BY CINDY SCHROEDER
The Cincinnati Enquirer
FORT WRIGHT — A citizen protest over changing the name of Kyles Lane has prompted a special city council meeting to reverse council's earlier decision.
Fort Wright City Council has scheduled a recall vote for 7:30 p.m. Thursday on the renaming of Kyles Lane to Fort Wright Parkway. The vote will follow a 6:30 p.m. closed session on an unrelated personnel matter.
The council voted Dec. 2 to make Fort Wright Parkway the new name for Kyles Lane from Dixie Highway to where it became Highland Avenue, and from that point to Madison Pike.
“I think there's a majority that wants to change it back,” Fort Wright Administrator Larry Klein said. He said council may explore options such as better signage to reduce confusion over the road that's known as Kyles Lane and Highland Avenue.
Since becoming Fort Wright's administrator Dec. 7, Mr. Klein said that the controversy over the renaming has left him little time for other matters.
While the action called for addresses on the older section of Kyles Lane, which jogs across from the city building down the hill to Walt's Hitching Post, to be renumbered, that road name stayed the same under council's Dec. 2 vote.
The problem was created several years ago, when Highland was upgraded by the state. Before that, the two sections of Kyles connected, and the two sections of Highland were connected.
The upgrade rerouted Highland to meet Kyles, creating street sections that were not connected, thus the confusion.
City officials said the renaming was requested because emergency personnel had problems when the name changed from Kyles to Highland in front of the city building.
But Kyles Lane residents complained that council ignored their wishes.
They said a city survey showed that residents, by a 2 to 1 majority, supported keeping the name of Kyles Lane from Dixie Highway to the 3L intersection by United Dairy Farmers, and changing the name of Kyles Lane from the city building to Walt's Hitching Post on 3L.
“We're not opposed to a name change,” said Lee Stauber. “But they didn't listen to the people. That's what upset us.”
Mr. Stauber, who has lived on Kyles Lane for 34 years, had signs printed that pleaded, “Please Don't Change Kyles Lane,” and erected them in virtually every yard from Dixie Highway to the city building, where Kyles Lane becomes Highland Avenue.
The 67-year-old retiree said that he also has collected about 500 signatures from residents who are opposed to changing the historic name of Kyles Lane to Fort Wright Parkway.
“We have an East Henry Clay and a West Henry Clay,” Mr. Stauber said. “Why can't we do the same thing with Highland?”
