Cincinnati is at least $400 million behind on maintaining city infrastructure like roads, parks and recreation centers. Several City Council members took a tour Monday of some facilities most in need of attention.
Council Member Jeff Cramerding arranged the tour to see the oft-cited deferred maintenance problem firsthand. He says the idea for a tour predates the proposed sale of the Cincinnati Southern Railway. Officials are proposing a sale of the city-owned railway to Norfolk Southern for $1.62 billion, with the city investing the money and only spending the earned interest, which would only go toward maintaining and improving existing infrastructure.
The city's entire capital budget averages about $60 million a year. About $25 million a year comes from leasing the railway.
Some critics, however, say it's foolish to sell an asset that has brought the city steady revenue for over a century.
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"The need is so immense," Cramerding said. "The railroad would be a tremendous help, but it's not going to be enough. So as a city, we're going to have to continue to be creative and continue to address it."
Last year, City Council allocated a few million dollars from the carryover budget to deferred maintenance projects. This year's carryover budget is expected to be on the City Council agenda next week. Here are some places the tour visited.
The Health Department on Burnet Avenue
The Health Department headquarters is in a building on Burnet Avenue built in the early 1970s. Health Department CFO Mark Menkhaus says there are times when services shut down because of the deteriorating conditions.
"The whole building was closed for about a week last year when we had a water main break on our main waterline," Menkhaus said. "We have an elevator that's currently down — it's been down for about two months — which is still waiting for parts ... We've had some of our restrooms in the building down for as much as three weeks of the past year due to ongoing problems with the sewage lines and the water pumps that bring the water up to the restrooms."
The building is out of code compliance because there's no sprinkler system in case of fire. A small closet-sized area in the basement, where computer equipment is stored, is the only space in the building with fire suppression.
Several areas in the building have asbestos, considered safe unless disturbed. The building used to be a public health center, but has been used only for administrative staff since late 2019. It was used as the central coordinating site during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Health Department is preparing a master facilities plan expected to be published next month.
Bellevue Park in Clifton Heights
Parks Director Jason Barron led a tour of Bellevue Park in Clifton Heights, with its recognizable lily pad pavilion and an expansive view of the city skyline.
"This is just an absolute gem of our park system, right?" Barron said. " But you look over here and you see some of the cracking over here in the floor. And you can start to see how this whole structure has some structural issues as it relates to how it sits on this hill."
An unofficial path through the woods leads to a small cliff overlooking a residential area. The city has fenced off the trail dozens of times to prevent people from accessing the space, which has no safety rail, but the fence has been pulled away each time.
"So there's both deferred maintenance and then there's the balance of, like, what does that mean for areas like this?" Barron said. "A lookout plaza here would be a very expensive one, but could be a very amazing new amenity."
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Recreation projects
A recreation area in Evanston has a playground, soccer field, baseball field, basketball court, and a vacant building that once served as a pool house. The city has tried to fence it off, but the empty structure is a frequent target for vandalism. The roof is clearly caving in in several spots.
Recreation Director Daniel Betts says council has already approved funding to repair the building, but it's not clear if there's enough to accomplish what the community wants to see there.
Other major projects include the need to replace the fleet garage for over $40 million, and renovating the Dunham Recreation Center for up to $10 million.
