Covington's Historic Black Neighborhood: What We've Done and What's Being Done (long read)

The West 30s Revitalization Plan

In 2009- 2010 ... The Community Made a Plan

During the latter half of the 20th century, many folks lamented about the quality of life (or lack thereof) of our Black community. Mustn't someone do something?

Taking the lead in 2009, the Northshore Community Foundation set in motion the process of creating a plan that would identify the challenges and the possible solutions. City officials were a key part of this process, but the real input and solutions would come from the community, not from government. Months of meetings, discussions and conscious thought by residents, concerned citizens and city officials led to the West 30s Revitalization Plan. The list of participants reads like a Who's Who of Covington and of the neighborhood at that moment in time:

Councilman Lee Alexius

Reverend Katherine Amedie

Randy Aultmann

Nahketah Bagby

Mary Ann Baham

Councilman Trey Blackall

Hattie Brown

Andrew Bullard

Sherlette Bullard

Reverend Mallory Callahan

Tim Carpenter

Robert Celestine

Scott Chotin

Maureen Clary

Vera Clay

Edgar Cretin

Melvin "Magic" Crockett

Betty Cronin

Councilwoman Frances Dunn

Ionian Garrett

Tammie Groover

Carmeletta Guy

Cindy Harlan

Jesse Hartley

Michael Hunley

Mark Johnson

Lucinda Keller

Dick Knight

Greg Longino

Horace Martin

Jim McKee

Mallery Mele

Rob Mingo

Sheila Page

Leslie Patton

Bernard Penn

Mary Regan

Jessie Richardson

Jan Robert

Kenneth Robertson

Glynn Robinson

Dartanian Sanders

Jeff St. Romain

Wayne Thompson

Lonnie Tucker

Sequita Walker

Mayor Candace Watkins

Marilyn Wentzel

Reverend Alfred Young

Reverend Nate Young, III

Primary Focus Area of the

Revitalization Plan

The primary focus area is outlined in green. It consists of a SW border of West 25th Avenue, a SE border of Kirkland Street, a N/NE border of Collins Boulevard and a jagged western boundary slightly west of Mile Branch.

Resident Participation

"The public workshop of the five-day charrette was the most dynamic step of the process. Citizens were "deputized" as planners to develop their own plans for the neighborhood."

Primary Issues Ranked by Order

1) Housing Conditions

2) Neighborhood Appearance

3) Lack of Jobs & Job Training

4) Housing Rents / Availability

5) Lack of Youth Activities

6) Crime & Safety

7) Negative Image of Community

8) Lack of Parental Control/Interest

9) Lack of Transportation Services

10)Lack of Parks and Recreation

Key Planning Principles

Neighborhoods should preserve their natural and historic resources. They should include a range of housing types, accessible mixed-use areas (for daily goods, services and employment opportunities), a variety of parks and an interconnected network of streets.

Neighborhoods should also include schools, facilities and programs to nurture the positive development of children and teens, social service providers and churches and should be safe, well-maintained and attractive.

In November of 2010, the plan itself was completed and published. Since that time, many aspects of the plan have been implemented. Other parts have not. Recently, former Councilwoman Frances Dunn shared a list compiled by Planning Director Nahketah Bagby of what has been accomplished:

1) Basketball Court built and covered

2) The Groves at Mile Branch

3) Recreational ball fields on Hwy 190

4) Code Enforcement established

5) 116 uninhabited, unrecoverable houses removed; 75 in process plus abandoned cars and tire pick-ups

6) Trash cans placed around the neighborhood

7) Cultural events / concerts at Peter Atkins Park

8) Repairs on 29th Avenue - Eagle Scout project with Church of Latter Day Saints

9) St. Tammany School Board renovation of Old Rosenwald School to the James A. Harrison Curriculum Center ... leaving the outer brick and the gym, the "community center of the 50's and 60's" intact.

10) Playground equipment improvement at Peter Atkins Park

11) West 30s Task Force active for a few years

12) SNAP grants (Volunteers of America i.e VOA) helped provide handicap bathrooms

13) Pediatric Clinic on Columbia Street

14) Painting weekend blitz that resulted in 10 houses painted initially, then more subsequently (VOA)

15) Overgrown areas cleared (VOA)

16) Police and Fire Departments with West 30s Task Force installed smoke detectors, erected new mailboxes and hung flags on 31st Avenue

17) Minor repairs to homes by the World Changes Program / St. Tammany Parish CDBG funds

18) Work on Successions / Wills by VOA

19) New, expanded Northshore Food Bank

20) HomeWorks of America "We Care" projects

21) Small home repairs, cleaning and painting by Bridge Church with Frank Smith

22) Wilson Cemetery & Garden of Pines report and clean-ups

23) Safe Routes to School Project sidewalk on North Filmore Street.

24) New bathrooms at Peter Atkins Park

25) New gazebo at Peter Atkins Park

26) Financial counseling and courses at United Way's new Prosperity Center

27) West 30's Redemption Company renovation and new construction of safe, affordable housing

28) Parking garage at Justice Center design adjusted for transition from very large Justice Center to human scale of West 30s.

29) Community garden at Bogue Chitto Park - Two Eagle Scout projects plus God's Unchanging Hands Ministry

30) Jackson Cabinets' two expansions

31) Mele Printing's two expansions

32) Code enforcement crackdown on illegal dumping

33) Police disbursement of gatherings on Columbia Street

The take-away from Miss Francis's summary is that a lot of people have done a lot of work over the past ten years to improve the quality of life of the residents of our historically Black community ... and that's a good thing. It's what we, as a community, have done.

The Next Question: What is being done now? Well, I'm glad you asked.

The West 30s Revitalization Plan

City Administration

Code Enforcement is ramping up for the demolition of more unrecoverable houses. The chokepoint for this process is title research ... which is time consuming and a specialized skill. The administration is shuffling resources to give our code enforcement officer, Dennis Hickey, the support he needs to expedite removal of abandoned housing.

Code Enforcement also assists with illegal dumping. Disgustingly, many of the piles one passes by in the neighborhood are dumped after dark by contractors avoiding dump fees.

Surprisingly (to me), the addition of No Dumping signs has been quite effective.

The West 30s Revitalization Plan

Litter Abatement

Litter across Louisiana is a terrible and ridiculous problem. I, like many other litter-phobes, cannot for the life of me understand why citizens freely toss trash onto the streets. Isn't there a trash can at home? Doesn't every service station provide them within 10 feet of your car door?

I have come to realize that here, in the City of Covington, we do not have the manpower nor the resources to pick up all of the litter that accumulates. The real solution is not more "picking up," but rather less throwing out.

That said, a Big Thanks to those residents in River Forest that help with 15th Ave, those on 23rd Ave that clean Buchanan, those on N. Filmore and on 32nd Ave. Big Thanks also to our Public Works Department and to any other citizens that help with their streets and help to Keep Covington Beautiful.

Robert Celestine picks up trash on 21st Avenue near the Covington Library at an annual anti-trash event he has organized for many years.

Public Works hit the streets hard with over 70 bags of litter collected in one day..

The West 30s Revitalization Plan

Covington Police Department

Per the West 30s Revitalization Plan, "While an ideal scenario would allow the City to hire additional police officers and assign them to the West 30s area, that may not be a fiscally realistic scenario. - - Regardless of funding, an increased police presence should be a goal."

But in 2021 We Did It!

Upon taking office in the summer of 2019 I found a police department 50% understaffed primarily due to low pay. Working with the City Council over the next 12 months, we were able to make a significant increase in police pay resulting in a fully staffed department since August 2021.

During the last several months and under new police Chief Mike Ferrell's leadership, the PD has made over 2,000 traffic stops across the city.

Traffic stops are a basic and effective tool of law enforcement. Most end with a nudge and word of encouragement to drive more cautiously. However, other stops have led to arrests due to active warrants or illegal possession of guns and / or narcotics. The result of these arrests is that troublemakers now understand they are not welcome anywhere in our city. As such, we are seeing a decline in unwanted behavior where it once thrived. Again, from the Revitalization Plan, "the ideal scenario would allow the City to hire additional police officers and assign them to the West 30s area."

We did just that ... and that's a good thing.

Though speeding is the most often repeated complaint I receive, our #1 priority has been the removal of illegally possessed firearms from the streets. During Chief Ferrell's time, the CovPD has removed about 30 guns from the streets. This is big.

In addition to an active and engaged police department, the CovPD also managed to out-collect the Cov Fire Department in food items for the Northshore Food Bank during the holiday season. The collection competition resulted in enough to serve 350 families. Outstanding!

How Can You Help?

Easy-peasy. If you haven't already, text CPDLA to the number 847411. Enter the text exchange into your phone as a new contact: Cov PD. In the future, when you have a concern, simply send a text message to this contact. Your message will go directly to someone on duty. In case of emergency, still call 911.

And to those residents of our historically Black neighborhood that have been texting to our officers "Thank you for being here," I say thank you for taking the time to share with our officers your appreciation. It means a lot.

You may get this message at the bottom of your e-mail: [Message clipped] View entire message

To read this entire e-mail, click "view entire message"

The West 30s Revitalization Plan

Safe and Affordable Housing

From the Plan:

"Of those surveyed, 79% agreed that the West 30s Neighborhood "needs more 'for-purchase' housing relative to rental units."

"Unfortunately, current building costs would not make rehabilitation or new construction feasible without financial assistance ... a financing gap of $50,000."

Enter the Community:

West 30's Redemption Company

Blessing of a new home with new homeowners. Sales are restricted to low income individuals / families.

The family living in this rental moved next door into a brand new 3 BR / 2 BA home which they are now purchasing.

After a historical walking tour of the neighborhood, Bryan Burns was moved by the need for safe and affordable housing. From that calling came the West 30's Redemption Company, a faith based non-profit set to improve one family at a time through the blessing of home ownership. Acquiring and remodeling homes and subsequently building new, affordable homes is not something government can do, but it is something the community can do. And how the community has!

Student volunteers from St. Paul's clear the yards of brush and brambles (the morning after Prom!). Later, volunteers from St. Scholastica Academy did the landscaping.

Off-duty Fire and Police officers installed sod purchased with community donations.

Thanks to Simpson Sod for the discount : )

During the first 5 years, 31 families have been moved into safe and affordable homes that they are now purchasing, not renting. They are building equity that may be passed down to the next generation … which is generationally life changing. At this time, there are an additional 22 homes in some phase of construction. That will be a total of over 50 families whose lives have been changed.

There are several ways the community can help this cause. Every home has a church sponsor that prays for the families, blesses the home and usually provides housewarming necessities upon move in.

Businesses can sponsor a home through materials or cash ($2,500).

Also important are "supporter loans." Many in the community have simply loaned sums to the 501c-3, ranging from $1,000 to $100,000. The money can be used for construction, then rolled over for another construction or paid back. West 30's Redemption doesn't have to keep your money. And that's unique.

Currently, a very generous individual has pledged a $100,000 loan if the community matches it with their loans.

To close the buyer's financial gap, the West 30's Redemption Company has partnered with First Bank and Trust, BankPlus and Fidelity Bank and secured $3,000,000 in special financing. This allows people who cannot qualify for traditional mortgages to buy a home, begin building equity and repair their credit.

From volunteers to sponsors to churches to donors to banks, this has truly been a community effort. To learn more click West 30's Redemption Company or e-mail Bryan Burns at bryan.burns@transwestern.com.

_________________________________________

Please share this e-mail with whoever you believe may find it of value.

Responses to this e-mail go directly to Mayor Mark.

Rooted in History, Focused on the Future

Waste Pick-Up | Customer Care Form