3
Detroit eommunliv lnvest» in
ta -. r
WtI)'U! SIQIe Joumalism In­
stitu�
Local merchants and resi­
dents of Detroit's lower east­
side are taking matters into their
own hands, and making invest­
ments in their neighborhood
business out of their own pock­
ets.
"I am bout change, and I
viewed the Mack-Alter Square:
Project as positive change, and
I that is one of the reasons wby L
invested," said Derek Duff, a
founding investor in the Mack­
Alter Square Project, "It's going
to go and the residents' should
invest. I want to see neighbor-·
hood businesses improYe and
hopefully hire more people."
The $3.6 million project, bor-
dered by Mac Avenue and
Alter Road, is unique com­
munity investment effort to
rehabilitate its decaying busi­
ness district.
Less than a decade ago the
once-vibrant area was home to
establishments such as WiDens mon
J ewlers, Kresge, Fisher
Wallpaper and Paint, and
Cunningham's Drugs.
Today the area. is home to a
handful of businesses trying to
survive amid vacant store fronts,
burned buildings, broken glass,
and a vanishing neighborhood.
The Mack-Alter Square
Project organized in March
lP87 , by the Warren/Conner �
Development Coalition in af-' Detroit EDC believes
filiation �th the Detroi East despite the economic problems
CommUDlty Development Cor- of the disrict it remains an area
poration (Detroit EDC). of strength. More than half of
the district's homes are single­
family and owner occupied
The group has' approved
these reyitalization steps:
MD TO HARVEY
Jefferson keynotes
'B BA luncheon
DETROIT _ The 53rd An­
nual Princi and Educators'
D y Luncheon spo ed by
the Booker T. Washin&fOD B i­
ness AssOciation wiD be held
Wednesday, avember 16, at
12:00 DOOD· the Colla.bus
Room of the Westin Hotel,
Renaissance Center.
This years theme· "Educa-
tion in Perpective". Keynote
speaker will be Dr. Arthur Jef­
ferson, Super· teDdeot, Detro;
Public Schoo
eiqhborhoo
requests
second
ng i a way of
the economic
the
and the
our
on
8yAmy Bar
Capital News Service
LAN I G - There were
725 community group
statewide who submitted preap­
plication proposals for the
state's SIO-million competitive­
grant program by the Oct 1
deadline, said Jim Jarmer,
Neighborhood, Builder's AI­
liance coordinator.
More than 100 proposals
we", eliminated from the stack
an� .6()() applications recently
were mailed back to tbe groups,
V he said The application dead­
line is Nov. 15.
'Each neighborhood im­
provement grant is limited to
SI00,OOO, but most awards like­
Iy will be in the $25,000 to
SSO,OOO range, said Jan Lock­
wood, an alliance staff member.
The grant requests totaled
more than $60 million, with
about 75 percent of the s te's
counties submitting at leas one
proposal, she add d. I
Grant applications were re­
quired to demonstrate their
project's value and impact on
the area and the group's fisca]
capabilities, Janner said
Pr opos als cover the
spectrum, ranging from
renovating buildings, to ,p�t - ,
ing shrubs or flowers, to b ymg
a fire engine (or a volunteer �.e
department, he said.. ...
In H igb lan,4, park, .rthe
Caucus Club applied for a
citizens "mini station," said Wai­
ter Crider, a Club Board mem­
ber.
The Oub would use i cur-
., Urgging' residen� to invest.
_ .Deve lope d a new
landscaping design for area real
estate.
- _ Prepared a flexible
budget
. _" Encouraging businesses
to become tenants in th dis­
trict.
Although Detroit EDC ys
that the number of residents
who are purchasing stock is
Slaggenring. they haven't calcu­
lated an exact figure. ThC? group
stresses � thiS is not a get-rich
quick scheme.
The bleak conditions in the
area to be revitalized could re­
quire a longer time period to
reach a level which can generate
profits lor investors. The
project does 't guarantee
dividends but if profits are real­
ized the project's investors can
declare a dividend, which will be
Paid out on a "per share" basis.
"Investing is a way of using
rent meeting place at 12011
Hamilton to conduct an area
citizens' patrol and beatification
projects including fixing up and
paintin homes and improving
Lightin rider aid. \
In Grand Rjtpids,
paintbrushe and roll rs could
be in store for v lunteers who
would paint homes for elderly,
handicapped and singl -parent
families, said hema Halisi, the
acting manager of t e Kent
'County Housing Commission.
The commission applied for two
grants to provide the service to
peop living in Grand Rapids
and the surrounding areas, he
said.
The Greater Jackson Cham­
ber of Commerce and the Jack­
son Area Manufacturers As-
ociation also applied for a join
grant to equip a warehouse that
Camp International owns at 109
Washington 1. with a barri r­
free entrance and various ener­
gy-saving features, chamber
President Ila Smith said The
two groups then would lease the
warehouse' main floor and offer
cooperative office space to
various non- profit or­
ganizationns, she ad d,
In Cadillac, the
orthweste rn Michigan
Human Services Agency
proposed offering child cu:e for
working mothers and smgle
parents in center at ,1640
Marty Paul, in the Vander Jagt
industrial park, said Robert
Smith, the agency's executive
director. The center· IS
scheduled to be open from 6
the economic power of the com­
munity, and the more we pool
our money together; more
we will help the community. The
project is an investment in our
lives and our neighborhoods"
said Reverend Fredrick
Houghton, the project's first in­
vestor.
The project is also being
sponsored by number of area
banks and businesses such as,
Chrysler Corporation, Com­
erica Bank, National Bank of
Detroit, Michigan Bell
Telephone, Pointe Dodge, Shell
Oil Company and Detroit
Edison. I
To invest in the Mack-Alter
Square Project you must be a
qualifi d east-side community
member who lives, does busi­
ness, or works within the area.
The cost of each share is $25.
Contact the Warren/Conner
Development Coalition for
more information at 579-4680.
grant
I
round
a.m. to midnight and will b
modeled after th Head � tart
program, offering an educati n­
al component, he aid.
ne a peel of th project,
. which target 'the area ar und
the mi ion, would requir
buyers of refurbi hed h me to
attend a cia s at Mu kegon
Community ollege to learn
tips on ev rything from min r
electrical repair to iding a
house, said lita Ander n, the
coordinator of the college's
adult educati n program.·
The Neighbor-hood Build r'
Alliance, which ad inister the
grants, was created this year t
reward th se typ f com-
munity groups that are making a '
difference in their area d spite
limited re ources, Lockwo d
aid.
The Reagan Adrnini tr ti
ha cut feder I funding for corn­
munity group , forcing many or
ganizati ns to rely on pancake­
breakfast fundrai ers and any
donal" ns they could round up,
she said. '
-In his 1 budget me -
sage, Gov. James Blanchard
stressed the imp rtance of
making funds availabJ to th e
groups that want to help them­
selves.
The alliance also provides in­
centives for schools and in­
cludes the Neighborhood Corps
program to eliminate or im­
prove abandoned homes which .
provide work to youth as an al­
ternative to public assi tance
and a program to eliminate or
improve abandoned ho .
...