

Noon to 1:20 p.m.: “Cat in the Hat” with the SMAG Dance Collective

1:30 to 2:50 p.m.: Dave Greer’s Classic Jazz Stompers

3 to 4:20 p.m.: The Dayton Jazz Orchestra

4:30 to 5:50 p.m.: Ron Jones Quartet

6 to 7:20 p.m.: April Aloisio Quartet

7:30 to 9:30 p.m.: Deron Bell Band

via South Park Jazz Festival expands.

Unfortunately, if you read the whole DDN article above, you’ll find that Ron is taking the South Park out of the Jazz Festival for next year, but, we’ll still have our music festivals in South Park as long as neighborhood music champion Lisa Persons lives on Park Drive. She has been bringing music to South Park for at least 5 years. Unfortunately, Ron decided to make his moving announcement before the show- and without informing anyone in South Park first (UPDATE: I missed the meeting where he announced it). Not exactly the best way to treat the hand that’s fed you.

It’ll still be a great time, so come on down and see why South Park is a National Neighborhood of the Year tonight- and next week.

200+ people watched a bunch of neighbors get together and put on an amazing production of “A midsummers night dream.” But, that wasn’t all- Emerson Academy was also showing a movie in their parking lot just down the street. And, Saturday night, while the play is on night 2 (it’s free- you should go) there will be a progressive porch, patio and deck party.

It’s tough living in the National “Neighborhood of the year.” And what’s even tougher, is the rest of the city could be doing the same thing, if we had some leadership that understood that we don’t have to pay people to like our city- we just have to act like we like it.

When the idea first surfaced of doing Shakespeare in South Park, even I thought the idea a bit crazy. But, if that’s what people want to do, you support it. Next weekend we have a jazz festival, thanks to Ron Gable and his Jazz Advocate. Give people the ability to do great things and they come through.

People thought I was crazy when I bought my house, then my office (total purchase price for both, under $20K). The two cottages each cost almost that much. But, I believed in creating my own destiny. Now, we’re down to one problem house on the block and one empty. Not bad for a neighborhood that could have been flattened in the name of “urban renewal” or “land banking.”

The basic thing that government must begin to understand if it wants to change a city is that it isn’t about the bricks and mortar. Never was. It’s about the people. People live in, and fix up buildings. People clean up streets and alleys, people play in parks and people put on plays and have parties. Take care of the people- and the rest starts happening.

With that thought- good night. Come to South Park tomorrow night for night 2 of “A Midsummer’s night dream” and see what ordinary people can achieve.

When I talk about neighborhood self-determination, nothing can match the spirit of South Park which is presenting the second annual Shakespeare in the (South) Park. Tonight, Sat and Sunday night, neighbors and some imported talent, will take the stage, actually, the grassy knoll, that is South Park Green.

It’s free. It’s fun, and it’s in South Park. You can park at Hope Lutheran Church or Emerson Academy on Hickory Street. The park entrance is directly across from James Street on Hickory, the second block West of Wayne Avenue. Show starts at 8pm. Bring blankets or chairs, and enjoy.

See you tonight- for “A Midsummers Night Dream”

From: “Walbridge, Amy” <Amy.Walbridge@cityofdayton.org>
Subject: Wayne and Wyoming Meeting Cancelled

With the closure of Dayton Public Schools today, we have to cancel the Wayne and Wyoming Meeting scheduled for tonight at Ruskin Elementary.
Your help in spreading the word is appreciated.

Although I don’t know anything about beer, I have a few friends who do. They think this is pretty exciting- and if you love beer, you may too.

Bill Daniels, owner of the South Park Tavern and Dayton’s Original Pizza Factory, Huff-n-Puff goaltender, beer connoisseur, and walking database of old movie lines- is having the Bell’s Brewery rep in to the tavern and will have all kinds of special beers on tap- including this one, which must be close to holy water:

Bourbon Barrel Aged Double Cream/Expedition Stout: Bell’s Brewery has conferred upon us a small keg of a VERY VERY special brew. It’s an “off the menu” version of their Special Double Cream Stout blended with their world famous Expedition Stout and aged in a bourbon barrel. I’ve been told there are only two of these small kegs in Ohio, and the other is going to a beer festival somewhere. Come early if you want to try this quite possibly once-in-a-lifetime beer. (OG: 1.075 ABV: 6.1% Cream Stout/ OG: 1.11 ABV: 10.5% Expedition Stout- but subject to change due to the blending and bourbon barrel aging!)

The 23rd promises to be a special evening at the South Park Pizza Tavern, and we hope you’ll stop in and join us. As A.E. Houseman so eloquently put it, “And malt does more than Milton can to justify God’s ways to man.”

via A Very Special Bell’s Brewery Beer Event Jan 23 at southparktavern.com.

The South Park Tavern is at 1301 Wayne Ave. Dayton OH 45410

Event starts at 8. My favorite pizzas:

• Classic Italian (also good without sausage as a vegetarian version)
• Reuben- try it, you’ll like it.
• Cheeseburger- with the special request of ketchup and mustard sauce
• Pesto Pizzaz- yes, broccoli on a pizza is a good thing.

Pizza, Beer, South Park- what more can you ask for?

Tell them Esrati sent you.

Well, UD and Miami Valley Hospital finally realized, you need to have a place other than a chain open for lunch in the area to take your prospective hires. Sure, they’ve been at Coco’s a lot, but, on Brown Street, since Dominic’s closed, there hasn’t been much in the way of unique.

The Hickory- also known as “Joe Kisses” and the “Ol Hickory” or “Old Hickory” – although it has no relation anymore to the other two Old Hickory’s anymore- has been around since as long as I’ve been alive. I was a little perturbed  at them years ago- when they tore down the old “Westward Ho” cafeteria for a parking lot expansion- but, that’s “progress.”

From the DBJ:

Hickory Bar-B-Que, located at 1082 Brown St., will open for lunch starting Monday, Nov. 17….

“People from the hospital, the University of Dayton, wanted to know if we would start serving lunch,” Fisher said. “Now’s the time to give it a shot.”

Hickory will be open for lunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., at which time the restaurant will switch over to its dinner menu. To handle the increased business, Fisher is adding six new employees, bringing the employment total to about 40.

The restaurant, which opened in 1962, offers a variety of sandwiches, salads and other entrees on its lunch menu. Prices vary, with salads costing between $1.75 and $7.25, sandwiches from $4.25 to $6.75 and entrees from $6.95 to $13.75.

Fisher said people can find their regular dinner options, such as bar-b-que ribs and chicken, just in smaller portions.

Hickory Bar-B-Que will be open for lunch Monday through Friday.

Hickory Bar-B-Que opens for lunch – Dayton Business Journal:.

The Hickory is one of my favorites places, that I don’t remember to go to that often. But, maybe the 4pm line won’t be as long now that you can get your BBQ fix twice a day.

Shwarma from Halal International Grocery in Dayton

One of Dayton’s best kept secrets is a foodie paradise at the corner of Wayne and Keowee/Adams- tucked behind the “Quality Motors” used car lot. It’s Halal International Grocery, where you can get all kinds of pita for about half of what you’d pay at Kroger, as well as having a choice of three kinds of feta- cut off huge blocks that sit in brine.

So, when I noticed the new rotissarie grill the other day, Faez (the owner) told me he was making shwarma now. While most of you may have had a gyro- this is a bit different, starting with the meat. Most Gyro places buy a chunk of frozen pressed meat that can contain lamb, beef or pork- Halal uses fresh cuts of lamb that they stack on the skewer themselves. Instead of the traditional yogurt based tzatziki sauce, he makes a sauce with Tahini and lemon juice. While the sliced tomatoes and onions on the pita are the same, shwarma adds fresh parsley.

At $3.49 a sandwich- which looks like a wrap- and is packaged to eat as a “stroller” like you’d get from a street merchant in the Middle East, it’s a great deal. Just make sure to ask for some napkins, and call ahead, because if you get there too early, or too late, you may not get yours. Note: currently not available on Mondays or Tuesdays.

Halal International Market doesn’t have a website anymore- but the phone is 937-222-1702.

The address is 1007 Wayne Ave, but the entrance is in the back, off of Theobald Court.

Tell them David sent you.

South Park is the neighborhood to hang out in, so many things, from Shakespeare to jazz festivals and home tours to this show this weekend:

So far booked for the show at 1 p.m. on Oct. 12th at the South Park Gazebo on Park Drive (just off of Wayne Avenue north of the Wayne & Wyoming Street intersection:

• Joseph William Thomas (Garage/Folk/Pop): http://www.myspace.com/josephwthomas
• Jimmy D Rogers (blues piano)
• drexel – http://cdbaby.com/drexel2

This show is free, but we will also be taking donations to help fund the start up of Project Cityhood, a non-profit organization dedicated to suffusing inner-city neighborhoods with a re-appreciation of color, beauty, humor and art by providing opportunities for neighborhood residents – young and old – to develop artscapes throughout their neighborhood and make a better life for themselves and those around them.

Injecting our crumbling neighborhoods with the beauty of color and art helps reinvigorate neighborhood pride and a vision and realization of a grand urban existance that is chosen and achieved because it can be.

Tell your neighbors, tell your friends, bring yourselves out.

If you have any questions, call me at: 296-6993 Drexel Dave, and King Butter

Bring your own chairs or blankets to hang out at yet another great thing to do in Dayton this weekend brought to you by Historic South Park.

Although I wouldn’t call a closed Sherwin Williams store a “hardware store”- South park scores 71 of 100 on the walkability score. With more than a few of my neighbors walking to work Downtown, to UD, to MVH- it is possible to live in South Park without a car. If and when, Kroger builds their new grocery, we may be one step further away from being considered a ghetto (the current Kroger is still a reminder of our perceived stature).

Take a look at Walkscore.com and see how your neighborhood ranks.

Walk Score: 71 out of 100 — Very Walkable

Walk Score – Helping homebuyers, renters, and real estate agents find houses and apartments in great neighborhoods..

As gas prices continue to rise, walkscores could be a competitive advantage in home valuation.

The site isn’t particularly web 2.0, with no sharing/embedding settings- which would be great for Realtors to add to listings. Some of the provided links for South Park mystify me:

Dayton Gym Club isn’t a park. It’s not even a Gym- but it scores for both. Closest park is Burns Jackson next to 35 behind Emerson Academy. Nearest gym- probably Drakes.

I’ve never heard of Craig library- it’s in MVH apparently. I’d consider the Downtown public library the closest library. Morningside Books isn’t exactly a bookstore- it’s by appointment, and all Civil War, all the time.

The best part of Walkscore- is it identifies Halal International Grocery as our grocer- instead of Kroger.

Even if you don’t care about walkability- it may help some of you learn more about what’s around you.

Say what you want about other neighborhoods, ain’t any others throwing Shakespeare at you for free with a cast from the ‘hood.

“Much ado about nothing” will be presented this Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 8pm at the Gazebo on Park Drive, just off Wayne, one block North of the Wyoming street intersection.

There are bleachers, but, blankets and lawn chairs are welcome as well. Stop in at the South Park Tavern at 1301 Wayne before or after for Pizza Factory pizza and beverages. They just added a brand new patio- to celebrate their one year anniversary.

This is neighborhood theater- with a no-budget production- so, come on out, have a good time and if you can’t hear everything, just remember- you were supposed to read it in High School- so you should know the story already (here’s a link to a synopsis).They’ve updated the time to right after WWII for this version- but it’s still the same story- in the bard’s old tongue.

Kudo’s to all my neighbors who have invested countless hours learning their lines, learning the dances and running the risk of embarrassing themselves in public. Next up- the South Park Marching Band, the South Park Gong Show and a neighborhood semi-pro jello wrestling league.