THE PLAN

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Mercantile Buildings
Riverfront Study by URS Consultants
Plans for Mercy Site

PROJECTS

Riverfront Development
Amphitheater
Rowing Course – Boat House
Performing Arts Center – Study is being conducted to see if Hamilton can support this

Vision Awards
The Hamilton Vision Commission presents Vision Awards to organizations or individuals whose contributions to the betterment of Hamilton uphold the philosophy of the Vision 2020 Plan. The Commission created the Vision Awards to recognize projects and accomplishments that are in keeping with the plan. 

In November, 2004, Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Carruthers were presented with the Vision Award.

The Vision Commission was created by City Council in June, 2001, to oversee implementation of the Vision 2020 Plan and assure that its major goals and objectives are achieved.  As part of this charge, the Commission created the Vision Awards to recognize projects and accomplishments that are in keeping with the plan. 

Over the past three years the Vision Commission has presented Vision Awards to outstanding organizations and individuals whose contributions to the betterment of Hamilton uphold the philosophy of the Vision 2020 Plan.  We’ve given out twelve awards so far:  five the first year and six last year.  This year however, it became obvious that one couple had done so much for the community that they alone deserved to be honored and given a special Vision Award for their tremendous generosity to the City of Hamilton.

Donna and Pat Carruthers have donated untold millions to better this city.  Consider first their support for Fort Hamilton Hospital.  The Carruthers donated $1,000,000 to expand and remodel the Emergency Room which was so needed after the closing of Mercy Hospital.  And when Fort Hamilton came to the Carruthers to ask that they help again and fund the Intensive Care/Outpatient and Diagnostic Services project, the Carruthers donated another $3,000,000 for this endeavor.

They have also given much to the Hamilton School System, from the renovation of the Hamilton High School auditorium to a new fine arts wing at Wilson Junior High, to the No Child Left Behind sculpture at the High School. 

The Fitton Center has also greatly benefited from the Carruthers generosity - from the sculptures that decorate the outside of the center to the addition of the magnificent Carruthers Center for Arts and Technology that includes the beautiful Carruthers Signature Ballroom.

The City of Sculpture is grateful to Donna and Pat for funding of the J. Seward Johnson sculpture exhibit that so enriched and entertained us this past summer and early fall.

And the City, as well as many, many Hamilton families, appreciate the Carruthers generosity for their ongoing funding to keep all of the City swimming pools open each summer.

These are just some of the highlights of the amazing generosity that this couple has bestowed on our city.  We are so fortunate to have the Carruthers in our community and we are very grateful to them for all that they have done. 

2002 Vision Award Winners
·         Janet T. Baker - Superintendent of Schools
·         The City of Sculpture
·         Sherry L. Corbett - Preservationist
·         Hamilton Community Foundation
·         Frank Pfirman - Matandy Steel & Metal Products

The Vision Commission is proud to recognize the diligent efforts and major contributions of its first five award recipients:

Janet T. Baker

A lifelong resident of Hamilton, Mrs. Baker began her career in the Hamilton City Schools in 1970.  She has served as an elementary and secondary school principal, Director of Elementary Education and Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources.  She became Superintendent of Schools in 1990.  In 2000, Mrs. Baker’s contributions were recognized on a statewide level when she became “Ohio’s Superintendent of the Year.”  She also received the Martha Holding Jennings Ohio Superintendent Outstanding Performance Award this past year.  In March of 2001, Mrs. Baker worked with Representative John Boehner on an Education Reform Round Table for all school districts in the county, which ultimately lead to President George W. Bush signing the No Child Left Behind bill in Hamilton earlier this year.

The City of Sculpture

On August 16, 2000, Hamilton received Governor Bob Taft's recognition as "The City of Sculpture.” This sparked a group of community members to officially form Hamilton, Ohio, City of Sculpture, Inc. Since then, a full Board of Trustees has been established and many sculptures by well-known sculptors have been installed in the city. New sculpture recently installed include Nancy Schon's "Lentil", Jane DeDecker's "Snapshot", Rosalind Cook's "Legacy of Literature" & "Someday", Butler County's "Fire Fighter Memorial" & "Peace Officer Memorial", and a commissioned piece by the City of Sculpture's first artist-in-residence from a ground-level Artist-in-Residence Program. IceFest, also a product of this group, is the new annual event held each January in downtown Hamilton that includes ice carving competitions, demonstrations, children's activities, and more.

Dr. Sherry Corbett
Since Dr. Corbett’s arrival in Hamilton in 1974, she restored 19 homes in the Dayton Lane Historic District and led the way to the restoration of the entire District. She was an active participant in many City initiatives over the years, including the recent Vision 2020 planning process and the movement to save and restore the downtown to its former beauty, most notably her interest in the Mercantile Buildings. Dr. Corbett began the movement to preserve and restore them, which continues today.  She was a Professor of Sociology at Miami University since 1974 with a passion for teaching, which she blended very effectively with her passion for preservation.  Her tragic and untimely death in July was a tremendous loss to the community.

Hamilton Community Foundation

“To improve our quality of life…” That is the mission of the Hamilton Community Foundation; a mission that is closely tied to the goals of the Vision 2020 process. Among their most notable gifts to the city over the last several years are:  the complete restoration of the former American Legion building in Veterans Park; “Lentil,” the commissioned sculpture prominently displayed in the new park at High Street and Riverfront Plaza; Foundation Field—a state-of-the-art baseball diamond located at the Booker T. Washington Community Center, and the largest legacy project of the Foundation—the five-mile extension of the Hamilton Bike Path. The Foundation staff, trustees and the Foundation’s very generous donors are to be commended for their commitment to the city of Hamilton.

Frank Pfirman

Matandy Steel and Metal Products paved the way for Brownfield redevelopment in the city of Hamilton when it constructed its new facility on the former Leshner site on Central Avenue. In a city that is essentially land-locked for new business developments, Brownfield redevelopment is the key to economic revitalization. Matandy Steel President, Frank Pfirman, worked closely with city officials to venture in uncharted territory for this project.  Mr. Pfirman is also very active in a variety of community activities.  In February he and his wife, Joanne were the Honorary Chairs of Lifespans’ Gala.

2003 Vision 2020 Award Winners

THE ARTS
Rick H. Jones
Fitton Center for Creative Arts

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Neighborhood Housing

COMMUNITY SERVICE
Dave Lippert

EDUCATION
The Michael J. Colligan History Project

HISTORIC PRESERVATION
Bill Wilks

IMAGE
Hamilton Rotary Club

Vision Award for the Arts

 Mr. Rick H. Jones, Executive Director for the Fitton Center for Creative Arts.
 
Since arriving in Hamilton in 1991, Rick Jones has been the catalyst for making the arts an important part of our community.  He has led in the development of Hamilton-based arts education programs which are nationally renowned, including:

·         Arts in Common, a project to make the arts accessible to the underserved populations of Hamilton.

·         SPECTRA+, a nationally-acclaimed arts education initiative in the Hamilton Schools, which has been featured in USA Today, and recognized by Secretary of Education Riley as a model program.

·         Riverside Academy - an arts training program for local educators, known throughout the country.

Rick recently supervised the $6 million expansion to the Fitton Center, whose success has become the cornerstone of downtown Hamilton’s renaissance.  Each of these programs reflects the Fitton Center’s motto, and Rick’s personal philosophy, “Building Community Excellence Through the Arts and culture.”

***** 

Vision Award for Community Service

Mr. Dave Lippert, president of Hamilton Caster& Manufacturing Company.  

Mr. Lippert has served on the Greater Hamilton Safety Council Board for over ten years and was named the group’s 1999 volunteer of the year.  He was a Junior Achievement Business Consultant to two area high schools for more than 10 years and in1993 he was presented a leadership award for his many years of service promoting the free enterprise system.

Mr. Lippert has also been heavily involved in the Greater Hamilton Chamber of Commerce.  He has served as Second Vice Chair, First Vice Chair, Chair, and he is currently the Past Chair and board member.  He was instrumental in forming six permanent sub-committees for the Hamilton Economic Development Committee, including:  Bridge Committee, Retention and Expansion Committee, Renewal Community Committee (HUD tax advantages), Technology Committee, Construction Services and Tax Levy Committee.

Mr. Lippert and Hamilton Caster recently won the Gehring Center Tri-State Family Business of the Year Award for Community Involvement.

***** 

Vision Award for Economic Development

Neighborhood Housing Services

Neighborhood Housing is a private non-profit lending organization, focused on first time home-buyers with moderate to low-incomes, especially the working poor and those who could not otherwise qualify for conventional financing. The goal of Neighborhood Housing is to “provide the mechanisms whereby neighborhoods become stable, self-sustaining areas that maintain long-term residents and attract new households.”

Under Ron Woolwine’s leadership, Neighborhood Housing has granted approximately 1,050 loans to first-time home-buyers totaling $55,000,000. Among notable Hamilton NHS projects are:

·         The Anthony Wayne Hotel. Neighborhood Housing is the co-general partner in this project, which converted that historic downtown structure into fifty residential units of affordable housing for older residents.

·         Holbrock Trace on Beckett, a 12-unit subdivision in Hamilton’s 2^nd Ward.

·         YWCA rehabilitation project.

*****

Vision Award for Education

The Michael J. Colligan History Project.

The Colligan Project, which began in the fall of 2000, is a joint undertaking of the Colligan Fund Committee of the Hamilton Community Foundation and the Hamilton Campus of Miami University. 

Their goal is to make the appreciation and study of history accessible and enriching for all members of the university… the schools… and the community at large.  The project offers a wide variety of programs, series, projects, and symposia that present a broad and diverse perspective on the people and events of the past. 

Over the past three years, the Colligan Project has inaugurated a lecture series that has brought to the Hamilton Campus speakers such as the Pulitzer-prize winning author Joan Hedrick, world-renowned Eleanor Roosevelt biographer, Blanche Wiesen Cook, Butler County native and author Cynthia Crane and celebrated Vietnam War Veteran, Adrian Cronauer. 

Dr. Michael J. Carrafiello, Director of the Michael J. Colligan History Project accepted the award.

*****

Vision Award for Historic Preservation

Mr. Bill Wilks.
 
A lifelong resident of Hamilton, Mr. Wilks has been involved in the city’s historic preservation since 1965, when he established Village Properties, an area in German Village surrounding his offices, that grew to include 50 buildings, with apartments, homes, offices and retail spaces. 

In 1973, the City and the German Village Society created a Histroic District that used block grant funds for sidewalk and lighting improvements.  Over the years, Mr. Wilks has purchased and renovated a majority of the nine-block area called Historic German Village.  This area is now on the National Historic Register, and has served as the catalyst for forming other historic districts in the City.

In 1974, The German Village Historic District established their headquarters at the former Long-Alstatter Mansion Carriage House.  Mr. Wilks not only refurbished the Carriage House for the association, but paid off the debt on the building to allow the District’s funds to be put to other uses.  As a result of his generosity, the Board of Directors named the building the William C. Wilks Carriage House.

*****

Vision Award for Image

The Hamilton Rotary Club

The Hamilton Rotary Club has been involved in community service since its inception in 1919.  Over the years it has contributed funds in support of many worthy causes.

Its main fund raising effort since 1954 has been Rotary Revels which produces a Broadway musical each year.  The funds raised from the Rotary Revels productions have allowed the Hamilton Rotary Club to donate money that has positively affected the image of our City.  The donations have allowed for many beneficial acquisitions including (but not limited to):

The Rotary Club also sponsors Youth contests for encouraging students to write about Drug Prevention, Diversity Appreciation and the Four Way Test.

It is also the co-sponsor of the annual Civics Day which enables high school seniors from Badin and Hamilton High schools to participate in and learn about city and school government.

The Rotary Club has affected Hamilton’s image on a global basis, through its Student Exchange program, which has sponsored 155 students coming from, or going to, nations around the world.

President Joe Belew, accepted the award for the Hamilton Rotary Club.

Miami University Student Projects