Monthly Report -February 1998

# of Neighborhood Organizations assisted: 9

# of Faith-Based Organizations assisted: 1

# of Municipal Agencies assisted: 3

February may have been a short month, but it was still a busy one at the NTAC. A new client, the East St. Louis Community Camp, requested assistance. This 25 year old organization provides camping opportunities each summer for East St. Louis residents. This year they hope to hire a camp counselor and provide an extra camp. They requested NTAC assistance with grant writing, and training for staff management. Thus far most NTAC clients are relatively new or start up organizations. The East St. Louis Community Camp is a more stable East St. Louis institution that heard of NTAC and decided to utilize our services.

NTAC staff attended phase II of the Wedgewood park planning meetings by working with Nancy Biggins of the Southwestern Illinois Planning Commission, Stanford Scott of Adventures in Motivation, and David Rahe of the Metro East Watershed Group. The partnership is working to complete site analysis of the area, including topography, drainage, FEMA requirements and Illinois Department of Transportation development plans.

NTAC staff worked with Andrew Jackson of the Carver Community Center to organize a tour of his facility with area architects. The purpose of this tour was to provide information about community activities to the architects and solicit ideas for the rehabilitation project currently underway.

At the request of the Emerson Park Development Corporation the NTAC staff offered assistance to the City Manager’s Office in developing a land conveyance policy. The policy is needed for donation of land to Emerson Park for development into a playground. The City Manager accepted the offer of assistance and the NTAC director began work with the University of Illinois Law Clinic to devise such a policy.

See description in Introduction.

NTAC staff presented a revised schedule for meetings to the Planning Commission and laid a framework for development of a comprehensive plan for the city. Neighborhood associations will be asked to present their plans to the commission for consideration. The NTAC staff will provide information about Census data and unplanned neighborhoods. The Commission adopted the proposed timeline.

Francella Jackson, Enterprise Community Liaison to the police department, requested mapping assistance from the NTAC. Maps of East St. Louis safe havens were created for use at neighborhood meetings and in grant applications.

NTAC staff worked with a committee of neighborhood residents to line up vendors, and speakers for the March Edgemont Homeownership Seminar. Residents decided that this seminar should focus on providing information for current homeowners such as energy savings, and home-improvement loans. In addition residents who currently rent should be able to find information about how to get a mortgage loan and what assistance there is for low-income or first-time homebuyers.

Emerson Park Development Corporation (EPDC)

NTAC staff led a planning session in which residents were asked to identify neighborhood landmarks, strengths and weaknesses on various maps. The information was documented by University of Illinois students and will be compiled and presented to residents for analysis. Over thirty (30) residents were in attendance and participated in this session at the February Emerson Park meeting. The information obtained will be included in the Emerson Park Neighborhood Plan. The NTAC was also used as a base of operations for University of Illinois students conducting residential and institutional interviews for the Emerson Park plan.

NTAC staff attended the February Olivette Park meeting and answered questions about community development activities in the city. Olivette Park requested assistance in procuring a riding lawn mower with their recently awarded grant funds.

NTAC staff attended the regular monthly meeting of the Katherine Dunham Board. In addition NTAC design specialist, Craig Miller, attended a pre-construction meeting with CDBG staff, Dunham board members, and Hendricks plumbing. Mr. Miller also assisted with the Dunham URPS landscaping project by meeting with Dunham staff and Ted Wofford, project architect.

The NTAC Director met with Toya Nash of New Spirit on three occasions in February to assist in planning Spring and Summer neighborhood activities. These meetings, including the New Spirit Board meeting, are part of a concerted effort to coordinate the activities of New Spirit, NTAC, and the East St. Louis Community Action Network. This coordination will prevent duplication and help further the mission of all three organizations.

NTAC staff assisted the neighborhood association by documenting sanitation code violations and photographing sites where demolition recently occurred.

Winstanley/Industry Park Neighborhood Organization (WIPNO)

NTAC design staff completed as-built drawings of the property and a submitted a draft "boiler-plate" funding proposal and a four possible funding sources. The funding proposal was revised after input from the WIPNO Board and conceptual drawings were submitted as well.

* See attached bills and time sheets