Central Park discusses crime, home rehabilitation

Central Park Neighborhood Association March 10 focused on crime, grants and properties.

Community activist David Caswell spoke about the benefits of using Code Red, a cell phone and computer crime alert system. Caswell highlighted the benefits of being part of a system that other neighborhood associations have adopted.

Officer Kraig Brueck, Mott community police, told members he believed Code Red would be beneficial to the neighborhood.

The group agreed to make an attempt to get the crime statistics from the city to determine what kinds of watch systems would be useful for the area.

President Jerry Rule announced a Keep Genesee County Beautiful grant request for $1,000 to purchase about eight parkway trees. Tree planting will take place in the fall with neighbors providing labor as a match for the grant.

Exective Director Norma Sain, Court Street Village Non Profit Housing Corporation, said a recent $l,000 grant from the Greater Flint Community Foundation will be used to contract E&B Lawn Care for eight professional cuttings for East Street Park and purchase shrubberies for the park.

Sain also said Michigan State Housing Development Authority had sold Court Street Village East and Court Street Village West, apartment complexes on Court Street, to McFarlan Home, 700 E. Kearsley St.

Sain also announced a $93,243 grant to Central Park Neighborhood Association from the city of Flint Department of Community and Economic Development for a home purchase-rehabilitation-resell program for low to moderate income families. The association will begin working on a priority list of properties for the grant.

According to UM-Flint students, Eddy Street Alternatives House was successfully emptied. UM-Flint students in the Urban and Regional Planning Program will hold a neighborhood meeting March 26 at the Flint Public Library to go over the survey of the neighborhood done recently and plans for the Eddy Street Alternatives House.

In other matters, recycle bins will be at Mott Community College and UM-Flint in March and the annual spring neighborhood cleanup is scheduled for April 30.

The group will meet next at 7 p.m. April 14 at the Neighborhood House, 727 East St.

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