No. 2383 contracting the boundaries of the West Washington-Chapin Development Area

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Community Workshop The South Bend Project Initiation Workshop was conducted by the consultant team on May 5, 1988. Participants included the project director, key personnel from the consultant team, staff working directly on the assignment, and members of the Study Committee. The purposes of the workshop were to review the overall project objectives, refine the work program, resolve any questions regarding contract interpretations, and establish a firm basis for all participants to work together in completing the assignment. To identify first-hand impressions about the strengths and weaknesses of the Near Westside Neighborhood, a bus tour was given prior to the meeting. While touring, the consultants took field notes of participants' on- site observations and perceptions. In addition, afour-part questionnaire was distributed to each individual at the meeting. In the questionnaire, each participant was asked to: 1.) identify the five most important issues facing the Near Westside Neighborhood; the degree of consensus among group members was assessed; 2.) identify the one issue he/she thought no one else would mention so that sensitive or otherwise overlooked issues could be elicited; 3.) identify three major assets of the area for determining strengths to be built upon in the development program; and 4.) rank the three most important issues facing the area from a master list compiled with participants' review and comment. The results of the questionnaires and the discussion from the workshop were tabulated. The general categories of issues identified are similar to those which emerged during the key person interviews. These categories appear as prioritized by the workshop participants: 1. Crime 2. Residents' apathy and sense of pessimism/hopelessness 3. No capital for projects 4. Lack of investment incentives 5. Poor perception of community by residents and non-residents 6. City administrators' lack of commitment to the area 7. Unemployment in the area 8. Drug sales and use 9. Deterioration of the area's environment 10. Need for clean-up and maintenance 11. Red-lining by loan agencies 12. Harmful effects of zoning ordinances on area 13. Small business failings and closings in the area 14. Falling property values 15. No resident support for education 16. Dismal marketability of area