PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE

Phillip Hood of Poplar Bluff can barely contain his excitement about Operation Weed and Seed programs begun in that community since he was hired as seeding coordinator in December.

Hood's enthusiasm was shared during a training session Saturday with members of the Regional Weed and Seed board, community steering committees and staff members.

Operation Weed and Seed is a U.S. Department of Justice initiative designed to weed out violent crime, drug use and gang activity in targeted neighborhoods in Cape Girardeau, Sikeston, Charleston, Poplar Bluff and Caruthersville. Then targeted areas in each of the communities are seeding with resources, opportunities and education.

The five-city Weed and Seed program is the only one of its kind in the nation. There are about 100 Weed and Seed programs in the nation, but the others are limited to a single city.

Southeast Missouri's Weed and Seed is operating this year on a $750,000 grant. The money has been divided equally for administrative expenses and funding of Weed and Seed projects in the five cities.

The federal money arrived in late December and is being funneled into the communities in several ways. Seeding coordinators have been hired to help establish a Weed and Seed presence in each community. Mini grants have been funded for projects like a mentoring program for young men in Caruthersville and a jump rope team in Cape Girardeau.

In Poplar Bluff, a summer camp is under way called "FEAST," Fun Education At Summer Time. Children from kindergarten through fifth grade may attend at no cost.

"We will have comedians and the fire department and the police and people representing all kinds of jobs over the summer," Hood said. "We hope to stimulate their minds and keep them out of trouble."

Monthly meetings have been established in the target neighborhood. Neighbors have an opportunity to ask questions of city officials including police and city planners and the city manager. "We let the public just bombard these people," Hood explained.

The training included discussion of financial management and the overall organizational structure of the program.

"It's one thing to give money out, but we plan to measure and evaluate what it being done with that money," said Cape Girardeau Police Chief Rick Hetzel. He serves as president of the regional Weed and Seed board.

Part of the training was an explanation of exactly how projects will be evaluated. Weed and Seed has contracted with four professionals to review the projects.

The top issue was communication and sharing of information. That was followed by a concern about how to get the information about Weed and Seed to the appropriate people in each of the communities.

Because Southeast Missouri's project is different than others in the nation, the structure is different and it faces different challenges.

Specifically, programs in each of the five communities are advancing at different speeds. '

Stacy Larsons of the executive office of Weed and Seed in Washington D.C. oversees 21 Weed and Seed programs in several states, including Southeast Missouri's. She attended Saturday's training.

"Each community is at a different point in implementation," she said.

Implementing a community policing, economic development and community revitalization program takes more than a year. "A sustainable plan takes commitment and time," Larsons said.