DIY Neighborhood Improvement
I attended a neighborhood association meeting where one of our city council representatives advised us that the best way to clean up our neighborhood was to buy up the properties surrounding ours. For many reasons that I won't go into here it was appalling to me that this was his solution to the problems in the neighborhood.
However, I have an article from the January 2005 issue of Kentucky Monthly magazine that shows how a version of this approach is working well for one neighborhood.
Kathy Carter and her husband originally bought a house at Chinn and Montgomery streets in Frankfort, KY in 1972. By 2000 the condition of the neighborhood had declined and after her husband's death motivated Kathy to "do something in life" she hatched a plan to buy and improve 10 houses on her block.
One at a time as houses went on the market Kathy bought them and with the help of a contractor friend she improved them. As of January 2005 she was on number 8.
Carter's work served as a model for transforming a neighborhood. Frankfort now has a task force to restore blighted neighborhoods.
One more thing, Kathy Carter ran for city council in November 2004 and not only won but received more votes than anyone-- even longstanding incumbents.
www.klc.org/u_publications/Cityscapejan05.pdf
However, I have an article from the January 2005 issue of Kentucky Monthly magazine that shows how a version of this approach is working well for one neighborhood.
Kathy Carter and her husband originally bought a house at Chinn and Montgomery streets in Frankfort, KY in 1972. By 2000 the condition of the neighborhood had declined and after her husband's death motivated Kathy to "do something in life" she hatched a plan to buy and improve 10 houses on her block.
One at a time as houses went on the market Kathy bought them and with the help of a contractor friend she improved them. As of January 2005 she was on number 8.
Carter's work served as a model for transforming a neighborhood. Frankfort now has a task force to restore blighted neighborhoods.
One more thing, Kathy Carter ran for city council in November 2004 and not only won but received more votes than anyone-- even longstanding incumbents.
www.klc.org/u_publications/Cityscapejan05.pdf
posted by na girl | 2:50 PM
2 Comments:
Great blog with even greater info! keep 'em coming! We will turn New Albany around yet.
It would be interesting to invite Mrs. Carter and the referenced council representative to another neighborhood association meeting.
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