CINCINNATI — At our Madisonville Let's Talk event on Wednesday at Element Eatery, nestled within the Medpace campus, two women from the St. Paul Village senior living home on the other side of Medpace's campus came to tell us about problems they'd been having since the company proposed building a massive parking garage along Stewart Avenue.
June Lu and Ann Boland told us they were worried about an increase in traffic and speeding on Stewart Avenue since the garage opened with an outlet onto the small road, and they wondered why speed humps agreed upon in 2024 had yet to be installed.
"It's a little bit of a dip, and they'll come down and see the green light a half-a-mile away and VROOOOOM," Boland said, sliding her hand through her other palm, mocking a car flying past the parking garage.
Boland told us Medpace had agreed to pay for speed humps on Stewart Avenue, but her efforts to push Medpace or the Cincinnati Department of Transportation and Engineering to install the humps had ended in frustration.
Lu told us she felt "endangered" by the lack of speed control, and Boland agreed.
"All kinds of people come in and out of St. Paul Village, and it's hazardous to come out of there," she said.
We reached out to CDOTE, and a spokesperson responded with a written statement.
"The City is aware of St. Paul Village residents’ request for speed humps on Stewart Avenue and has been in communication with Medpace about it. We’re continuing those conversations to determine next steps," the statement read.
We also reached out to Medpace Head of Facilities Christopher Pfaff, and he too responded with a written statement:
"Medpace is working with the city on the traffic calming on Stewart as agreed during our planning meetings. CDOTE completed designs for speed humps on the street, and we have been meeting with the city to organize funding once they have bids to do the work. Medpace agreed to pay for the speed humps on Stewart, but the city will be completing the work. While we cannot control the speed at which the work is completed, Medpace, along with the city partners are actively meeting to move this project forward."
Boland said that after more than two years of waiting, she just wants the project done.
"We just want Medpace to do what they said they would do," she said.
