Members of the McCain/Palin campaign were met today, Oct. 15, by lines of people wanting tickets for the vice presidential nominee’s visit to West Chester Twp. on Friday.
There are two locations in Butler County to grab the limited supply of tickets, which began flying out of campaign workers’ hands just before 8:30 a.m.
Event-goers must fill out names and addresses of prospective ticket holders. That means, if you’re planning to pick up tickets for others, like co-workers, friends or family members, you have to have their addresses in addition to their names. There is no limit for tickets … so long as you have the info you need.
If you’re heading out to one of these locations today, expect some lines. Tomorrow will be much of the same, as thousands are expected to attend the rally at the Square @ Union Centre on Friday. For more on that story, click here.
Parking will be limited.
West Chester Twp. officials said they have secured two spots: The field near the Union Centre Loop (where the Embassy Suites will be built later this year) and the vacant lot across from U.S. Bank. They only hold about 1,200 vehicles, according to Township Administrator Judi Boyko, so many people will have to fend for themselves.
Street closings are as follows: Centre Pointe Drive from Centre Loop Drive to Centre Loop Drive, and Towne Centre Drive, just north of Centre Loop Drive, will be closed to traffic starting Thursday, Oct. 16, and will remain closed until after the event, according to Barb Wilson, the township’s public information officer. Additional closures may be needed on Friday, she said.
Boyko said that traffic will be maintained to area businesses during normal hours of operation.
Before we get into the details, here’s another question for you: What’s the one question you want to ask Sarah Palin if you had the chance when she visits on Friday in West Chester?
Drop your comment below.
Now…
West Chester officials spent the afternoon today, Oct. 14, continuing to work out the details of Friday’s visit of Gov. Sarah Palin.
The township will have two designated parking spots, the first in a field where the new Embassy Suites will be built later this year; the second across from U.S. Bank along Union Centre Boulevard. Both are within walking distance. However, the lots are only expected to hold between 1,000 and 1,200 vehicles, meaning a lot of people will have to fend for themselves if organizers are correct in their estimations today.
Here’s an embedded pic of the area, using The Learning Kitchen as the nearest address: (Toggle the window to move the map.)
Nearby businesses will also be notified in the coming days, and if they have concerns about event-goers parking in their lots, they are asked to police the area themselves, according to Township Administrator Judi Boyko.
Centre Pointe Drive from Centre Loop Drive to Centre Loop Drive, and Towne Centre
Drive, just north of Centre Loop Drive, will be closed to traffic starting Thursday, Oct. 16, and will remain closed until after the event, according to Barb Wilson, the township’s public information officer. Additional closures may be needed on Friday, she said.
Boyko said that traffic will be maintained to area businesses during normal hours of operation.
Wilson also said the McCain/Palin campaign will be reimbursing the township on all costs incurred. A “ballpark” figure is expected to be given to the campaign later this week, Wilson said, and then a more accurate figure is expected by the event.
Questions can be directed to the township’s information line at (513) 759-3036.
Questions about tickets can be directed to the Butler County GOP’s Headquarters, (513) 893-5292, or the Friends of John Boehner West Chester office at (513) 779-8435 or (800) 228-8551.
We just broke this story on our site a few moments ago. So, I want to know … will you go? What are your expectations?
WEST CHESTER TWP. — Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin is scheduled to visit this township’s downtown Friday, officials from her local campaign, said today, Oct. 14.
The first local visit from the Alaska Governor is expected to draw thousands to the Square @ Union Centre, a newly built community park situated near Lakota West High School and the heavily traveled Union Centre Boulevard.
Officials from the Palin campaign said they are sending out more than 150,000 “robo-calls” this afternoon to alert local supporters of her pending arrival.
Gates open at 8:30 a.m., Friday, with pre-programming beginning at 10:30 a.m. Palin is expected to take the stage at 11:30 a.m.
Tickets will be required for the event, and can be picked up starting Wednesday, Oct. 15, at the Butler County GOP Headquarters, 5964 Golf Club Lane, and the West Chester office of the Friends of John Boehner, 7908 Cincinnati-Dayton Rd Suite I. Both facilities will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Township officials will be meeting with members of the McCain/Palin campaign today to determine logistics for the visit, including road closures, checkpoints and gates and available parking.
Scott Owens, the chairman of the McCain/Palin campaign in Butler County said today he had the site picked out “probably two months ago.”
“I had to lobby as the McCain chair why that site would be good and everybody bought into it,” Owens said, adding the visit once again thrusts southwest Ohio, and more specifically Butler County, into the national spotlight.
“I think this just proves once again the importance of Butler County in this election,” Owens said. “We are right in the middle of a very important election and once again Butler County is in the middle of it. All eyes are on Butler County.”
All eyes were on West Chester in 2004 when President George Bush made a campaign stop at Voice of America Park. The event drew more than 50,000 people, and was one of the largest of its kind late in the incumbent’s campaign, according to organizers at the time.
West Chester Twp. Trustees will be presented with a plan Tuesday, Oct. 14, to better connect residents with their community … gasoline free.
At its meeting this week, trustees will be presented with the township’s Connections Plan, a part of the “Vision for West Chester in 2025.”
According to the release, “(a)n important goal of this plan is to allow citizens to enjoy West Chester without having to rely on the automobile.”
The regional plan includes ideas to connect people with their respective communities in the township and the Miami 2 Miami trail.
Work session begins before the trustees meeting at 5 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 14. Regular meeting to follow at 6 p.m. Both meetings take place at the Administration building off Cincinnati Dayton Road.
Here’s the release and copies of the plan. (Click on the upper right corner to enlarge.)
See anything you like or dislike? Is this a good idea for the township?
Apparently, some guy from Georgia thought it would be funny to send a mysterious package to Congressman John Boehner’s office this week.
The grease-stained letter posed no immediate threat to Boehner or his staff, despite the fact his West Chester office was evacuated. (No immediate threat, unless you have extremely high cholesterol.) It was, after all, just bacon.
According to Boehner’s spokeswoman, the meat was meant to symbolize pork barrel spending, for which the sender believes Boehner is at least partially responsible.
There are no suspects at this time.
The package was sent in the wake of the past two weeks’ up and down (mostly down) stock market that responded to the nation’s $700 billion Wall Street bailout.
Thoughts on this? Much ado about nothing? Or is a threat a threat?
In the past week or so, we’ve had a couple of stories having to deal with Butler County roads.
The first was how a mysterious road salt shortage (that officials say is a result of a heavy winter last year) will be affecting the work of local maintenance departments.
One interesting quote from that story by Scott Bressler, operations deputy with the Butler County Engineer’s Office: “People will just have to learn how to drive on snow. They’ll just have to wait until the snow tapers off, and we plow it off. Then we’ll use the salt.”
Still, officials from West Chester and Liberty townships say they will operate normally … that is if and when the salt supplies run dry.
And here’s a story that ran in the Journal-News today about I-75 construction updates. (By the way, Kyles Station Road overpass opens today; Princeton Road overpass opens Oct. 13.)
Click over to our new special election page, which includes voter and candidate profiles, local election stories and more.
Here’s the latest story about the race for the 55th State House seat, between incumbent Republican Bill Coley and Democrat Tony Klimek. See anything you like?
And Butler County reporter Josh Sweigart makes a good point about the race for state Senator in “that both incumbent Republican Sen. Gary Cates and Democratic Challenger Kathryn Bridgman are from West Chester Twp.” Does this say anything about where the power lies in Butler County?
Dave Greber covers West Chester Twp., Ohio, government, business and local
residents just like you for The Pulse-Journal and Hamilton JournalNews. He
wants your suggestions and questions for more news stories. Leave a comment
here, e-mail Dave at dgreber@coxohio.com or call (513) 820-2112.
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