HIOHLAND PK -Mayor
Martha O. Scott received u­
nanimou upport Crom the
city council at its March 19
meeting, to begin work on
. four projects designed to
rebuild the city and got
counci I permtsslcn to celt
tate funding for a fifth.
Sever I council members,
including ome who
criticized the mayor on other
i sues, praised her ad­
mini tration Cor effort in
inning tate and federal
Cundinl for the e projects.
The city is scheduled to
receive:
-A S�()(}.OO() grant fr m
the Miehig n State Housing
Development Authority
(MSHDA) for hou ing . nd
public improvements in the
Hill nd North Street aru
to benefil low and moderate
income f milie, such
home improvement loans,
public improvements,
demolition, nd administr -
lion. Community Develop­
ment Director Thomas Kelly
called it the "largest grant in
the history of the Com­
munity Development Block
Gr nt Program' Com­
prehen ive Neighborhood
Revitalization Effort."
-A S79,OOO gr· nt from
the Michigan Department of
·N tur I Re ources (DNR)
Cor the development of a
ne park I Glendale nd
Lincoln called Renovation
Par.
-A rant of $48.100
from the eighborhood
Builder Alii nee for,
rehabilitation in the Ashanti
Viii Ie Area.
The council pUI all a ree­
ments with the different
state gcncie into immedi­
ate effect, except the
MSHDA one. which ot the
council's condition I ap-
io
roj
proval pending a legal
analysis of it from the city
attorney.
The council al 0 approved
Mayor Scou' request to
enter into n agreement with
a non-profit community or­
ganization called Save,
Serve, and Strengthen Our
Neighborhoods (SSSON)
Inc., providing a maximum
of $150,000 for architectural
nd engineering services to
build hou ing aJong the
outh side of Manchester be­
tween Second and Third
Avenue in a development
called Gene iis Estate for
those at 80% or median area
income.
The local funding will
upplement HUD money for
mortgage a sistance for the
development. .
The council approved an
agreement for a partnership
with SSSON Inc., HUD and
the B nker Consortium,
which Kelly said would
en ble them "to build market
on
c
rate Single family homes
which will be affordable to
tho e who choo e to live in
Highlna Park."
The city council also gave
the ci ty permission to seek a
new S6O,000 grant from the
Michigan Department of
Natural Re ources for water
and sanitation ervices in a
new park planned for Ash n­
ti Village and the upgrading
of such facilitie in existing
parks�
Councilman Comer Heath
said, "l am happy to ee 50
many pesirive ,rants ap­
proved by Highland 'ark
and commend Mr. Kelly for
putting them together." And
to Kelly, Heath added, -I
commend the, mayor for
makins you work 0 hard."
Councilman Frank R05
expre sed particular
pleasure at SSSON's "in­
novation and self-help ap­
proach for building the
city."
conti
In�lft .. r-
NEW YOu. N.Y. - The Rev.
Jesse J OD basically COD-
firmed week · •
electonl desire' to be a
her of the U . eel States SeDate.
DuriDg aD iDteniew a New
York radio atation Jac:bo
reapooded to a quealtlOll
ru Ding for the Seaate by
sayiD& would be of peat
. tcrest to me.·
J cUoD receudy moved to
W iagtoe, D.C. ere he
joiDcd a cam . to pill full
vOtiDg rightrro:. the city'a
�ority BIac:k populatiOll .. U
W' doeI wiD .atebood
• •• aeaeraDY bdie¥eCl
ODe of the two Seoate
e of Columbia·
Give your
so
thing extra.
• dotn what it ta
receive would easily be
JaWoo.
However, COD ervative
. • • foryean
eel efforts to put fun
JiPtatoW' .
, Jr.
HI
op critical of
y gOY rnm nt
HIOfl�AND PARK-During
the public session before the
March 19 City Council
meeting, both thc mayor and
the council received
criticism for lack of city ser­
vices and lack of com­
munication.
Melvin William
criticized the large number
of bandoned houses,
noting,- "There are cat nd
do s and rats as big a cat.
Some (Publtc Safety) of­
ficers said they won't go in
there."
Mildred Comb , pre ident
of the Richton/Woodward
Bock Club stated there ere
five abandoned uructures in
her area. Rat. are running
out between Woodward and
Second. he aid and (five
v c nt) 101' are not main­
tai ned, (but contai n) . . .
autos, furniture, whatever
pc pie don't want." ,
When council members
said it wa the mayor's runc:
lion to administer ervice
and counci I had no power
by over it, Combs replied,
"..oon't ay you can't do any­
thing. You control the
budgel."
y
MILTON HALL of the
city's Re lEt tc Division,
'aid rome of the property
belonged to HUD and the
city had no power over it.
Combs countered one of the
hou e h d been condemned
a far back as' 1988.
Councilman Frank Ro
aid M'. Combs had com­
pi incd about this situation
for several council mecting
and called on Hall to follow
up on her concerns and
ist her neighborhood.
Combs did concede that
Hall' department had been
of help in boarding some
departments up, but em­
pha izcd more had to be
done to protect rc Ident '
safety.
Belly Givens, longtime
critic of Mayor Martha
Scott, criticized her appoint­
ment of John Colburn her
admini rrative a i tant at a
high alary at I time wben
many city employee were
being laid orf for budgetary
rea ons.
Council oman Christine
Franklin que tioned the wis­
dom of glvtn Colburn a
new post after city council
refu cd to renew hi contract
as deputy public sarety
director, but tlted that
under the charter the mayor
had the le,11 right to make
: uch appointment·.
P ul Wood, critici7.ed
both m yor and. council for
failure to communicate with
each other.
"IT IS ridiculous and ab­
surd (to have branches ot)
City government that do not
talk to each other," Wood
said. "Let's. t rt re olving
issues .... If you can't talk
you should be out of here,
he said. '
"Woodward Avenue i
filth. There are no tr h
receptacle'. Gate arc up in
businesses. It look like
Beirut," aid Wood'.
One .re ident said there
wa 0 much dirt on Second
and Third Avenue, people
had to walk in the ireet.
Although uch comment
received upport from the
.audlence, there also IP-
prov I for n official of the
Departme nt of Public
Works, who bl med part of
the problem on the fact that
resident' did not pick up
trash on their own property.
The Public Work Dep n­
ment trie "to 'do th best we
can with what we h ve, - he
aid.
Hi words were met with
ppl u c.
StudI:dI from aablalld
CoIIIUllUIDI' ty H S
PiI7c d H&b Sdaool ill W -
Jal will ex e vi . .,.
of a new stu ex-
chqe plrtDCrlbip bdwcea the
cbooIs.
Twenty HigblaDd
dents visit Fitzgtnld, RYID
aad 9 mile W�,
March 21, betweeD 8: 15 a.m;
2:15 p.1D.
Twenty Fitzgerald udcats
will visit HgblaDd Park High,
15900 Wcxxlward Penis, be­
tween Davison McNichols,
OIl 11wrsday, March ,22, from
8: 15 a.m. to 2: 15 p.m.
- EIcb visit begins with orieD-
bOIl aDd ref ( the
Pitqer Id Library and the
HPCHS Tearoom), d coo-
tiDU ith , plaoDed ac.-
tivities _ vi . a
Stude CoUDcll/Seaate meet
• . A pas coafereace iavolY-
• leplita'l
is teD • vely IC eel for
22, 1:15 to 2 p.", at
taalllI..a Part. '
A tadIcr ex e ill aIao
be eli c ed, The HiaJal d
ParkIA .. erald putDerlhip is'
_"""to .
�.eII!.