Straight From The Heart - July 17, 2020

City Hall 120 W Loveland, Loveland OH 45140 • lovelandoh.gov • 513-683-0150

Chief Otto J Huber

The winds of March blew much more into our fire stations than the usual leaves that come with the onset of spring. This year the pandemic caused us to look at new ways of doing business serving our customers and our firefighters.

The Fire Department and our firefighters are used to unexpected challenges. Those come with the job, which is why we have evolved over the years to an all-hazards agency. During my time with the department, we have evolved from just responding to occasional fires, water rescues, and transportation accidents, to now adding emergency medical calls, hazardous materials events, and preparing for biological, domestic, and foreign terrorism just to mention a few.

I challenged Assistant Chief Tom Turner and Deputy Chief Mike Books to prepare the department by developing an operations plan that would not only ensure we could continue to provide all the services that our customers and communities have come to expect and depend on, but also how we would operate in an environment that could mean a loss of up to two-thirds of our resources, supplies, and workforce.

Potentially this thing called COVID could strip the department of our highly trained workforce through no fault of our own, other than an infection rate that was predicted to cripple many communities. This plan needed to be resilient and well thought out. These men were up to the challenge. After all, most of our emergency and event planning has been scribed by these two professionals over the past 25 years.

So while everyone was locked down, social distancing, and searching for toilet paper, your fire department was preparing for the worst-case scenario along with how to continue to honor our mission statement of providing the most technologically advanced fire and EMS service to our residents with the highest trained professionals; and to deliver that service to our customers with loyalty and compassion.

While we find this event far from over, your fire department continues to remain committed to being here for you today, tomorrow, and next month. That is possible because of a great and dedicated workforce that puts our customers first.

Rest assured we will remain diligent in our pursuit of your family’s safety and the safety and welfare of all Loveland-Symmes residents.

Sponsored by the Loveland Tree and Environment Committee

The City’s Comprehensive Master Plan is in the beginning phases of development. Similar to the Downtown Master Plan that was completed in 2019, which focused on the future growth of the downtown area, the Comprehensive Master Plan encompasses the future planning of the City as a whole. A Comprehensive Master Plan Committee has been established to provide guidance on key issues such as business development, traffic, parking, neighborhood preservation, and many others involving the future of the City of Loveland. As the planning process kicks off, your participation in a brief eleven question Google docs survey will significantly aid in the development of the City’s Comprehensive Master Plan. The survey can be found at https://forms.gle/pMVMnRZjDfshofHa9. This survey is one of many future attempts, including additional surveys, public meetings, focus groups, and open houses to foster greater public involvement in the creation of this very important plan that can shape the future of the City of Loveland.

Each year MADD recognizes officers who go above and beyond to curb impaired driving in their communities. The Top Cop Award is presented to an officer who continually displays a commitment to reducing impaired driving through enforcement, education, and prevention.

On Tuesday, a representative from the MADD Columbus office drove to Loveland to present the 2020 Top Cop Award to Officer Jake Salamon. The award recognizes his dedication to the safety of the Loveland community through concentrated traffic enforcement centered on removing impaired drivers from the roadway. Chief Rahe said, “We are happy Jake earned recognition for his dedication to the Loveland community. Jake’s passion has always been service and we are thankful he chose Loveland.”

The Shoppes of Loveland welcomed Dollar Tree to their business park last month. In their meeting held on June 24, the Planning and Zoning Commission approved plans for exterior elevations to what is currently DJ’s Food Mart, but will be converted into Tiger Express Coin Laundry laundromat; and a conditional use permit for the property located at 210 Harrison Ave. The permit is for the use of a short-term rental.

In addition, the Planning and Zoning Commission held a public hearing and reviewed and application for a re-zone for property off North Second Street (St. Rt. 48) south of the Sentry Hill Subdivision. The proposed re-zone would go from Residential- Medium Density (R-MD) to Residential- Multi-Family (R-MF). The Planning and Zoning Commission tabled their recommendation for a future meeting to be held on July 21.

The bridge over the O’Bannon Creek, just north of Nisbet Park is in need of repairs. The condition of the bridge was downgraded during the Ohio Department of Transportation’s (ODOT) last inspection. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) has hired a consultant to conduct a feasibility and design study. Part of this study will require some borings and other geotech work, which will take about three days to complete. ODNR anticipates the closure will occur the week of July 27.

In these times of all the conflicting messages – stay at home, mask recommended, stay six feet apart, mask REQUIRED, please consider paying your Utility bill via ACH. Using the ACH option authorizes the City to take the amount due on your utility account from your checking account on the 15th of the month. You will still receive a bill showing the amount that will be taken out. To get it set up, just complete the form on the City’s website and send it along with a voided check to us. You can drop it off in person, leave it in the dropbox next to the drive-thru window, or mail it to us as 120 W Loveland Avenue. If you are one of many who don’t use checks anymore, many banks have an online option to print a sample check or documentation of your routing and account number. Bank branches can also print something to give to us.

Please remember that protecting the aesthetics, integrity, vitality, and property values of residential neighborhoods and commercial zones are integral to health, safety, and wellness; and provides a sense of propriety that assists in the growth of personal and community investment. As summer is upon us, here are a couple of tips that will enhance the appearance and value of your home.

Remove and replace loose peeling paint;
Trim back trees or foliage to provide for additional sunlight to exterior mold areas;
Cleaning and removing leaves, branches, and debris regularly from gutters can prevent damage to fascia, soffit, roofing, and in some cases leakage into your home;
Proper storage of vehicles that are inoperable and/or unlicensed;
Proper storage of lawn equipment, trash, garbage, and refuse; and
Removal of any mold or mildew that may be surfacing on exterior walls

To report an issue or problem click here.

For a list of upcoming meetings, click here.

Last Updated on September 4, 2020 by Joe Wessels