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We realize that you have a development plan before you that you have encouraged and that it is now ready for your final consideration. It is important that you ask “what happens if?” on every aspect of the plan.
Directing your attention primarily to the residential part of the plan, we believe it is important that before you give final approval to any plan that you answer the question:
What happens if a developer proceeds with construction and for whatever reason decides or is forced to abandon the plan after it is only partially completed? Where does that leave the City of Oakwood?
In exploring this question we urge that you consider the following.
Miller Valentine a highly respected regional developer studied the property carefully and decided that it was economically unfeasible.
The City of Oakwood did the same thing with the same conclusion.
Compared to other metropolitan areas in the United States, the Dayton metropolitan area is suffering in almost every category.
Job losses are some of the worst in the country with a low volume of replacements in low income categories.
The sales price of housing is comparatively low, compared to the rest of the country.
The number of houses for sale in the City of Oakwood is 123 which is one of the highest levels ever and they simply aren’t selling.
The population of Oakwood has declined over the past several decades.
The children’s population in Oakwood has risen but the Sugar Camp is not designed to accommodate families with school age children.
The population of the Dayton metropolitan area is also in decline.
By comparison with the rest of the country, the number of people in Ohio with greater levels of education is in decline.
It has been suggested that a performance bond from the developer will solve the problem of a partially complete development. If the developer departs part way through the project, what good is the performance bond money to the City of Oakwood? A performance bond does not seem to solve the problem.
Another possible idea is for the city to grant the developer final approval in installments so that the city can partially control all phases of the development. The city would be in a position to change direction as the development unfolds.
Everybody agrees that Sugar Camp is the last available piece of land in the City of Oakwood which can be made available for any use to the citizens of Oakwood. What percentage of acreage is represented by the Sugar Camp compared to Oakwood’s total acreage?
We believe you should publicly confront the question set forth in the third paragraph above and take a “time-out” until you come up with an answer that is in the best interest of the of Oakwood rather than focusing on tax revenues.
Invest in Oakwood
A concerned citizens group
As a second generation Oakwood resident, I am concerned about the pending approval of a mikveh building in the proposed Oakwood Investment Group and Versant Group’s Sugar Camp site plan.
One of my Jewish neighbors who is a very good friend of mine told me what a mikveh really is and showed me several articles about the Sugar Camp mikveh in the Dayton Jewish Observer January, February and April issues. I am worried that this mikveh building may cause problems for the City of Oakwood in the future, and that is why I am writing this letter.
A mikvah is not just a “Baptismal pool” as was described to us. It is more like a ritual bathhouse. Women and men separately bathe and must skinny-dip in the pool water completely naked. I verified this fact on the Internet.
The proposed mikveh at Sugar Camp is not part of Beth Abraham Synagogue. It will be an independent religious organization that is now in the process of developing a community board to oversee the mikveh. It is very controversial in the Jewish community and not all the community Rabbis even support it! They plan to build a scaled down building within the Oakwood zoning requirements and then appeal in the future to enlarge the building. The religious zoning designation of that area was granted for the synagogue, not for this other use.
I look forward to welcoming our Beth Abraham neighbors. I am not at all prejudiced against Jews. The only reason I am not signing my name is because I am afraid of being accused of being an anti-Semite, which I am not. As a concerned Oakwood citizen, I wanted to inform you of these facts about the possible Sugar Camp mikveh building.
Thank you for your attention.
Your vote in support of the .94 mil replacement levy for Wright Memorial Library on May 8 will help ensure the library’s ability to continue serving families with students attending Oakwood Schools. Wright Library, established in 1937, has a long-standing working relationship with our school system. In fact, Wright Library’s predecessor, known as the Oakwood Library, was originally housed in a classroom at Harman School before it moved to 45 Park Avenue and ultimately to its current location at 1776 Far Hills Avenue.
Many families with elementary school-aged children visit Wright Library on a regular basis to borrow books, attend summer reading programs, check out audio-visual materials, or seek assistance from the excellent reference staff. Equally important, the library also serves as an invaluable resource to families with teens. Wright Library’s online access to research databases is available every day of the week.
Whether working on school projects, investigating potential college choices, or seeking more information (about music, sports, or other topics of interest), here teen library patrons can find an abundance of useful sites. (A few of those most visited websites feature homework help by subject, links to critical and biographical websites about authors and their works, and step-by-step instructions for writing a great research paper including MLA-style citations.)
Of course, teens are frequent borrowers of CD’s, DVD’s, and books on tape. And the reference librarians stay busy with inquiries from Jr. and Sr. High students. Wright Library also features interesting programs, book reviews, and volunteer opportunities for young adults.
Wright Memorial Library is a destination point for many families with students attending Oakwood Schools. Please vote “YES” to replace the library’s existing operating levy on May 8 and help preserve the important services that library patrons value.
Rebecca Roess
Oakwood
This letter is in support of Wright Library and the upcoming .94 mill replacement levy.
Trust can be defined as: honesty in communication, honesty in conduct, integrity, promise keeping, and loyalty. Those of us who live in Oakwood are used to trusting our institutions. One reason is that citizen-volunteers serve on the City of Oakwood’s Budget Review committee, Oakwood Public School’s Business Advisory Board, and for the past 12 months 35 of your neighbors have been serving on Wright Library’s Advisory Council.
Each of these institutions have benefited by having representative but widely diverse individuals share their intellect, professional experience, and community relationships to the greater common good. The institutions have also benefited by having to distill what they do in a way to foster communication and understanding.
These past twelve months our Library Board of Trustees, Ann Snively, Library Director and Debra Schenk, Library Clerk-Treasurer have communicated. 35 members of the Advisory Board have asked pointed questions. Understanding has been gained. We understand that management decisions to preserve library services have been painfully made. We understand that staffing issues were closely and painfully reviewed. We understand that Ohio’s funding of libraries is never certain and has not kept up with annually increasing costs.
Mostly we understand that our library needs to have this levy continue again and that by replacing the levy, a small but very much needed inflation adjustment will allow the maintenance of existing services. 35 of your neighbors have investigated and unanimously voted to encourage your support for Wright Library’s .94 mill replacement levy. This letter is to ask you to join your neighbors with your support.
Fred Dudding
Oakwood
When I read articles concerning Don Imus’s slanderous comments directed against black college women, I thought at first that the overall response to his words was excessive. That is, until I saw the broadcast for myself on the Internet. Don Imus’s words hurt. My reaction surprised me because I had already read about his comments ad nauseum in the news. Simply put, Imus’s words hurt. When I heard his words, I was not prepared for the delivery. What I felt was his gut level disdain for black people.
Sadly, this same feeling resurfaced during the Annual New Resident Breakfast at the Oakwood Community Center this month when one of my fellow new residents made me the brunt of his poor humor. As I entered the building, I was greeted warmly by various city officials and then walked to a table staffed by the Mayor to get my nametag. I inadvertently got mixed into a family who was waiting to get their nametags. In the mix-up, I managed to stand next to the father/husband of the family.
The Mayor was diligently looking for this family’s nametags in a file box. When she lifted her head, she saw me standing beside the white gentleman and she said, “Is this your wife?” The man put his arm around me and said with great sarcasm, “Yeah, this is my wife.” He said it as if it were preposterous that I, a black woman, could be his wife. The gentleman seemed to lack the open-mindedness exhibited by the Mayor. At that moment, I wanted to leave.
After I got my nametag, I did in fact leave and called a Christian friend for moral support. I told him that while I thought it important for me to stay at the event, I did not want to be in an environment with people who thought that I was somehow less than, or inferior because of my skin color. My friend encouraged me to go back to the breakfast as the light for people who walked in darkness. His words strengthened me as I walked into this event armed with a Christian directive. I am glad I returned to the event as I had a good time meeting the new residents of Oakwood. I have also enjoyed subsequent conversations with a couple of the city officials.
There is a bit of Imus in all of us. I am pretty certain the man who offended me has no idea of the harm his snide comment caused. Instead of distancing ourselves from these comments, this is an opportune moment for education. It is best to go toward that which makes us uncomfortable. A good beginning for understanding the visceral negative feelings toward black people is the documentary on race in America entitled “Ethnic Notions.” I think it critical to dismantle beliefs that perpetuate the unfair treatment of any human being so that we leave a legacy for our children of which we are proud.
Vivian Johnson, Ph.D
New Oakwood resident
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