BY TANYA ALBERT
The Cincinnati Enquirer
AMBERLEY VILLAGE -- On a map, the half-acre strip of Rockdale Temple's property looks like an insignificant sliver on the edge of 40 acres.
But there's no symbol on that map for the land's spiritual importance.
Plans by the Ohio Department of Transportation to widen an exit ramp off Ronald Reagan Highway at Ridge Avenue may threaten the temple's Biblical Garden, where congregants dedicate trees to loved ones and where people can go to meditate.
Based on what a surveyor told them, temple members calculate that the state's right-of-way plans would come within 8 feet of the chapel. They fear it would create more noise, and that vibrations over time could damage the structure.
"It's not just a piece of property," said Dr. Edward Herzig, president of Rockdale Temple, the oldest Jewish congregation west of the Allegheny Mountains. "I think they saw a big open field and thought it wouldn't matter."
By the state's estimates, though, the right of way won't be that close. It will be 38 feet from the closest building, said Kim Patton, spokeswoman for ODOT's District 8.
"When the new ramp is reconstructed, it will be an average 15 feet closer to the temple than it is now," she said. "The property they are currently planning to purchase is all on sloping ground."
Rockdale Temple members -- who are celebrating the congregation's 175th year -- aren't taking any chances with the differing calculations. On Friday, an attorney for the temple sent a letter to ODOT's District 8 asking the deputy director to consider alternatives.
"It would be in the best interests of all to go back to the drawing boards and push the proposed ramp improvements to the north so as not to directly impact Rockdale Temple," Joseph L. Trauth Jr. wrote.
The exact parcel of land the state will need isn't set yet. Officials are waiting on Cincinnati Water Works plans to relocate a waterline, Mrs. Patton said.
That, too, will likely disrupt the garden, Dr. Herzig said. One thing is certain: the Ridge Road exit from eastbound Ronald Reagan Highway is set for a slew of improvements in 2000 to bring it up to today's highway standards.
The exit lane will be extended by 600 feet. And the 20-foot-wide ramp will become two 12-foot-wide lanes and an 8-foot-wide shoulder on the right side and a 4-foot-wide shoulder on the left side.
Rockdale's 925 families just hope the improvements won't disturb their sacred ground.
"Theoretically, a lot of property can be compensated with money," said Daniel Hoffheimer, a fourth-generation member. "But the taking of the garden and disruption of the chapel can't be compensated."
![[ramp plan]](/editions/1998/10/04/temple_175x264.gif)