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| The Community Improver,
July 1966 -- FULL TEXT |
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July, 1966
VOL. V
Asheville is on the move...
Progress Through Community Effort
Rehabilitation Office
86 Livingston Street
Phone: 253-4745
THE COMMUNITY IMPROVER
ANOTHER PUBLIC HEARING
Another public hearing will be held for the East Riverside Urban
Renewal Area. This time it will be held by the City Council in City
Hall. The hearing will be held on the 2nd floor, at 4:00 p.m., on June
23rd. Again, all interested citizens of Asheville are urged to attend
and voice their opinions. We especially urge the residents of East
Riverside to appear at this very important meeting. This will be the
last chance you will have to support the East Riverside Urban Renewal
Area at an official Public Hearing.
Three R's Revisited
At Livingston Street School next year, some first-grade pupils will
not be reading such things as "See John run. Run John, run." Instead
they will be reading from books such as Riding by Pony Express, The
Tree is a Plant, The Boy who Drew Birds, or The Maverick Cow.
Dr. R. E. Robinson, Assistant Superintendent in charge of Instruction
in the City Schools, has designed a program to stimulate the minds of
our young readers. "We do best what we are most interested in," Dr.
Robinson asserts. All over the country, it has been proved that children
treated as individuals and given reading material interesting to them
improve their reading skills more rapidly than children given the
standard 1st Grade Reading course.
According to the Principal, Mr. Edington, the 2nd and 3rd grades of
Livingston Street School have adopted this successful program for this
fall. So 4th graders, don't be surprised if your 1st grade brother or
sister wants to borrow your books to read.
APPROVAL EXPRESSED AT PUBLIC HEARING
The Public Hearing that was held on the last evening in May was very
successful. The feeling was that a number of questions were answered,
and on the whole, there was a response of wholehearted approval from the
people of East Riverside in particular and the city in general.
The meeting began as Mr. Alfred Miller, Chairman of the Redevelopment
Commission, called the meeting to order and explained the rules by which
members of the group could speak concerning the project.
Mr. James Greer, the Director of the Redevelopment Commission, was
introduced next. Mr. Greer presented the plan for renewal of the
410-acre East Riverside Area. According to Mr. Greer, it will include a
large neighborhood park of about 12 acres, two or three small parks of
from 1 to 3 acres, provision for neighborhood shopping area, for
expansion of the two schools in the area, for a YMCA branch, a new fire
department and community center. With regard to housing, the Public
Housing Authority will construct 500 units designed to blend in with
private housing, and it is expected that private builders will build
from 150-200 units, both single family and apartment type.
Mr. Greer stated that it was the Redevelopment Commission's intention
to preserve as much of the existing neighborhood as possible. He said
that the 4,800 people of the area are the most important consideration.
Mr. Greer indicated the net cost of the project (after sale of land)
to be $8,742,002.00. Asheville's part of this is less than $3 million.
But due |
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to some credits that the city is
able to claim from the construction of South French Broad High School
and the anticipated Public Housing, the cash cost will be only $1.4
million. For less than 1 1/2 million dollars, the East Riverside
Area can see many million dollar's worth of improvement.
Mr. Miller,
the chairman, then opened the floor for any questions or comments.
A question was asked concerning whether a library would be provided.
Mr. Greer said that plans on this matter were uncertain as yet, but that
some facility would be available for the loan of books.
Miss Fannie McCoy spoke in opposition to what she termed
"Metropolitan Government" She said she believed the Redevelopment
Commission was out to control the land and the man. She took her stand
against "high taxes and poisoned water." She stated her opposition to a
"socialized, communistic, collectivist government," and feared that
perhaps this would be the last time the people of Asheville would be
allowed to vote for their sheriff.
Mr. Michael of 64 Phifer Street indicated his support of the East
Riverside Urban Renewal Project, and made a request of the realtors that
they begin dealing more in Negro real estate.
Mrs. Pickard of the Buncombe County Planning Council stated that her
agency was primarily concerned with the needs of the people, that she
had been working with the Redevelopment Commission in this program, and
was pleased that the Commission also was primarily concerned with the
needs of the people. She said that she and the Planning Council favored
the contemplated Redevelopment Program.
Mr. Ruben Dailey, a well-known lawyer from the area,
made the statement that he was one of the first to vote for the project.
"I was for it then, and I am for it now," he said. "I think it's going to
really do something for this section." Mr. Dailey said that the people
of East Riverside must be on their guard for the "hawks" who would try
to spread rumors and false information in order to buy and sell real
estate. He warned that the people must not listen to the "street
lawyers" and others who pretend to know about the program, but that they
must listen instead to the trained personnel of the Redevelopment
Commission who could give them the facts and save them needless worry.
He deplored those "hardship cases that you create yourself." He said
that Washington is made up of people like ourselves, some of whom come
from North Carolina, who are interested in the people. He said this
project is a good project—"You are going to be benefitted [sic] by it." He said that Asheville
will now have a chance to get some of her tax money back, as we have a
right to. He closed by again warning the residents to be levelheaded: "I
am concerned about the errors that we make in panic." And he again urged
the people to listen to the advice of the Redevelopment Commission
employees.
Dr. Joseph Schandler, the Asheville Housing Authority Chairman, then
spoke about the new kind of housing that will be built. He said the new
housing would be completely different from the Lee Walker Heights,
Pisgah View, and Hillcrest housing. "You won't see any more of this type
of public housing in Asheville." He spoke about the modern, 7-story
high-rise apartment near Aston Park and the 100 units of housing near
Walton Park. "You won't be able to tell these from the finest homes in
Asheville."
At this point, Mr. Allen, the chairman of the Executive Committee of
the Citizens Participation League, (who is one of those property owners
to be displaced by project activities), made a motion that the program
as recommended by the Redevelopment Commission be approved. The motion
was seconded by Mr. Wilkins and was then passed almost unanimously.
Mr. Algary, a member of the City Council of Asheville, said that the
people now had the opportunity to make of East Riverside, not just a
nice place to live, but a "showplace" in Asheville. He said that with
the loving care that the area deserved it could be a place where anyone
would be glad to live.
After only one hour, the meeting was adjourned, and the overflow
crowd began to leave. ON THE VERY NEXT DAY, a special meeting of the Redevelopment
Commission was held to adopt a resolution approving the plan for East
Riverside. The resolution was adopted and sent that same afternoon to
the City Planning and Zoning Commission, where it also received the
approval of that body. |
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THE NEXT STEP toward redevelopment
of East Riverside is the submission of the project to the City Council
for a public hearing to be held by the City Council on June 23. After
this hearing, the City Council will then approve or disapprove the
project. [picture caption] from THIS, to...
A NEW PLACE TO LIVE
One of our East Riverside residents, a lady who will be unable to
read this story because she is blind, will soon be benefitted [sic] by
the activities of the Housing Authority and the Redevelopment
Commission. For a long time, she has lived in a very large, very old
house. She made her living by renting rooms to tenants she was unable to
manage because of her blindness.
The Housing Authority of Asheville will soon approach her to buy her
property as a site for new housing. Because of this, she is now
preparing to make her home elsewhere.
Recently she applied for additional aid from the Welfare Department
to supplement her social security so she would be able to live without
her tenants until she receives payment from the Housing Authority for
her property. It will then be up to the Redevelopment Commission to pay
her moving expenses and to see that she is suitably relocated in a house
or apartment that is clean and fully equipped for her.
It will be a pleasure to see her receive a fair price for an old
house that she would probably not be able to sell otherwise and to see
her moved from that dangerous old house to a safe, much newer place. She
tells us she is looking forward to moving.
SAINT ANTHONY OF PADUA SCHOOL
"Toward a Better Christian Education and Building of Character"
June 3rd saw another crop of fine young ladies and gentlemen passing
from the hands of the Allegany Franciscan Sisters into Asheville High
Schools. These youth have had the advantages of an education integrated
and permeated with the teachings of Christ.
The graduates and their teacher, Sister Mark Francis, O.S.F., were
honored at a Mass in the morning followed by a breakfast in the school
hall. During the breakfast the parents and guests of the graduates
enjoyed the reading of the Class History, Will, and Prophesy.
The graduation exercises in the evening were dignified and
impressive. Alma Burson, Robert Dorn, Joselyn Goodwin, Glynis Holmes,
Cathy McAdams, Vernelle Ray, Freddy Ryans, Cherri Samuel, and Gerald
Smith received their diplomas from Reverend Joseph L. Howze, pastor and
administrator of the school.
The valedictory address to the graduates was by Robert Dorn. His talk
was followed by that of Dr. Otis B. Michael, guest speaker and alumnus
of Saint Anthony's School.
The graduates recessed to the notes of "Pomp and
Circumstance" after Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.
SOUTH FRENCH BROAD COMMENCEMENT
On June 6th at the Asheville City Auditorium, 144 young men and women
graduated from South French Broad High School. These graduates listened
attentively to the commencement address by Dr. Kenneth R. Williams,
President of Winston-Salem State College, and then received their
diplomas from Mr. Sales and Mr. Schell (both members of the City Board
of Education), and Mr. W. P. Griffin (Superintendent of the City
Schools).
Hal Guess was the Valedictorian and also received the Alumnus Award.
Others receiving awards were Patricia McKinney, who received the W. S.
Lee Citizenship Award; and Walterine Elaine Morehead, who received the
Pearlman Family Award. |
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WE APPRECIATE . . .
All the many residents of East Riverside who took time out to attend the
first Public Hearing for the East Riverside Area. You performed an
important service for your community and for your city. Any project of
this great size and importance depends upon the interest and involvement
of the people, and the overflow crowd at the hearing certainly proves
that you are interested and involved.
We owe a special "thank you" to those individuals who spoke at the
meeting, who either asked questions or made a statement.DIAGNOSTIC SURVEY
In the next couple of weeks, surveyors will be completing their
assignments in the East Riverside Area. Residents have been most helpful
to them in allowing them to come into their houses and ask many
questions. All of these questions are important in helping the
Redevelopment Commission prepare for the coming renewal program. We thank
you for your assistance.
Redevelopment Commission
of The
City of Asheville
P. O. Box 7148
604 City Building
Asheville, N. C. 28807 |
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