	Bob Hostetler > Writing

What Hamilton Needs

by Bob Hostetler

Suddenly we have a national champion high school cheerleading team. And a state champion basketball team. Those are just two of the good things to be said for Hamilton.

There's more, of course. People entering downtown from the east have long had, in my opinion, one of the most striking views anywhere around-particularly at night, gazing down a light-lined High Street to the Soldiers, Sailors, and Pioneers Monument. And, despite some citizens' complaints, the new gateway from the Michael A. Fox Regional Highway is also an agreeable access into the city.

We enjoy Lane Public Library, Fitton Center for the Creative Arts, Pyramid Hill, a stately City Hall, state-of-the-art YMCA facilities, exciting churches, civic theater, award-winning public and private schools, good bike paths, great youth sports, as well as events like IceFest and A Taste of Gospel, and some fine historic districts: Dayton Lane, German Village, Rossville.

But (you knew there was a "but" coming, didn't you?) for all the city's advantages, there are still some gaps. Some big, some small.

For example, one respondent to my unscientific poll for this article suggested that Hamilton needs a new and clear identity. In the minds of many, Hamilton is still a mill town, though the paper industry has been shrinking for years, and adding or dropping an exclamation point from the city's name seems to have done little for our civic identity. And "The City of Sculpture" may be a step in the right direction, but it's more a facet of the city than an overarching identity.

Despite some admirable efforts by city leaders, Hamilton still needs jobs. Lots of them. The fate that has befallen the paper mills, Mosler Safe, and Ohio Casualty in recent years leaves the city with a desperate and urgent need for large employers that will anchor the local job market and also more entrepreneurships that will take root and grow.

We need bridges, too. Yes, we have a few spanning the Great Miami River (which is another of our great local assets), and a major renovation of the High Street Bridge is underway. But one respondent suggested a new bridge downstream from the Columbia Bridge. Even more than that, however, we need more "bridges" between east side and west side, for example, and between the Second Ward and the rest of the city, between races, and between immigrants and long-time residents. The interdenominational ServeCity effort is just one example of the kinds of bridges we need.

We need more Democratic candidates. Now, don't panic, all you fine Republicans out there. I'm just saying that a strong county-wide Republican AND Democratic party are in the interest of us all. Healthy debate and robust campaigns produce stronger candidates, clearer vision, and better government.

Filling needs like that isn't easy, of course. Many of our leaders have made admirable efforts and good progress in recent years. They are to be congratulated. But I also have a few ideas to suggest that should be a little less, shall we say, demanding.

We need a good bagel shop. Like a Brueggers or Einstein's. The Deli Sandwich Shoppe on Third Street serves a mean bagel, and the Cappuccino Depot outlets in Millville and Hamilton brew a great cup of coffee, but the more the merrier. And maybe next door to my house. Yeah, that would be dandy.

A nice-sized bookstore would also be nice, a need cited by almost every respondent to my poll. Until El Mariachi's opened on Washington Blvd., I thought that building would be a great location for a modest Barnes and Noble or Borders…or better yet, a local coffee shop and bookstore. Since I hope El Mariachi stays there a long time to come (great food, great price, great people), local entrepreneurs will have to find an alternate site now. Maybe that could be next door to my house, too.

The Little Chicago Blues Club is a great start, but more night life options would be welcomed by many, like a jazz, dance, or comedy club. Not to mention, said several of my insightful respondents, an entertainment district or theater complex (like Cincinnati's Aronoff Center but, of course, on a smaller scale) that could provide a home for the symphony orchestra, a venue for visiting national acts, and a good, affordable, production-friendly theater to complement or improve upon Parrish and Fitton.

What else? A sit-down seafood restaurant (can you tell I eat too much?). A botanical garden. A light-rail system between Hamilton and Great American Ball Park. Okay, okay, maybe I'm getting carried away. And I've certainly overlooked some things that you think are obvious, right? But that, of course, is what our local newspaper, the Journal-News, and its letters to the editor and the community voice features are for.

This article appeared in the April 2, 2004 edition of the Hamilton Journal-News.

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