E-News August 2015

Celebrate Amberley’s 75th Anniversary!
Sunday, August 16

11 am:  Parade
Steps off from Springvalley and Galbraith heading north to Longmeadow, turns south on Ridge and ends at the Amberley Green. Bring lawn chairs and set up to enjoy this community occasion! 

If you’d like to be in the parade, please contact Kathie Kraemer at kraemer7201@fuse.net right away. Decorated bikes and wagons, neighborhood groups, sports teams, scout troops, music and dance troupes,etc — all are welcome! 

4:00 to 8:30 pm:  Picnic
Parking at Adath Israel Congregation (Ridge and Galbraith) with free shuttle to Municipal Building grounds.

Children’s Activities from 4:00 to 6:30 pm
Young residents are invited to enjoy a clown performance with balloon animals, face painting, sidewalk chalk, “water park” (aka fire hose) on the tennis courts, and public safety demonstrations. 

Food and Drink from 4:30 to 7:30 pm
Three vendors will be on site or bring a basket to dine under the tent or on your own blanket. 

Blue Ash Chili (cash or credit card)
Kinnaret Cafe (cash or credit card), including kosher options
Krimmer’s Italianette: (cash only)

Complementary water and soft drinks will be available along with beer sales. Free ice cream for dessert!

Mural Dedication at 6:00 pm

Balloon Rides from 6:00 to 8:00 pm
Sign-up for balloon rides (tethered) will begin at 4:00 pm. Payment (cash only) will be required to sign up, and you’ll be given a time to report back to complete the release form before your ride.  

Cost is $5 per person for adults; ages 12 and under are free though the minimum age to ride is 6 years. Additionally, ages 6-12 must be accompanied by an adult and all riders under age 18 must have parent’s signature on release form. Each ride can accommodate 4-5 people and will last approximately 5 minutes. 

Live music from 6:30 to 8:30 pm
Enjoy the big band sound of Swingtime! 

Calendar Events

August 10 Council Meeting 6:30 p.m.
August 16 75th Anniversary Parade 11 a.m.
              Picnic & Celebration 4-8:30 p.m.
August 20 Adopt-a-Grove 6 p.m.

Watch the July Council Meeting

July Council Meeting Highlights – No Legislation

Mobile App Available!

The Village now offers a mobile app for residents to access the latest news, community calendar and even pay your taxes! Download it on our iPhone or Android today!  

Check Us Out on Facebook & Twitter!

Social media users can now find Amberley Village posting on Facebook and Twitter the latest meeting notices, special events, and news about Village happenings.  Like our page and follow us!

Photo Contest for 75th Anniversary

Be sure to take plenty of pictures at the 75th Anniversary Celebration!

Submit your favorite photo for a chance to be selected as the winning photo that will be shared on social media and framed to hang in the Village Municipal Building. Submissions to: info@amberleyvillage.org.

Stormwater Fee Reduced by 30%

Council passed legislation at the June council meeting that reduced the fee residents pay for the Stormwater Utility. Watch for details in an upcoming E-News for the new rates to find out exactly how much your bill will be lowered!

Village Receives Financial Audit

The State Auditor released the  for 2012 and 2013. This is a comprehensive review by the State Auditor of our internal control, compliance testing, review of our methods, accuracy and legality of the accounts, financial reports, records and files. 

The Village is required to be audited every 2 years and the report reflects a clean audit, free of findings.  The State released the audit on July 9 and it is available to , the State Auditor’s website or by visiting the Administrative offices and requesting a copy.

A sample location has been selected by the Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD) for water quality testing as part the development of an Integrated Watershed Action Plan for the East Branch of the Mill Creek watershed.  The selected location will undergo several tests including 3 dry weather periods and 5 wet weather events from June through October this year.   MSD will be alerting the property owners nearest to this location.  This effort will collect water quality sampling data from streams, combined sewer outfalls, sanitary sewer outfalls, and storm outfalls throughout the watershed.  

Street Maintenance – Lines & Markings

The Amberley Village Maintenance Department manages the traffic markings on Village streets during the late summer and early fall months in preparation of the fall and winter darkness. The two methods of application utilized by the Village are latex base paint and thermoplastic pavement markings.

The maintenance staff collaborates with the Hamilton County Engineer’s paint striping crew for Section Road and the longer stretches of center lines on residential streets. The special markings such as turn arrows, crosswalks, stop bars, and island markings are refinished in-house by maintenance personnel.

As main thoroughfares in the Village are rehabilitated the thermoplastic application which lasts the entire life of the pavement with little to no maintenance is installed thereby reducing the demand for painting. Examples of thermoplastic can be observed along Ridge and Galbraith Roads. The Maintenance Department continues to paint the stop bars and other special markings with latex base paints, until the streets have been resurfaced.  Section Road is a good example of the latex application.

As streets are repaved, the current pavement markings in residential neighborhoods will continue to be eliminated in keeping with rural character and this also helps reduce future maintenance costs. The program eliminates the yellow channelizing lines and installs one white stop bar on the neighborhood street where it connects to a main road (Ridge, Galbraith and Section Roads). Examples of the elimination of the pavement markings can be observed in the Rollman Estates neighborhood and the Fair Oaks Drive area north of Section Road.

The Maintenance Department’s street maintenance program includes crack sealing on several streets throughout the Village which will occur in late August into September. The department’s crack sealing program slows the deterioration of Village Streets, reduces the potential development of pot holes and strengthens the roadways for the winter season.

This maintenance prevents water from getting into the cracks and base layer of the street.  Preventing the water from entering the surface of the pavement prevents the freezing and thawing in the cracks and the weakening of the base layer, both causing pot holes and deterioration of the street.   Water intrusion is the most damaging element to roadways, thus crack sealing is a vital step in maintaining Village streets.

As part of its ongoing multi-faceted approach to street maintenance, the Department also continuously fills potholes in the roadways throughout the year. Filling potholes and sealing cracks provides relief to drivers and prolongs the life of the street by several years.

This combination of preventive maintenance and rehabilitation programs continues the Village’s legacy of caring for its largest capital investment, our infrastructure.  

The Amberley Village Police/Fire Department would like to share with parents, caretakers, siblings, and anyone else that transports children, elderly persons, or pets of several safety tips during the hot summer months.  When it is 90 degrees outside the temperature in the interior of an enclosed car can climb 20-30 degrees within 10 minutes.

• Never leave a child, elderly person, or an animal in a hot car, even briefly.
• Don’t leave sleeping infants in the car ever.
• Always check the front and back seats of your car before you lock it and leave.
• See a child, elderly person, or a pet alone in a hot car?  Call 911 immediately.  Get them out ASAP if they are in distress.
• Put your purse, wallet, cellular phone, briefcase or something else you need by the car seat so you don’t forget to check.
• Put your diaper bag in the front seat of the car so you’ll see it and remember the baby in the back seat.
• Always make sure all children have left the car when you reach your destination.
• Always lock your car when it’s empty so children can’t get in without you knowing.
• Make arrangements with your child’s day care center or babysitter that you will always call if your child will not be there on a particular day as scheduled.
• Be especially careful about keeping children safe in and around cars during busy times, schedule changes, and periods of crisis or holidays.
• Use drive-thru services when available (restaurants, banks, pharmacies, dry cleaners, etc.).
• Use your debit or credit card to pay for gas at the pump.

This month we’re focusing on moisture problems and how to perform checks on your home to ensure it stays dry. Damp houses provide a nurturing environment for mites, rodents, and molds, all of which are associated with respiratory problems.  Avoid water from entering your home through preventative checks for leaks in the roofing and plumbing as well as rain water drainage structures.

Conduct a quick checklist to keep your home dry:

• Clean up moisture and mold safely.
• Use a bathroom exhaust fan that vents outside.
• Check for water leaks from the roof.
• Ensure proper ventilation to prevent moisture that can promote mold growth.
• Maintain gutters, downspouts, and roof to prevent moisture from entering the home.

For more information, visit http://www.cdc.gov/healthyhomes or http://www.surgeongeneral.gov.