The Official Newsletter of the Village of Cleves, OHIO-January 12-16, 2026

Metropolitan Sewer District Bills Make Up 70% of Your Water Bill

Facts You Need To Know About Your Sewer Bill

• The Sewer Rates are Set by the Hamilton County Commissioners- The Village of Cleves nor Cleves Waterworks has a say!

• The amount you pay for sewer is determined by your water use/consumption.

• Your consumption is based on your quarterly billing cycle months and is determined by your street address.

Residents living on Rosewynne, Laurelwood, Edgefield, Coleberry, Aston

View, Greyleaf, Reid's Way, and Ledgeview are determining their 2026 rates

now. (Billed every March) based on use, Dec, Jan., & Feb)

Residents living on Laird, Porter, Finley, Markland, W. State, N. Miami,

Cooper, Skidmore, Spring, Howell, Maiden Lane, S. Miami, Locust, Cleves.

Ave, parts of Harrison, parts of Ridge, Wamsley, (Billed very February)

based on use Nov, Dec, Jan.

Residents living on Bassett, Symmes, Timea Ct, Blondeau Street, Mt. Nebo,

Timberline Ct, parts of S Miami, parts of E. State Rd. Pontius Ave, Main St.

Westgate Dr, Western Hills Drive, Western Knoll Dr., Western View Ct

Western Ridge Dr. E Scott, & Jackson Dell (Billed every January), based

on use Oct, Nov, &Dec.

Residents are advised to check for running water in toilets, leaks, and to reduce use during their sewage billing cycles.

Some streets may be in different groups. If you have a question, email justin.habig@clevesoh.gov

Village of Cleves – Planning Commission Vacancy (2026)

The Village of Cleves Planning Commission is a three‑member citizen board that volunteers its time to review and approve building plans for both current and prospective businesses in our community. Members are appointed to one‑year terms and serve alongside the Mayor, who participates in discussions but does not vote.

A vacancy exists for the 2026 term. This is an unpaid, volunteer position, ideal for residents who want to contribute to responsible growth and help shape the future of Cleves.

Cleves Is An America 250–OH Community

The Village of Cleves is proud to be a recognized member of the America 250–OH community. As part of this statewide initiative, your Village Committee is planning monthly events throughout 2026 to honor our nation’s 250th birthday and celebrate the people and stories that shaped our community.

Residents across the Three Rivers Valley are warmly invited to take part in these celebrations.

One of the year’s highlights will be our Homecoming Celebration on June 26–27. We welcome both current and former residents to return to Cleves for a weekend of connection, reflection, and hometown pride as we commemorate the founding of the United States.

More details will be shared as each event approaches, and we look forward to celebrating this historic milestone together.

Are You Eligible for An MSD Discount of Your Sewer Bill?

Residents can find our Village's Public Meetings Notifications at the following locations:

• Village Website: https://www.clevesoh.gov/
• This Week in the Village- Emailed weekly to registered subscribers
• Merrillees Hardware
• Miami Township Branch Library Bulletin Board
• Front Door of the Cleves Municipal Building
• Cleves US Post Office Bulletin Board
• Front Door- Cleves Waterworks Department

Village of Cleves Service Department Update

Village of Cleves Maintenance Notice

Please be advised that from Monday, Jan. 12, through Friday, Jan. 16, the Maintenance Department will be focused on essential renovations within the Municipal Building and Sheriff’s Office.

While these interior improvements are a priority, our team remains on-call. Should maintenance needs arise elsewhere in the Village, we will respond promptly to ensure community services continue smoothly.

City Under Ice: Occupied Boston in the Winter of 1775–1776

By the winter of 1775–1776, Boston was no longer merely a rebellious colonial town; it was a besieged city slowly freezing into submission.

Under British occupation and command of General Sir William Howe, Boston became a grim experiment in endurance, where soldiers and civilians alike battled cold, hunger, disease, and despair. Rick Atkinson’s The British Are Coming, particularly Chapter 9, paints this winter as one of the most punishing episodes of the early American Revolution.

The cold itself seemed an enemy combatant. Ink froze in pens even when writers sat close to roaring fires. Snow and ice tightened their grip on the city while British troops burned through hundreds of tons of coal each week just to survive. Yet even this was not enough. Fuel supplies dwindled so sharply that at one point the garrison had barely three weeks of firewood remaining. Rebel privateers prowling the coast seized British coal shipments, while flooding in Nova Scotia disrupted additional deliveries. Promises from London of blankets and coal offered little comfort; the Atlantic was wide, winter seas were treacherous, and relief arrived slowly, if at all.

Theft, Destruction, and Disease

As wood ran out, paper followed. Books and manuscripts fed British stoves, consuming knowledge to produce warmth. The psychological strain showed. Captain Glanville Evelyn, an officer in the garrison, expressed a bleak hope that the city might simply burn down altogether, making continued occupation impossible. Discipline eroded as regulars pulled down houses and fences without permission. Howe attempted to reassert order with harsh punishments: executions for looters, 800 lashes for a soldier who struck a lieutenant, 1,000 lashes for a private caught trading stolen goods, and imprisonment even for a soldier’s wife who compounded the crime. Fear and hunger, however, proved stronger than authority.

Disease compounded misery. Smallpox spread rapidly through the crowded city, killing sailors and forcing ship crews into quarantine. Howe, despite Boston’s historic aversion to inoculation, authorized it for unprotected soldiers and civilians alike, an extraordinary measure reflecting the severity of the crisis. Those showing symptoms were expelled from the city.

Other illnesses followed. Barracks became hospitals, and hospitals became charnel houses. “The very air is infected with the smell,” Howe complained, as wounds festered and corpses piled up. Trenches were hastily dug on the Commons for the dead, sometimes so shallow that bodies were scarcely covered. Scurvy, fed by the lack of fresh food, began to take hold, just as rebel commanders outside the city hoped that starvation and sickness would bring “a prodigious mortality” upon the garrison.

Winter-Lack of Supplies Punishes Washington's Continental Army

Yet Boston’s suffering was not unique. Beyond the British lines, George Washington’s Continental Army endured conditions even harsher. Unlike the occupied population, Washington’s men lacked shelter, adequate clothing, and steady supplies. They faced the same merciless winter with fewer resources and little comfort, their endurance sustained largely by conviction rather than provisions. Exposure, hunger, and cold tested the resolve of the revolutionary cause as much as British firepower ever could.

Howe Warns KIng- May be Wiser to Withdraw

By midwinter, Howe recognized the precariousness of his position. In a dispatch dated January 16, he warned the British government that the rebel army was “not by any means to be despised,” filled with seasoned European soldiers and the most spirited young men of the colonies. He doubted they would retreat without risking battle and even dared to suggest whether it might be wiser to abandon the “delinquent provinces” altogether and leave the colonists to fight among themselves. Such thoughts revealed how close British authority in Boston had come to collapse.

The winter of 1775–1776 turned Boston into a frozen crucible, one that tested empire and rebellion alike. For the British, it exposed the fragility of occupying a hostile city cut off from supply. For the Americans, it forged a narrative of sacrifice and resilience. When the ice finally loosened its grip, Boston would soon change hands, but the memory of that winter lingered as a stark reminder: the American Revolution was fought not only with muskets and cannon, but against hunger, disease, and the unforgiving New England cold.

The Map Below is credited to the American Battlefield Trust. The map outlines the British and Continental Army locations during the siege of Boston.

Next week's America-250-OH article will be about Henry Knox and Dorchester Heights

For a Preview watch the video by clicking the WHITE Arrow

Village of Cleves-AMERICA OH 250 Committee

🎉 Meet Your Village of Cleves America-OH 250 Committee 🎉

The team working behind the scenes to plan and fund our Village Homecoming Events is made up of dedicated community members who care deeply about Cleves and its future.

Pictured here are:

• Erin Wilson-Resident
• Nancy Nichols-Resident- Three Rivers Women's Club
• Liz Rosenaker- Harrison-Symmes Museum
• Bev Meyers- DAR
• Carrie Bernard-Miami Township Branch Library
• Nancy Grigsby, Resident
• Pastor Ed Gebhardt-North Bend Church

Not pictured:

• Lisa Whiteley, Three Rivers Local Schools
• Chuck Birkholtz, Mayor
• Darlene West- DAR-Wreaths Across America
• Mary Angeline- Council Member

This committed group is working tirelessly to organize meaningful events and raise the funds needed to make our Homecoming celebration a success.



Your support makes all the difference. Please consider donating or purchasing items available for sale—every contribution helps bring our community together for a memorable celebration.

Miami Township Library-

Register by clicking Permalink below