Southside NDP Being Reviewed
For July 1 Implementation;
First Year Projects Revealed
Meet 4 More Commissioners
The Southside Neighborhood De
velopment Plan (NDP) is on its way to
the federal government for final ap
proval.
The $750,000 project, aimed at im
proving conditions in the Southside, is
scheduled to begin July 1.
Projects plaimed for the first year of
the NDP, which will possibly be re
funded for three consecutive years, in
clude paving and upgrading three
streets, and acquiring approximately
two acres of land for multi-family
housing units.
The streets which will be affected
are as follows:
Cross Street from Taylor to Lang
ford, including the elimination of the
“dogleg,” or off-set, at Redding Drive;
Grayson Street from Taylor to Lang
ford; and
Langford Street from Grayson to
W. Green Drive.
As the streets are paved, new sewer
lines and gutters will be installed,
street lights will be put up, and in
adequate utilities will be replaced
where needed.
The land which is cited for purchase
runs on both sides of Redding Drive
between Grayson and Elizabeth
Streets. The land in turn will be sold
for the purpose of constructing an
estimated 30 to 40 new multi-family
units. The Housing Development Cor
poration, a Model Cities project, will
possibly oversee this building.
REHAB GRANTS
In addition, the budget will allow
up to 20 rehabilitation grants for home
improvements. Such grants can be au
thorized for up to $3,500 to homeown
ers whose income is less than $3,000
a year.
Some low-interest rehabilitation
loans can also be made available
to Southside residents.
Decisions on how to spend the gov-
enraient’s $500,000 share allotted to
High Point by the Department of
Housing and Urban Development
(HUD) have been made over the past
three months by the City of High
Point, Redevelopment Commission,
and Model Cities with the help of
citizens of the Southside.
A special Resident Review Commit
tee, made up of the five Southside
Model City Commissioners and three
residents elected at large, have car
ried a large part of the responsibility
in determining priorities and deciding
the direction of NDP.
The project, when approved by
HUD, will be carried out by the Re
development Commission and overseen
by the City of High Point.
NDP will join a number of re
building efforts already being exerted
in the Southside by Model Cities,
whose role in NDP has been one of
coordination, citizen participation and
evaluation.
Among these projects initiated by
Model Cilies is the construction of a
Multi-Purpose Service Center and
Southside Park, a four-acre site near
Fairview Street School along the pres
ent route of Hulda Street.
Commissioners Approve
Reprogramming Package
(Continued from page 1)
gift by the High Point Kiwanis Club
to be used for the piu'chase of a maxi
wagon, the other funding of $13,220
is provided by Model Cities.
I
• Neighborhood Youth Corps Sum
mer Program is designed to give simi-
mer jobs for 100 disadvantaged youth
between the ages of 14 and 21 who
are still in high school. The Guilford
County OflBce of Economic Opportun
ity is matching Model Cities’ share
of $46,222 with in-kind services
amounting to $48,977.
• Modular Housing is an experi
mental project to be carried out by
the Housing Development Corpora
tion. The purpose is to sfudy the
feasibility of building more pre
fabricated, or modular, houses in the
future. Two such factory-built units
will be assembled in the Model
Neighborhood, and priority for sale
will be given to Model Neighborhood
residents. Model Cities will fund the
project for $27,064, which will be re
verted back to the agency when the
units are sold.
• Relocation of the Southside out
fall sewer line will be carried out by
BILL HOLLAR
AgeiKy Representative
Employment Security Commission
RALPH SHEPPARD
Agency Representative
Social Services Department
WILLIE LEE RICE
Harrison Neighborhood
IBM employe
ROY FRAZIER
Agency Representative
Redevelopment Commission
Forty Commissioners Vital To Process
the City’s Department of Public
Works. This project will replace the
existing 15-inch line running through
the neighborhood with a 21-inch re
inforced concrete sewer line from
Vail to Grimes Street. This project
will facilitate the construction of the
Southside Multi Purpose Service Cen
ter. The Budget of $30,000 will be
provided entirely by Model Cities.
• Summer Nutrition Program
was rec^uested by the Model City
Commission to the state’s Special
School Food Service Program, who
will provide $40,000. Lunches will
be provided daily for 10 weeks to
1500 children who participate in some
supervised recreational or educational
programs at 13 sites in the city this
summer. Model Cities and other co
operating agencies will provide the
remaining $8,970 of in-kind services.
• Multi-Purpose Recreation Areas
will be upgraded by installing drink
ing fountains, and by constructing a
fence around one site. Water foun
tains were overlooked when this Mod
el Cities project was first carried out.
The Model Cities share of this im
provement is $3,178, to which the
City of High Point is adding $1,910.
The role of the Model City Com
missioners has been highlighted re
cently with the introduction of both
the Third Year Action Plan and the
second amendment to the current
action year.
The Commission must endorse all
projects before they are sent to City
Council for final approval.
A package of 33 projects making up
the Third Year Plan was presented to
the Commission for their review. At
the same time, 10 projects comprising
the Second Year’s second amendment
were presented.
Budgets for the two packages total
ed over $3,768,000.
Elected Model City Commissioners
represent each of the five neighbor
hoods in the Model Cities target area,
or Model Neighborhood, as well as
appointed representatives from agen
cies and organizations in the public
and private sector of High Point.
A total of 40 Commissioners sit on
the group. Their officers, who form
an executive committee, are Dr. Otis
E. Tillman, chairman; Richard
Wright, vice chairman; Willie Lee
Rice, secretary; Welbom Malpass and
Walter Moore, members-at-large.
The three top officers are selected
by a nominating committee and
recommended to the entire group for
approval. The members-at-large are
nominated and voted on by all 40
members.
In the Model Cities process. Com
missioners stand between task forces
and City Council to make sure that
citizens have a voice in decision-mak
ing.
At the beginning of the process, it
is the task forces which identify prob
lems and help work out strategy. Task
forces are made up of Model Neigh
borhood residents and citizens from
the community at large.
Task forces request agencies to sub
mit projects and rate these projects
by priority according to their need
and objectives. From the task forces,
proposals go to the executive com
mittee for discussion. After their en
dorsement, they send projects on to
the entire Commission for their con
sideration.
The purpose of these groups in the
Model Cities continuing process is
to give citizens a chance to beoHne
involved in planning projects which
affect the lives of their families and
their community.
WHATS HAPPENING is published
bimonthly by the Model Cities Com
mission of High Point, North Carolina,
William S. Bencini, Mayor; Dr. Otis
E. Tillman, Commission Chairman;
Don J. Forney, Director; Cecil A.
Brown, Infomuttion and Evahiation
Specialist. OfiBces of the agency are
located at 609 S. Main St., High Point,
N. C 27260. Telephone 885-9081.
The preparation of this magazine
and its free distribution were financially
aided and made possible through a
federal grant from the United States
Department of Housing and Uiban
Development under Title I of the
Demonstration Cities and Metropolitan
Act of 1966.
Editor Emily Hedridc