It's Great 'n Dayton

$3.94 million going to scholarships

Funds will be divided among area colleges in areas of science, math, technology, engineering and medicine.

By

Kelly Mori

Staff Writer

Saturday, June 28, 2008

FAIRBORN — Eight Miami Valley colleges and universities will share $3.94 million in funding for scholarships in the areas of science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine, also referred to as STEM.

The state funding translates into 1,000 scholarships in the second round of funding for the Choose Ohio First Scholarship Program awarded by the Ohio Board of Regents on Thursday, June 26. It ranges from $1,500 to $4,700 for local students participating in the targeted fields at the eight institutions.

"This is another way for us to attract these talented students to our universities ... and keep them right here in the Dayton region," Wright State University President David Hopkins said.

The eight-member Dayton Regional Collaborative includes Wright State University, as lead institution, the University of Dayton, Wittenberg and Central State universities, as well as Clark State, Sinclair, Edison and Southern State community colleges.

The partnership also includes multiple businesses and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, which is expected to gain 1,200 STEM-related jobs as part of the Base Realignment and Closure Act of 2005.

Of those 1,200 positions relocating to the base, only 10 percent of the incumbents are expected to move with those positions, said Lillie Howard, Wright State's senior vice president for curriculum and instruction.

"What we agreed to do as a collaborative is work to prepare the workforce for those vacancies that will exist," she said.

The scholarships could be available as soon as this fall, Howard said.

Hopefully it's not too late. In addition to filling jobs it's also about retaining high school and college graduates who might otherwise be inclined to go out of state for school and/or employment. I just wonder how long these vacancies, waiting for graduates from these programs, are going to exist before the employers decide to give up and move.

Another neighborhood winner!

Hospital Honored for Community Commitment
Dayton's Good Samaritan Hospital has been honored by Neighborhoods USA (NUSA), a national non-profit organization dedicated to strengthening urban communities. Good Samaritan received the NUSA Notable Award for its investment in the Dayton community through the Phoenix Project, the Catholic Urban Schools Initiative and the Samaritan Homeless Clinic. NUSA officials noted that community policing related to the Phoenix Project has contributed to a 37 percent reduction in crime in the Fairview neighborhood since 2004.

More Landbanking Discussion

EDITORIAL

Our view: Cities need power to clear out blight

By Dayton Daily News

Sunday, June 29, 2008

Dayton and Cleveland have always been at the center of the predatory-lending/foreclosure crisis as it has played out in Ohio.

Neighborhoods in both cities have been devastated. Residents lost their homes. Neighborhoods lost their stalwarts.

Now Cuyahoga County Treasurer Jim Rokakis is going to the state legislature with a proposal designed to give cities — and inner-ring suburbs as well — tools with which to at least try to clear the blight and, maybe in the future, start redeveloping abandoned properties.

Dayton is going ahead with this effort, one way or another. But new tools could help.

The Rokakis proposal would allow counties to create nonprofit "land banks" that could own and sell foreclosed and abandoned parcels. Proceeds from the sales would go toward demolition of other homes and buildings that are beyond saving.

Dayton is demolishing homes already, at the rate of almost one a day, but the need is far greater, and the city does not have the money.

Dayton is also taking ownership of some abandoned or ignored properties without necessarily having a specific use in mind for them, which is the basic concept of a land bank.

It has been pretty much forced to become a landholder as vacancies have multiplied and neighborhoods have complained about homes being stripped and criminals hanging out in them.

Taking over some of these properties has not cost much, because often the former owners don't want them; because the city has already been paying for upkeep; and because a recent state law frees the city from having to pay property taxes.

Dayton has not really decided what comes next with its properties. There's been talk of some city, county or regional agency handling the land in the long run. But what form that agency might take, whether it would be public or private (or some combination) and how it would be funded, are unresolved questions.

The Rokakis plan envisions a nonprofit at the county level, run by various local officials and appointees. Its funding would come partly from the penalties and interest people pay on late property taxes. (Many people are late, though they ultimately do pay up.)

There'd also be other sources, including optional contributions from local governments, besides proceeds from sales.

Under the plan, the land banks would be empowered to receive foreclosed properties both from real banks and governments. They could also put together bulk development deals, involving multiple pieces of land.

Mr. Rokakis emphasizes that people shouldn't expect a land bank to work miracles. If there's no market for property in some neighborhoods, the land could lie fallow for years. Still, that's better than allowing structures to be taken over informally by drug dealers or others who are up to no good. Meanwhile, perhaps some spots could become small parks, gardens or such.

State lawmakers have been among the villains in the foreclosure crisis, reacting ever so slowly to a phenomenon that was painfully easy to see as neighborhoods were being brought down. Mr. Rokakis has been one of the state's most passionate critics of passivity in the face of the calculated looting.

Legislators should take up the Rokakis idea seriously, not so much to help the cities, but to let the cities help themselves.

Bikeways Hit a Bump

From the June 27 Dayton Daily News:

Proposed bikeways plan hits speed bump

By

Ken McCall

Staff Writer
Friday, June 27, 2008

The Dayton region's proposed bikeways plan has run into a major roadblock in the form of county engineers, along with some from the cities and townships, who fear it amounts to an unfunded mandate that will jeopardize their ability to maintain roads and bridges.

The Technical Advisory Committee of the Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission has thrown up a detour to the forward-looking plan, which maps out a strategy to connect local neighborhoods to the recreational trails system and promote safe, human-powered transportation.

The engineers' reaction to the plan at meetings in May and June was fairly hostile, said Matt Lindsay, MVRPC's manager of environmental planning. The committee tabled the plan at its May 15 meeting and came to no resolution at a work session last week, Lindsay said.

The committee then created a smaller group of the most vocal opponents and proponents who will meet to discuss changes to the plan at

9:30 a.m. Wednesday, July 2, in the MVRPC's Center for Regional Cooperation at 1100 W. Third St. in Dayton.

Hans Landefeld, manager of the river corridor for the Miami Conservancy District who attended last week's work session, fears the plan will be weakened in a way that could render it ineffective.

"For the plan to work it is going to have to incorporate both on-road and off-road trails," said Landefeld, who manages most of the existing regional recreation trails. "So if they take the on-road trails out of the plan, then you're left with half a plan."

Lindsay said much of the engineers' opposition seemed to come from the plan's recommendation that the MVRPC adopt a "complete streets" policy, which typically calls for including bike and pedestrian facilities in road projects to make them safe for everyone.

Many of the objections, he said, were based on the assumption that the engineers would be forced to build bikeways as part of these projects. But Lindsay pointed out that a complete streets policy can be written to fit the region and usually includes specific exceptions to the guidelines.

Montgomery County Engineer Joe Litvin said Thursday he is not opposed to the plan, but does not want "highway transportation funding put into the bikeways."

"We are woefully short in funds just to maintain our existing roads and bridges," Litvin said.

Countered Lindsay: "With all respect to Joe Litvin, we don't feel there's such a thing as highway funding. The dollars that are regionally controlled through MVRPC are federal dollars for transportation, and in all cases, bicycle facilities are eligible uses."

Five Rivers MetroParks Deputy Director Carrie Scarff, also on the Technical Advisory Committee, said the group can find a "middle ground."

"I think we have to come to terms with the very real concerns from the counties and rural townships, and also the fact that our modes of transportation are going to change," Scarff said. "With gas prices the way they are, people are looking for alternative ways to travel.

"The other thing is we have this incredible recreation trails system. People are going to use our streets to get there, and we need to make it safe."

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2393 or kmccall@DaytonDailyNews.com

.

Hopefully there is a common ground reached here. To dismiss the funding of bikeways ignores trends in other cities, trends having to do with more active lifestyles, trends of cool communities, trends of communities to be bike friendly and pedestrian friendly, and trends where people might use cars less because of fuel costs.

The Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission (MVRPC), the Miami Conservancy District, the Metroparks, the City of Dayton, Montgomery County, and the region as a whole have put alot of effort into this and have alot to lose with the County Engineer (Joe Litvin) not thinking outside the box, lacking vision, and not embracing possibilities that don't fit in old models and ways of thinking.

A bicycle friendly city is judged in five categories often referred to as the Five Es created by The Bicycle Friendly Communities Campaign as an award program to recognize cities that actively support bicycling.

What are the Five E’s?

 

ENGINEERING is important. Hopefully Joe Litvin gets on board and stops standing in the way of the future.

Is Dear Abby Right?

From today's Dayton Daily News:

Dear Abby: I am a young man who is having some trouble working for "the man" - you know, the corporate culture. I have always worked for large companies, but have found that my current employer is not open to accepting new ideas or suggestions. I feel I'm hitting a brick wall when I look at a problem and come up with a solution, but no one will take me seriously because of my youth. Any advice on how to deal with this? - Eager in Cumberland

Dear Eager: When someone is hired by a company with a strong corporate culture, that person is usually expected to conform and not shake up the status quo. I can think of few things more depressin than going every day to a job where you do not feel your input is valued. Feeling as you do,  you might be wise to explore opportunities at another company - or eve a field - that is more youth oriented.

I agree that it might be in Eager's interest to find another job butI think it's a shame he feels the way he does and I think this letter should be a wake-up call to corporate America that times are different. Young people think differently and act differently than their parents and grandparents. The corporate community needs to recognize the talents of young people and realize that diversity of all kinds - including age - adds to the value of any company.

A company's greatest assets are its employees. If a company is not going to respond to the times it will surely become stagnant, lose quality employees, and perhaps jeopardize its own existence.

Who Knew? A Dayton Real Estate Video!

I can't believe I hadn't heard about this before I stumbled across it!

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=Wef3Asr-_Uo

Thanks Kristin Wicker and Real Living! I think it captures alot and I don't agree with most of the comments on youtube. One comment I DO agree with, however, is about the lack of diversity.

I'd love to know how this video is being used and who's seeing it!

Landbanking of foreclosed properties

The following is from the Dayton Daily News. Hopefully there's more to come because this article barely scratched the surface.

Law would let counties accept foreclosed property

By

Lynn Hulsey

Staff Writer

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

DAYTON — A proposal to make it easier for the counties to take control of foreclosed properties is being touted by Cuyahoga County Treasurer James Rokakis, who visited Dayton Monday, June 23, to talk about the idea to community leaders.

Legislation is being drafted, but the idea is complex and will take some time to sort through, said House Speaker Jon Husted, R-Kettering.

"I think it's an interesting idea that deserves our attention and we're trying to look at this as an alternative," Husted said.

The proposal would expand community improvement corporations, allowing them to accept foreclosed properties. Typically the properties would be rehabbed or demolished and groups of cleared parcels combined for redevelopment.

Funding would come of combination of penalties and interests from tax delinquencies on the properties. Other funding sources are not identified.

Rokakis emphasized it could take years for redevelopment to occur, but in the meantime the property would be in the hands of responsible caretakers. He said it would help cope with the blight that foreclosed properties have on neighborhoods and would reduce the influence of real-estate speculators.

The proposal is based on one used in Genesee County, Mich.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-7455 or lhulsey@DaytonDailyNews.com.

I was fortunate enough to be at this presentation. Represented in the room were City of Dayton (Nan Whaley and several departments), City of Kettering and multiple departments of the County (Commissioners, Treasurer, Auditor, Recorder and more). Representatives from CountyCorp, Citywide, Dayton neighborhoods and other housing organizations were also present.

If the legislation passes it looks like the County would take the lead on foreclosed properties. Basically the legislation does the following: shortens the amount of time to track down owners to present them with the opportunity to remediate their situation, and creates a legal organization (a Land Reutilization Corporation or LRC) which would be deeded the properties. Instead of properties going to sheriff sale, they would automatically be turned over to the LRC. The LRC would hold the property indefinitely and would work with each jurisdiction to establish a land reuse plan that would determine which structures would get demolished, which could potentially be sold to individuals, non-profit housing organizations, real estate companies, etc. With the LRC holding onto the properties speculators, slumlords, and other investors would not be able to gobble up properties and just leave them sitting there without tending to them.

Funds from the sale of any property would help pay for upkeep, demolitions, processing fees, etc. The County could also share proceeds from some sales with the jurisdictions which would help restore the tax base where the property is located.

Recognized and continually acknowledged is the fact that while Dayton bears the brunt of vacant properties the foreclosure crisis can be seen across the county and does not discriminate between neighborhoods and jurisdictions. This is a regional problem that requires a regional solution. The benefit of this being county-wide is that a foreclosed house in Centerville could actually be resold at a fair market rate. The proceeds would then go into the pot to be used as necessary, and most likely in another jurisdiction.

The LRC would be governed by a Board of 5 people (and up to 7). These would include two county commissioners, the county treasurer, representative of Dayton (as the largest jurisdiction), and someone to represent the suburbs (first tier or otherwise).

Citizen participation in this process will be critical. While the Land Use Plans will likely need to be approved by multiple committees, neighborhoods should have a strong say in what their priorities are for having green space, garden space, infill housing, larger lots to existing neighbors, etc.

It's definitely too early to tell what Ohio legislators will do; although this certainly seems to be in our best interest. Cuyahoga County is proposing the legislation but it will affect the entire state as the changes get made to Ohio Revised Code.

Keep your eyes and ears open. I have no idea what the timeline is for the proposed legislation. As I stated at the beginning the DDN only scratched the surface. I'd expect more to come out soon.

More than "Welfare to Work"

The Welfare to Work program, which ended in 2004, was designed to get people off of welfare and into the workplace. At a rudimentary level the idea was pretty straight-forward. Take people without skills, give them skills, employ them, and get them off welfare because they will be earning their living.

That's all well and good when you take someone who can barely read and then they can get a job at McDonald's (for example).

Workforce Development was about individual employment. In some cases, various industries also looked to match job seekers with their vacancies (current and projected) and even developed their own training programs in conjunction with organizations like Miami Valley Career Technology Center, Miami Jacobs College, and Sinclair Community College. Industries I can think of included hospitality, nursing, and tool and die.

Enter the new age. While some companies recognized their needs earlier, most are just now addressing two major factors that could have been foreseen: aging baby-boomers who will retire (leaving positions vacant and also creating a need for more services such as healthcare) and the rapid advances in technology. What were most organizations doing about it? Nothing.

Today Workforce Development programs are not welfare programs. They are Economic Development programs not just focusing on the attraction and retention of a skilled workforce but providing training opportunities to create a skilled workforce. In the Dayton region, while there might be 26,000 people unemployed there are at least 21,000 vacancies. Unfortunately Dayton is not populated with individuals possessing the skills to assume these jobs. So what happens? Companies need to recruit from outside the region, companies can move, companies can close, or companies can help identify partners to provide the training to develop the necessary skills.

As you might have read earlier local universities have gotten together to promote employment opportunities within the region. The next step, in some cases already happening, is for those same schools to respond to the marketplace and teach their students in disciplines today's (and tomorrow's) workplace demands.

For their part, some employers are getting very creative - starting to promote interest in certain professions to high school students who could go to college locally, stay here when they graduate, and have fulfilling lives and careers right here in the hometown! Healthcare is one of these professions (again, written about in the June 20 Dayton Business Journal).

The DBJ is on a roll. The June 20 pull-out section just happened to be about Education & Training! The most compelling article in the section was about training scientific workers:

"With ever-evolving technology, the US Department of Defense and the American Intelligence agencies are finding new, innovative ways of remotely gathering information. What they are not finding is a new workforce with the security clearances and scientific background to man the technology."

"To remedy the shortfall, the US Air Force, Wright State University, the Dayton Development Coalition, and Riverside Research Institute- a Beavercreek-based nonprofit intelligence contractor - are teaming up to train them in the Dayton region."

This is exactly the type of creativity and synergy that makes Dayton a resourceful, viable place to do business.

The Dayton Development Coalitionhas taken the lead when it comes to Aerospace R&D, Information Technology, Advanced Materials & Manufacturing, and Human Sciences & Healthcare.

My questions are

1) What other industries need support? What is being done (can be done) about them?

2) What type of training is going to be needed to give GM workers new skills?

More on Meds

So we're doing something right! Rather, the Dayton region has something good going for it.

In a previous post I wrote about the problem hospitals are having attracting healthcare workers to the region. In the June 20 Dayton Business Journal the story from June 13 basically continued. Here are some quotes:

"Money can also cause problems when competition between Dayton hospitals gets tight. Recruiting can turn into a money game [wages, sign-on bonuses, etc]..."

"So instead of emphasizing salary, recruiters have been working to shift the focus to lifestyle and environment. In a competitive market like Dayton, attention to those details can set some hospitals apart."

Of course, something lifestyles can't address (and the economy hinders) is when some medical professionals have spouses who would need to find jobs once they get here.

"But highlighting Dayton's positive aspects could attract people to the region. Those reasons include a vibrant arts scene. But it takes promotion to get the word out."

"There are alot of positives about Dayton. It's a great place to live and I just don't think we promote it enough" said Leslie Hoying-Kantner of Children's Medical Center.  That message needs to be clear because recruiters are reaching far beyond Dayton's boundaries to find healthcare workers."

So what IS the message? Who's delivering the message? To whom are they delivering it? What is anyone else (including other industries) doing? What say our economic development leaders?

Local Universities Get It

From the Dayton Business Journal

Eight area universities and colleges have come together to launch a Web site aimed at keeping local graduates in the area after school.

Wright State University the University of Dayton, Cedarville University, Central State University, Urbana University, Wilberforce University, Wittenberg University and Wilmington College announced Friday they would join together in launching the Miami Valley Post, a Web site that will allow area employers to post jobs and recruit four-year college graduates free of charge. The site -- career.wright.edu/mvp/home.html -- launched Friday.

"Employers can post jobs just once to reach a large number of highly qualified candidates at no charge," said Charlene Walker, associate director of career services for Wright State University, in a release.

Walker said the site was created during a six-month time span and used existing software and resources available at the university. There were no additional costs, excepting time and energy, in creating the site, she said.

The Web site will give employers access to nearly 6,000 graduating students every year and a combined pool of more than 35,000 students, as well as thousands of alumni with four-year degrees from each of the universities, Walker said.

Officials from each of the universities will be sending representatives from their career service offices to visit chambers of commerce and the Greater Dayton IT Alliance throughout the summer to promote and demonstrate the benefits of the Web site, officials said.

The creation of the Web site came at the request of local business groups including the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce said Chris Wiley, associate director of employer relations for the University of Dayton. Employers wanted easier ways to put their job opportunities in front of more local graduates, and the Web site was determined to be the best solution, he said.

"This helps the students by giving them information about good jobs," Wiley said. "It's also an economic development tool because it gives employers easy access to a rich and talented pool of potential employees, some with specialized skills."

Students and alumni at each of the participating institutions will be able to view job postings at their respective career services office Web site or job posting system.

E-mail mlehman@bizjournals.com. Call (937) 528-4425.