Progress update on Purpose Built Community

It has been a full year since our city of Cape Girardeau embraced the successful Purpose Built Community model that began in Atlanta, Georgia. This model is a proven successful project that revitalizes neighborhoods such as our own city's southern neighborhoods.

The Purpose Built Model is a long-term revitalization that changes neighborhoods and changes lives. The ultimate goal is to end "Generational Poverty." Some of the strategies include new mixed housing developments, early childhood and other educational improvements, crime reduction and other efforts. The strategies are initiated by the neighborhood residents themselves with city government and community support.

A significant step forward occurred during the months of August and September when, during several meetings, the neighbors and attendees declared that we need to do something now. They realized the long-term effects but offered several relatively short-term needs that could and should be addressed in the very near future. I want to spend the balance of this column outlining the current results of their suggestions.

Lighting: Dark areas were a concern during these meetings.

Our city and Ameren have arranged to replace all 79 streetlights from Shawnee Parkway to Southern Expressway and from the Mississippi River to Beaudean with new LED bulbs that will nearly double the wattage for all of this area. This project is scheduled to begin very soon and target completion is within three to five months.

Clean-up: There was a concern about excessive amounts of trash along streets, properties and alleys.

Councilman Joe Uzoaru organized and led a large group of dedicated workers to complete a special trash pick-up and alley clean sweep in the area of Sprigg to Benton and Southern Expressway to Shawnee Parkway. A multitude of workers that included landlords Uzoaru, Jason Coalter, Jay Meystedt, a team from Lacroix Church, church members and residents from the area and the community as a whole made great progress in this clean-up effort. This project is supported by our city public works department as they are currently picking up the large accumulations at the ends of alleys.

Crime: A growing concern that is community wide about the significant increase in violent crime in our city.

Police chief Wes Blair presented to council in October an update on crime that showed that overall crime in our city is actually down some but violent crime has risen significantly. There has been a large increase in drug-related arrests and prosecutions. The addition of a crime analyst and improved communications between landlords/tenants and our police department are an example of efforts to reverse this trend. Council has asked Chief Blair to address the council again on Monday to identify progress and additional strategies although we realize that some strategies are classified.

Education: We have a great working relationship with Cape Girardeau Public Schools and superintendent Dr. Neil Glass. The school district is anticipating adding an early childhood center in South Cape in the future that would fit into the Atlanta model. The district and the city are examining the possibility of incubating this center at our Shawnee Community Center in an effort to solve the gap until the new center would be built. It is my hope that this can be accomplished in a relatively short time frame.

Parks/trails: The need for additional parks and connecting trails was identified in several meetings recently.

Our citizens will be voting in April 2018 on a 3/8-cent renewal of the existing parks/storm water sales tax. Staff, council and the parks department advisory board has added a funded parks project for South Cape. There is also an item on the project list for trail expansion.

I feel and see, through the above shorter-term initiatives, a level of optimism and momentum that is growing as it relates to the southern side of our city, and I am excited as we move into the year 2018 that we will see further progress and community bonding toward the long-term goal.

Harry Rediger is the mayor of Cape Girardeau.