The Cincinnati Enquirer from Cincinnati, Ohio • Page 50

7 I Editor: Leisa Richardson Tuesday, November 5, 1991 Reader survey2 Government notes4 Real estate transfers4 Used car dealers offer alternative 860-5180 1 I rTTTCBll.lM-8 I John Eckberg tasf Financing, prices among attractions Schools put 1 the 'play' back in playgrounds Seemed like at least once a year, usually in the fall, somebody would drop in a lump from the top of the big sliding board. It was inevitable, we figured. The kid would break an arm or leg or collarbone we'd find out later and spend a very long time on the ground in a lot of pain. It was always a lesson in playground physics, anatomy, luck and caution for the knot of kids that gathered around the now-moaning, prone child until the principal came out to shoo everybody away. The lesson was a simple one: He fell off the slide.

He wasn careful. Don let this happen to you. Don't goof around at the The Cincinnati EnquirerDick Swaim Stanley Jackson Jr. stands in front of Tho dealers' world Seven neighborhood used-car dealers contacted by EXTRA answered the following questions: Where do you get automobiles? Trade-ins purchased from new-car dealers account for 75, 1 3 are purchased from private owners and 12 are bought at auctions. How much business comes from people in your neighborhood? Dealers' average is about 70, Has the recession hurt sslss? Sales are off an average of 16 at five dealers who responded.

Are repossessions up? minorities, single women, divorced people. Credit is harder for those people to get. Alford has found a niche carrying his own accounts extending credit. "Our prices are perhaps a little higher than at a new-car dealer's used car lot, but we don't charge interest. "We mark the down payments on the windows of the cars and we normally get as close to that figure as we can," Alford said.

BY WALT SCHAEFER The Cincinnati Enquirer Lots full of cars prices written in soap on their windshields often grab attention on busy corners in older neighborhoods. A rainbow of pennants or banners attracts would-be buyers to the neighborhood used car lot. There is no showroom; no swanky atmosphere. The cars come "as is" many with the dents and dings of age and with odometer readings of 80,000, 90,000 or sometimes six digits. These businesses cater mainly to local customers.

"I'm really just starting in the business," said Stanley Jackson 44, of Forest Park, who, six months ago, opened Auto Crossing, a used car lot at an old gas station on Dana Avenue in Evanston. Jackson's father, Stanley has been a mechanic for 40 years and helps out. Jackson stocks his lot with models from the late 70s to mid-'80s ranging from $700 to $3,000. Typical customers "Most of our customers have been people looking for something economical for themselves. They are on fixed incomes and can't afford a new car; or, they want a good second car; or, their children are starting off to college." "This is a second income for me," said Jackson, who works at General Electric, Evendale.

"I always wanted to be independent." At the other end of the used car spectrum is Jack Alford, 60, owner of Alford Motors with two lots in Hart-well, another in Norwood and a service department to go with them. Alford's television commercials tout: "Job Down Payment Car" and they have helped make Alford one of Cincinnati's better known used car dealers. Alford said he targets new car dealer trade-ins, ones 5 years or older. Credit considerations "Primarily, we deal with people who live on week-to-week paychecks," said Alford, who has been finance manager at a Chevrolet dealership and district manager of a finance company. "These people may have bad credit or credit problems.

The banks have tightened up lending so much on older cars, too." "Frankly, we do a lot of business with CALENDAR Report cards: Parents must personally pick up their children's report cards at Winton Woods High School, 1231 West Kemper Road, Forest Park, noon to 8 p.m. Nov. 12. Teacher conferences may be scheduled at that time. 825-7840.

Desinger clothes sale: Designer Dress Days '91 sponsored by the National Council of Jewish Women, with 50 racks full of designer clothing for men, women and children, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday, National Guard Armory, 4100 Reading Road.

Admission: $1 Sunday, free Monday. Proceeds benefit the group's many community service projects. College Hill symposium: The College Hill Historical Society, an evening of discussions and exhibits on World War II, 7 p.m. Saturday at the Twin Towers Retirement Center, 5343 Hamilton Ave. Housing report: Loren Swisher describes Habitat for Humanity's worldwide effort, Sharonville Federated Woman's Club, 8 p.m., Nov.

12, Sharonville Community Center, Creek Road and Thornview Drive. Free. 777-5825 Real estate seminar: Home ownership seminar, 9:30 a.m. to 1 1 :30 a.m. Saturday Cincinnati Convention Center rooms 250 and 251 for prospective buyers in city-developed Longworth Square townhouses and other housing projects.

Provident Bank and FifthThird Bank representatives will offer individual counseling. Free. 761-7939. Road talk: Officials of the Ohio-Indiana-Kentucky Reqional Council of Governments solicit your comments on their road improvement suggestions at a public meeting, 5-8 p.m. Thursday, Sharonville Municipal Building, 1 0900 Reading Road.

top of the slide. Or on the monkey bars. Lawsuit era brought changes This scene must have been repeated thousands of times at schools across the country. Fear of injury and lawsuits from disgruntled parents led most districts to remove equipment from school grounds in the 1970s in an effort to avoid lawsuits. But that is all changing at least near North Avondale Elementary, where neighbors and parents of children in this Mon-tessori school plan to bring new equipment to a nearby playground owned by the Cincinnati Recreation Commission.

Parents have consulted with specialists, designed a climber and are now raising cash through the sale of commemorative bricks to pay for the equipment. It's not easy, though. Public schools do not maintain alumni lists, where most fund-raising campaigns first turn. Creative fund raising So, they are pursuing other avenues kids are recycling cans. They collected money from a Halloween party.

Receipts from Snappy Tomato Pizza will bring in 15C per pizza pie. "We need to raise $14,646.34," said Martha Blumenfeld, one of the project coordinators and parent of three students at the school. Grants will make up much of that amount, and city administrators will contribute expensive ground cover and protective surfacing. While other, wealthier school systems can tap tax revenues for safe playground equipment, parents in the Cincinnati system must rely on community largess. "We don't have tax dollars.

The system is in bankruptcy, but we need a playground because there's enough equipment for about 15 children," she said. "But we have about 500 children in the school and as many as 150 in an after-school program. We need more equipment for safe play. Right now they're playing in the dirt." Bricks will have family or donor names and be arranged at the entrance to the new playground. "We want to educate and take care of total child: mental, social and also his physical needs," said Tom Rothwell, principal at the school.

"Playground equipment teaches important lessons: getting along with others, taking turns, helping one another, older children helping younger children. The physical part is very important." When the equipment was removed, it was usually replaced with boring yellow lines for hopscotch and baseball diamonds and such but few children play hopscotch. The point of this game is to chalk up some perfectly good concrete and get dust on fingers and pants, that's all. And you can't even do that when the hopscotch grid is permanent. Safety or lawsuits? Part of the fun of baseball or playground kickball was to send one into the swings and watch the centerfielder duck a slew of 80-pound pendulums wearing shoes with hard leather soles.

If there were no swing sets, there was less fun. But fun, apparently, ceased to matter. The removal of playground equipment was yet another all-too-familiar example of how society had taken a turn down the road less traveled, a turn for the worse, and there was nothing anybody could do. While potential litigation was always a concern, the biggest worry in years past was the likelihood of accidents, Rothwell said "In public education, the biggest concern has to be safety," he said. New equipment will have a mulch ground-cover, as opposed to asphalt or dirt, to absorb shock from falls.

Parents school officials and the neighborhood association in North Avondale hope to have the equipment by spring. In the meantime, kids will have to make do with a couple of old swing sets, a dinky slidft and iunele-evm from the 1960s. Reporter Steve Hoffman compilies calendar items. Mail to: Enquirer EXTRA, 4820 Business Center Way, Cincinnati, 45246 or call Hoffman (733-1984) or our Tri-County bureau (860-5180). Avenue in Evanston.

Kenneth Mitchell, 27, of Forest Park. "My daughter knows his daughter, that's how I found him. I have to buy used cars because I can't get credit (for a new one). I've recommended him to other people." Sherry Hammond, 27, whose grandmother hves on Dana Avenue near Auto Crossing, saw her 1984 Buick Skyhawk on the lot as she drove past "a couple of times before I stopped." Affordable transportation "He was pretty good to deal with. I can't afford a new car and I needed transportation to work.

The transmission went out on my '62 Buick and he got me the car right away. I'm really happy with it." Len Hoffert, a Norwood optician, bought his daughter an '85 Dodge at Alford Motors. "It's her first car and it's far less expensive going the used car route. It's for school. I've known Jack Alford and knew he'd be fair to me.

We've had it for a year with no complaints." So the image of the used car dealer as a swindler is fading. "I entered the business because transportation is a need for everybody, just like food, clothing, housing. I want to treat (Please see CARS, Page 2) INSIDE Reader survey: What do you think about our neighborhood coverage in EXTRA? Turn the page, fill in the questionnaire and mail or fax It to our Tri-County bureau. We'll compile and publish the results. Page 2.

Norwood bars: Even if four bars win their court battle to remain open, their mounting legal bills may mean they'll lose the war. Page 2. Arts in Finneytown: This area first settlers looked with wonder at the lush green banks of the Ohio River. Artist in Residence Lewis Cisle hopes to re-create that feeling and an empathy for wildlife when he works with local pupils. Page 6.

HISTORY NOTE Mount Healthy: Once known as the pants capital of Hamilton County, a reputation that began during the Civil War when village seamstresses made uniforms. Later, while downtown Cincinnati shops made jackets and vests, as many as 30 Mount Healthy tailors made pants. German immigrant tailors are credited with starting the village trade. Some of the original buildings still stand. COMING UP Wyoming fashions: Junior Woman's Club of Wyoming luncheon, fashions by Parisian, 11 a.m.

Nov. 16, Sheraton Springdale Hotel, Springfield Pike-Ohio 4 at Interstate 275. Benefit: ProKids. Tickets: $20. Reservations bv Nov.

9. 761-7565. St. Xavier play: We Bombed at New Haven, Theater Xavier, 8 p.m. Nov 15-16, 21-23, St.

Xavier High School, 600 North Bend Road. Admission: $4 761-7600. his used-car lot, "Auto Crossing" on Dana Yes, an average of 26 at the three dealers who responded. Are good used cars easy to find? Car supply is off an average 29 at four dealers who responded. a Has the cost of used cars in-creased? Three dealers' average: 23.

What da ycu tecJc tzt LI ears? Clean interior; no signs, of wreck; clean exhaust and oil; low mileage; smooth engine and transmission. "Then, we have two basic payment plans $40 or $50 a week. We collect about 80 of the money owed. There's a larger loss ratio 20 in our business than at a bank," Alford said. Many disagree with the stereotype of the used car dealer as a wheeler-dealer out for profit with little regard for customer satisfaction.

"I bought an '82 Mazda from (Jackson) back in March. It's a very good car," said ROAD REPORT Liberty Fairfield Road: Closed today between Ohio 129 and Hamilton Mason Road for sewer construction. It will be reopened tonight. Kalbfleisch Road: Will be closed between Dickey and Elk Creek roads until Nov. 28 for bridge replacement.

Detours will be posted. Eaton Road: Eaton Road remains closed at various locations between Gray Road and U.S. 27 to allow for roadway reconstruction and replacement of bridges and and retaining walls. The project is scheduled for completion by Nov. 30.

SPOTLIGHT PORT UNION 1990 population: 4,505 When foundedsettled: 1826 Employers: Small industrial plants, many in the Gold Park industrial park. School district: Lakota Local Residential community: Much of the population lives in two mobile home parks Princeton Crossings and Princeton Mobile Home Park. What's special: The Port Union Cafe, a restaurant and tavern, was built as a hotel and coach stop about 1826. It became a tavern in 1900. Remnants of the Miami Erie Canal, started in 1825 by the state to connect Cincinnati to Toledo, can be seen along the south entrance to the cafe.

Walt Schaefer Benefit dance: Live band from 8 p.m. to midnight Friday at Strieker's Grove, Hamilton-Cleves Road near Ross. Benefit: Shawn Shell, 14, of Mount Airy, for van with wheelchair lift. Tickets: $12 per person. Information: 385-8181.

Sharonville sirens: a monthly test for all Hamilton County civil defense sirens will Include the city of Sharonville, Wednesday at noon. Noise may seem louder in some city sectors due to an addition of three sirens. Questionscomments: 563-0252. Finneytown fruit: Orange and grapefruit sale, Finneytown High School music students, Friday through Nov. 1 8 during school hours.

Benefit: High school music projects. 931-0712..