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The good folks over at Cincinnati Downtown Parents pointed out that this weekend's Rubber Duck Regatta will help raise money that will be funding the demolition of two historic OTR buildings so they can build a parking lot for semi trailers.
(Pics of the buildings after the jump.)
I never go to RiverFest anyway (too crowded), and have never participated in the Regatta. But I wanted to spread the word in case you're thinking of sponsoring one of those cute little ducks this weekend. I'm not saying they're satan's waterfowl, but I just wanted you to know where your money's potentially going. I think this is an important issue and the Freestore needs to be made aware of how you stand on it.
Friday, August 31, 2007
Regatta destroys OTR?
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charity,
development,
events,
nonprofit,
otr
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12 Comments:
That is crazy. The money does not go toward razing those two buildings. The money raised by the regatta goes directly to services - you know... FEEDING people, giving people access to health care items like shampoo, band aids, etc., teaching people how to get their finances in order and helping them get back into an apartment or job training.
You need to take a tour of the building and learn about Cincinnati Cooks and some of their other programs. They care about OTR and the people they serve there.
So I lived with a guy for a while and we were pretty serious, almost got engaged. We shared finances, even had a joint checking account. Thing was, no matter how separated or combined our finances were at the various stages of our relationship, we were there for each other financially.
Even if he didn't agree with me buying an expensive something or other, it was "my money," and I could do whatever I wanted with it. Well, down the road, when it was time for both of us to pitch in and let's say, buy a couch, I might have had less liquidity because I spent my disposable income on a pricey item some months back. Would that mean we didn't get the couch? No, he would just throw in more than me. Point is, once expenses are combined there's no real separation in the budget - eventually it all evens out.
Same goes for an organization. If the division working on a capital improvement campaign doesn't get the funding needed for certain milestones, money is often lent from one budget to another or even given if the need is great.
Even if the capital campaign is setup with restricted funds so that the money raised can only go to physical improvements, you can still affect the campaign by hurting the operating budget. If the organization is strained raising money for operating support, then the capital campaign will likely be in serious jeopardy.
The issue isn't whether what the Freestore does is or isn't valuable to some people, it's whether they should tear down two historic buildings to make an eyesore of a parking lot. If reducing their funding via not donating to the Regatta puts a strain on them then that's fine with me. They need to see that people aren't going to stand by while they demolish history for a parking lot for semi trailers.
What makes these buildings historic? Because there old? Did someone famous live there? Did something historical happen there? I don't understand. I am all for the betterment of OTR. Those buildings have been vacant for a while and are not even in original condition. According to the City hey have been turned into multi family units. Something the historical types hate.
If you guys want to go after someone in OTR, let's go after all the people that are turining it into a yuppie condo destination rather than a social service agency that is trying to serve the people better.
PS.. I like your blurg! Thanks for starting it. I always enjoy good conversation.
"Point is, once expenses are combined there's no real separation in the budget - eventually it all evens out."
Wow, BlurgGurl, I promise never to hire you to be my accountant. You seriously have no idea what a budget is.
I understand budgets get separated into departments, projects, etc. But my point was that if you hurt an org's bottom line then you hurt their ability to raise money for capital campaigns. I have had nonprofit clients many times, and I know that if their operating budget is struggling then they will be hard pressed to get donors to come up with capital and special project donations.
And, c'mon, YOUR budget doesn't mix at home? If Suzie needs braces badly you NEVER dip into her college fund, even a little? Of divert other money that would have gone in there? Get real. Point is, separate parts of the budget affect other unrelated parts often if the bottom line is in jeopardy.
Hey Anon... :p
I work for a non profit here in the city, that is definitely not how our budget works.
Those buildings are not historic. They are an eye sore. Hell my house is more historic than those. They should be torn down and made into a parking lot.
it doesn't matter- cincinnati has no sense of history anyway, so why start trying to save the old buildings now? they probably all need more work than is worth spending.
"let's go after all the people that are turining it into a yuppie condo destination "
Thats awesome, lets keep the people with money out, so the drug addicts can have affordable housing.
My point was that you can't have it both ways.
You can't bitch about the razing of two - abandoned multi-family units - because they are "historical - which they are not- they are OLD.
The point is that the buildings are old and are the architecture is Italianate, which is why they need to be preserved. The only reason that they are abandoned and an eye-sore is because of the poverty that has run rampant in OTR for the last fifty years. "Yuppies" moving into the neighborhood is not the problem. Economic diversity would breathe new life into this historic neighborhood. The problem is overzealous corporations (and yes, the Food Bank is a corporation)do not look far enough into the future to see what razing these buildings does to the character of OTR. Parking lots or ramps for semi trailers do not make vibrant cities. Private as well as government investments are being made in OTR to rehabilitate buildings such as the two that the Food Bank wishes to destroy. When money is invested into a city people get jobs and when they have jobs they no longer need organizations such as the Food Bank. When buildings are destroyed, crime runs rampant and money is invested in the suburbs poverty will continue.
Everyone in OTR, including myself lives in a building that looks a lot like the ones the Freestore wants to demolish. The thing that makes OTR so unique, and also so promising, is not the few magnificent historic buildings, like Music Hall, but the hundreds of rowhouses like this. Unfortunately large property owners, who do not live here (liek the directors of the Freestore) just look at these and see junk.
I look at them and see the history and future of our city. Do we want an urban neighborhood full of renovated rowhouses or one full of parkign lot for semi-trailers?
The problem is that this is not an isolated case, and I plan on highlighting others in the near future.
Thanks for the mention Cincyblurg.
Does no one remember anything? OTR has suffered from abandonment for half a century. Not since the Appalachian residents were driven out by Operation Rehab in the mid seventies has there been a housing shortage. There has been a surplus of subsidized housing. The return of responsible tenants and owners to this unique area is the best thing that could possibly happen. There is still a surplus of subsidized housing. There is still a subsidized flophouse for drunks. There are still crack houses for those who like that sort of thing. The Free Store, in its arrogance, refuses to face the reality that there are far more needy families in Price Hill and Avondale than OTR and that situation will only get worse. Yuppie condos? Bring them on.
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