by Dale Hannah
Neighborhood Cleanup
20Aug2008 Filed under: Erie, Government, Local Highlights, Mayor's Office, People Power, Promoting Erie, revitalization Author: Dale HannahThe City of Erie finally got started on the demolition of dangerous eyesores on Buffalo Road yesterday. By the time they’re finished, a dozen neighborhood parcels will have been stripped of the rundown buildings, hopefully allowing the spaces to be refilled with new, owner-occupied homes. After acquiring the properties through eminent domain proceedings, the buildings are being demolished by the City of Erie. I’m sure help for potential new homeowners will be available in the form of counselling and financial advice from various agencies such as the St. Martin’s Center.
According to Andy Zimmerman, City Code Enforcement Manager, there are at least 150 other properties in the city which are undergoing the acquisition process.
This is very visible evidence that Erie leaders are working hard to advance the quality of life in rundown neighborhoods. Hopefully, the clean-up will encourage other homeowners in the area to take a little more pride in their homes, and create a safe, comfortable, environment once again.
Too often the effort put forth by the city goes unnoticed, while criticism for what is not being done runs rampant. This is a great time to start talking up the job the city is doing, and encourage people all over the city to show some pride in our hometown. We need to get behind the city and support their efforts.
Hat’s are off to Mayor Sinnott and his crew for their leadership!
3 Responses to “Neighborhood Cleanup”
Leave a reply
About 'What If?'
I am a life-long resident of Erie County, twenty years of which were spent living in the City of Erie. I retired from the tool-and-die trade two years ago, and now have time to enjoy the opportunity to observe city and county goings-on in more depth.
I hope to create a venue to suggest new ideas and solutions to exisiting problems with my blog, 'What If?'.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
- 4th of July (1)
- 9/11 (1)
- air quality (10)
- Airport (1)
- Authorities (25)
- Bail-out (3)
- bailout (4)
- Bayfront Convention Center (7)
- Behrend (2)
- campaigning (29)
- casino (9)
- CelebrateErie (1)
- City Council (8)
- COLA (1)
- Community College (7)
- contractors (5)
- corruption (4)
- County Executive (25)
- Courts (4)
- Crime (17)
- Democracy Rising Pa (5)
- Dining (1)
- drug prices (2)
- East High (6)
- Economic Development (38)
- EDCEC (1)
- EMGR (2)
- Erie (117)
- Erie Cares (4)
- Erie Coke Corp. (2)
- Erie County (38)
- Erie Management Group (1)
- Erie Playhouse (1)
- Ethics in Government (30)
- ETN (9)
- Family Honor (1)
- Federal Government (18)
- fire department (10)
- Fuel Sources (8)
- Funerals (3)
- GAF (5)
- Gangs (8)
- Gannon University (1)
- Government (78)
- Grant Money (19)
- Hamot (3)
- health issues (17)
- Highway H-20 (1)
- Hillary (3)
- History (1)
- Humor (5)
- insurance companies (4)
- Iraq (2)
- Jack Tirak (2)
- Jerry Uht Park (2)
- John Kanzius (2)
- Justice (12)
- Koehler Brewery Square (3)
- landlords (4)
- Lay-offs (3)
- lead testing (1)
- Leap Year (1)
- Liberty Park (5)
- Local Highlights (29)
- Mayor's Office (24)
- Media Bias (10)
- Medicine (4)
- Mercyhurst College (2)
- Military (3)
- National Health Care (1)
- NFG (1)
- North East (4)
- Obama (12)
- Pa (3)
- Pennsylvania (13)
- People Power (72)
- Photos (4)
- Police Dept. (18)
- politics (83)
- pollution (8)
- Power Plants (11)
- Presidential Campaign (18)
- Presque Isle (2)
- Presque Isle Downs (5)
- Primary Elections (10)
- Promoting Erie (51)
- random thoughts (90)
- Recycling (6)
- Regionalism (14)
- revitalization (41)
- Rust Belt Bloggers (4)
- Seasons (8)
- Spring (5)
- Starbucks (1)
- tire plant (16)
- towns (11)
- transportation (1)
- Tullio Arena (4)
- Uncategorized (22)
- Union Station (9)
- Urban Art (1)
- Utilities (6)
- violence (12)
- Wind Farms (1)
- Winter (10)
George Vietze
August 20th, 2008 at 1:05 pm
Having just toured the Little Italy, Parade St.,Downtown and Mid-town areas with Kim Green, Director of City of Erie Economic and Community Development and Joh Elliott, Director of Erie Redevelopment Authority I saw first hand the formidable job that the City is to to revamp and revitalize this community. The Mayor has now expanded this activity to the Buffallo Road area. The Mayor and his staff are walking the walk and the critics are talking the talk.
Historic Little Italy is an example of what should be duplicated in other neighborhoods. The residents need to come together and form groups that have an interest in improving the quality of life and the value of their particular neighborhood. Without neighborhood involvement with resident participation just throwing money at improvements will not accomplish the intended results. Clean, safe, economically viable neighborhoods will only stay that way if the residents of those neighborhoods come together in a partnership with the City to re-vitalize their neighborhoods.
A City of the size of Erie with as many challenges as the City faces should look at raising the salary of the Mayor to at least comparable to what the Authorities pay their directors. Give your leader the respect he deserves and you will in return receive the benefit many times over. I do not know the Mayor with the exception of what I read his newsletter and have seen him in the media. I did see him at the Celebrate Erie event. Evidence is all around, that in spite of all odds, he is moving this City forward both economically and increasing the positive perception of Erie as the re-development of this community becomes visable.
As Dale mentioned, the more we support this revamping of the community lifestyle more and more residents will join these efforts
and raise the level of pride of our community.
George Vietze
September 16th, 2008 at 5:02 am
Parade Streetscape Bid Awarded!! The long awaited plans to upgrade Parade Street from 6th St. to 15th. Street will soon be started. The project will include traffic-signal upgrades, tree planters, intermittent boulevards, curbs and sidewalks and crosswalks. This is testimony to the tenacity of our local re-development organization. Many other municipalities are not showing the tenanious attitude necessary to see this process to the finish line. Erie has a real handle on how to make the best use of grant funding which requires a dedication to the tedious process of delays after delays. Trying to rebuild a City without discretionary funding is a long and difficult task it takes a City staff with fortitude and dedication to make things happen. We are quick to complain about the lack of municipal follow-though but we need to support our City staff when progress is made.
The Mercantile Building has had a slight delay because the elevator installation ran into delivery problems but the re-development department is working on resolving the situation and have notified the prospective purchasers that move-in might be delayed for a short time.
In the midst of rough economic times this project is attracting attention
from potential buyers because the outside of the building has attracted attention. There is real evidence as these projects near completion that Erie is moving forward to its destiny as a Great City on a Great Lake.
Jim
September 16th, 2008 at 6:35 am
Regarding the Mercantile project, at lunch several months ago, I was informed by someone claiming to be in the know, that the project would be delayed because the state had been counted on to lease the entire second floor of the building, and that they either pulled out, or never completed the deal. I asked several I know at city hall about that comment and got several answers from claiming it was not true to not knowing. In any event, the project was in fact delayed. First came a claim of delays with the windows, now apparently the elevators. In the meanwhile I understand one or two of the condo buyers have had second thoughts, and may pull out because of the delays. Does anyone know what the full story actually is?