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page 16 <br />and goals, but agreed that their -expectations were <br />unrealistic. A historic district would not cut down <br />on arson or on the number of rental properties. To <br />administer any district was difficult; to administer <br />a district without majority support would be <br />impossible. <br />The true test of support, <br />person signed a petition, <br />voted for a proposal. He <br />to imposing a district by <br />proof of support. <br />he said, was not whether a <br />but whether he actually <br />objected, for this reason, <br />ordinance, without proper <br />For all these reasons, he said he would vote against <br />the proposed boundaries. <br />Mrs. Sporleder praised the presentations from the <br />floor, saying they showed real concern for the <br />community. Historic districts, however, could not <br />directly address these concerns. What a district did <br />was to let residents decide what they valued about <br />their neighborhood, what they hoped to accomplish, <br />and how they might reach their goals. <br />She advocated the older method of establishing <br />historic districts. Though long and tedious, this <br />method assured a solid core of well-informed <br />neighborhood support. The only way to enforce <br />standards was through neighborhood support; the HPC <br />did not run a security force. She urged tabling the <br />ordinance to give the petitioners more time for <br />preliminary work. <br />Mr. Welsheimer, identifying himself as a lifelong <br />Near Northwest resident, then spoke. He cited <br />several examples of deteriorated local neighborhoods <br />that had been dramatically revived, despite serious <br />problems. The Park Avenue and West Washington <br />Historic Districts were cases in point. He believed <br />the petitioners had worthy goals, and that the <br />neighborhood had much potential. He thought it would <br />be wrong to abandon the proposal, and suggested <br />giving the residents more.time to talk, set goals, <br />and reach agreements. <br />Mrs. Dennen emphasized the lack of support evidenced <br />by the small number of signatures on the petition. <br />She warned that writing standards for such a large <br />neighborhood would be a long and difficult task. She <br />urged more of the petitioners to attend neighborhood <br />-committee -meet-ings--so they cool -d - bet ter--- <br />understand---and help shape --a historic district. <br />She had personal experience, she said, of the <br />