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Home My WebLink About09-20-2007 New Weed & Seed grant highlights westside investment (2) o�sou Tx F dx :J b W eFacE � � y� a 1, a2 1865 Office of the Mayor NEWS RELEASE September 20, 2007 10:30 a.m. New Weed & Seed grant highlights westside investment Contact: Mikki Dobski, Director of Communications&Special Projects, 235-5855 or 876-1564 or MarkDollinger, Weed&Seed Coordinator, 235-7619 or 876-5699 Mayor Stephen J. Luecke today announced that South Bend has been granted a fifth year of funding for its targeted Weed & Seed strategy in a 1.63-square-mile segment of the city's west side, where $3 million in public investment has occurred since 2004. The U.S. Department of Justice has awarded $200,000 for the next year as part of a federally sponsored community-based strategy that seeks to "weed out"negative and "seed in"positive influences in city neighborhoods. The fifth consecutive year of funding —the final for which the city is eligible—brings the total federal grants for the project to $1,173,301. Speaking at a newly constructed outdoor pavilion in LaSalle Park, Luecke said the city's investment in the Weed & Seed area alone has exceeded the amount received through federal grants. And, the mayor noted, other recent or upcoming investment on the broader west side reaches to nearly $100 million dollars—from the $50 million Kroc Salvation Army Corps Community Center at Western Avenue and Chapin Street to the $15 million A.J. Wright Distribution Center at Sample and Olive streets. "I'm pleased that the City of South Bend has worked actively to secure these resources to bolster quality of life and improve public safety in our neighborhoods through this model program," Luecke said. "Just as economic development is occurring all over the city— from Blackthorn to Eddy Street Commons to the south side retail—our commitment to neighborhoods touches all areas of the city. And though it may not always make the news, the west side is seeing new activity on several fronts." Designated in February 2002, the 1,046-acre Weed & Seed area is bounded by the Norfolk & Southern Railroad on the north, Arnold Street on the east, Sample Street on the South and Sheridan Street on the west. The area includes the LaSalle Park, the Oliver Gateway and the Westside neighborhoods. The 10,000 residents of the target area are nearly evenly segmented among Hispanics, African-Americans and whites. The South Bend strategy is a collaboration of the city, the St. Joseph County Prosecutor's Office, the U.S. Department of Justice, the Weed & Seed Alliance and the South Bend Police Department. Since the strategy began in 2003, the Weed & Seed Alliance has been actively working on a strategy that will continue in force until Aug. 31, 2008. The Weed & Seed Strategy has four components: • Law enforcement. • Community policing. • Prevention, intervention and treatment. • Neighborhood restoration(which must be covered by sources other than the federal grant). For year five, South Bend's Weed & Seed is split evenly between weeding and seeding activities with additional resources devoted to program evaluation: • Weeding(law enforcement and community policing) • Overtime for extra police patrols. • A billboard contest for youth to promote positive community messages. • A graffiti-removal program. • Outreach activities for at-risk youth. • Seeding(prevention, intervention and treatment) • After-school programs at three neighborhood Safe Havens—Greater Friendship Missionary Baptist Church, 206 S. Falcon St.; LaCasa de Amistad, 746 S. Meade St.; and St. Adalbert's Catholic Church, 2420 Huron St. • GED program—Layman Chapel CME Church, 303 S. Kenmore St. Past activities have included such projects as Safe Neighborhoods, Anti-Gang Task Force, Community Policing, senior citizens security, VIP Patrols, Graffiti Removal, a youth soccer league and Neighborhood Restoration. When the funding period ends next summer, the Weed & Seed Alliance will evaluate progress and work on sustaining the strategy after the federal funds cease. "Receipt of another year of funding will allow us to continue to make progress in our strategy," said Mark Dollinger, South Bend's Weed & Seed coordinator. "We have over 250 youth participating in our after school and soccer programs, and we have developed strong relationships with neighborhood organizations. Our partnership with the City of South Bend and its commitment to the area has gone a long way to improve the area's neighborhoods." In 2004, the city, residents and other neighborhood stakeholders completed a Neighborhood Restoration Plan for the Weed & Seed area With local resources and federal Community Development Block Grant funds, the city has completed nearly $1.7 million in improvements according to the plan. In the program's first four years, there have been improvements to LaSalle and Pulaski parks, including fencing, a soccer field, facility renovation and the addition of bleachers. New curbs and sidewalks have been installed along Walnut Street, Kenmore Street, Wellington Street, Ford Street, Harris Street, Washington Street and Durham Street. The city has spent more than $100,000 in housing rehabilitation with additional resources (through the Commercial Corridor program) for new streetscape and commercial building rehabilitation along Western Avenue. Already for 2007 through 2009, the city is spending more than $70,000 to build the new LaSalle Park pavilion as well as additional resources to create a walking trail in the park. Work also will begin for new curbs and sidewalks along Wellington Street from Jefferson to Western, along with improvements to the Walnut/Western intersection. The city also has set aside resources to demolish the former El Brien Vecino building at 404 S. Walnut St. The west side has seen continual investments—from the more than $4 million in investment through the three Commercial Corridors to the construction of a new $2.1- million Fire Station No. 2 at Dr. Martin Luther King Drive and Lincolnway West. Western Avenue alone has received nearly $1.6 million in investment since 1999 through the city's commercial corridor program, behind only South Gateway(Michigan and Main streets) and Lincolnway West. With the relocation of the Studebaker Museum to a new $9.6-million facility, it created a new museum campus on the west side that soon will be joined by the $1.3-million renovation of the Studebaker Archives building and the $1.5-million conversion of the former Natatorium into a new Civil Rights Heritage Museum. One of the most significant investments citywide is the $40 million grant received this spring is for the St. Joseph County Salvation Army to build the new Ray & Joan Kroc Corps Community Center at Western and Chapin. South Bend was among 10 Midwestern cities —the only one in Indiana—chosen to pre-qualify for a share of Joan Kroc's $1.6 billion bequest to the Salvation Army, the largest philanthropic gift ever given to a nonprofit. Construction will begin in early spring 2008. The facility will open in fall 2009. The city has pledged $1 million toward the $10 million local fund-raising match. The world-class youth and family center will provide access to a broad range of human services under one roof. When The Salvation Army of St. Joseph County Kroc Center opens in fall 2009, it is expected to fuel business investment, increase property values and instill a renewed sense of community pride. According to figures provided by the Salvation Army, the Kroc Center will have a direct impact on the local economy of: ■ $14.5 million for construction payroll and building materials. ■ $1.86 million for furnishings, technology and miscellaneous expenses. ■ $3.25 million in design and construction fees. ■ 40 new full- and part-time jobs with annual payroll and benefits starting at $1.8 million. ■ Other expenditures by the Salvation Army Kroc Center, starting at $1.6 million. Opposite the Housing Authority's Monroe Circle housing complex, the city also is supporting a$750,000 renovation by Granger Community Church of the Monroe Circle Community Center on Western Avenue toward becoming a dynamic neighborhood outreach center. With the addition of LaSalle Square to the Airport Tax Increment Finance district, the city also is committing $1 million in 2008 to begin refurbishing LaSalle Square. And another citywide initiative—the demolition of abandoned and derelict houses—will cost nearly $2 million over three years. Two west side ZIP codes —46628 and 46619 — account for nearly half of the 116 properties on the city's demolition list for the neat year, with more than two-thirds of those properties being west of Michigan Street. - 30 - ® ( ) � 4-j . ) ; ! )