WEST CHESTER TWP. — A new coalition is forming to help cope with the rising number of Hispanics — a 342 percent increase in the past decade — and to promote diversity in this booming suburb.

        “Not to criticize Cincinnati, but we don't want to experience a pattern of growth where one segment of the community grows in a disparate direction from the rest of the community. We want everyone to appreciate everyone here,” said Township Administrator Dave Gully. “I've heard a few disparaging comments, but that comes from ignorance and lack of understanding. We want to nip that in the bud.”

        Mr. Gully announced the coalition, called Coalition Espanol, in the wake of a recent six-alarm fire at an apartment complex that displaced several Hispanic families. The fire underscored language barriers between Hispanics and public safety workers.

        “We had all these people standing around and nobody could talk to them,” Mr. Gully said. “It was pandemonium.”

        Township officials, including the fire chief, will serve on the coalition with about a dozen residents, community activists and an outreach coordinator with Butler County's Department of Job & Family Services.

        The goal will be to identify and address problems. The coalition is the first in a Butler County municipality.

        On Monday, the Butler County Family and Child First Council held the first in a series of community meetings to assist with the influx of Hispanic residents. The session included more than 50 social service providers, educators and community members and showcased agencies with bilingual services. Future meetings will be for Hispanics on topics such as health, legal and bilingual education.

        According to 2000 Census figures, the township overall has 54,895 residents, a 38.3 percent population jump from 39,703 residents in 1990. But the Hispanic population rose 342 percent from 247 residents in 1990 to 1,085 in 2000.

        Countywide, the Hispanic population shot up 225 percent from 1,467 in 1990 to 4,771 in 2000, outpacing Hispanic growth in other southwestern Ohio counties. The Tristate's Hispanic population more than doubled over the last decade, with the eight-county total at 22,000 people in the 2000 Census.

        That's a rate even faster than the nationwide trend that showed a 60 percent increase.

        Concepcion Reyna, the outreach coordinator with Butler County's Department of Job & Family Services, and who serves on West Chester's coalition, said the Census estimates are believed to be low for Hispanics.

        West Chester firefighters carry books and other information to help them communicate with Spanish-speaking residents. Two firefighters are taking Spanish classes now at the Warren County Career Center. And Chief Jim Detherage plans to ask trustees soon to approve funding to send the entire fire department to Spanish class.

        But firefighters struggled to communicate with several Hispanics whose apartments were hit by an early morning April 30 fire at Woodbridge on the Lake just off Interstate 75 on Cincinnati-Dayton Road. The fire damaged 14 apartments, and two other units — occupied by Hispanic families — were destroyed.

        “It's a concern and growing problem,” Chief Detherage said of the language barrier. “And to be honest with you, it's not just Spanish. There's quite a number of languages being spoken in West Chester. We have Russians ... We have many different languages.” Lourdes Ward, executive director of Reach Out Lakota, a food pantry, has been helping the displaced Hispanic families fill out paperwork for assistance and even accompanied one man to another apartment complex to fill out a rental application.

        The social worker came to America as a child from Uruguay, is fluent in Spanish, and will serve on the coalition. Ms. Reyna also helped translate for fire investigators.

        “There's a big misconception that the Hispanics over here are illegal or don't work,” she said. “They are hard-working people and all they are trying to do is make a better life for them and their families.”

        Another aspect of the coalition, Mr. Gully said, will be to ensure Hispanics aren't exploited by their employers or landlords.

        To assist the coalition, a West Chester couple, Christy and Estevez Vigil, set up a fund at The Community Foundation of West Chester/Liberty.

        Save for Mr. Vigil, who already is fluent in Spanish, the family is learning Spanish and believes everyone needs to at least be able to converse on a basic level.

        “The Hispanic population is just growing so phenomenally fast, we're all going to have to unify as a community and learn about each other's culture,” Mrs. Vigil said.

        “When you don't get to know other cultures, that leads to fear and that fear instills problems,” she continued. “I don't want to see the division, the prejudice.”

        The Hispanic influx has impacted schools, including the Lakota School District, which has an all-time high number this year of English as a Second Language (ESL) students, 173 overall, most of whom are Hispanic, Assistant Superintendent Mike Taylor said.

        Many of those students come and go throughout the year, said Dianne Aiken, the ESL teacher at Hopewell Elementary School. She has added four new students — two Hispanic — in the last month alone to her class of 40 pupils.

        An effort is under way through ESL classes to hold more activities for students that also provide opportunities for their parents to meet and form bonds.

        “Transportation is a major problem for our parents,” she said. “They just don't have it. So coming to school for a conference is hard, plus they may not understand the English langugage all that well yet.”

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