Dimond Neighborhood News

by Daniel Swafford, Meg Bowerman, and Marilyn Miller'

Beat 22X NCPC

The newly organized Beat 22X Neighborhood Crime Prevention Council convened on Monday, February 4, with 162 concerned neighbors in a standing-room"only meeting at the Greek Orthodox Church. The goals of the steering committee were to encourage the neighbors to learn more about the nature of Neighborhood Crime Prevention Councils (NCPCs), meet supervising and problem-solving police officers, and listen to volunteers from other NCPCs in the area with tips on how to build involvement and address neighbors' priorities. Attendees were asked to collect concerns and begin to set priorities in at least seven different areas: Beautification, Crime Prevention/Public Safety, Education, Traffic, Zoning and Planning, Economic Development, and 22X NCPC Council Structure.'

Those attending wrote their concerns and signed up to work on one or more of these identified "teams." Comments and questions were taken in written form and, due to the large attendance, were addressed to a limited degree with follow-up to occur at the next meeting in March. All are encouraged to attend the next NCPC meeting: Monday, March 10, 2008, at 7 p.m. at Sequoia School, 3739 Lincoln Ave. The seven areas of concerns will have seven focus groups that will begin to vote on top priorities and determine actions for each area.

Fred Finch and Amendment Vote

The March 5 Dimond Improvement Association (DIA) meeting will feature the vote on whether to amend the 1995 guideline on young adults residing at the Fred Finch Youth Center (FFYC). Current members will be asked to approve the amendment to allow a change in the balance of Transitional Aged Youth (TAY) 18-24 to accommodate needs as expressed by the county. Meetings and tours of the FFYC have been held throughout January and February to familiarize the community with the physical and service changes proposed for the campus. The DIA also hosted a community meeting on February 21, bringing together Coolidge Ave. and other area residents with county and city officials to discuss the proposal.

Following the vote on the Fred Finch Agreement the DIA will continue to discuss the Fruitvale Alive Streetscape project proposed for Fruitvale and MacArthur. Community feedback is actively sought on streetscape features. Current plans and comments can be viewed at Dimondnews.org.