Historical February–March 2015 article. Dates, prices, services and contacts describe the source period; current availability has not been established.
At end of December, SDCC bid farewell to Kelcy Siddall, the Community Engagement Coordinator.
We appreciate his dedication and hard work over the last year in support of the Council and the neighborhood.
As a result of the anticipated $35,000 budget shortfall in 2015, the fulltime Community Engagement Coordinator position has been eliminated and will be replaced by a part-time administrative assistant position.
The hiring process is currently underway and we hope to welcome the new part-time staff member by the middle of February.
As previously reported, this is due to a reduction in grant funds from the federal Community Development Block Grant program, traditionally a large funder of SDCC.
This is in part the result of a city-wide change in CDBG funding priorities.
In addition, as a result of the revitalization efforts over the years, the percent of the neighborhood that is classified as low-to moderate income has dropped below 50%.
This means the Council is no longer eligible for the same level of federal funding and it is forcing the board to rethink not only our funding model, but the role of SDCC in the neighborhood. At the SDCC board retreat on Saturday, January 31, the board had the opportunity to think about and discuss the role of SDCC and the Council’s priorities going forward.
The board retreat is the beginning of the conversation and SDCC will provide many opportunities for community feedback on SDCC priorities and funding in the coming year.
While it is never easy to lose what was once a reliable source of funding for an organization, we recognize this as an opportunity for SDCC to take a new look at who we are, what we do and why we are here.
We look forward to a lively conversation at the board retreat and over the next year.
Also in December, SDCC hosted the first Community Conversation at Hamilton School, where residents had an opportunity to come together to discuss their feelings and thoughts about Ferguson and Shaw and racial relations in our community in general.
There was a good turnout, with close to 40 people in attendance contributing to an open and thoughtful discussion. At the meeting there were many calls for follow up and a plan for action.
Another meeting will be scheduled in early 2015 and we encourage everyone to come and be a part of something proactive and positive in our part of the city. At a special December board meeting, SDCC passed a board resolution for the 2015 CDA Contract to conduct an Aging in Place Program. Planning is currently underway in partnership with the Neighborhood Services Committee to implement up to 10 workshops and events on topics of interest to neighborhood seniors such as health, finances, and home maintenance.
Each issue of the TIMES features a report from SDCC, but including the full minutes had proved to take up too much space, so, starting this month, SDCC has now added a feature to their webpage where the monthly minutes are posted, as a way for neighbors to keep up with what’s going on at the Council. https://skinkerdebaliviere.wordpress.com/sdcc-board-meeting-minutes/ To stay informed of the latest SDCC news and events, please call or visit the office, 6008 Kingsbury. SDCC office hours are Monday through Thursday, 10am-4pm. Sometimes staff will have to step out for a meeting or lunch, so we recommend calling before you stop by to make sure someone is here. Our phone number is (314) 862-5122. You can also visit our facebook page or website (www. skinkerd.org) or join our email list by emailing us at sdcc@skinker-debaliviere.com.
Original photograph caption
Wintermarkt 2014.
Originally published in The Times of Skinker-DeBaliviere, February–March 2015.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Original source: SD_Times2015_02.pdf, printed page(s) 4; PDF page(s) 4.
