GOLF MANOR (11/9/2020) – Submitted by Mayor Stefan Densmore

I attended Corporal Adam McMillan’s visitation at Spring Grove Cemetery, and want to thank any of the Council members who did also. I know members of the administration attended, including Mr. Hirth, and am very proud of that, so thank you all who attended.

Also want to remind everyone that Veteran’s day is this Wednesday. I want to encourage everybody to (if not this Wednesday), sometime, head down to our Veterans’ Park and read the names in the bricks that have been dedicated to the residents of Golf Manor who have served our country in military service. Our Veterans’ park is beautiful. My wife and I head down there a couple times a month with our kids; in the summer months about 2-3 times a week. I’ve informed the administration that it’s a priority of mine to finish the sidewalk in the park, that enables visitors to travel from the front of the park to the back of the park where there is a garden. So get down to the park this week, take a look at the dedications, and join me in making the completion of that sidewalk a goal for completion before next Veterans’ day.

COVID Update: [Data included in this portion of the report is provided by the Hamilton County Emergency Management & Homeland Security Agency Emergency Operations Center].

• This past Friday (11/6/2020) the State of Ohio reported the highest single day increase of COVID-19 cases, reporting 5,008 new cases. In my previous report I noted the highest single day increase was 2,518 new cases (half our present number).
• Adult medical-surgical bed utilization in Hamilton County has increased to 89% capacity. In Hamilton County adult critical care bed utilization has increased to 90% capacity.
• Grocery and other store chains have announced the return on purchasing limits of some durable goods to prevent stockpiling as demand has increased.
• The Board of Directors of the Ohio Municipal League’s Mayor’s Association sent a letter urging mayors to make a greater commitment and further action to create a heightened awareness of the importance of taking the steps that health experts have identified as crucial in fighting what has become the rapid spread of the coronavirus.

Dear Mayor:

When, in past years, our country has been threatened by a common enemy, our country has   united to defeat the enemy. We simply have to do that again. As the elected leaders of the Mayors Association of Ohio we are writing to urge you and our colleagues from across our great state to join together to impress upon the citizens of our respective communities the importance of taking the steps that best equip them to succeed in our fight against COVID-19.

The economic and social disruption caused by the pandemic is devastating. The closure of businesses, some of which will never reopen, the strain on critical infrastructure, and the adjustments that have impacted business and education have been dramatic. Not only has the pandemic been devastating to our health, but the economic impact on jobs, businesses and local revenues has been unprecedented in modern times.

As the leaders of our cities and villages, we must work hard to advance the important message that wearing masks, maintaining social distance, and avoiding large groups are the best tools we have to prevent the continued spread of the coronavirus. The only way to revitalize our communities is to bring the number of coronavirus cases down and allow our communities to begin the healing process– physically, emotionally, and financially.

We must do what we can to prevent the continued devastation and the resulting long-term consequences of COVID-19. The time is now to make the sacrifices necessary so that we build the future.

As mayors, we are in a critical position to urge the residents of our communities to work together to slow the spread of this virus. Ohio cannot heal and recover unless we come together against this common enemy and do what we can to protect one another. We urge you to do your part to help Ohioans work together to ensure a strong, bright future for our state. Wearing masks, maintaining social distance and avoiding large gatherings seems a small sacrifice to ask our residents to make.

Sincerely, Jeff Hazel, President; Mark Cegelka, 1st Vice President; Mike Barhorst, 2nd Vice President; John Thebout, Secretary; Ben Stahler, Treasurer.

• Most Ohioans are aware that we have a color coded system for designating the level of emergency due to COVID-19 in each county. If you would like to have a deeper understanding of how a county gets the color they are designated, I have a pdf that goes into quite a bit of detail on that: Summary of Alert Indicators, available as a .pdf
• Deer Park Superintendent announced last week that the Deer Park Jr. and Sr. High Schools will remain in remote learning mode through at least the end of Thanksgiving Break. They had previously hoped to return to face-to-face by Friday of last week, but they still have 13 students quarantined in their Jr. High and 3 in their Sr. High School.
• In my previous report I said that Cincinnati Waldorf grade school was planning to return after their quarantine to face to face classes on 11/2– that was an error, their plan, if quarantining was successful, was to return on 11/5– which they did (Thursday of last week).
• PRM remains in Blended-Learning Model which is a mix of in-person instruction and at-home learning. So for instance— Preschool students and students in specialized classrooms are in distance learning on Mondays and in person Tuesdays through Fridays. In addition, enrollment remains open at Cincinnati Digital Academy for CPS families who want children to stay in full online distance learning.
• Cincinnati Children’s Hospital is seeking 500 individuals to participate in a phase 3 trial for the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. The hospital is particularly interested in recruiting African-Americans, Latinos, individuals that are 65+, as well as first responders. More information can be found at https://redcap.research.cchmc.org/surveys/index.php?s=FTW4CTWRCR
• Reminder that applications are open for the latest CARES Act relief funding package from the State. Applications opened on November 2 at www.businesshelp.ohio.gov

Halloween Recap: Great job to everyone involved in making Halloween a success in the village this year! I heard from several people that they witnessed more children and families out and about than in previous years, which is a great testimony to the revitalization of our neighborhood. I want to especially acknowledge all the hard work that went into making it a safe Halloween — I want to thank our police department, and all the folks following the mask and social distance recommendations. I loved seeing all the creativity that was deployed, to maintain social distance while distributing candy– the candy shoots were a big hit with the kids. Our kids had a blast, and it was by far one of the best Halloween events to date for us! So thank you to all involved!

Election News:

• Historic Turnout: Whether you voted early in person, or by mail, or on Election Day, thank you for doing your civic duty–according to several national newspapers, the turnout is on track to be the highest in the history of the country. Election day went very smoothly here in the village.
• Cincinnati Public Schools say thank you for the passage of the school levy.
• Issue 10: passed by a 70/30 margin in favor. In my previous report I said that if Issue 10 passed it would then be Council’s responsibility to appoint the commission — that is the next step in the process and is an opportunity to reinforce inclusivity and reinforce that our Village is a welcoming community. One of the ways to do this is to make sure that we have residents on the Commission who may have had reservations about, or even opposed the Ordinance. This will be at the discretion of council, but something I will be advocating for. I am recommending that the administration and our legal counsel prepare a proposal on how to move forward with the creation of the commission, and have that proposal prepared to discuss with council when we reconvene in the new year. In the meantime I am going to make myself available to hear concerns any residents or business owners here in the village may have about the implementation of the ordinance– I’ll answer any questions I can, and bring whatever remaining concerns there are to council, so that folks feel they are being heard at the highest level and treated with respect as we move forward.
• The Unity of the Village: Concerning issue 10, I’ve never seen this as an US vs THEM thing, but rather as an opportunity to make a more inclusive community. I was surprised but proud to learn I am the first nonJewish Mayor to attend synagogue here in Golf Manor. As Mayor, I’m not going to support anything that I think will hurt our orthodox community. I want to encourage all our Council members to send folks my way if you encounter anyone that has concerns about how we’re moving forward. It is important that we as elected officials serve as a force for village unity. The voters have spoken, but there is still a lot of work to do– and I’m confident that we’ll be able to do that work in a unifying way that respects all of our residents.

This report is respectfully submitted to the Village residents of Golf Manor. Thank you for the honor of being your Mayor. To our staff and elected officials, thank you for your service to the community.

Stefan Densmore, Mayor, Village of Golf Manor.