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REGULAR MEETING OCTOBERT 28, 2013 <br /> <br /> <br />Councilmember Oliver Davis: So in a sense two things that you would like to clarify and go <br />along with Councilmember Henry Davis has started in terms of first that there is value from our <br />vote in that you may have potential projects get point values and secondly, this is a tool to <br />leverage out to get additional dollars or resources that can help in any other project within the <br />neighborhood, so there is a value from the South Bend City Council. <br /> <br />Karen Ainsley: Absolutely, and I think it is a huge value to the neighborhood residents who <br />have spent countless hours of putting this together to see an endorsed vote from their City <br />Council saying yes, we are in support of this and the countless hours of works that we did to get <br />to this point and to have this plan. <br /> <br />Councilmember Oliver Davis: I agree with that. Sometimes when those plans have been <br />presented to us before, it has been in the public presentation and clearly stated that because of <br />our vote that we will receive point values and those kinds of things, so that was not necessarily <br />clarified. <br /> <br />Rose Skobel: That was not the impetus of this plan; it came out later, as part of the planning <br />process so that is why we have not focused on that even though it is a benefit of the plan being <br />adopted. <br />Councilmember Oliver Davis: I appreciate the understanding of that. <br /> <br />Councilmember Dr. Fred Ferlic: Congratulations! It goes to show you that the grant writers get <br />the money. And will you do this for the other five districts? <br /> <br />Rose Skobel: The Near Northwest Neighborhood raised their own funds to pay for the <br />facilitation that we were able to provide and for all of the events that they had along the way. <br />And if any other neighborhood can find the support to do a planning process we would be happy <br />to do planning processes we would be happy to work with them along the way. <br /> <br />A Public Hearing was held on the Resolution at this time: <br /> <br />Mary Curgee, 1023 Portage Avenue, South Bend, Indiana: I am also a Sister of the Holy Cross <br />who is one of the organizations who funded this planning process in our neighborhood. I am <br />going to be very brief because you still have a lot on your agenda and they have done a very <br />good job presenting. I have been a resident of the neighborhood for about 19 years and I just <br />want to affirm what Rose and Karen have said about the nature of this process. It was really <br />highly participative and inclusive so what you see in our plan really does come from the <br />residents themselves. The NNN Staff were not involved in the planning process at all except to <br />make some recommendations and provide information, so this is really coming from the people. <br />The second thing that I want to mention is that this whole planning process is really grounded in <br />partnership. That’s the whole point, that we don’t try to do everything ourselves and we don’t <br />come to you and say ok we’ve got a plan now do it for us City. That’s not the spirit in which this <br />was done, and that’s not what we intend at all. We come asking you not to do something for us, <br />but to do something with us, to make the neighborhood as strong as it can be. So thank you very <br />much, we are very proud and excited about this plan and we hope that all of you are too because <br />it’s a credit to South Bend as a whole. <br /> <br />Mike Kevner, 729 Cottage, South Bend, Indiana: In the NNN, I have been a resident for 5 years. <br />And for some time I come home to see children idle and other challenges in our neighborhood. <br />Thinking more and more about how could I get involved, how can I be active and want to <br />applaud all the NNN those involved. I took part in interviewing a dozen folk’s residents, <br />stakeholders and chaired the goal group on youth and families. Through these discussions and <br />through great collaboration of working to really empower each other to in this particular case <br />create new initiatives for youth, create initiatives to get residents who don’t often talk to each <br />other, talking to each other. We have already got a hip hop Zumba class worked for Monday <br />nights and you are all welcome to attend. But really grass roots empowerment for residents to <br />strengthen their neighborhood overall and just wanted to say thank you for listening to us and <br />thanks for the support. <br /> <br />Councilmember Henry Davis: I have a quick comment. What I am getting at and I’m not saying <br />that I am against it, what I am saying that there is a healthy dialogue that really needs to happen <br />29 <br /> <br /> <br />