Three Trotwood City Levies Pass, Schools Rejected Again

By Bruce Kettelle

Several Trotwood precincts were late being counted Tuesday delaying the outcomes of several close races. With the last precinct tabulated at 12:30 AM Wednesday both the Trotwood EMS and Fire issues were approved, one street levy passes and the incumbent city council members were re-elected to new four-year terms.

"We have to be very excited that they won," said fire chief Gene Lutz as he watched levy results roll in at the firehouse on Little Richmond Rd. "We can continue to provide this level of service and replace outdated equipment." The EMS renewal levy is passing with 66.4% of the vote. The fire equipment additional levy was much closer with 51.1% of the vote.

The Trotwood street department will have some new money for next year. Voters gave 51.6% approval to funding for street maintenance including additional salt supplies for snow and ice control in the winter. But the request to fund other expenses including leaf pick up only attracted a 39.7% approval leaving this category unfunded for next year.

"We worked very hard for this," said public works director Thomas Odenigbo. "It must be what the residents want and I'll live with it." Supporters of the street levy were gathered at the community center in Sycamore Woods.

A complication in the ballot language for the second street levy left some voters confused. One unidentified voter in ward three said he thought the wording was so vague that it sounded like a general fund levy. He said he voted no and thought others might have mistakenly done the same.

The Trotwood-Madison City Schools will be waking up today to the failure of their second levy attempt. They are trying to raise additional operating funds for the first time since the early 1990s. Even though the district reduced the request this year only 41% of the voters agreed with yesterday's 7.5-mill attempt.

Last years 9.06-mill levy received a slightly higher percentage at 44.6. During that 2008 Presidential election 71% of Trotwood’s voters turned out to the polls.

School supporters gathered at the former Moto Photo headquarters lamented that this will mean cuts in the 2010-2011 budget. "The board will have to make cuts in academics, extracurricular, and bussing," said assistant superintendent Rexanne Wagner. "They will feel the cuts."

Three school board members were reelected to four-year terms. Deborah Daniels, Teena Davis and Denise Moore ran unopposed.

There was competition for three of the four city council seats. Rap Hankins narrowly retained his seat in a heated race from newcomer Janice Chinn. Chinn centered her campaign on the failure of city council to raise objections over the new Greyhound Bus terminal opening last month on Shiloh Springs Rd. Hankins pulled 807 votes to Chinn's 774 in the Ward 2 race.

Joyce Sutton Cameron (Ward 1) and Mary McDonald (Ward 4) easily kept their council seats with 61% and 62% affirmations. Cameron received 1,103 votes to Mattie Clay's 703. McDonald captured 545 votes to J.D. Williams II's 333.

Ron Vaughn ran unopposed in Ward 3.

Trotwood's turnout was a little heavier than usual off-year elections. A total of 6,103 voters came to the polls, a 33% turnout. The highest turnout is Ward 3 with 36% and the lowest is Ward 4 with 29%.

Greyhound Opening Anticlimactic

By Bruce Kettelle
About a dozen passengers with baggage were lined up inside the Trotwood GDRTA Northwest Hub Tuesday morning. They were not waiting for an RTA bus. These were some of the first to catch a Greyhound bus from Trotwood, specifically the southbound bus leaving at 9am.

Dayton resident Sirgeo Thompson a local photographer is headed for Atlanta. “I’m doing a shoot there for Boss Magazine,” said Thompson.

Behind him is an elderly Old Order German Baptist in a wide brimmed hat. After overhearing the conversation with the photographer he pulled out a 2005 issue of National Geographic Magazine. “That’s me and my wife,” he said pointing to a picture in the magazine.

He was on his way home to Jackson Mississippi. He didn’t know about the Greyhound terminal moving to Trotwood until he arrived at the former location in downtown Dayton earlier this morning. “We hurried up out here real quick.”

A college student on his way to Cincinnati joined in to look at some of the pictures being passed around. Anything to help pass the time while waiting for the bus.

As the bus pulled out Frank Ecklar, Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority director of planning said, “that’s number three, only 14 more to go today.” Ecklar was on hand to monitor the first day of operations at the relocated Greyhound terminal co-located in the existing RTA facility.

“Speedway is going to make a mint from this,” said Ecklar referring to a fairly steady stream of passengers stocking up on travel goodies at the convenience store next door.

Ecklar was taking notes on how the passengers, cars, and busses interacted to develop a list of improvements needed for the site. Already in place is a new ticket window inside, a dedicated Greyhound lane in front of the building and some new signage.

One of the things at the top of his list is installing a pay phone as three riders had already asked where to find the phone.

Typically there will be 17 Greyhound busses a day in addition to the nearly 300 RTA busses already using the hub. Ecklar said the frequency is close to hourly. During holidays residents may see a few more since Greyhound sends two busses (as needed) on some routes.

The first day of service in Trotwood almost seemed anticlimactic. Fears raised by citizens of homeless people and criminals frequenting the Greyhound station were unsubstantiated. From all appearances the location will be a positive impact for the community.

With the exception of one bus that had to use the Lowes parking lot to turn around after heading the wrong way on Route 49 it was a very smooth opening for RTA and Greyhound.

The Greyhound terminal and Northwest RTA hub serving Dayton and Trotwood is located at 2075 Shiloh Springs Rd.

The posted Greyhound schedule in the Dayton/Trotwood terminal.

Greyhound Moves To Trotwood October 27

By Bruce Kettelle

Greyhound busses will begin running in Trotwood on Tuesday October 27th. Today's announcement is the culmination of a lengthy process to find a replacement terminal for their downtown Dayton location.

Beginning Tuesday all arriving and departing Dayton passengers will load at the Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority’s Northwest Hub at 2075 Shiloh Springs Rd in Trotwood. Greyhound officials said there are 15 busses serving their Dayton terminal each day. “This new location provides a wonderful opportunity to better serve the residents of the greater Dayton area,” said Eric Melton, district manager, Greyhound Lines, Inc.

Some Greyhound passengers are expected to take advantage of the GDRTA system to get to and from their final destination.

Earlier this year some Trotwood residents objected to the move. Concerns about crime and the additional traffic included several public protests. Assurances from the Trotwood police department and the GDRTA calmed most of that opposition.

The facility is open from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily and provides Greyhound PackageXpress (GPX) shipping. For Greyhound ticket information in Trotwood, call 937-224-1608.

RTA Meeting About Greyhound Aug 25th

By Bruce Kettelle

The Greater Dayton RTA is hosting a public meeting on Tuesday August 25th at 7pm in RTA’a Northwest Maxi Hub, 2075 Shiloh Springs Rd. Representatives of Greyhound Lines, Inc will be on hand to talk with citizens about their Dayton operating hub’s relocation to Trotwood in the coming months.

RTA has signed a five-year agreement to provide space at the Trotwood Maxi Hub to accommodate Greyhound’s interstate bus service. RTA will provide ticketing and boarding services for Dayton passengers.

Some Trotwood residents have objected to the move fearing increased traffic and crime will negatively impact nearby residential neighborhoods. RTA executive director Mark Donaghy hopes to answer questions about their objections and explain how RTA will operate the station for Greyhound.

Currently Dayton’s Greyhound station handles 11 to 15 busses daily. According to Greyhound officials the total count of daily buses may increase during peak periods such as holidays. During those times there may be an additional 4 or 5 busses daily. Currently over 300 RTA busses use the hub daily.

RTA officials are expected to reveal their plans to make some updates to the facility including the addition of a restaurant.

Totally Trotwood will be at the meeting. If you have questions about the facility leave them in the comments section below and we will try to get those questions answered.

RTA, Greyhound Reach Agreement

By Bruce Kettelle

RTA has reached agreement with Greyhound on bringing their Dayton terminal operation to the Northwest Hub in Trotwood. Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority executive director Mark Donaghy said the signed agreement was mailed to Greyhound June 19.

“We have reached agreement on the wording of the final document,” said Donaghy. He said that based on conversations with Greyhound they will countersign and return it promptly.

Donaghy said the agreement does not have defined timelines for Greyhounds relocation to Trotwood.

He said the next step is a public meeting with residents. “We will set a date to discuss our plans at the Northwest Hub. That meeting should occur within 30-days.”

RTA’s plan to become the terminal agent for Greyhound has drawn fire from some Trotwood residents that fear additional crime and street wear and tear will result. Organizers of petitions circulating to recall the Trotwood Mayor have said it was partially brought on by RTA’s move, which he did not oppose.

“We recognize there are some fears in the community,” said Donaghy. I think people will be pleasantly surprised when they discover their fears are unfounded.”

Greyhound, RTA - Confront Misconceptions

Greyhound Says People Have Misconceptions
By Bruce Kettelle

A Greyhound spokesperson fears that opponents to a possible Trotwood location may have some misconceptions about their ridership. A local opposition group raised fears last week about preliminary discussions to locate the Dayton Greyhound Bus terminal at the Northwest RTA Mini Hub. Abby Wambaugh of the company’s Dallas headquarters said the company has had several successes with relocating stations from downtown locations to suburban sites.

“These stations prove to have a positive economic impact in the areas where they are located,” said Wambaugh.

She said people are often surprised to find that 1/3 of their ridership make over $35,000 annually, 30% are students, and over 50% have additional education beyond high school. A majority of their riders are traveling for pleasure or to visit family and friends.

“Dayton is a big station for us with 282,944 inbound and 282,565 outbound passengers in 2008,” she said. That works out to about 775 riders a day through the hub that serves north/south routes on I-75 and east/west routes on I-70.

Of those total riders 86,568 started or ended their trip in Dayton.
Greyhound operates a capacity flexible schedule on their routes. If enough tickets are sold they can add a second bus to a scheduled trip. On Friday’s for example there are 15 scheduled buses. During peak holiday travel that may increase to 30.

Wambaugh stressed that security is important to the company and they employ security in their stations as needed. “We want our employees, passengers and surrounding community to be safe,” she said.

Greyhound is already involved in more than 100 intermodal hubs across the country. Those include pairings with air, rail, and regional bus terminals like Trotwood. To bring their service up to speed with the new millennium some of their New York based buses are being outfitted with Wifi and other modern conveniences. Those improvements will gradually be implemented nationwide.

RTA executive director Mark Donaghy also senses that opposition community members are responding to misconceptions. “We want to do our best to answer concerns,” says Donaghy.

As of this week they are still in discussions with Greyhound and there is no timetable in place. He said the site will require modest renovatins to host the interstate bus traffic in Trotwood. Currently there are about 294 RTA buses in and out each day. He describes the impact as a 10% increase in the existing RTA bus traffic currently flowing through the facility.

“The earliest would be the summer of this year,” he said but Greyhound apparently does not need to vacate the downtown location until 2010.

He believes Trotwood is the best site because of its easy access to both 70 and 75 with connections to transportation throughout the region.

Although he admits he is not an economic development specialist he said there has already been interest from one business wanting to locate at the site if the Greyhound terminal becomes reality. “After discussions with the daycare next door our sense is they don’t feel it would impact them negatively.”

He also reports that 40% of Greyhound’s Dayton customers come from Trotwood.

Wambaugh said that Greyhound wants to work with the city. “We would love the chance to speak with city officials and community groups.” She is looking forward to those calls.

Some Residents Oppose Greyhound Plan

Residents Build opposition To Greyhound
By Bruce Kettelle

On Saturday about 20 residents gathered by the Government Center protesting a proposed Greyhound Bus Station that may be located in Trotwood. According to Trotwood officials the Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority is in discussions with Greyhound to relocate their downtown Dayton station. The Northwest Regional Transit Hub on Shiloh Springs Road is one of the sites under consideration by Greyhound.

If that location is chosen about 20 intercity buses a day would stop at the hub. The RTA would combine that operation with the existing regional buses.

Resident Mattie Clay waived a "No Greyhound Station" sign to passing traffic on Olive Rd. She like many of the others at the impromptu protest is concerned about what the out of town buses might bring to Trotwood.

"Why bring 20 more buses through Trotwood when we can't even afford to get our local streets fixed," asked Clay. "I'm also worried about their customers causing trouble in the surrounding neighborhood."

Flora Northern one of the organizers for the picketing questioned why would they choose Trotwood. "I would like an answer for that." She said the terminal is on the edge of a large residential area and is bordered by two childcare centers.

The downtown Greyhound station site is owned by the City of Dayton and is being considered for a different use by the city. The United Concerned Citizens of Trotwood (UCCT) fear that those same troubles would follow the move to Trotwood.

"If you look at the calls for service the Dayton Police have, you wonder why we want that in Trotwood," said Trotwood city council member Ron Vaughn. Council members Vaughn, Bettye Gales, and Mary McDonald addressed the protesters supporting their right to demonstrate.

City Council member Rap Hankins did not attend the protest. He is waiting for more factual information to be collected before deciding how to react to the concept. He said, "It's important that our council members answer community members with facts based on reality not fantasies based toward re-election."

Trotwood's city staff is taking a more measured approach to see if the proposed station might generate safety concerns and other impacts for the city's safety services departments.

"The city manager has asked me to look at how this might impact the community," said police chief Quincy Pope. "I am reviewing that information now." Pope is analyzing Dayton police reports generated at the existing Greyhound station downtown.

Trotwood's existing RTA hub averaged 56 annual calls for service over the past two years. "Most of those calls were medic calls," said Pope. He said other calls included suspicious vehicle, trespassing, and intoxicated individuals. "For instance the intoxicated calls average about four a year, that's a small number considering how many people ride the transportation system."

Pope is reserving his opinion on the proposal until he finishes his research.

The UCCT is the same group that opposed the proposed landfill in Trotwood in 2004. Members have already spoken out at a recent council meeting and are planning other actions to show their opposition to the plan.

Trotwood City manager Mike Lucking reported to the city council that the RTA already has the proper zoning for the facility and will need no further approval from the city. The decision to add Greyhound service at the hub rests solely with the RTA and Greyhound.

See pictures of the protest at http://www.totallytrotwood.com/home_4-17-09.htm