Thursday, May 12, 2005

May 2005 PNP Meeting Report

Observations on the monthly meeting of the Pueblo Neighborhood Partnership (PNP).

A number of interesting things were discussed at this meeting. Here is the gist of what caught my attention:

Code Enforcement

We have a new chief of code enforcement in Pueblo. Her name is Grace. And, the department is horribly understaffed. It has only three of the eight people it should have.

She WE need the department for code enforcement properly staffed. It’ll take action on our part to get the City Fathers to do the necessary hiring. So we need to communicate our interest in this department to them in order to have that accomplished.

Bessemer Clean-Up Day

The annual effort to get the trash that tends to accumulate in Bessemer over the course of the year OUT of there by staging a massive effort on the part of the city was a great success this year. Over twice as many trash containers were filled and hauled away. The previous iteration had been 21 containers. This year it was reported to be 45.

This brings up a concern of whether people are taking unfair advantage of the system. If they (1) are not required to use a trash service that they have to pay $13 a month for and (2) know they can have a lot of trash hauled away for $3 a truck-load, why not hang on to the big stuff until the annual clean-up day?

Sounds like a classic example of an ‘unexpected consequence’ or perhaps letting no good deed going unpunished. As the old saying goes, “The road to hell is paved with good intentions”.

Community Development Grants

Know as Community Outreach Partnership Center (COPC) grants, these are funds allocated by our rich Uncle Sam to promote coordination of institutions of higher education with local communities—government, neighborhood and business activities—to foment growth and stability. Colorado State University-Pueblo, is contending for some of these funds in order to establish a closer relationship with the people who live and work in Pueblo. I think it’s a great idea. I’m always willing to accept help, especially if its from a bunch of bright ‘kids’ (all things are ‘relative’). I learn so much from them. [As you are, I once was. As I am, you shall become.]

The idea is to have the university campus provide educational opportunities for members of the community who are interested in organizing their neighborhood to do something, starting a small business, reducing crime or a number of other community-motiviation/improvement activities where education is the first major step.

The efforts will focus, primarily on the Y-Zone neighborhoods. But, even for OHNO, this can be a benefit. OHNO is not Y-Zone. But parts of Northside, where OHNO lives and works, is in the ‘zone’. So certain government folks are looking to us to provide assistance in helping those folks. And I can think of some businesses that would benefit from that kind of helping of our neighbors and our neighborhood.

As with many government assistance activities, this is going to require matching effort. However, that does not necessarily mean money. From what I understand, and I am no expert, it can mean some time on our part to provide a helping hand. I hope we can see our way clear to do that, as I think it would benefit our neighborhood.

The details of what the CSU-P is planning will be made available a bit later this year. We’ll try to keep eveyone apprised.