Alderman Roddy and Executive Director Blue stated neighborhood goals for the next year.  

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FPSE Summit Meeting, October 28, 2003

 
Attendance
   Thirty-five people, including staff and offictials, attended.
Award
   Blue announced that FPSE got the number 2 award in Missouri for Community Betterment.  Tower Grove East got the number one award.  
Alderman's comments
   Seventeenth Ward Alderman Joe Roddy spoke first. He spoke of George Westfall and his empathy for the City. He said he was an outstanding public servant.
   Roddy said that PFSE Development Corporation Executive Director Irving Blue was "better versed about what's going on in the neighborhood than I." There is  one million worth of development in FPSE. The question is, "How do we bring people back to the ne ighborhood?" He also mentioned that the m medical center had spent 10 million in the neighborhood without expecting anything in return.
   Roddy felt that merging the Development Corporation and the Community Center  was a good thing. There was also much discussion about combining all the neighborhood groups and the FPSE Community Council into one entity because it would be so much easier to raise funds and get grant money. "If we have meetings with 150 people even the Mayor may attend." He and various others expressed the opinion that there are too many groups and too much divisiveness. He didn't think the Council was a viable group and that they just argue.
   He also mentioned that there will be a 50 million shortfall in the City  budget because of the decrease in Federal money. Less population means less federal money. [The city's 2004 budget is $824.9 million, 1.4% less than the current year according to the budget as posted on the City Information Network.]  
Development Corporation's plan
   Irving Blue presented his plan for the coming year and distributed a copy to everyone. He said that it was written after input from neighborhood meetings and written surveys from residents. He asked people to sign up for committees and gave out the calendar describing when these meetings are. Bulletin Boards will be put up around the neighborhood to inform people of things happening. Better communication is definitely needed.
   In regard to  the Housing Committee, Blue said it will resume meetings in January and meets on the 4th Thursday of the month at 7:00.    The committee will have voting power to make recommendations to the Board. There will be a subcommittee that anyone can join. A question was asked about the housing inspections for homes that may be hazardous. What would happen if these families could not afford to fix their homes. Blue answered that we would have to raise resources to do that.
   Blue said that the October 25th workday was very successful in that they had 35 volunteers and cleaned 15 alleys.
   The development corporation is doing pedestrian and traffic analysis.  One person said that when calls are made to police, they don't come. Blue suggested they call his office so athat a log could be made recarding calls and responses. He stated that not enough attention has been paid to youth and he wants to engage them in planning and decision making.
   Blue felt that the goal in the coming year should be to think of the neighborhood as one entity.

Submitted by Joan Botwinick.

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