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South Bend Redevelopment Commission <br />Regular Meeting - February 4, 1994 <br />6. NEW BUSINESS (Cont.) <br />c. continued... <br />deterioration of some of the neighborhood <br />that has taken place in the last few years. I <br />watched with great sadness the demolition of <br />my grandmother's own home a few years <br />ago. But along with my sadness came an <br />understanding that it was the right thing to do <br />at that time, for that home. The home had <br />fallen into a sad state of disrepair and had <br />become an eyesore. <br />The Polack's home, however, is an entirely <br />different story. The Polacks are true urban <br />pioneers, in my opinion. They have braved <br />the nightmare of urban decay in pursuit of <br />their own American Dream. A dream that, <br />at that time, was encouraged by cities all <br />across our country. Cities were saying, <br />"Come, refurbish homes in the inner city." <br />And that is exactly what the Polacks did. <br />What the Polacks have created, where they <br />are, is a desert bloom: an oasis in the midst <br />of what has become an urban desert. A non - <br />existent neighborhood. A neighborhood I <br />remember playing in as a child. And where <br />is their reward for this. They have a slim <br />hope of payment for the actual value of their <br />home. And I have to wonder if <br />compensation will also include compensation <br />for the landscaping around the home. It is <br />truly incredible. I can tell you that I know <br />this because I've landscaped four homes of <br />my own and two of friends of mine. I would <br />say that an easy estimate is $10,000 that they <br />have in the yard. And no one has even <br />talked about that. <br />-28- <br />