Oakley residents will get their first formal community forum on flood recovery Tuesday, August 4, when the Oakley Community Council holds its monthly meeting at a new location.
The meeting comes just over two weeks after back-to-back flash floods devastated Madison Road businesses and homes on Friday, July 17 and Tuesday, July 21. Administrator Joe Groh posted the agenda Wednesday, July 29, on oakleynow.com, noting the location change. The specific new venue is listed in a linked Google Doc on the agenda page.
The timing is significant. Cincinnati City Council returns from summer recess Monday, August 3, for a three-day session to address flood-related business, according to WVXU. Council is scheduled to vote Wednesday, August 5, on a $1 million homeowner relief fund announced by Vice Mayor Jan-Michele Lemon Kearney. Mayor Aftab Pureval has already committed a separate $1 million for businesses.
That means Tuesday's community council meeting falls one day before the City Council vote, giving Oakley residents a chance to organize their concerns and direct them to elected officials.
What residents want answers on
The Duck Creek floodgate on Madison Road failed to close automatically during the July 17 storm due to a mechanical malfunction, City Manager Sheryl Long confirmed at a July 23 press conference. The gate, installed in 2008 by the Army Corps of Engineers, protects roughly 40 properties near the Madison Road bridge. The city took over management in 2012. Greater Cincinnati Water Works has offered no timeline for repairing the automatic closure mechanism, WVXU reported.
A 2020 city-commissioned report recommended replacing the bridge at a cost of $2.3 million to $2.6 million. The city deemed it infeasible.
Councilman Mark Jeffreys filed a two-part motion the week of July 28 calling for a 30-day review of the city's flood response and a feasibility study of smaller stormwater fixes, including retention ponds, permeable pavement, rain gardens, and bioswales. "Our residents are looking for what we can do to mitigate some of these, especially in the short- and medium-term," Jeffreys said, according to Local 12.
The damage
Oakley had the most flood-related incident calls of any Cincinnati neighborhood on July 17, with 33, followed by Hyde Park with 20. The storm dropped 4.4 to 6.6 inches of rain in roughly one hour. The National Weather Service classified it as a 1,000-year event. One person died and three were injured across the affected area. The fire department responded to 40 water rescue calls, and MSD received more than 600 calls for service that night, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported.
Zip's Cafe, the Crystalary, VV The Italian Experience, Deeper Roots Coffee, and Quince & Quinn all announced closures for repairs. MSD had logged more than 1,500 reports of flooding and sewer backups from both storms as of July 24.
Oakley resident Paige Scheidler, who lives on Camberwell Road near Duck Creek, told WLWT on July 26 she had already spent more than $20,000 on a new hot water heater, HVAC system, garage door, washer, and dryer. "This has been a consistent issue since 2016. So we're talking ten years," Scheidler said.
How to attend
The Oakley Community Council meets Tuesday, August 4. Check the agenda page for the new venue address. City Council's flood relief vote is scheduled for Wednesday, August 5.
