Neighborhood revitalization and blight removal are goals in Durant-Tuuri-Mott target area
By Tom Travis Dreaming, re-imagining and visioning for neighborhoods were at the center of a recent discussion of the University Avenue Corridor Coalition (UACC). Focused on neighborhood revitalization and blight removal, a project funded by a small federal grant is being directed toward envisioning possibilities for a historic neighborhood in the heart of Flint. UACC leaders and others say they hope the project, calling for several...
“Zero layoffs” and “no more raiding the Water and Sewer fund” in Mayor Neeley’s 2021 city budget
By Tom Travis Mayor Sheldon Neeley presented a balanced 2021 budget to the Flint City Council Monday that calls for total revenues of $56.9 million and total expenditures of $71.3 million, using city savings from its previous general fund balance to make up the difference. Neeley vowed to stop budget practices used by previous administrations and emergency managers. He vowed it would not include layoffs of city employees, and would...
Freeman Elementary’s “Live Museum” celebrates Black History Month
By Harold C. Ford A group of about 42 sixth-grade students made Black History Month come alive with a “Live Museum” at Flint’s Freeman Elementary School on Feb. 25. Students dressed up as Barack Obama, Serena Williams, Bernie Mac, Nelson Mandela, Langston Hughes, Alicia Keys, Guion Bluford and many other well-known persons. For 90 minutes, they were visited in the school’s gymnasium by family members, representatives of the media, and...
Analysis: Citizens speak up and votes are swayed, as City Council turns down tax abatement in Carriage Town
By Tom Travis On Monday, Feb. 24, Flint City Council voted 5 to 4 against a proposed tax abatement for a property development in the neighborhood that birthed General Motors. The decision may mean the end of the project, which has been vigorously protested by a group of its neighbors. The property, formerly a Hamady grocery store and owned by the Farah family with Troy Farah as a trustee, is at the corner of University Avenue and...
“Hair on fire!” FPL Director Kay Schwartz, staff synchronizing complex library moves, “working our hearts out”
By Zach Neithercut “Is my hair on fire?” That’s what Flint Public Library Director Kay Schwartz says she blurts out these days to anybody asking how things are going. Schwartz is at the helm of a complicated–and extremely rewarding–set of maneuvers as the 60-year-old library on Kearsley Street begins preparations for its massive makeover — a $27.6 million project to transform the aging facility from...
Bucks’ success continues into off season
By Harold C. Ford The 2019 on-field success of the Flint City Bucks during their first season in The Vehicle City—including a national championship in the United Soccer League Two (USL2)—has continued into the off-season. Top honors for the club’s executives and the ascension of three former players into Major League Soccer (MLS) accentuated the Bucks’ impressive inaugural season in Flint. Executive awards The Bucks’ Dan Duggan and...
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