By Dave Hofmeister
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Question: Each day, as I drive across the Sixth Street Viaduct, I pass the dilapidated shell of the Hudepohl brewery. Why hasn't the city demanded that the owners demolish this safety hazard and eyesore?

Kathy Liber, Covedale

Answer: The old brewery has been caught up in a legal tussle between the former owner and the new owner, and the city of Cincinnati also has been involved, according to Ron Thomas, assistant director for buildings and inspections.

Thomas said the building was sold at a sheriff's sale in 2002, but the new owner was unable to get into it until recently to begin clearing out salvage materials the former owner had stored there.

Pete Bigelow, part of a group of investors known as the Keene Group that owns the property, said he is looking for a developer for the six buildings on the site. Offices, and possibly loft apartments, are among the ideas he has pitched to developers.

"We're looking for something creative," he said. "You should see the view from up there."

Two of the buildings were condemned by the city, Thomas said, and the smokestack might have to go. But Bigelow said he'd like to keep it.

Question: I live on Klotter Avenue off Ravine Street. It's a narrow street with parking allowed only on the north side of the street, making a rather narrow lane for traffic. The posted speed limit is 25 mph, but there are quite a few college students living on the street and some of them are doing close to 50 mph regularly. Our homeowners association has approached the city about speed bumps to slow down the speeders but there doesn't seem to be much interest. What do we have to do to get them?

H. David Reid, Fairview

Answer: Cincinnati does have a "street calming program," but because of budgetary constraints, it was not funded in 2003 or 2004, according to Steve Bailey, city traffic engineer.

"This program established criteria for the residents' involvement, necessary studies, community and City Council support, and recommended methods to reduce cut-through and speeding traffic on a particular street," Bailey said. No new requests have been taken since January 2003.

The city has a list of interested residents and their street names, and if the city decides to fund the program, Klotter Avenue will be added to the list, Bailey said.

In the meantime, the engineer's office has contacted Police District 5 for speed enforcement.

Question: The light at Harper's Point for Montgomery and East Kemper takes an interminably long time to change for the East Kemper traffic, even during non-peak hours. To make matters worse, the light at the south end of Harper's for the shopping centers and apartment complex used to be a "demand" light, but now changes to red for Montgomery traffic even when there is no traffic from the centers. Why the change and can anything be done about the timing of the light?

David Browe, Montgomery

Answer: Ron Mosby, a spokesman for the Ohio Department of Transportation, said the light would be checked within two weeks to see if pavement detectors are out, or if timing needs to be adjusted.

Have a question? E-mail it to Dave Hofmeister at dhofmeister @enquirer.com, or send it to The Cincinnati Enquirer, 7700 Service Center Drive, West Chester, OH 45069.