Neighborhood Development Initiative has potential

Our staff has been working on the Neighborhood Development Initiative for more than two years and made the first presentation to the council during July.

I am very excited about this new initiative and trust that it will gain traction and support from you, our citizens, in the months and years ahead.

The program is designed to promote more self-governance and enforcement that is sustainable and capable of producing a meaningful change within a local neighborhood.

The concept promotes the empowerment of neighbors to develop relationships and open communication with their neighbors and city staff. The end result would be the improvement of the quality of life within each area.

These neighborhoods can be of varying sizes defined by either subdivisions, areas bordered by major street thoroughfares or any of several other specifically defined areas of the city. These areas can be adjusted according to the wishes of any particular neighborhood.

We are targeting an Oct. 1 kick-off of this initiative in two neighborhoods within our city. Neighborhood No. 1 would be in South Cape Girardeau initially bordered by Highway 74 to Hackberry--Beaudean Lane to Ranney. Neighborhood No. 2 is in the Red Star area bordered by Big Bend Road to Water Street -- East Cape Rock to Second Street. These will be suggested borders and can be adjusted according to the leadership decisions in each neighborhood.

The success of this program will be determined by citizen leadership within each neighborhood. Leaders within their area would establish a Neighborhood Association Coalition that would become a forum for improved communication between the neighborhood and the city.

This group would be responsible for engaging residents, property owners, businesses and organizations in taking action to improve their own neighborhood.

They would promote and encourage residents to identify issues and concerns as they arise and communicate with the city in achieving neighborhood improvement, thus improving the quality of life in their neighborhood.

Specific issues that could and should be identified include: run-down buildings and homes, vacant buildings, street issues, junk lots with tall weeds and trash, drug issues and others. Public safety becomes a focal point of this entire process, and each neighborhood has great potential for the improvement of citizen safety through this personal effort.

It should be stressed that this is a voluntary, citizen-based effort and not led by the city or city staff. Our staff will stand ready to facilitate and support each neighborhood, but the leadership and follow-through roles must be generated by citizens from within each neighborhood.

I am very hopeful that these first two defined Charter Neighborhoods will be successful and generate interest and enthusiasm among other neighborhoods.

This is a long-term process but one that I believe has the potential to take our very good quality of life to the next level.

Harry E. Rediger is the mayor of Cape Girardeau.