Latest News from Grassroots Greater Dayton

NewsletterJanuary 26, 2007
In This Issue
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Save NCR Building 26?Legislative Action Alert:Desire for streetcars surges in USMVRPC to Conduct Regional Land Use PlanLexington Ky. Urban service borders will remain unchanged Promoting smart growth with a new greenbelt Bethel Township farm will survive urban sprawl, never be developed Community Land Trusts At Taxpayers' Expense Murphy Oil pledges $50 million to put students from one Ark. high school through college ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Neon Theatre & Grassroots Greater Dayton Present -
Taken for A Ride - http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=78om48bab.0.ts6r48bab.ucesoybab.611&ts=S0227&p=http%3A%2F%2Fgrassrootsdayton.com%2Fnode%2F125
League of Women Voters of the Greater Dayton Area - http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=78om48bab.0.5s6r48bab.ucesoybab.611&ts=S0227&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lwvdayton.org%2F
Kids Voting Greater Dayton Region - http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=78om48bab.0.at6r48bab.ucesoybab.611&ts=S0227&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kidsvotingohio.org%2Fconmgmt%2Findex.php%3Foption%3Dcom_homepage
Support Grassroots - Contribute Now! - http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=78om48bab.0.zw7np8bab.ucesoybab.611&ts=S0227&p=https%3A%2F%2Fsecure.groundspring.org%2Fdn%2Findex.php%3Faid%3D14043
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Join our mailing list! http://ui.constantcontact.com/d.jsp?p=oi&m=1101405950036
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Friend of Grassroots!The latest news and information from Grassroots Greater Dayton.Please forward this email to anyone you think would be interested in the work of Grassroots Greater Dayton!Save NCR Building 26?Building 26 is such a historic place. The interior has been modified, but preservation of the building's exterior, hidden but largely unchanged, could foster a more complete understanding and appreciation for the tremendous achievements, as well as the personal sacrifices that occurred on the "home front" during World War II; achievements and sacrifices that embody the successful story of U.S. codebreaking during World War II. Owned by the University of Dayton, but vacant, the 1938 facade of Building 26 remains intact and usable, nestled within the 1960s additions (though the building's interior bears little resemblance to its 1940s appearance). This original Building 26 is a direct link to an internationally important yet poorly-understood component of Dayton's and the Nation's contributions to the Allied cause during the Second World War. Though currently hidden by modern additions and with a modified interior--why is it important to consider preservation of the exterior façade of this historic place--Building 26? Preservation is justified because Building 26 imparts larger stories and truths about who we are as individuals, as families, as communities, and as a Nation. It is an authentic place in real time. Stand where the Wrights took flight on Huffman Prairie Flying Field, where gold was discovered at Sutter's Mill in California, or on the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor and you experience the power of place. These and many other such places have meaning to all Americans.Read more at the Dayton Codebreakers -
http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=78om48bab.0.it6r48bab.ucesoybab.611&ts=S0227&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.daytoncodebreakers.org%2Findex.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Legislative Action Alert:Federal Passenger Rail FundingTo All Supporters of Passenger Rail:Senators Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), Trent Lott (R-MS), Daniel Inouye (D-HI) and Ted Stevens (R-AK) have re-introduced The Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act (S. 294) . The bill reauthorizes suitable funding for Amtrak and creates a new state/federal partnership for passenger rail development. Passage of this bill is crucial to the development of the Ohio Hub Plan as a stable, dedicated funding source.Read more... - http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=78om48bab.0.jt6r48bab.ucesoybab.611&ts=S0227&p=http%3A%2F%2Fgrassrootsdayton.com%2Fnode%2F132
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Desire for streetcars surges in USDespite being celebrated in literature and film, streetcars had largely disappeared from America's cities by the end of the Second World War, to be replaced by buses and trains. Now, they are steadily making a clattering comeback. With communities across the US investing to revitalise their often decrepit city centres, and with planners keen to try to avoid the congestion caused by cars, streetcars or trolleys are being reintroduced to lure tourists and commuters.Officials say that developers - with an eye on capitalising on the nostalgia value - will now often back a project involving a streetcar that they might otherwise have dismissed.
Read more... - http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=78om48bab.0.kt6r48bab.ucesoybab.611&ts=S0227&p=http%3A%2F%2Fgrassrootsdayton.com%2Fnode%2F123
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
MVRPC to Conduct Regional Land Use PlanThe Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission's (MVRPC) Board of Directors endorsed the Regional Land Use Planning Proposal presented at its January 4, 2007 meeting.The proposal, developed by members of the Land Use Committee and staff, outlines an overall approach to a region-based land use planning process, using a diagram illustrating major tasks and work elements that are essential for a successful and meaningful outcome. The process in the proposal also illustrates how regional land use planning interrelates with the regional transportation planning process.Read more... - http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=78om48bab.0.lt6r48bab.ucesoybab.611&ts=S0227&p=http%3A%2F%2Fgrassrootsdayton.com%2Fnode%2F128
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lexington Ky. Urban service borders will remain unchangedVoices calling for protecting Fayette County's unique horse farms and other farmland from suburban sprawl will prevail for the next five years.The Urban County Planning Commission last night approved the land-use element of a new comprehensive plan that states there will be no expansion of the urban service boundary -- the line beyond which urban development is not permitted.Read more... - http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=78om48bab.0.mt6r48bab.ucesoybab.611&ts=S0227&p=http%3A%2F%2Fgrassrootsdayton.com%2Fnode%2F131
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Promoting smart growth with a new greenbeltLocal environmentalists debate merits of surrounding city with forests, prairies and meadows With a modest gift, nickel-and-dimed together on a bake sale and a prayer, a small knot of local land-huggers has thrown a gigantic challenge to the boldest dreamers and planners in the area: A century from now, they want Lansing to be wrapped in green, open space.Read more... - http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=78om48bab.0.nt6r48bab.ucesoybab.611&ts=S0227&p=http%3A%2F%2Fgrassrootsdayton.com%2Fnode%2F133
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bethel Township farm will survive urban sprawl, never be developedThe sprawling farm nestled at the end of the winding, tree-lined path off Union Road has survived a civil war, two world wars and the industrial revolution.And now, thanks to owners Don and Ellen Wallace, it will survive urban sprawl.The Wallaces donated the 116-acre farm - in their family more than 200 years - to the state as an agricultural easement to protect the land from development.Read more... - http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=78om48bab.0.rt6r48bab.ucesoybab.611&ts=S0227&p=http%3A%2F%2Fgrassrootsdayton.com%2Fnode%2F122
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Community Land TrustsThe community land trust (CLT) is one mechanism that addresses this need for affordable housing, and it also can be considered an institutional mechanism for capturing socially produced land value.The CLT is typically a private, nonprofit corporation that acquires land parcels in a targeted geographic area with the intention of retaining ownership of the land for the long term. The CLT then provides for the private use of the land through long-term ground lease agreements. The leaseholders may own their homes or other improvements on the leased land, but resale restrictions apply.In theory, the CLT removes the cost of land from the housing price by separating ownership of the land from that of the house or other improvements.Read more... - http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=78om48bab.0.st6r48bab.ucesoybab.611&ts=S0227&p=http%3A%2F%2Fgrassrootsdayton.com%2Fnode%2F126
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
At Taxpayers' ExpenseThe word sprawl brings several images to mind-new housing developments farther and farther from the city core, big box stores on busy suburban streets, and loss of green space. The physical manifestations of sprawl are easy to see. What one might not immediately consider, however, are the high municipal costs associated with uncontrolled, low-density suburban development.Read more... - http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=78om48bab.0.tt6r48bab.ucesoybab.611&ts=S0227&p=http%3A%2F%2Fgrassrootsdayton.com%2Fnode%2F134
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Murphy Oil pledges $50 million to put students from one Ark. high school through collegeIn one of the most generous programs of its kind anywhere in the country, an oil company announced Monday it is putting up $50 million for college scholarships for nearly all high school graduates in its working-class hometown over the next 20 years. Students at an El Dorado High School assembly screamed and applauded when Murphy Oil, the nation's ninth-largest refiner, unveiled the program. Some wept, and one made the sign of the cross.Read more... - http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=78om48bab.0.ut6r48bab.ucesoybab.611&ts=S0227&p=http%3A%2F%2Fgrassrootsdayton.com%2Fnode%2F135
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Our Vision:The most livable region in America!Our Purpose:Grassroots Greater Dayton advocates for sensible, balanced development that offers opportunities for an enhanced quality of life and an enriched sense of place to all the region's residents, today and tomorrow.Become a Friend of Grassroots Greater Dayton! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mike RobinetteGrassroots Greater Dayton
Email:pmrobinette@gmail.com
Phone:937-654-6346
Web:http://www.grassrootsdayton.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~