Residents urged to get neighbors motivated in development initiative

The second round of meetings for Cape Girardeau's Neighborhood Development Initiative began Tuesday evening, with city officials discussing the major concerns of residents living in the Red Star neighborhood.

It encompasses the area in Ward 1 that stretches from Second Street to East Cape Rock Drive and spans east to west from Rand Street to Big Bend Road.

The initiative, which began last year with neighborhoods in Ward 2, is designed to promote self-governance among the community by establishing lines of communication with the city and various leadership groups in the area. As city manager Scott Meyer said when he kicked off the Tuesday night meeting at the Red Star Baptist Church Activity Center, "nothing works better" than neighbors uniting to improve a community.

Those in attendance introduced themselves and shared a little about their experiences in the neighborhood. Some were relatively recent members of the neighborhood, but others, like Dave and Jane O'Connell, have called the area home for more than 50 years. The couple said they remembered a time when neighbors came together to solve problems and clean up the community, and were optimistic it could happen again.

Littering and poorly maintained property were among the chief complaints shared at the meeting, but many said fear of violence kept them from reaching out to unknown neighbors with their concerns.

Ward 1 Councilman Joe Uzoaru stressed the importance of leaders stepping up to help the community program become successful. Finding these leaders can help determine what structure will best serve the community once it forms its own neighborhood association, which will in turn work with other neighborhood associations as well as the city to identify and solve problems.

One of the problems leaders could help solve is participation. Roughly a dozen people attended the Tuesday night meeting, although many in attendance said they believed a larger crowd would have shown up if they had been aware of the meeting. City staff said they posted online notices and fliers, but were limited in the number of ways they could distribute the information.

Uzoaru and city staff challenged each person to bring more people to the next meeting, tentatively scheduled for 6 p.m. Feb. 10 at the Red Star church activity center. While Tuesday night's meeting might not have had the attendance some would like to see, city planner Ryan Shrimplin encouraged the group to make an effort to reach out to neighbors and not become discouraged.

With Martin Luther King Jr. Day less than a week away, he used the civil rights leader as an example. King started with a small group, not an "army of people," Shrimplin said, facing "the giant" that was a system of discrimination.

"What's the giant in your neighborhood? From what I'm hearing, it seems to be a culture of apathy," he said. "The giants may be different but the formula for success is the same: a small group with a clear focus."

Albert Bell lives in Ward 2 and was part of NDI efforts in that community last year. He attended the Tuesday night meeting because he said his community wants to reach out and work with others in the city. He's seen how NDI can connect neighbors and provide resources to communities in need. It just takes a few people willing to "pitch in," he said.

"NDI is the softening plate for developing confidence, beauty and harmony in a neighborhood for the common good," Bell said.

srinehart@semissourian.com

388-3641

Pertinent address:

1316 N. Main St., Cape Girardeau, Mo.