City will not help purchase Whittier site

The City will not help with the acquisition of the vacant Whittier Elementary School.

The East Price Hill Improvement Association has proposed using the property at 945 Hawthorne Avenue as the site of a new, state-of-the-art District 3 police facility.

District 3's campus, which is adjacent to Whittier, is small, outdated, and lacks adequate parking.

In a report to City Council, City Manager Milton Dohoney did not mention any effort by the City to purchase the property, instead recommending that representatives of the Cincinnati Police Department (CPD) meet with Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS) to determine the site's availability.

He also recommended that neighborhood groups meet with City planners, CPS and the CPD to determine all possible uses for the site, including the police station proposal.

This dialogue may lead to an evaluation of all vacant CPS sites. In his report, Dohoney speculated that such an undertaking may lead to the City considering to purchase some or all of the sites.

Whittier became vacant after the 2005-2006 school year and will not be replaced.

Previous reading on BC:
East Price Hill wants Whittier, new police station (10/18/07)