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Local
West Tampa CDC Hosts Community Meeting
BY LEON B. CREWS Sentinel Staff Writer
With so much going on in West Tampa, the West Tampa CDC thought it was time for the West Tampa residential and business community to meet.
With the theme, “Leveling The Playing Field: Giving a Hand-up and Not a Hand- out,” a standing room only crowd packed the West Tampa Library Monday afternoon.
West Tampa CDC Develop- ment Manager, Michael Randolph, said among the topics discussed was making sure residents are a part of the redevelopment plans for West Tampa and not evicted as part of the development.
“There have been a lot of meetings held, and a lot of promises have been made, but the residents and business owners in West Tampa still don’t know what to expect.
“This meeting was vital to the interests of the present and future residents and business owners of West Tampa.”
Randolph said in atten- dance at the meeting were rep- resentatives from the Children’s Board, Pastors on Patrol, the West Tampa Cham- ber of Commerce, and a host of others who offered advice and insight.
“We had representatives from the Hispanic community in attendance along with a lot of investors. It was a virtual Who’s Who, including clergy from area churches.
“Although the meeting lasted 90 minutes, no one left
and developing a one stop cen- ter for information is vital.”
Randolph said West Riverfront Crime Watch Asso- ciation President, Mrs. Ruth McNair, was concerned about the future of the Oakhurst Apartments on North Boule- vard and Cypress Street.
“She’s concerned whether they will remain a subsidized complex, or become dorms for the students at the University of Tampa.
“Chloe Coney, who founded the CDC in East Tampa, talked about the CRA Tax Increment Finance dollars (TIF) and the need for the peo- ple to make sure it includes funds for new business start- ups and job and skill training programs.”
A representative from DACCO was at the meeting and talked about setting up a substance abuse treatment center in West Tampa that would be operated through their agency by one of the com- munity organizations in West Tampa.
Former Tampa-Hillsbor- ough NAACP President, Dr. Carolyn Collins, wanted to know the composition of the Citizens Advisory Committee and whether it would reflect the history of West Tampa and it’s African American culture. She also was concerned that none of the churches in West Tampa weren’t included among the 8 groups an- nounced.
“I’m very proud of West Tampa,” said Randolph.
“I think the one subject that was discussed more than
Tampa Housing Authority’s Director of Real Estate Development, David Iloanya, addresses the crowd at the meeting.
West Tampa CDC Development Manager, Michael Randolph (foreground) addresses the crowd.
any other was the concern about tracking the residents being relocated from North Boulevard Homes and making sure they maintain their serv- ices.
“It was also mentioned that residents need to have a voice in the city’s annual report
when it comes to the allocation of funds.”
Other subjects like inade- quate public transportation for people who work late hours, and preparing people for em- ployment opportunities were discussed.
“We feel everyone should at
least earn a living wage and be in a position to take care of themselves and their families,” said Randolph.
“We need to take action now on job creation and how we can take advantage of the West Tampa development plan.”
FYI
City Launches Online Performance Metrics
In an effort to provide greater transparency in government, Mayor Bob Buckhorn committed to pro- vide metrics on delivery of city services and to be accountable to citizens based on that performance data. That data is now available online for citizens to review at the performance measurements dashboard attam- pagov.net/metrics.
“To govern most efficiently, it’s critical that we have the information and the data to facilitate our deci- sions. We need to know when the city is performing at its best, and hold ourselves accountable when it’s not. Now, the public will have access to much of the same data that drive day to day decisions at City Hall,” Mayor Buckhorn said.
PAGE 10-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, JULY 3, 2015