Oakley After Hours Kicks Off Season April 25th!

Kennedy Connector Update BY BECKY STEPHENS

M E Companies, a civil engineering consulting firm, has been hired by the City of Cincinnati to study and design the proposed Kennedy Connector roadway. M E Companies will have surveyors in the area to collect boundary and topographic information.

The proposed roadway would extend Kennedy Avenue from Duck Creek Road to the Ridge Road and Ibsen Avenue intersection. Ibsen Avenue would be widened from Ridge Road to Marburg. Improvements would be made to the Madison Road and Ridge Road intersection as a part of this project. At the December 2007 meeting of

the Oakley Community Council, Jeff McElravy, from the City of Cincinnati Economic Development Office, presented a new drawing that proposes the traffic from the Center of Cincinnati and proposed Millworks site would flow eastward on Madison Road turning left onto Ibsen Avenue then cutting through the former Precision Industrial manufacturing site to Kennedy Avenue. A copy of this drawing is available on the Oakley Community Council website, www.oakleynow.com.

The development and building of the Kennedy Connector is no longer linked directly to the

Millworks project. The Kennedy Connector is a standalone project that has been assigned to the Department of Transportation and Engineering. John Brazina, Department of Transportation and Engineering, is the Project Manager for the Kennedy Connector. John Brazina can be contacted at 513-352-6249. Jeff Koehn, Senior Vice President at M E Companies can also be contacted at 513-942-3141, Ext. 232 with questions.

Once again many volunteers, the Oakley Community Council and local business sponsors get together to bring you Oakley After Hours. On the final Friday of each month, from 6:00 til 10:00pm Oakley businesses stay open late and offer event specials. Restaurants offer drink and appetizer specials and the streets are filled with Live Music. Check out our special section for more information on what the event organizers have in store for this year’s event.

Planning for this year’s event started back in December with a community party at HUGO. Past and potential participants attended the evening event

(Above, Moonshine Drive Performs in Oakley Square at last year’s Oakley After Hours) (Story Cont’d on page 5)

The Latest News

Aglamesis turns 100 year old. (page 9)

Oakley Advertising Opportunities. (page 4)

Highlights

Letter from the President 2

Business Spotlight 3

Resident Spotlight 3

Oakley After Hours 6

Oakley Real Estate 6

Nick Lachey in Oakley? 8

About the OCC 12

SHIRMER’S GARAGE

631-4455

3894 Isabella Ave “We Now Sell Tires”

We now service and sell

Lawn & Garden Equipment

Lawnmowers, Trimmers, Chainsaws

2 The Oakley Voice Spring 2008

Letter from the President BY DAVE SCHAFF

Oakley Community Council Leadership

Contact Us: The Oakley Voice is published quarterly for dues-paying members of the Oakley Community Council. It is funded in part by the

Neighborhood Support Program. Mailing address: The Oakley Community Council P.O. Box 9244 Cincinnati, OH 45209 oakleycouncil@oakleynow.com www.oakleynow.com 513-533-2039 Designed and Edited by Detiem Communications www.detiem.com

OAKLEY MOMENTUM CONTINUES Oakley has successfully secured almost $1 Million to make substantial traffic and safety improvements to Oakley Square. Construction is expected to begin later this summer! Regular updates and additional information can be found at oakleynow.com.

On Friday, April 25th we will be kicking off our 3rd season of Oakley After Hours (OAH). OAH will occur on the Final Friday of each month from April – September. This year, an event coordinator has been hired, Kimberly Taney, to make OAH events even better. Former Oakley Council Board Member and Oakley Voice newsletter editor, Dan Marshall, will once again coordinate the music at the 3 main stages. Kurt Platte Architects also provided poster and mailer design work.

Oakley has a great deal to be proud of and the momentum is second to none in greater Cincinnati. Consider the following recent news items featured in Cincinnati Magazine’s recent “Best of the City” and “Best Restaurants” editions.

BEST (#1) Restaurant in Greater Cincinnati - BOCA – “You come

to realize it’s not perfection but the constant quest for perfection that sets the place apart.”

BEST Personalized Baby Togs - The Spotted Goose Co. – “the store’s exclusive funny, fanciful embroidery transforms ordinary bibs, onesies, blankets, and towels into keepsakes”.

BEST Bar Atmosphere - Raising the Bar - Habits Café. – “This Oakley Square mainstay draws a steady crowd all week long. Recent renovations to the dining room gave the main barroom the ambiance of a crowded subway car, but things are back to normal now”.

BEST Post-Natal Workout - Revolution Fitness.

BEST Modern Furniture - Voltage. – “Spend an hour in the spacious, two-floor Voltage showroom and you’ll feel as if you’ve wandered onto the pages of Architectural Digest”.

BEST Artsy Wake-Up – Redtree Art Gallery and Coffee Shop. – “we can’t help but praise the eclectic spot as a great java house”.

As for the real estate market, Oakley continues to be a hot

place to buy. In the March 29th edition of the Business Courier, Oakley was recognized with Pleasant Ridge for leading Greater Cincinnati in having the fastest absorption rate of 42 communities at five months. If the OCC can do something to improve the quality of life in Oakley for any business or resident please let us know by visiting our website oakleynow.com or attending the next community council meeting. I would also encourage you to become a member of the OCC and be better engaged in the issues of our community and, as always, keep up that Oakley Pride! Sincerely,

Dave Schaff

“Oakley has a great deal

to be proud of and the

momentum is second to

none in greater

Cincinnati”

The Oakley Pub Proud to be a part of Oakley!

With just six tables, five booths and a jukebox, you'll find plenty of room for yourself and a few friends to enjoy daily

drink specials. Open

11-2 am Monday-Saturday 11 a.m.-midnight Sunday.

3924 Isabella Ave. Cincinnati, OH 45209

513-531-2500

Matt Jones Quality of Life, Streetscape 706-4058 Brent Van Lieu Zoning – 200-4261 Jim “the Cop” Assum Crime and Safety -969-1285 Jim Walls Senior Citizen Liaison Dan Marshall Webmaster and Newsletter

Dan Bennie Parliamentarian and Law 721-1350 John Heilman Membership – 871-7973 Bob Luthy Business – 533-7311 Vince Schirmer Board Member -251-0061 Skip Allen Business - 616-2650

Dave Schaff President -351-7842 Terry Garrard Vice President – 351-1701 Craig Samuel Treasurer – 515-6327 Becky Stephens Communications - 351-2151 Katie Carroll Board Member– 405-9166

Also feel free to contact the board by using our online “Suggestion Box” at www.oakleynow.com

Local Business Spotlight Kathy Jones Skincare

Local Resident Spotlight

Kevin Fox

Located at 3215 Madison Road, Kathy Jones Skin Care is dedicated to the promotion and education of healthy skin practices. The highly-trained and highly-educated staff want to help you achieve more radiant and healthy skin.

The services offered at Kathy Jones Skin Care range from basic skin care procedures to advanced procedures such as micropigmentation. Visit the website, www.kathyjonesskincare.com for a complete list of services offered. The website features before and after pictures from procedures, general information, and a link to ask questions. Kathy Jones Skin Care participates in Oakley After Hours as a way to offer the community more information about healthy skin. Gift bags are distributed from the front porch with coupons and brochures. The staff will encourage the community to come inside and watch a demonstration. In the past, Kathy Jones Skin Care has demonstrated dermal fillers, permanent makeup, and skin care

procedures. The staff is on hand to answer any questions about the procedure and products. Visit kathyjonesskincare.com for updated After Hours information. Kathy Jones Skin Care has been located in Oakley since October 2006. Kathy Jones Skin Care opened in 1999 in Kentucky under the guidance of Dr. Jean Loftus, a leading plastic surgeon. The non-invasive procedures performed at Kathy Jones Skin Care are a great way for women and men to start a treatment regimen that will delay the need for plastic surgery.

Parker, who is doing well in his battle with cancer. Many of the area’s hottest acts donated their performance held at The 20th Century Theater. (Donated by local businessman Mark Rogers) The event raised over $8500 for The Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. Kevin was overwhelmed at the turnout and says he will never forget the friends old and new who showed up to support the cause. Always ready to help a friend or fellow musician, Kevin has many friends in the community; he has taken his musicianship to a new level as a complete business including writing jingles for many local companies.

This is the first in hopefully many articles that spotlight a local Oakley Resident. This time round we feature Kevin Fox, Oakley resident for more than 10 years and an accomplished professional musician/singer/songwriter. Kevin Fox music is acoustic pop, roots rock, and country. Winner of two 2003 Cincinnati music awards "Songwriter of the Year" and "Best Roots Rock Band". Kevin loves to travel! In 2005 through 2008 he covered most of the east side of the country from Jacksonville, Florida, to Madison, Wisconsin, to New York, NY. What sets his music apart from most is the combination of catchy lyrics, interesting music, and the ability to jam when it's necessary. Influences vary all the way from James Taylor to Van Halen to Dave Mathews to Nirvana to Toby Keith and back again. Although he writes in

many styles for many artists, his own music has been compared to bands like Bare Naked Ladies, John Mayer, Tom Petty, Sublime, and Santana (when he goes Latin). It's usually the catchy refrains combined with insightful verses and a sense of humor that earn him his fans. With his 4th CD "Deep Sleepers" finally finished he hopes to break out in 2008 as an artist and songwriter. A regular on the fund raising circuit, he regularly donates his skills for many causes, from Save Our Strays to the Rock out to Knock out Hunger, and more. Recently Kevin orchestrated a fund raiser in honor of his son,

Kevin Fox, go out and see

him play sometime. Check

his schedule at www.myspace.com/kevinfox1 or just say hi next time you

see him walking down

Madison.

4 The Oakley Voice Spring 2008

Oakley Advertising Opportunities

Local Real Estate BY MATT CLARK

Despite what you hear on the national news, the local real estate market is quite stable. Luckily for us, prices have stayed relatively constant. Whereas some parts of the country may be experiencing a 20% drop or more in prices, locally we’re only down approximately 4% over the previous year. Here are answers to two top concerns I hear from buyers and sellers every day. “Homes just aren’t selling right now”.

The spring market is upon us, buyers are crawling out of hibernation, and people start planning their summer move. Over the past few months, we’ve seen the number of sales and pending sales in Oakley increase every month. From a December low of 11, we’ve seen this increase greatly to 45 currently. Over this same time period, we’ve seen the average time in which it takes a home to sell decrease slightly. These are very good signs that our market is still moving.

What does it take to sell a home in a slow market? Pricing your home correctly is the most important thing. You get the most activity right as your home comes on the market, and you can’t afford to waste this time. You also want to be responsive to feedback from buyers. Beyond that, a dynamic marketing plan with the correct mix of internet, print, and grassroots marketing is essential.

The Oakley Community Council strives to offer the best service possible. We work diligently to secure public funds offered by the city to help better our community. Another source of revenue for funding Community projects includes advertising revenue from the newly redesigned “Oakley Voice” and our website www.oakleynow.com.

These two advertising vehicles offer an excellent value in reaching not only the Oakley Community but our surrounding neighbors and the entire Greater Cincinnati Area as well.

Each year we publish 4 quarterly newsletters. We offer a variety of advertising opportunities that includes Per Issue Advertising or purchase an entire year.

Our website, www.oakleynow.com has

Did you know?

“The Oakleynow.com website

receives over 25,000 hits per

month during the summer

months and over 770 unique

visitors.”

Matt Clark is a local Realtor with HUFF REALTY. If you’d like to discuss these or any other questions, feel free to reach him at (513) 533-5864 or www.MattClarkCincinnati.com

grown exponentially over the past 2 years, and has had strong traffic. In our summer months during Oakley After Hours our site receives over 770 unique visitors per month!

The website also offers an excellent opportunity to measure your investment by linking your ad to your website. You can track hits you receive from the website through your webhosting provider.

Advertising in The Oakley Voice and Oakleynow.com is a win-win situation; You receive excellent exposure to a ripe demographic, and the community benefits from the funds raised.

Keep an eye out at oakleynow.com as we release the new advertising opportunities at the end of spring.

Contact:Dan Marshall Dmarshall@detiem.com 513-807-2442 for more advertising information or to place an ad

Proud to be a part of Oakley!

“Best place to work!” As voted by Cincy Business

3170 Wasson Road Cincinnati OH, 45209

www.richardsind.com

513-533-5600

Oakley After Hours (Con’t from page 1) and discussed how to continue the momentum. Live music will continue to be an attraction this year with local acts already signed to play including the returning Moonshine Drive, 40 East, The Infinity Ball, Hunting Agnes, LoopManDan , Wendy Oakley, Daughters and Sons, Patrick Ewing, Entertaining Lucy and many more. “We’re excited about the musical acts we’ve put together this year. They include all different types of music, Blue Grass, Folk, Classic Rock and more.” said Dan Marshall, of Unselfish Productions, who for the third year is producing much of the entertainment for the event. You will also notice more street performers with some of the most popular returning. Look for the Balloon man for the kids at Blue Manatee. This is the third year for the event and attendance has grown from year to year. This year’s attendance is expected to rise again. Kimberly Taney, this year’s event coordinator was hired to ensure it happens and she’s already delivered, acquiring key sponsorships from local publications for an increased marketing presence. The event is sure to be fun for all, the sponsors, volunteers, participating businesses and the Oakley Community Council look forward to seeing you out at Oakley After hours!

Oakley After Hours goers enjoying Aglamesis and King Arthurs Court during the 2007 Oakley After Hours

Oakley Community Council Board members John Heilman and Terry Garrard giving information to residents at the OCC table at a past Oakley After Hours event.

Le Studio des Parfums Galimard

Cincinnati

Come visit us during Oakley After Hours

to take advantage of our Spring Specials!

3218 Madison Road | Suite A |

Cincinnati | OH | 45209

www.studiogalimardcinci.com

513-321-7273

If you are interested in volunteering or sponsoring Oakley After Hours contact Kimberly Taney at OAH@oakleynow.com

6 The Oakley Voice Spring 2008

8 The Oakley Voice Spring 2008

Nick Lachey performs in Oakley

CINCINNATI - Thanks to the Team Cincinnati choir’s appearance on NBC reality series “Clash of the Choirs,” led by Nick Lachey and choir director Stephen Zegree, and a local celebratory concert including performances by Team Cincinnati and Kenny Smith and Peace & Serenity, a community choir, Cincinnati Children’s has received nearly $255,000 for its Regional Center for Newborn Intensive Care (RCNIC) and the Transport Team. Last December, Team Cincinnati compiled of choir members, most of them residents of the Greater Cincinnati area and all amateur singers, volunteered countless hours of their time in hopes of winning money for a charity of their choice on an NBC reality competition “Clash of the Choirs.” Cincinnati Children’s was ultimately chosen as their charity. Team Cincinnati competed with other celebrity lead choirs

Nick Lachey performs with his choir “Team Cincinnati” at Crossroads. He was helping raise money for The Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. The event raised an additional $3900 for critically needed equipment and more.

across the U.S. Because Team Cincinnati was chosen as the winner based on nightly tallies of national votes, Cincinnati Children’s was honored with a $250,000 gift allowing Cincinnati Children’s to continue to provide pediatric care that has been rated among the best in the nation. Their victory brought home $250,000 for Cincinnati Children’s. “The choir’s win helped us purchase much needed equipment to provide the best possible care to our community’s most fragile infants.” said Jim Anderson, president and CEO of Cincinnati Children’s.    A local concert on March 30 featuring Kenny Smith and Peace & Serenity, a community choir, and the Team Cincinnati Choir was held at Crossroads. More than 1,500 guests attended to watch Lachey and Zegree cheer on their choir and formally present Cincinnati

Children’s with a check of $250,000 won during “Clash of the Choirs.” An additional $3,900 was raised from the evening’s concert. “The purpose of the evening was to celebrate the accomplishments of Team Cincinnati,” said Keith Henize, special event manager for the Department of Development at

Cincinnati Children’s. “I know everyone enjoyed the chance to hear the choir perform and we were certainly grateful to have the opportunity to receive such a generous contribution. As a not-for-profit hospital and research center, we rely on community support to help us provide the best possible health care for our children.” The Transport Team at Cincinnati Children’s will be using the money to purchase transport isolettes and stretchers. These are special beds that have monitoring equipment and ventilators that are used to transport premature and critically ill infants from outlying hospitals to Cincinnati Children’s. The RCNIC will use the money to buy very special enclosed beds for babies that are born prematurely so they can stay warm and safe while they heal and get better. These beds create a warm, humid environment to protect the baby’s skin as well as provide a sound barrier to protect their ears. These beds are the most technologically advanced beds available for sick newborn babies who require hospitalization. We will be so thrilled to have more of them to help us provide the best care possible to our tiniest patients.  

Aglamesis Celebrates 100 Years!

The story begins during the late 1800’s in the beautiful, Old World countryside outside of Sparta, Greece. It was here that Thomas Aglamesis left his home at age sixteen to seek opportunity. He was the eldest son of his recently deceased father, and Thomas now had the financial responsibility of taking care of his large family. He settled in Cincinnati, Ohio. A year later, his brother Nicholas joined him. The brothers learned the tricks of the ice cream trade working in downtown Cincinnati within the “Old Arcade”. Eventually, they saved up enough money to establish their own business.

The Metropolitan, as it was called in 1908, was their first ice cream parlor, which opened in Norwood, an Eastern Cincinnati community. Thomas and Nicholas churned all of their ice cream flavors by hand in metal cylinders and used rock salt as a freezing agent. They delivered to fashionable Norwood homes, and developed the reputation as having the fastest horse team in town. Soon after the Norwood opening, the brothers added candy making to their list of culinary manufacturing talents.

In 1913, the brothers opened their second location in the Cincinnati community of Oakley. Built with marble imported from Portugal and embellished with exotic Tiffany lamps, tile floors, sculptured ceilings and an authentic player piano, the store was considered a charming gathering place with exquisite

ambiance for Cincinnati East-siders even in its earliest days. Nine years later, the brothers added an ice cream plant with modern refrigerated cooling machinery to the Oakley location.

During the depression, Thomas and Nicholas sold The Metropolitan in Norwood, name intact, to colleagues of theirs. It was at this point that their business became known as it is today, Aglamesis Brothers. Through tenacity and lots of hard work, Thomas and Nicholas remained successful through the Depression as well as through World War II, when sugar rationing challenged their production capabilities and curtailed sales growth. Leadership within the company changed during the 1950’s, when Nicholas passed away and Thomas’ health declined. To continue the tradition, James T. Aglamesis, Thomas’ son, took over the business. While renovation and expansion took place, Jim retained the Old World formulas as well as the tried and true methods of ice cream and candy manufacturing.

Over the years, Aglamesis Brothers has gained a national reputation for outstanding quality. It has been written up for both its ice cream and candy in such nationally recognized publications as The New York Times, The Chicago Tribune, as well as Bon Appetite and Chocolatier magazines. The Oakley Ice Cream and

The Oakley Ice Cream and Candy parlor remains virtually unchanged

Candy parlor remains virtually unchanged and is considered by many to be one of (if not) the very last original ice cream parlor from a bygone era.

Presently, members of the third generation of the Aglamesis family work with Jim to ensure

the continued enjoyment of customers around the nation in receiving premium chocolates and ice cream from this nearly a century-old establishment.

10 The Oakley Voice Spring 2008

Crime and Safety Out on the Streets!

Our roving reporter went out on the streets and asked Oakley shoppers, residents and employees’ “What do you like most about Oakley?” Here’s what they said…

We are lucky to live in a neighborhood that in relation to the rest of the city has a low crime rate and rarely major infractions. We all like to feel safe. District 2 works very hard to keep our community safe. Each month Officers from District 2 come to the Oakley Community Council meeting to report on crime and safety in our neighborhood. In our monthly meetings they continually warn, “Don’t leave anything valuable in your cars.” The most common crime in our area is criminals breaking in to cars in the middle of the night and stealing whatever they can. You would think after sitting through a few years of community council meetings this former Board member would have learned his lesson. But, no, I had to learn the hard way. On April 10, after coming home late from playing music, I decided I was too tired to carry in my PA equipment, and figured, it was 2:30, who was going to touch it between then and morning, I dutifully locked my car, pulled up in my driveway, right next to my house, which is well lit all night. The next morning I went to my car to find that someone had used a slimjim on my door, stole my entire PA and re locked my car (how nice of them). Yes I feel stupid, but I hope many can learn from my dumb mistake. I fell into a comfort zone. I felt my tinted windows and my lights and my locked car would keep them away, I thought no one watched me at 2:30 in the morning and I thought “Criminals are lazy they won’t stay up this late.” I was very wrong. Night is when they work in the wee hours when everyone is asleep. You will also find they do drive around our neighborhood casing out their next victim. I

have no doubt these criminals knew I played every Wednesday night, had seen me loading or unloading my equipment before, and just waited for the moment I was too tired or lazy to clear the car out that night. And I’m paying for it. As I mentioned, Oakley is lucky to have a safe community, with nice houses, nice cars and nice people. This makes our community a target for criminals. They know we feel safe and that we get lazy and leave stuff in our cars. Criminals know this. Although my case was pretty extreme, thieves will go after anything; GPS systems, radios, CD collections, even your change collection in your ash tray. My advice, don’t leave anything in your car. The kind District 2 Police Officer and Detective told me they are painfully aware of the break ins and are doing their best to step up patrols, but they can’t be on every street every minute. Tell your neighbors all to leave their outside lights on, keep their eyes open for suspicious vehicles and characters, and keep your eyes peeled. For Police emergencies, call 911. For Police non-emergencies, call 513-765-1212.

“The people and our customers are all genuinely nice people.” ~Norman R.

“I like getting ice cream cones (Aglamesis) at Oakley After Hours.” ~Jax M. (3)

“The developing camaraderie between business and residents that’s enabled Oakley to be one of the most sought

after neighborhoods in the tri-state.” ~Steve M.

“The women joggers!” ~Jim M.

“I love shopping at The Fresh Market, and the way this community has flourished over the past 5-8 years” ~Kathy G.

“There are so many new shops and stores to shop at, I love the new Café at Blue Manatee.” ~Julie M.

“It’s a true ‘neighborhood with a great mix between businesses and residents.” ~Sheri H.

“I love the pear tree blossoms in the spring and seeing all the families with their kids and pets enjoying the neighborhood.” ~Diane C.

Coming soon to a street near you!

Street Rehabilitation Program

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 them safer by improving the quality of our street system. The streets that are scheduled for rehabilitation under the 2008-09 Program are listed in this article. 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. As the City undertakes the process of improving these streets, you may encounter

raised manholes or uneven roadways until all work is completed. We ask for your patience, and request that you observe caution when driving on streets under construction. Once work is completed, we believe that you will be pleased with the results for years to come. The Street Rehabilitation Program is just one more way that the City of Cincinnati provides valuable services that make a difference in our community. Roads to be resurfaced: Drake Ave Drakewood Drive Ferdinand Place Harrow Avenue Hyde Park Avenue Madison Park Avenue Markbreit Street Woodland Avenue For more information visit oakleynow.com or www.cincinnati-oh.gov

12 The Oakley Voice Spring 2008

About The Oakley Community Council

As many of you have noticed by now, the Oakley Community Council is one venue available to residents and business owners who have issues involving Oakley. We encourage the residents and businesses to bring their questions and concerns to our monthly meetings (1st Tuesday of each month) to seek answers to your problems or to ask for the Council's help. If the Council is unable to provide a sufficient solution or the problem is not within our ability to decide, we are able to direct the petitioner to the correct people who can help. Please contact us in advance of our regular meeting if you have an issue you would like to add to the agenda. The Oakley Community Council meets at 7:00PM the first Tuesday

each month at the Oakley Community Center, 3882 Paxton Avenue (on the Oakley Playfields in the Hyde Park Plaza.

Check the previous page for a membership form and annual

dues information. For more information on how to become a member of the Oakley Community Council please visit our website at www.oakleynow.com

OAKLEY COMMUNITY COUNCIL OAKLEY COMMUNITY CENTER PAXTON AVENUE CINCINNATI, OH 45209

We’re on the Web! See us at: www.oakleynow.com

Oakley Community Council www.oakleynow.com oakleycouncil@oakleynow.com 513-533-2039 For Advertising Information: Dan Marshall Danmarshall@oakleynow.com 513.807.2442