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HomeMy WebLinkAbout07-18-18 Residential Neighborhoods �SpUTH p U d a x x 1865 OFFICE OF THE CITY CLERK KAREEMAH FOWLER, CITY CLERK RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOODS JULY 18, 2018 5:00 P.M. Committee Members Present: Karen White, Jo M. Broden, Regina Williams-Preston, John Voorde (late) Committee Members Absent: None Other Council Present: Tim Scott Other Council Absent: Sharon L. McBride, Jake Teshka, Gavin Ferlic, Oliver Davis Others Present: Graham Sparks, Bob Palmer, Casey Colvin, Ed Williams, Alkeyna Aldridge, Antonius Northern Agenda: Addressing the goals of the LaSalle Park Alliance Committee Chair Karen White called to order the Residential Neighborhoods Committee meeting at 5:04 p.m. She introduced members of the Committee and proceeded with the meeting. Addressing the goals of the LaSalle Park Alliance Committee Chair White stated,In way of background information, at our recent Common Council meeting, representatives from the LaSalle Park Neighborhood Alliance came to speak under Privilege of the Floor. At that time those representatives, as well as your president Henry Davis Jr., shared with us five (5) priorities that your group has worked towards. At that time, President Tim Scott assigned this to the Residential Neighborhoods Committee. I reached out to President Henry Davis Jr. to schedule this time so we can strategize a plan of action for these priorities. We appreciate those able to come before the Council and we appreciate the work you have done. We value each and every one of you and value the concerns expressed. The purpose of this meeting is to further the discussion, look at the priorities and begin to frame a strategy of how we move forward. We also want to look at establishing a time frame as we begin looking at these priorities. I'm sure other concerns will rise out of this discussion but we will keep a running list of those concerns as well. Our main focus is responding to these priorities. Committeemember John Voorde arrived at the meeting at 5:08 p.m. Committee Chair White stated, I am going to state the priorities that were shared at the previous Common Council meeting. The first one (1) was the Charles Black Recreation Center. We really need to have a more in depth conversation about the concerns and expectations you have as we move toward the opening of the Charles Black Center. The second (2 d) was the programming. What type of programs would you all like to see come out of this? I know we have waited many INTEGRITY1 SERVICE1 ACCESSIBILITY JENNIFER M.COFFMAN BIANCA L.T IRADO JOSEPH R MOLNAR CHIEF DEPUTY)DmECTOR OF OPERATIONS DEPuTY/DIREcroR of POLICY ORDINANCE VIOLATION CLERK EXCELLENCE I ACCOUNTABILITY I INNOVATION I INCLUSION I EMPOWERMENT 455 County-City Building 1 227 W.Jefferson Blvd.I South Bend,Indiana 466011 p 574.235.92211 f 574.235.9173 1 www.southbendin.gov CITY OF SOUTH BEND I OFFICE OF THE CLERK years to see the investment into the Charles Black Center and we want to make sure the programs coming out of the Center are at the level of expectation.Next is the infrastructure and Smart Street completion between Falcon and Kentucky Streets. I can give some feedback on that now which may help us look at those other four (4) priorities. It is my understanding that your president did meet with some individuals from the Department of Community Investment and at that time, concerns were shared about the Main Streets completion. The design and engineering part of the project has to happen and in the next two (2) to four (4) weeks, a firm for that will be identified and that process will start the latter part of October 2018. The completion of the whole project will be in the spring of 2019. Within the upcoming budget,monies are being allocated to complete that project. Next is the plan to create open store fronts for black business owners as well as the abatement program for home reinvestment. Those are the five (5) priorities. Let's start talking about these. Committee Chair White asked, What are your dreams for, and how do you see the Charles Black Center? What are your expectations that you have of the Charles Black Center? Henry Davis Jr., 5117 Idlewood Drive, stated, If I may, and I don't want to dominate the conversation,I really don't,but we had talked about wanting to put programming in there that the neighborhood can participate in. We have also come to understand there has been discussion already with our Hispanic counterparts about what they would like to see in the Center. We don't call foul to that, that's not a bad thing but it is a bad thing if we aren't being included at the table. We are interested in not only seeing them use the accommodations but also finding programming for our senior population. We've seen programming over the years when it was just a lunch. The ongoing programming we are interested in seeing has a lot to do with our youth. A lot of the conversation has focused around what our youth are doing throughout the summer or even throughout the school year. If you are talking about three hundred and sixty-five(3 65)days a year, you are talking about the disparity gap,the wealth gap and crime. We are talking about all of these other issues that confront us and our youth. We want to know how to get the youth interested in career development. We want them to put the guns down but what is the alternative? It is not just a basketball. We want to conceptualize and design a curriculum around the jobs and careers that will be available for the youth in ten(10)years.The programming needs to groom them for success and not just have them come in, eat chips, play basketball, drink juice, do homework and then go home. We have to visualize our kids in these seats twenty (20) years from now. We all won't be here. I might be but hopefully I'm not. We have to look at leadership capacity and if we aren't developing their leadership ability now, we are in trouble. We can't keep saying they need to do better. We need to do better for them. Committee Chair White stated, So when we begin to look at programming, we are looking at basketball and those kinds of things,we are wanting a more holistic and strategic way of engaging our young people. Careers, leadership and other life skills they need in order to be successful is what the conversation is about with leaders of the Charles Black Center and members of the Administration. That is my take on summarizing what you just said. We can work collectively on that as well. Committeemember Jo M. Broden stated, I guess I see that as a park. And I think you've already spoken to the correct people but it is now important to understand what the existing programs are and where we want to go. Specifically,we need to ask what will help and what the required staffing will be. Also, what skills are required? What is going to be new that we are not doing elsewhere EXCELLENCE I ACCOUNTABILITY I INNOVATION I INCLUSION I EMPOWERMENT 455 County-City Building 1 227 W.Jefferson Bvld I South Bend,Indiana 466011 p 574.235.9221 If 574.235.9173 1 TTD 574.235.55671 vwvw.southbendin.gov 2 ®CITY OF SOUTH BEND I OFFICE OF THE CLERK in the City? So where we are, where we would like to go and what we need to do in between. I do know that one (1) of your components that you had talked about was job and skill development. I know that one (1) of the design elements that I had heard was the bike place that is going to be in the Center. That is supposed to be an apprenticeship program and it is actually not focusing as much on the bikes as it is the soft skills like coming to work on time. There is more information on that and if this is the first(1 St)time you've heard of it,then that is a problem. That is supposed to have a tutoring and a tiered apprenticeship program. They are using the bike to get to the soft skills that we have with our workforce and our teenage workforce, specifically. That is one (1) component I've heard of but if we are opening in September or October and the neighborhood hasn't heard of the actual program line-up,that is a big problem.I would encourage you to schedule a meeting with the Parks Department and get someone from the Park Board to come and speak with you all. Mr. Davis Jr. replied, We have done that and that is why you are here. Again we started this back in December 2017. Aaron has been here about two (2) or three (3) times. Each time he has come before us,he doesn't have any idea of what is going on. That is me being as direct as I can be. That is why we are pushing the envelope in a different way to get more of a discussion from our City leaders. If the Park's Department head doesn't know, someone has got to know something. That is why we are asking for what we are asking for. Committeemember Broden followed up, We've hired a Program Director, specifically, and that is their charge. We have to get some responsibility there. Committeemember Regina Williams-Preston stated, Everything that you are requesting, particularly focusing on youth, is absolutely something that, as a public school teacher, I am interested in. As a Council and the City, we are looking at that as well and it is right in line with what we are doing. I've had conversations with the Program Director and the programs have moved since the Center was shut down for renovation. I spent some time talking to people over there and it has been a great connection over there. There will be more connection with the schools now with the after school programs. In the past those connections have not been the best. That programming for after school programs is going to be more reinforcing. Another big component is the leadership development in youth. One (1) idea that came up was working with the One Hundred (100) Black Men. They are putting in an office at the Charles Martin Youth Center and are interested in the Charles Black Center, as well. One (1) of the things the One Hundred (100) Black Men have been doing for the past ten (10) to twelve (12) years is the Minority Leadership Development Initiative. That is where they take the twenty (20) to thirty (30) year olds in the community and connect them with businesses to become entrepreneurs and acquire the necessary skills to be successful. What was discussed was adding a youth component to that and not waiting until they get out of high school. There was a discussion about youth and adults learning together and that will create intergenerational relationships. Also, restorative practices are something we are looking at in this upcoming budget. Basically, how can we bring people together in an intentional way so that we can build relationships with one another? Whatever gaps may exist, how can we bridge that gap so when conflict comes up there is a relationship already there? A big part of that is reducing violence. Is everyone familiar with S.A.V.E.? It stands for stand against violence every day. The City and the Police Department are partnering with Goodwill on that and you may have seen people doing outreach. We need to connect all those people. Kids need those life skills. EXCELLENCE I ACCOUNTABILITY I INNOVATION I INCLUSION I EMPOWERMENT 455 County-City Building 227W.Jefferson BvldI South Bend,Indiana 466011p574.235.9221 f574.235.9173ITTD574.235.5567 www.southbendin.gov 3 ®CITY OF SOUTH BEND I OFFICE OF THE CLERK Committee Chair White interjected, I would like to have everyone here have a chance to speak. Committeemember Williams-Preston stated, That's great let me say just one (1) more thing and then you can move on. One(1) of the things you had talked about was Youth Build. When she has some time, Alkeyna can speak to that about offering youth apprenticeships in construction. Committee Chair White stated, We will come back to your meeting. We just wanted to come and get a good sense of your objectives and goals on what you would like to see come out of these discussions. We will then come back with representatives of the Departments, as well. Councilmember Tim Scott stated,Karen is absolutely right. We want to hear from you guys, not from us right now. We want to take the information and then run with it. What Henry and Jo Broden were saying is, we're here and we can work with the Parks Department about the budget. I agree,the Program Director is there and we can help facilitate a meeting with them. And then we have to make sure that whatever items you have for programming that it comes up during the budget. When we have the Park's Hearing, we can ask those questions. It will be on the top of our list because we are all here. We want to hear from you guys. Dennis Plump, 302 S. Chicago Street, stated, First of all, I would like to thank each and every one of you for coming because we have been waiting a long time for this meeting. I thank Councilmember White for bringing things in order so that time cannot be consumed by certain individuals so you can get our input. We don't want our meetings here to be conducted as the meetings are downtown, where nothing is said. My agenda is concerned with the Center opening in two (2) or three (3) months and not knowing what is going on. My question also is, where are the staff and directors coming from?Knowing what it used to be, who will be the personnel? Committee Chair White asked, Have any of you been asked to be a part of the planning? The general consensus in the room was that none of the LaSalle Park Neighborhood Alliance members had been asked to be a part of the planning process. Diane Bryant, 215 N. Gladstone Avenue, asked, What is going on with the bike program? What would they be doing with the bikes? Committeemember Broden replied, It is a repair program and it is basically a bridge to get to what you call soft skills like learning directions, increased responsibility, taking leadership, and mentoring.I would be happy to send you the information I have but that all should really be coming from the Program Director. Ms. Bryant followed up, How will the children be selected for this program? Committeemember Broden replied, I don't know. Ms. Bryant stated, You don't know, see? Committee Chair White interjected, That is why we are keeping a running list of these things and we will be able to come back with the information and people that can answer those questions and concerns. EXCELLENCE I ACCOUNTABILITY I INNOVATION I INCLUSION I EMPOWERMENT 455 County-City Building I 227W.Jefferson Bvld 1 South Bend,Indiana 46601 p574.235.92211f574.235.91731TTD574.235.55671www.southbendin.gov 4 ®CITY OF SOUTH BEND ( OFFICE OF THE CLERK Jerry Donaldson, 1126 W. Jefferson Boulevard,asked,Whose bike are they going to fix?Are they going to be regular kids bikes? What bikes? Committee Chair White reiterated, We don't know but hopefully this running list of concerns will be able to be addressed. I don't want to respond because I don't have the answers. Mr. Donaldson interjected, I guess I ask that question because the Bring Your Bike Initiative in a situation just to have it, they could have brought anything into a neighborhood. Why a bike? Mr. Davis Jr. stated, We are talking about a bike and that is fine but what are the things that are going to be pushing our kids into a higher level of discussion. We have a disparity right now with minority construction and contractors. Why can't our kids begin to learn those trades and how to become a developer or a real estate agent? We have to expand this thing. When we talk about soft skills, we will continue seeing our kids at the King Center wiping doors down and mopping the floors. I saw that because I just got back from the gym. I am a permanent fixture over there and I actually started that program a few years ago and it hasn't grown. The kids are doing janitorial duty. That is what our Black kids are doing. I'm being very honest about this. I was on Twitter about a month ago, the White kids, they are with the Chamber of Commerce. They are talking about management, CEO stuff, budgeting and things that will help progress them in life. Those things need to be on a level playing field. I'm just trying to make sure we illustrate that so that you know exactly what we are talking about. Committeemember Broden interjected, One (1) of my notes here are opportunities that are happening all over this town that aren't specific to a given building. They are the things you are talking about. Those are the type of programing connections that should be made and I totally support that. So if we can like,maybe move on from the programming,I think we have heard from you all,very strongly. You all want a very strong voice and we know you need a very strong voice in that programming. Anything else would be stupid on our part. Committee Chair White stated, It is a high level of programming that they are asking for and as we begin to look at what is needed in terms of the educational, vocational and technical perspectives, the programming needs to be at a higher level and it needs to reflect that. We hear you loud and clear. Committeemember John Voorde asked, I appreciate the importance of career counselling. The School Corporation has people like that, right? Committee Chair White replied,They do but the duties and responsibilities may not be at the level, well,yeah,they do have them. Committeemember Voorde followed up, Why can't we get someone who does this professionally and once or twice a week they come down to the Center to talk to anyone who wants to be anything. When I was a kid I didn't have a clue. From that, you create both private and public internships, preferably paid. If someone likes pets,maybe they talk to our Animal Care and Control Center and they come to groom pets. EXCELLENCE I ACCOUNTABILITY I INNOVATION I INCLUSION I EMPOWERMENT 455 County-City Building 1 227 W.Jefferson Bvld I South Bend,Indiana 46601 p574.235.9221 f 574.235.9173 I TTD 574.235.5567 www.southbendin.gov 5 ®CITY OF SOUTH BEND ( OFFICE OF THE CLERK Margret Plump, 302 S. Chicago Street, asked, What would it take to have a fair balance? It's not fair. We are out here and it is getting ready to open in two (2) months and we don't know what's going on. Then we sit and look at everybody and you're telling me we're getting a fair deal? The Blacks aren't being included and we would like for a fair balance. We want our children coming up to have a career. It's just not fair. Committee Chair White stated, I think we are going to move on. I think item number one (1) and two (2) are related and we will add to that. Antonius Northern, Manager of Engagement for the Bloomberg Mayor's Challenge with offices on the 14th floor of the County-City Building, stated, Firstly, when looking at employment and jobs for the folks on the West Side, the Council approved a study to figure out what is going on in the neighborhood so that is one (1) viable option for youth, even if we don't have a locked down idea of the programming.In addition to that,we are taking a look at a program that Councilmember Williams-Preston was referring to and that is called Youth Build.It is a thirty(30)year old program that takes around forty (40) youth and outfits them with the skills of construction and trades. The most important part, though, and I think it speaks to what Henry was speaking about with kids at the Chamber of Commerce, as a young black man you have to know that is because they are hanging out with their uncles or their aunties or their fathers. That comes from an internal community building space. The real question is what does this community need? When we find that out, we can then outfit the youth of this community with the skills necessary to serve this community. That, I think, is the core thing to strengthen our youth and have them stay engaged. We plan to send our application in for that grant by around.the middle of September 2018. Committee Chair White stated, I recommend that we compile a comprehensive list of all the initiatives so that we all know the information and can share that with our constituents. There are a lot of programs but when we begin to look at different expectations from the different communities within one (1) community, I think that is important. George Jones, 256 N. Sheridan Street, stated, I know we have talked about the Charles Black Center and the programming. Can we go on to number three (3) for the infrastructure and Smart Streets? Committee Chair White replied, Absolutely. And this isn't going to be where we come once and then not come back. We will come back to you all with more information and more people to answer your questions and concerns. We talked about one (1) and two (2), item three (3)has been touched on. I shared information in regards to the time frame for that work to begin and finish. Item number four (4) is a plan that creates open store fronts to black businesses. At our last meeting, and I'll make copies, I was asked to go to Community Investment to identify the City- owned vacant lots as well as private owned. We do have that list. But when we talk about open store fronts, what does that look like? What businesses are they? How do we encourage them to come? How will that be sustained? Councilmember Scott informally asked the body, Has this Neighborhood Alliance met with anybody from our Department of Community Investment? Mr. Davis Jr. replied,No, sir. We did meet with Jacob a while ago and Alkeyna, but I don't know how far into leadership you are asking. EXCELLENCE I ACCOUNTABILITY I INNOVATION I INCLUSION EMPOWERMENT 455 County-City Building 227W.Jefferson BvldI South Bend,Indiana 466011p574.235.92211f574.235.9173 TTD574.235.55671www.southbendin.gov 6 ®CITY OF SOUTH BEND OFFICE OF THE CLERK Councilmember Scott replied,What I'm thinking is just brainstorming. If you could sit down with them and try to answer the questions Committee Chair White has asked. This area is definitely on our list. Alkeyna Aldridge, Director of Engagement and Empowerment for the City of South Bend with offices on the 14th floor of the County-City Building, stated, I think that is a good point because we need your help to identify potential entrepreneurs that could get into those spaces. We have some City programming such as us donating $30,000 to a small business resource center located on Lincoln Way corridor. That is primarily there to focus on the Black Community. It is not specific to Lincoln Way. With regard to programming at Charles Black,brainstorming for that will be good as well. Mr. Davis Jr. stated, The reason that is listed on our agenda is on Western we see a night and day difference. Across the street you see all this Hispanic investment. On this side, there is nothing. Several years ago, the Council passed a resolution to approve the funding of Smart Streets. The Corridor Projects like Western and Lincoln Way were done by this Neighborhood Organization. Once that was done, voted on, funded and implemented, the funding went directly to the Brown Community and it didn't come back to the folks that visualized the project to happen. That is why we are here discussing this all over again. It is not us against any other community, we are just concerned that our tax dollars are not returning to our area. How do we develop a plan, lobby for the money, get the money,but then have nothing developed that we called for ourselves?How fair is that? That is not very fair. Mr. Donaldson stated,Also, if you want to make something happen, you have to be intentional. It is just like Smart Streets or anything else done in the City. That was done intentionally. You had a group of folks sit down and plan what they want to do and they did it. In reference to helping minority business,I don't care where you find them,but you have to find them and you have to go in and be intentional about finding them. We have to be intentional about what it is we want to do. Ms. Aldridge stated, With regard to intentionality, particularly with the African-American Community as opposed to any other immigrant community,the West Side just happens to be the place where any immigrant community is going to locate. It is the cheapest community and was the community we were red-lined to in the past. It is a racially contested space and, like you said, we have to be intentional. With regard to immigrant communities, I think that because they come and culturally have to be more entrepreneurial than everyone else, it's not easy to adapt. It's not that we're being more intentional with the Latino Community and not with the African-American Community, in fact, we are really trying hard to focus on the African-American Community and often times it takes a culture shift for us, as well. We need to get with our young folks and our Centers and make sure they understand part of contributing to this community is being a small business owner in this corridor. Or even within your own family,promoting entrepreneurship. We can get incentives all day but if a Black business owner doesn't walk onto the 14th floor and ask about them, it's not helpful to anyone. As much as we want to be intentional about it, we have to have help from the rest of the community as well. Committeemember Williams-Preston stated, I am also going to speak to intentionality because what you should know is that for the last two (2) or three (3) years it has been my very focus to get resources and support to the African-American Community. Out of that world and advocacy EXCELLENCE I ACCOUNTABILITY I INNOVATION I INCLUSION I EMPOWERMENT 455 County-City Building 1227W.Jefferson BVIdI South Bend,Indiana 466011p574.235.9221if574.235.9173 TM574.235.55671www.southbendin.gov 7 0 CITY OF SOUTH BEND ( OFFICE OF THE CLERK has come Alkeyna's Department. Because of the organizing and pushing on the Administration, they have created an entire Department to focus on equity and,most specifically,reports that come out like the Racial Wealth Divide report I shared not too long ago as well as the Disparity Study will help document the kinds of things that are going on so we can continue with the program. I agree that we have to be specific. When we look at those grants, whether it is intentional or not, it discriminates against African-Americans and provides support to the Hispanic Community. Those are the types of things Alkeyna's Department are going through and fixing. It is great we are moving to the next level. We have infrastructure downtown and now we can move forward with the budget process and put dollars to support these initiatives. Marvin Crayton, 305 S. Lake Street, stated, I pray to God that it is intentional. I was in business in the City of South Bend for twenty-eight(28)years and you're saying go to the Mayor's office and knock on doors. I did that but instead, I got stomped on. I bid for jobs with the City and they wouldn't give me the jobs. I have all the insurance I need. A City engineer even called me the n- word and my crew an n-word. I'm retired and I went out of business because of the discrimination in this City. It seems to me that it is still going on right now. It seems to me the Administration is driving a wedge in between the Hispanics and the Blacks. I went to our Hispanic counterparts and tried to recruit them but it's not happening. The Mayor is driving the wedge deeper. I can't stand this anymore. That is fact, I lived it. Ms. Aldridge replied, I don't doubt you lived that. As Councilmember Williams-Preston has said, a lot of the advocacy and pushing from this side of the river is what allows me and Antonius to be at this table. I literally grew up in LaSalle Park and I want nothing more than to see the development of this community. Our team and the new efforts of the Council are the steps in the right direction. Are we there yet?No but we are working to get there and we need you to be there with us. We need to make sure our Hispanic counterparts feel supported and well-represented by their civic representatives.As they continue to grow we need to make sure they are well integrated with the community that has been there and that is you guys.We share similar issues.All the issues that Hispanics share with regard to safety, young people, and the racial wealth disparity, we share too. If we can use less of`they' and more of`us' and organize to get things done,it would be better for all of us. So keep recruiting and we will keep recruiting as well. Mr.Plump interjected,But we have tried,numerous times to bring the Hispanics into our meetings and it's failed. We have talked to Sam many times but he will not come to the meetings. We say that it's not a Hispanic or a Black issue,but it is. Yes, it is. As I spoke to the Common Council last week,how could a resource center be put in a place where the LaSalle Park Center originated and then be called the West Side Resource Center and we had no opportunity to sit on the planning committee? What is the purpose of that Center on Western Avenue? I talked with a lady and I asked the question about that, and Sam told her that the Resource Center is going to be for the Hispanics. He wanted to get with her one (1) on one (1)but she denied that because she wanted to talk to us first. We need to cut to the chase and stop not calling it what it is if it is what it is. On this side of town, it is not just Black. It is Hispanics. For this growth it is going to take both. It is going to take the Hispanics,the Blacks,the Caucasians,all together to make LaSalle Park the place we are proud of. One (1) nationality can't come and make something happen. It has to take all of US. Committee Chair White stated,I am taking notes. It is almost 6:00 p.m. She then posed an informal question to the body, Is everyone willing to continue to 6:30 p.m.? The majority of attendants EXCELLENCE I ACCOUNTABILITY I INNOVATION I INCLUSION I EMPOWERMENT 455 County-City Building 1 227 W.Jefferson Bvld I South Bend,Indiana 46601 p 574.235.9221 l f574.235.9173 I TTD 574.235.5567 i www.southbendin.gov 8 ®CITY OF SOUTH BEND I OFFICE OF THE CLERK agreed to do so. She continued, I am not surprised hearing these things. This has been years coming. We now have an opportunity to deal with the issues that always come up. We need a conversation about these barriers. So what are the strategies?What are the expectations?What has or is being done about these priorities? We plan to come back with the individuals that can really give the important and correct information. What individuals should be at the table that are not here? Things are going to happen quickly. You want to be a part of this all as well. I want to go back to item number five (5) for home improvement and investment. Mr. Davis Jr. stated, The abatement program for home investment is just an idea of thought. We have a tax abatement process and we have homeowners that have been here for a while that are being pushed out. How do we get people here to stay? How do we incentivize a person to reinvest into their home? The idea is to allow a person who may be investing in their home to receive a tax abatement. They are given for real property,machines or even TIF money. We want to be creative with that. I think it makes sense for existing homeowners. How do we incentivize people reinvesting in their home and get City government to soften that investment? Ms. Aldridge replied, I think that is a good idea but I know a lot of it is for new builds. I don't know what the legislation dictates on that and what is able to be abated. We can still explore that. Councilmember Scott stated,The City is basically considered an economically distressed area. We have had them come before Council for new homes. We had them for additions over a certain dollar amount. I don't know if it truly makes sense because if you make an addition that is only one percent (I%) or three percent(3%), is it truly that much money? Could there be a better bang for the buck on that? I know where that is going,though, and that is a good idea. That could create more opportunities just thinking about it. Committee Chair White announced,I apologize,I failed to recognize the presence of our Attorney, Mr. Bob Palmer. He is here to help us with those matters regarding legal research and best practices. If there are any more ideas,please let us know. Ms. Aldridge stated, Also, we just won a grant for our Love Your Block program and that is for $30,000, so we will be scaling up some home repair efforts in the neighborhoods. Mr. Davis Jr. interjected, Well and see, that is what worries us over here. So you're talking about $25,000 so when the City matches it it'll be$50,000,right? So,how far will that carry through the community? Who is awarded? What impact will it serve? We aren't against that, great idea and great job, but when we see the newspaper and $400,000 is going to a new liquor store and restaurant, we have a problem with that. When a condo is being built on the river and over $5 million is given in TIF, we have a problem with that. Those people are coming in on our dime. If they are coming in on our dime, why can't we use our own dime to reinvest to where we are at? Committeemember Williams-Preston stated, The Eddy Street Commons area was given a residential TIF designation.There are still seventy-five(75)acres that can be designated.Don Inks from the Redevelopment Commission was telling me about it so we might want to talk to him about that. Mr. Jones asked, The City got some national recognition for revitalizing neighborhoods. Where were they revitalized because it certainly isn't out here. EXCELLENCE I ACCOUNTABILITY I INNOVATION I INCLUSION I EMPOWERMENT 455 County-City Building 1227 W.Jefferson BVIdI South Bend,Indiana 466011p574.235.9221 f574.235.9173 TTD574.235.55671www.southbendin.gov 9 ®CITY OF SOUTH BEND I OFFICE OF THE CLERK Ms. Aldridge replied, The award I'm aware of 1s the Race-Informed Award. A lot of these awards are based on additional dollars and staff that are with it. I know that Council has put a lot more money into neighborhoods. Mr. Jones interjected, You said the City has put more money into neighborhoods? What neighborhoods? Committee Chair White replied, In our current budget, yes. And I will be sure you get a copy of the current budget. All neighborhoods should see an improvement but this is one (1) area that has been neglected. This budget is the most reflective budget in terms of having dollars go back into the community. Ms.Aldridge stated,And the awards are compared to other cities our size and what they are doing. So we are doing very well for a city our size. Does that mean we are perfect?No and we still have challenges that we need to work on. Mr. Donaldson stated, When you talk about the City of South Bend you talk about the City of South Bend. And the City of South Bend is nothing but the City of South Bend. All areas of the City of South Bend make up the City of South Bend. And if you constantly strengthen areas of the City of South Bend without other areas of South Bend, then what we have is disproportionate. Again if I lift weights and I only strengthen my left side, I'm going to be deformed. And this City is deformed based upon how they go about spending dollars.We see Eddy Street and the area East of the river grow but the area West of the river, specifically this area over here, there is decay and blight. That area over there is penthouse material. You got an outhouse over here and a penthouse over there. Let's fix that. Committeemember Broden stated, I do want to say there was a group, and it may go back eight(8) months, but they focus on training opportunities. It is called incremental development. Basically, they try to identify people in the various building trades within a community and link them together so they can pull off new builds and projects. They focus on the vacant lots. They are individuals from the community that work together. There have been a couple work hops and the first(1St)one (1)was well attended at the library. If you know anyone in the building trades, they may be doing some level of this already. One (1) of the reasons we funded it was because there is a real need with all the housing taken down to fill in those spaces. When we did the tour around here, it is very obvious there are blocks with opportunities. So when we talk about dollars available, if we can get a network of builders making a petition to develop an entire block, we just need those to come forward. That's a way to take dollars that are sitting there that just need the links to be made. I invite you all to make people aware of that and to encourage them to get in contact with Community Investment and us as Council Members. I will talk to the gentleman who is charged with growing that locally. It is called the Incremental Development Alliance. The idea is doing small scale rehab. It can fill in a lot of the gaps. Committeemember Williams-Preston stated, If you have that information, especially about the workshops, please let us know. I remember last time we didn't get that information until a few days before. Plus, it was around two hundred dollars ($200) for each ticket. We shared the information with the neighborhood associations and we did get some scholarships to go but it was very last minute. We, as a City, need to do a better job communicating these opportunities. I EXCELLENCE I ACCOUNTABILITY I INNOVATION I INCLUSION I EMPOWERMENT 455 County-City Building 1227 W Jefferson Bvld I South Bend,Indiana 46601 p 574.235.9221 I f574.235.91731TTD574.235.55671www.southbendin.gov 10 CITY OF SOUTH BEND I OFFICE OF THE CLERK couldn't go to the other one (1) because there was another sitting meeting. We have to do things that work in a way that people can participate in. Committeemember Broden assured to get that information to Councilmember Williams-Preston. Mr. Davis Jr. stated, How can this be supported legislatively? We talk about all these things but how can we put pen to paper and legislate these dollars?Meeting fatigue can set in when we have meeting after meeting and nothing ever gets done. How do we begin to talk about legislation being created that is funded? Mr. Donaldson stated, For you all to sit there and say there are dollars available for stuff and different projects, that is another one (1) of those things we have to be intentional about. Again, we are talking about the City of South Bend, period. Thank you. Mr. Jones asked, Could we hear more about the Love Your Block grant? Ms. Aldridge replied, It is about home repair and how large the scale of the issue is in the City. The Mayor and the Council, this ye , doubled the pot of money available for home repair. The zone targeted is a West Side zone which includes LaSalle Park. That has not been publicized yet. I showed up to the Far North West Side Neighborhood Association meeting and we've been working on the targeted proposal to the Mayor. I knew we would only be able to address forty(40) to sixty (60) homes with the money we have allotted, which is double what we were able to do across the whole City for the past couple of years. I was thrilled to be able to do this. Stacy Odom said we want to do thirty (30) homes but from that, we got to being able to address these issues. Ms. Odom has a model that we hope to replicate. There are about seventy (70) folks who have called who are outside the boundary and that speaks to the scale of this issue. Mr. Jones followed up, So the money has already been allocated?And the plan Ms. Odom is doing has been presented? Ms. Aldridge replied, Planned, not presented. And yes, $650,000. If we find lead in the home that is an extra$25,000. Lynn Collier, 4916 W. Washington Street, stated, That is a little vague. With the other programs existing, does the Love Your Block Program have thirty (30) to thirty (35) homes targeted in this area? Ms.Aldridge replied,No,that is the home repair pilot we are targeting.Around that time,the Love Your Block opportunity came forth. Your neighborhood is included in that target zone. Our Vistas for the program, there are two (2), they will start September 4th, 2018, and they will begin organizing in the neighborhood as well. Those job postings are listed right now. If you would like to, or know someone who would like to, be a vista,please apply online. Mr. Davis Jr. stated, The City of Evanston, Illinois has done some pretty good stuff with their housing. Also, there was a Bureau of Housing the City of South Bend had years ago where they would tackle all of these issues and that might be another idea during the budget conversation. EXCELLENCE I ACCOUNTABILITY I INNOVATION I INCLUSION I EMPOWERMENT 455 County-City Building 1227W.Jefferson Bvld I South Bend,Indiana 466011 p 574.235.9221 If 574.235.9173ITTD574.235.5567 iwww.southbendin.gov 11 CITY OF SOUTH BEND ; OFFICE OF THE CLERK Committee Chair White turned the floor back to Committee and Council Members for closing comments. Committeemember Voorde stated, There is obviously more work to be done. Committeemember Williams-Preston stated, I'm looking forward to looking forward. Let's get some hammers swinging in this neighborhood this summer. Committeemember Broden stated, We really do lack a plan on housing that everyone is aware of and we need to be strategic about it. If we don't have a plan as a starting point,we don't have much as a City because from there comes everything else. We have to do a better job figuring that out collectively. The dollars will always be shorter than our dreams but how do we get there together? We need to have our priorities clear in our budget. I have a long list of follow-up and I really appreciate the opportunity to come tonight. Councilmember Scott stated, Thank you all for coming tonight and to the last Council meeting. It is follow-up and we will be sure to continue this. Thank you Alkeyna, Antonius and Ed for being here from the City. The Department of Economic Engagement and Empowerment is just starting and is a result of us pushing for it for a few years now. We have to continue the momentum. It is all interconnected and we will continue doing our part to advocate. We have five (5) Council Members here and you have a strong voice. Mr. Jones stated, Thank you for coming. Ms. Aldridge stated, Antonius and I pinch ourselves every day that we are in the positions we are in. Our passion comes from people like you so, please, continue to push us. I grew up in LaSalle Park, he grew up in the South East side where there are no parks at all and we are here. We are here because we care and we know the issue. You have advocates on the 14'h floor of the County- City Building that come with the same exact concerns and experiences you have. Committee Chair White stated, I ask the LaSalle Park Neighborhood Alliance members to please submit any questions or comments to your president and I ask Council Members to please submit theirs to the Clerk's Office and they will put all of this together and will come back to you and the full Council. We need a list of all the different initiatives and programs to see how they support each other. We talked about what information is needed and the need to be strategically focused. I am looking at those five (5) priorities and my goal is to come out of all of our meetings with a strategic plan. I also heard the issue of relationships. We are all in this together but what does that mean and what does that look like? We need to have some serious conversations about that as we move forward. I also heard you need to be at the table when they discuss the programming and the planning for the Charles Black Center. Those are some of the things I heard and we will put it all together and get it back to you. I appreciate the work you all have done and it certainly didn't happen over-night.We have an aging housing stock and it will take programs and dollars to address this issue. There is a level of commitment to Quality of Life on the Council. Feel free to call any of us and we will schedule another time for another meeting. I encourage you to meet again and ask yourselves what the measurable outcomes will be. A LaSalle Park Neighborhood Alliance member closed the meeting in prayer. EXCELLENCE I ACCOUNTABILITY I INNOVATION I INCLUSION I EMPOWERMENT 455 County-City Building I 227W.Jefferson Bvld South Bend,Indiana 46601Ip574.235.9221If574.235.9173!TfD574.235.5567iwww.southbendin.gov 12 ®CITY OF SOUTH BEND I OFFICE OF THE CLERK With no further business, Committee Chair White adjourned the Residential Neighborhoods Committee meeting at 6:34 p.m. Respect lly Submitted, en White, Committee Ch EXCELLENCE I ACCOUNTABILITY I INNOVATION I INCLUSION I EMPOWERMENT 455 County-City Building 1227 W.Jefferson Bvld I South Bend,Indiana 466011 p 574.235.9221 if 574.235.9173 M574.235.55671www.southbendin.gov 13