Potter Longway group may expand borders

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By Kate Cole

Thursday, April 19, 2012

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The Potter Longway Neighborhood Association April 16 discussed expanding the group's boundaries to include the Thrift City Neighborhood and adding about 1,000 people to the group.

It also discussed community service, metal theft and honoring children with Judge Herman Marable, 68th District Court, and the Genesee Health Plan with Pam Nelson, a community outreach specialist.

Just one month after being elected president Chris Zuwala asked members to consider amending the new bylaws to expand the physical boundaries of the group.

He said he would like the group to think about changing the boundary on the south from Davison Road to Palmer Street to include the former Thrift City Neighborhood.

Zuwala stressed that expanding the the group would benefit people living in both the current area and the added area.

"What happens in our neighborhood happens to our friends across the road," Zuwala explained. "We can have a more effective neighborhood watch when we include these people."

According to residents, the Thrift City Neighborhood group has been inactive for several years. The area being considered for annexation has about a thousand residents.

Marable said he had three things he wanted to discuss with the group — community service, metal theft and his program to honor young people.

It's been five years since Flint has had a community service officer assigned to the 68th District, Marable said. He explained that without an officer it had been difficult for judges to assign offenders to do community service. Then the Citizens Nuisance Task Force stepped up.

"There's a lot of record keeping that needs to be done when you assign someone to community service," Marable said.

According to Marable, the Citizens Nuisance Task Force works with the city's legal department and the court to provide a way offenders can repay the city for the nuisance they caused by performing community service.

"I tend to use community service as a sanction for nuisance crimes like metal theft, prostitution and noise violation. And I try to assign them to the areas of the community where their crime occurred," Marable added.

Marable encouraged members to request help from the Citizens Nuisance Task Force for neighborhood cleanups that will put offenders to work doing community service.

The judge's second issue was metal theft. He spoke about the recent sentencing of scrap metal thieves who he said came before him with "attempt" charges rather than theft.

"City Council passed an emergency ordinance that requires a mandatory 90-jail  sentence with no time off for illegal metal theft," Marable said. "The last three offenders came with charges for attempted illegal metal theft which cuts the penalty in half."

Marable encouraged citizens to attend court hearings when cases involve their neighborhood.

"To me, its always significant that neighborhood people come to court when people are sentenced."

The group discussed methods of deterring metal theft and suggested that a statewide law that puts all scrap yards on the same playing field would have a broader impact on the problem.

Lastly, Marable said he wanted member's help in selecting students in the area for his Student of the Month Award that provides 10th graders with an opportunity to win a $75 saving bond, certificate and trophy for completing an application and essay about their career goals.

"I really want to see some kids in Flint participate in the student of the month contest," Marable said. "There are no GPA requirements. Just write an essay."

The contest is open to all Genesee County high school students. The monthly winner is then eligible for the yearly award.

Pam Nelson of Genesee Health Plan talked about the millage renewal on the Nov. 6 ballot for the plan that helps with medical costs for the uninsured.

"We are not an insurance plan," Nelson said. "We work with uninsured people from 19 to 64 who need doctor visits, X-rays, labs and prescriptions. We also have a mental health program funded by a grant."

According to Nelson there are more than 60,000 people (50 percent from Flint and 50 percent from the suburbs of Flint) using the health plan.

In response to a question about the effects of the Obama Health Plan, she said that if the national health care plan now under consideration by the Supreme Court goes into effect, it will still leave 50 percent of the uninsured without insurance and those people would be eligible for the Genesee Health Plan.

In other matters, Red Alert, the electronic crime notification system, will be promoted throughout the organization, according to Zuwala. Vice President Eric Pruitt will again provide step-by-step instructions to members and a list of do's and don'ts for members using Red Alert.

Zuwala told members he is seeking information about how to incorporate the Potter Longway Neighborhood Association as a nonprofit group. He will be attending a number of neighborhood meetings to see how others have done it.

"We want to be able to go after larger grants. In order to do that we need to finish our bylaws and incorporate," he said.

Members would vote on the new bylaws at the May meeting.

Pastor Carl Cooke of Eastwood United Methodist Church announced a brunch and community service fair April 28. The complementary brunch is from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and will be followed by information sessions on various community services, including community gardening, Potter Global Elementary School, sewing ministries and the neighborhood crime watch.

Cooke invited members to join his church in a neighborhood cleanup scheduled for May 19 and May 20.

The group decided to cancel their previously planned cleanup May 5 and join the church's effort.

The next meeting will be 7 p.m. May 21 at Eastwood United Methodist Church, 737 E. Whittier St.

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