Hello

Hello, Hamilton County

E-News for Hamilton County Citizens and Employees

MAY 17, 2002

Quote of the Week: "In the advance of civilization, it is new knowledge which paves the way, and the pavement is eternal." -- W. R. Whitney

Ball Park Milestone reached

Project on target for Opening Day 2003

Monday May 6th marked another momentous occasion at Great American Ball Park. The final light tower was installed and workers honored the event with the traditional "Topping Out" ceremony, a ritual celebrated when a structure reaches its highest point. During this procedure at the ball park, an evergreen tree and an American Flag was raised.

Where does the "Topping out" tradition come from? This tradition is rooted in Scandinavian and Egyptian tradition, the evergreen tree will symbolize strength, life and renewal. The American flag will signify that the structure is built with pride and dignity. The gesture is to wish prosperity and vitality to the building and its occupants, as well as to recognize the diligence and care of the workers.

Great American Ball Park Open House Dates set. Hamilton County and the Cincinnati Reds announced that Saturday and Sunday, March 22-23, 2003 will be the dates for the Great American Ball Park open house. During the open house fans will have the opportunity to visit a variety of areas within the new park, including the seating bowl, bullpen overlooks, concourses, the sun/moon deck, the bleachers as well as the Reds locker room. Tours will be free and open to everyone. Guides will be on hand to lead the tours, point out general features of the ball park and answer questions.

Employees of the Year Recognized

At their May 8th meeting, County Commissioners honored this year's Employees of the Year. Congratulations and thank you for your service to the citizens of Hamilton County.

This year's Employees of the year are:

	Bill Anderson, Prosecutor's Office
	Anna Kelley, Environmental Services
	Tom Rapp, Communications Center
	Harvey Reed, Juvenile Court
	Candace Santose, MRDD
	Jay Springer, Regional Planning

In addition to these employees, a special "team effort" recognition will be given to Regional Planning and Zoning for putting together the Community COMPASS Town Meeting. Through these efforts 1200 citizens were brought together to discuss the future of Hamilton County. Future editions of Hello, Hamilton County will feature profiles of this year's employees of the year.

Extreme Athletes come to Hamilton County

The Hamilton County Commissioners, along with the Greater Cincinnati Sports Corporation, Cincinnati Recreation Commission, and Clear Channel are excited to host the Mobile Skatepark Series (MSS), one of six national qualifying events for the X Games and Gravity Games. The competition will be held May 25 through June 2 at Sawyer Point. The MSS features pro skateboarding, bicycle stunt, aggressive inline skating, live bands, open skatepark sessions, amateur inline skating and skateboarding competitions and an interactive festival. The events are FREE and open to the public. Come on down to Sawyer Point and see for yourself the rapidly-growing phenomenon of extreme sports!

Click here for more information and a schedule of events.

Put those old used cell phones to good use!

Attention Hamilton County residents! Did you know that an un-initialized phone can still be used to call 9-1-1? Many people update their phones periodically and their old phones are either discarded or left in a drawer in their home.

The Hamilton County Probation Department accepts donated used cell phones to be distributed to potential victims of abuse who are part of the jurist monitoring system. Make good use of your old phone. If you would like to donate a used cell phone please contact Phil Reid at 946-9741.

Paul Brown Stadium featured in national architecture magazines

Hamilton County's Paul Brown Stadium (PBS) was featured in this month's Architecture Record magazine and in the April 2002 issue of Architecture magazine. The Architecture Record named PBS as one of the four best stadiums in the world. Both articles highlight the unique architectural qualities of the stadium that is rapidly gaining acclaim.

The 6-page article in Architecture features numerous photos of the facility and describes the stadium as creating a "progressive new image with jagged planes of glass, concrete and steel." Other comments in the article include:

	"From various angles, the stadium appears to be a building in motion ready to hurtle itself against and opponents offensive line."
	"Viewed from a distance the canopies soar across the skyline in graceful arcs."
	"More than anything Paul Brown Stadium is a reminder of the cultural diversity that exists beneath Cincinnati's conservative surface."

Hamilton County Blood Drive in June

In the next month you may just save a life! Hamilton County's annual Hoxworth Blood Drive is scheduled for June.

The following facts may help you as you consider giving blood:

One in four of us will be the recipient of a blood transfusion in our lifetime.

The Hoxworth Blood Center serves 1.8 million people, and is the sole supplier of blood to 25 hospitals in 14 counties in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana.

Locally, we need 350 individuals to step up and donate each day in order to maintain an adequate blood supply.

Despite the increasing need for donors, Greater Cincinnati and the nation struggle with the reality that only 5% of the population donates blood.

Donating blood is safe and easy - it is absolutely impossible to contract AIDS or any other infectious disease from donating blood.

You get FREE juice and snacks afterwards!

The need for blood continues to increase as technology and services provided by area hospitals demand it. Unfortunately, blood donations are not keeping pace with blood usage. That is why it is so important that healthy individuals donate blood regularly to insure that there will always be an adequate blood supply for those in need. Take a few minutes to give a gift that could save a life!

Hamilton County's annual Hoxworth Blood Drive is scheduled for June. In our continuing effort to expand and provide services to remote County sites, we’re pleased to announce that the Hoxworth mobile van will visit 7 County sites:

1) Alms and Doepke Building (222 E. Central Parkway) June 6, 2002, Thursday - all day visit

2) Taft Building (230 E. 9th Street) June 11, 2002, Tuesday - all day visit

3) County Administration Building (138 E. Court Street) June 17, 2002, Monday - all day visit

4) Communications Center (2377 Civic Center Drive) June 21, 2002, Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

5) MR/DD (Blue Ash - 4370 Malsbary Road) June 21, 2002, Friday, 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

6) Job & Family Svs. (237 William Howard Taft Rd.) June 28, 2002, Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 11:15 a.m.

7) Environmental Svs. / General Health District (250 William Howard Taft Rd.) June 28, 2002, Friday, 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Employees interested in scheduling an appointment to donate blood should contact:

Kim Pennekamp @ 946-4705 for donations to be made at: 1) Alms & Doepke Building, 222 E. Central Pkwy. County Personnel; 2) Taft Building, 230 E. 9th St.; 3) County Administration Building, 138 E. Court St. ;4) JFS @ 237 Wm Howard Taft Rd.

Yolanda Stallworth @ 587-7376 for donations to be made at the Blue Ash MR/DD location, 4370 Malsbary Rd. MR/DD

Lisa Sorn @ 595-8442 for donations to be made at the Communications Center, 2377 Civic Center Dr. Comm. Center (includes Emergency Mgmt. & Sheriffs located there)

Sarah Brugger @ 946-7748 for donations to be made at 250 William Howard Taft Rd., June 28 Environmental Svs. (includes General Health District located there).

New Cincinnati City Manager Visits County Department Heads

The City of Cincinnati's new City Manager Valerie Lemmie recently visited a Hamilton County Departments Heads meeting. Ms. Lemmie introduced herself and two new city appointees, Eileen Enabnit who will serve as the City's Director of Transportation beginning in July and Rashad Young who will start in June as Assistant City Manager. The group had a good introduction to one another that stressed the importance of cooperation and collaboration between local governments.

Cincinnati City Manager Valerie Lemmie participated in a recent County department heads meeting.

Don't forget to post Hello, Hamilton County so that everyone can see what's going on!

Have a great day!

Hello, Hamilton County is published twice each month. It is placed on both the County's internal and external Web pages. It is design to enlighten and inform both citizens and employees of Hamilton County. If you have questions or suggestions for future editions, contact Erica Binford (946-4324), Sharon Booker (946-4428) or Eric Stuckey (946-4432) in the County Administrator's Office or e-mail to eric.stuckey@hamilton-co.org.