For months now a deal to move Cincinnati’s award-winning School for Creative and Performing Arts to the parking lot between the Central Parkway YMCA and Media Bridges in Over-the-Rhine has been touch and go. Though few have talked about it publicly, sources have told me everything from it’s a done deal to it would never happen.
I tended to believe that it would happen eventually (call it a hunch), but maybe in some modified version. Even when there was a groundbreaking and unveiling of a “coming soon” sign at the corner of Elm Street and Central Parkway in February depicting what the new building would look like, I knew there were still some major hurdles to jump over.
One of them – aside from some major funding issues – was what to do with the Drop Inn Center’s holding firm on not giving up the transitional housing it owns at the corner of 12th and Elm streets. Drop Inn’s managing director, Pat Clifford, told me about a year ago that no one had contacted him about the buildings after initial talks had stalled and he figured they had re-drawn plans to work around the Drop Inn’s properties. No longer so, as I report in today’s Post.
So, in another exciting sign that things are really starting to happen in Over-the-Rhine, it appears the Cincinnati Public Schools and those who have worked tirelessly to make this happen got their wish, Drop Inn got a viable alternative to their current situation and we might get a school on that property – and with all its intended splendor – sooner than we thought. Just need a few more deep pockets, which I’m sure is hiding among the city’s (not necessarily the city government’s) proverbial seat cushions.
Things just seem to be happening everywhere down here. Makes me very happy. Now, I’m going to go check out my pals new stores on Vine Street in the Gateway Quarter. I was on vacation and missed all their openings. Time to go make it up…
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