The New Year

Happy New Year! Although the new year just arrived, the world has continued on unchanged and there are always new adventures at every corner. Mt. Auburn just received notice a month ago that the School District is going to close our local Magnet STEM School, Taft Elementary. (STEM - Science, Technology, Engineering, Math). This is the only middle school in the surrounding three neighborhoods, which are all low-income neighborhoods, so Mt. Auburn was not pleased with this decision.

Today was the Cincinnati's first Board of Education meeting of the year, and Mt. Auburn residents along with Taft School supporters showed up in an impressive number. With over 70 supporters in the audience including mothers, children, residents, and business owners - the Board of Education seemed truly impressed by the support.

It was interesting seeing the discussion happening. Here is an overview:

After a long agenda of other topics, 1.5 hours, the meeting was opened up for the public to speak. So to begin this portion of the meeting, the superintendent read a prepared speech that they are closing Taft because of budget reasons and that the public should understand the difficult situation they had to face.

Then the public spoke, and they limited it 10 people of a list of over 30 who wanted to speak. These 10 speakers were powerful, they spoke with intent, with passion, with conviction. They spoke from their hearts and they made their point that it was not right to close our community's school that has been performing well and that has had increasing enrollment.

Then, discussion with the public was silenced, and the board was able to discuss these points and this is where it got interesting. People say to be color blind, but wow, the first board member who spoke (black) was extremely in favor of keeping the school open and she mentioned that it was not discussed enough and that the decision was made in a vacuum without board input. Then a second board member spoke (white) and she mentioned, it should be closed, its the best decision for the kids, period. Then three other board members spoke (all black) in support of the school. In a neighborhood that is 90% African American, there seemed to be subtle racial undertones present during the board discussion, the whites vs the blacks. Then out of nowhere to further divide the issue, the superintendent mentioned that another neighborhood, Hyde Park (our token prodominently white, upper middle class neighborhood) wanted to re-open their elementary school, and she made hints that made it clear - if they fund Taft, they would not be able to fund the Hyde Park Elementary. There was a roar from the crowd. They were far from pleased. Nonetheless, the chair of the board kept interjecting and tried to moderate the discussion and she actually did a good job asking the right questions, and keeping everyone in line.

And after the 1.5 hours of discussing about Taft, it looks like the Board of Education is really going to rethink the issue. One board member made a good point, it is their job to keep the good schools going, to find ways, especially schools that are on the track to doing well, and if they aren't make them do well instead of closing them! So time will tell what will happen to the school, but it was great seeing the community organized in action to support their local school and it really seemed to make a difference this time.

Happy Holidays!

It's the end of the year, school is out, work is taking a break for most employers, and it is a time to be with our families. One of the roommates was even kind enough to spend the last 2 months in pottery studio every Wednesday night to create a mug for each and every one of her 8 roommates. It was an amazing act of love for those around her with the amount of thought and time that went into this thoughtful gift. All of us here in the house will value this gift made with love and care and thought more than a simple trinket purchased at the value store that will quickly be forgotten.

And on another note, this first half year has been amazing. When we first moved in, it seemed every time we would try and talk with the neighbors, they would turn their heads, or ignore us. Now it seems that every time I am outside, I can even walk to my car without someone stopping and saying hello and to chat about any topic. Building relationships takes a long time, and I am grateful that after these few first months, there seems to be some hopeful traction in that department. Its hard not to when we are surrounded by amazing, intelligent, thoughtful people in our neighborhood who seem to be looking out for one another!

Enjoy the holidays and have a great rest of the year!

Full House

The house was purchased late April, repairs started immediately and our first residents moved in July 31. A full three months later, we are full with 9 people! It is amazing to see the great people who have chosen to live in a community-focused, service-oriented house to claim as their residence.

The beginning of the community has been great. We had an amazing pot luck where well over 70 people came to share our community with us, from friends and families from out to state, to neighbors and a local band, Agape Alive, we had a great showing with a positive and uplifting energy the entire night.

Then came Halloween and it was great having 7 people sitting on the front porch interacting with the neighborhood kids and giving them candy. Although some may claim this is a preposterous holiday, giving simple sugars to kids dressed as ghouls and goblins, we felt is a positive experience to share community. Unfortunately, there was not much community to go around as we had only 2 groups of teenagers and then 3 small families come by all night. (Pictures will be posted soon!) Although though there were few people, there was a lot of great energy!

And just when the house thought we could not have any more fun, just yesterday, November 1st, it was Ben's birthday (HAPPY BIRTHDAY BEN!!!) And what is better than a communal taco night shared amongst friends? - The answer: The dancing that followed the meal!!

Until next time!

Teamwork

This past weekend, the entire house scheduled a work day at the house. We painted, we cleaned, we fixed and we ate. Overall it was a great time. We now have 3 finished living rooms and great home.

It is great to see the collaborative effort of a team and seeing how much can get accomplished with a group of individuals get together for a common goal. Individually the amount we painted would have taken months, but together, just one day :)

The main drive for getting the home ready is the Oct 17 pot luck housewarming that is coming up! We are inviting our community neighbors and our friends. Should be a great deal of fun, email us if you are interested in coming!

The Beginning

With 8 people currently living in the house, we are learning to work together as a team to maintain a positive atmosphere (and a clean home). By rotating chores, helping each other paint, and having weekly dinners together, we are growing together. One of our first initiatives was to bake cookies together then pass them out to our neighbors to become a positive and welcoming presence in the neighborhood.

Also, the Mount Auburn Community Council meets every third Monday at 7pm at the Historical Taft Center on Auburn, some of us will be there every month to try to see how we can make a positive impact on the community of Mt. Auburn.

Summer Updates

There have been many updates with the house for the summer and there has been much progress made. Here is a recap.

Matt Flege (board member) had a group of 15 highschool students come out and help with the house. They cleaned the carpets that had been in disabondon for the past two years, they cleaned up floor bathroom as well. Photos to follow!

We have another group from MIT coming July 15 to help finish up any big projects around the house to have it move in ready, as our first residential community members will be moving in the last weekend of July!

Other updates include fixing the water heater to a new high efficiency one and repairing parts of the roof. The leadership team and the future residential members are extremely excited about having this project up and running, and don't forget to vote for us at www.cincinnatiinnovates.com!

Thanks for you interest in our progress,

-The Mac House

What is the McGregor House?

The Mission:

To create a socially and environmentally conscious intentional community that focuses on developing their local community while providing affordable housing to those who work in the public service sector.

The Team:

Matt Flege

Meghan Snyder

Jessica Leon

Nelson Robles

Nick Shaver