Historical December 1982 report or notice. Original dates, prices and contacts describe the source period; current availability has not been established.
Seasons greetings! I sincerely hope we all have an enjoyable and safe holiday season. Of major interest to our area is the recent announcement by the mayor’s office of the establishment of the Neighborhood Liaison Office with Albert J. Nerviani (our neighbor on Kingsbury) as director. Recognizing that the needs of each neighborhood, and indeed different sections of the same neighborhood, are separate and distinct with varying needs, the city has been divided into several administrative subdistricts.
The Skinker-DeBaliviere area is incorporated in District 11, generally bounded by the City Limits, Delmar, Union, Washington, Olive, Vandeventer and Oakland. Mr. Angelo Sita has been named as the Neighborhood Liaison Officer (NLO) for our district.
He has already started to survey our neighborhood to determine its general physical condition and immediate needs.
He will be required to prioritize the services needed by our neighborhoods and to make sure the commitments to deliver these services are met once the city makes a commitment. Mr. Sita will maintain a close relationship with me, the major neighborhood associations, and the Skinker-DeBaliviere Community Council, and will undoubtedly be in attendance at many neighborhood meetings.
He has already met with the Block Unit on 59xx DeGiverville, and plans. to meet with Washington Heights in the very near future.
The NLO will literally “be on the street” each day in the district. Together, we hope to establish a close working relationship with citizen groups and be in a position to respond to specific service requests.
In general, the NLO’s will respond to specific complaints but initially will spend most of their time bringing concentrated services to smaller “target areas” around the city which can show “turn-around” results in a relatively short period. I successfully lobbied the mayor and CDA to designate that portion of Washington Heights bounded by Delmar, Laurel, Waterman, and Des Peres as a target area.
As such, beginning in the spring, all vacant lots in this area will be cleaned and maintained throughout the year by Operation Brightside; top priority consideration will be given to public improvement projects; strict external code enforcement will be maintained along with the city’s help to obtain low-interest loans and grants for home improvements and repairs.
Most importantly, there is a firm commitment by the city to blight and offer for rehab all vacant housing structures in the target area.
It is now time for speculators to improve their property or sell it so someone who will! Hopefully, this program will go a long way in improving the physical appearance of the neighborhood in general and the target area in particular.
Well, I guess you have noticed that the only visible action on the new library has been the erection of a sign promising a new library.
But don’t despair. I recently spoke with Mr. Jeff Krewson, the project architect (and neighbor in DeBaliviere Place), who assured me that all was well, just proceeding a bit slower than anticipated.
There were a few “minor” adjustments to the plan at the request of the building commissioner … and there is a “small” problem with obtaining some parts by the manufacturer of the • pre-fab library building … but (weather permitting) we will have a new library by February .’.. or early spring at the latest.
Finally, I would like to offer my congratulations to Ms. Ann McKerrow FitzGibbons, the newly appointed executive director of SDCC.
I know that her experience as a resident of Skinker-DeBaliviere, . a teacher at Hamilton School, director of the West End Neighborhood Arts Council, and as a supervisor of this summer’s SLATE youth program in the area, provide her with a firm background and understanding of the wants and needs of all of our neighborhoods and the Skinker-DeBaliviere community as a whole. I look forward to working with her, with Angelo Sita, our new NLO, and with everyone else committed to improving our neighborhoods and the lives, of our neighbors in the coming year. , Again, I wish you all a happy, prosperous and productive New Year!
Originally published in The Neighborhood Paper, December 1982.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Original source: SD_Times1982_12.pdf, printed page(s) 6; PDF page(s) 6.
