Fairfield group dicusses marketing plan, house demolitions

The Fairfield Village Neighborhood Council Feb. 4 discussed developing a neighborhood marketing plan and the stopping of scheduled house demolition after the process had begun on five houses.

The group also discussed issues to present at the 7th Ward meeting with Emergency Financial Manager Michael Brown Feb. 7.

"We need leaders and we need manpower to achieve our goals for 2012. We also need to come up with a marketing plan for our neighborhood to bring people here who will care for it," President Andy Ellard said.

Craig Wolcott, a member of the College Cultural Neighborhood Association, explained how his group formed a committee that deals with marketing the neighborhood.

"We already have a couple of realtors on the committee, our group works with both tenants and landlords and we're going to do the old "Welcome Wagon" thing to get to know our neighbors," Wolcott said.

The group, agreeing there is a need for a plan, put together a work group to organize it.

In the beautification and neighborhood stabilization report, Judy Hovey said that the bad news was that after five homes targeted for demolition in the area had their wires cut and plugged, the city ran out of money. She said she was told by the city's development manager, Jesse Buchanan, that the demolitions would not be completed.

"The funds for the demolitions have been siphoned to the Smith Village project," Hovey said.

Hovey also told the group that she has someone to take over the community garden and that Ben Howell will continue as the lead person in the tree replanting project.

Ellard asked the council for topics for the 7th Ward emergency financial manager meeting.

The group agreed their number one concern was safety.

"We want to know that our kids our safe when they're outdoors," a member said.

"We want to know that when we leave our homes for the evening our house will still be there — in one piece — when we return," said another member.

"I'd like to see the crime stats for the neighborhood," Ellard said. "We haven't been able to get that information from the city."

Wolcott said he was working with the city to get the stats but was not successful. "We're protecting ourselves with the Mott Community College police," he said.

Ellard distributed TeenQuest applications for a pre-employability leadership training program held by the Genesee Regional Chamber of Commerce.

"Our teens need to complete this training so we can continue to get grants for youth workers," Ellard said.

Norma Sain distributed copies of the revised bylaws that will come up for a vote at the March 3 meeting.

Hovey announced Keep Genesee County Beautiful leadership conference on March 3 and recommended moving the council meeting back an hour so that members could attend the conference.

The group meets next at 2 p.m. March 3 at Court Street Village Neighborhood House, 727 East St.