Brian Duffy Announcements

Ludlow Garage 50th Anniversary Mural Project

Seven masterful Cincinnati artists are creating paintings and drawings that will be enlarged and printed to create 10 foot-tall portraits of important musicians who have performed at the famed Ludlow Garage. Our creative team includes CF Payne, David Michael Beck, Ellina Chetverikova, Brandon Hawkins, John Maggard, Gabrielle Siekman and Jenny Ustick. The artists selected the musicians they wished to honor: Judy Collins, Rickie Lee Jones, BB King, Albert King (also recorded by King Records), Iggy Pop and the Stooges, The James Gang and Captain Beefheart.

The project has created a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for three of our artists. David said, “ Chris, John and I have known each other since the 1970’s and have competed with each other, and often referred each other for really important illustration jobs. We have been great friends over the years, all of us loving music, and this mural project is the perfect chance for us to work together for the very first time.”

“I am so happy to be a part of this amazing project, said Ellina. “I am honored to bring back Don Van Fliet aka Captain Beefheart with a grandiose portrait in the center of the historic Clifton community.”

Instead of painting directly on the wall, the artists will create studio paintings in the medium of their preference that will be scanned and printed to a 10-foot tall scale onto aluminum composite panels which will be cut out on silhouette lines. The finished panels will be mechanically attached to the historic building, with minimal disruption to surrounding business activity.

The mural will be dedicated at Cliftonfest 2019 on Saturday, October 5.

This public art project has been made possible by the permission and support of Clifton Business Association, Clifton Community Fund, Clifton Town Meeting, and the owners of the Ludlow Garage, Dave and Claudia Taylor.

Off Ludlow Gallery will host a show of the original mural artwork on Friday, September 27th from 4-8 pm. All work as well as process sketches will be available for purchase at the Off Ludlow Gallery.

To support the project, you can donate here.

Questions or comments? Sean Mullaney, seanmullaney@fuse.net, 513-374-7928

Kevin Marsh Announcements

Cincinnati Parks 2019 ReLeaf Program

The Urban Forestry division of the City is accepting applications for this year’s ReLeaf program.  The annual ReLeaf program began in 1988 with a mission to provide trees for homeowners who either have lawns that are too narrow to be planted by Urban Forestry or for those with conflicting utility service structures. The program has expanded to include schools, community areas, and other public green spaces. Eligible participants are provided a tree to plant in their front yard, providing the beauty and energy-saving benefits street trees bring.

Why are street trees important?

The benefits of street trees are vast, the most obvious being the aesthetic value of a tree-lined street or parkway. However, the value of a healthy urban forest extends beyond beauty and can include one or more of the following:

  • reduction in heating/cooling costs through creation of shade or windbreak
  • aid in abatement of storm water
  • reduction of erosion through abatement of stormwater runoff
  • increase in air quality
  • decrease in the effects of noise and visual pollution through buffering and screening

Interested in participating for 2019? Click here and apply before the Oct 4, 2019 deadline.

Program considerations

There is a limited supply. Applications are a first-come, first-serve basis.
A higher priority is given to planting trees on private property along streets the Cincinnati Park Board cannot plant due to narrow right-of-ways. Other priority areas include community focal points such as entranceways, street triangles, areas near street intersections, and public frontages along major streets. Approved applicants are responsible for pickup and planting.

Pickup will occur October 19, 2019 at 3215 Reading Road. Forestry staff will inspect each planting location before approving tree requests and will inspect locations after planting to ensure guidelines are followed. If you have additional questions, please contact Urban Forestry at 861-9070.

Brian Duffy Announcements

Rush Hour Parking Information

Excerpts from City of Cincinnati Press Release:

Full-Time, On-Street Parking on Ludlow Avenue in Clifton Business District

A pilot project meant to calm traffic along Ludlow Avenue went into effect Monday, Aug. 19, creating full-time, on-street parking between Cornell Place and Brookline Avenue in the Clifton Business District.

Current restrictions that prohibit parking on both sides of the street during morning and evening rush hours are being eliminated and motorists will be allowed to park on both sides of the street 24/7. The change comes at the request of Clifton residents and business owners, including the Clifton Town Meeting group and the Clifton Professional and Business Association.

Representatives from both groups have been meeting with the City’s Department of Transportation & Engineering for several months to work out the details.

A similar pilot project on Hamilton Avenue in the Northside Business District resulted in a significant reduction in crashes, from 15 crashes to 5 for the same time period in 2017 versus 2018.

Kevin Marsh Announcements

CTM Moves to Explore Rush Hour Parking Trial

During the June 2019 CTM meeting, Trustees voted to ask the City to implement a trial to remove the rush hour parking restrictions on Ludlow Avenue. The full details of the motion are below. The focus of this effort is to improve pedestrian safety. The Northside neighborhood successfully completed a similar trial in their neighborhood recently. While we don’t know the outcome of this trial, we are hopeful it will illuminate ways to improve pedestrian safety.

Trustees agreed to hold public engagement sessions as part of this trial to ensure plenty of input is obtained. Please watch for emailed announcements of these engagements. If you are not a subscriber, please click here to do so.

WCPO published an article recently regarding this effort. Click here to read it.

In a related matter, CTM also voted to explore a trial of bump outs on Ludlow Avenue through the CTM Business Committee. These also have the potential to improve pedestrian safety.

Motion for Rush Hour Parking

Clifton Town Meeting respectfully requests that the City plan and implement a trial for a period lasting not less than 3 months, but not greater than 6 months, with the exact dates to be determined in coordination with the City Department of Transportation and Engineering (DOTE) with the following parameters:

  1. Remove all (AM & PM) rush-hour parking restrictions on Ludlow Av between Cornell Pl and Brookline Av
  2. Prior to implementation of the trial, CTM requests DOTE either confirm the existence of or DOTE gather the appropriate data to ensure a “before change” data set exists.
  3. DOTE assist in evaluating the impact of the trial on safety, traffic, and business; and in determining the advisability of making permanent changes and/or conducting further trials.
  4. The CTM Transportation & Public Safety Committee will be the lead group of CTM on this effort and will make monthly progress reports to the CTM Board along with updates as needed between monthly reports. The Committee will advise the Board of all meetings in advance in case other Trustees want to attend to learn more details of what is happening.
  5. The noted CTM Committee will hold public engagement sessions in a variety of methods before, during, and after the trial. Methods shall include but are not limited to, single topic public in-person meetings & online surveys. The Committee will work closely with DOTE on these engagement methods to ensure appropriate information/data is gathered. The Committee will work with a professional to ensure any survey is unbiased and fit for purpose. Engagement will not delay the implementation of the trial.
  6. No monies will be spent by CTM on this matter without a future vote of the Board of Trustees.
  7. A letter summarizing the trial request will be sent to DOTE on or before June 15 by the CTM President or his designee.
Kevin Marsh Announcements

2019 Membership Drive

Clifton Town Meeting (CTM) is your local community council.  CTM advocates on behalf of the Clifton community, and your membership entitles you to vote on issues that directly affect our neighborhood.  

Some issues that CTM has recently promoted include:

  • Installing a traffic signal and crosswalk on Brookline and Ludlow (at the new library and Burnet Woods entrance)
  • Establishment of a new neighborhood school (Clifton Area Neighborhood School)
  • Putting a new full-service grocery store on Ludlow Avenue (Clifton Market)
  • Improvements in pedestrian safety
  • Increased bicycling infrastructure
  • Opening an art gallery on Ormond Ave – the Off Ludlow Gallery
  • Restoration of the Probasco Fountain on Clifton Avenue

CTM also sponsors a variety of activities and festivals throughout the year to enrich our community experience.  These include the annual Memorial Day Parade & Cookout, Lantern Walk, CliftonFest, Holidays on Ludlow, and our ever popular triennial house tour. We also fund beautification projects such as the flower pots & holiday decorations on Ludlow Avenue; provide communications including the community email list, Clifton Community website and the Clifton Chronicle; and partner with the Clifton Business and Professional Association (CBPA) to operate the Clifton Plaza.

To provide this important community work, we need your generous support. Membership dues and contributions are tax-deductible and make up the second largest source of income for Clifton Town Meeting (the house tour is our main fundraiser). Starting or renewing your membership will help us keep Clifton a vibrant, desirable, and fun place to live, work, and play.  Memberships received now are good through December 31, 2019.

Click here to submit your application online.  If you prefer to mail in your application, you may use this Membership Form. (Eligibility is open to all neighborhood residents, neighborhood property owners, and operators of neighborhood businesses, age 18 years or older).  And please join us for our monthly CTM Board meetings held at the Clifton Recreation Center.

Thank you for your support!

CTM Membership Committee

P.S.  If you have recently renewed, please disregard this reminder and THANK YOU for your support!

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