Northside PRIDE

Follow The Leader - post-journal.com | News, Sports, Jobs, Community Information - Jamestown | Post-Journal

2011-07-03T05:59:00.000-07:00

Follow The Leader - post-journal.com | News, Sports, Jobs, Community Information - Jamestown | Post-Journal

2011-07-03T05:57:00.000-07:00

Follow The Leader - post-journal.com | News, Sports, Jobs, Community Information - Jamestown | Post-Journal

BLOCK PARTY

2011-07-03T05:44:00.001-07:00

BLOCK PARTY a video by NorthSide PRIDE 2011 on Flickr.

Almost Playtime - post-journal.com | News, Sports, Jobs, Community Information - Jamestown | Post-Journal

2011-06-26T03:30:00.000-07:00

Almost Playtime - post-journal.com News, Sports, Jobs, Community Information - Jamestown Post-Journal

Block Party Was Great Success - post-journal.com | News, Sports, Jobs, Community Information - Jamestown | Post-Journal

2011-06-17T10:03:00.000-07:00

Block Party Was Great Success - post-journal.com News, Sports, Jobs, Community Information - Jamestown Post-Journal

Jamestown: a progressive city to be proud of

2011-06-13T09:42:00.001-07:00

WOW!! A bustling farmers market on Third Street, the Prendergast Library Book Sale, The on-going Literary Trail, the Soap Box Derby and Northside PRIDE’s Summer Block Party. The palpable energy of this week’s activities goes to show that Jamestown is a progressive city to be proud of.
As one of the organizers of the Northside Pride’s Block Party, I was overwhelmed with the community support and neighborhood camaraderie. Such an impressive turnout showed me that people in our community share a common goal: to make Jamestown a healthy, safe, and enjoyable place to live. I wish to thank Mayor Teresi and Councilmen, Paul Whitford and Tony Dolce for coming out to support the Block Party. I was particularly impressed with the organizational contributions that helped make this event a great success. A big THANK YOU goes to Janet Forbes and Kerry Mihalko of the Jamestown Garden Group and The Creating Healthy Places Program for forging a great partnership and for conducting an educational-planting-demo. A special thanks goes to Peter Lombardi of Jamestown Renaissance Center, to CHRIC, NeighborWorks and Youthbuild, especially to Larry Kestner, who constructed the garden boxes and to Cindy Rocky who helped secure the funding for the event. A very heartfelt thank you goes to Julie and Matt Harper of Four Season’s Nursery for providing soil and vegetable plants, to Jamestown Awning for providing the tent and to Tom Harris of H&H metal for providing the grill, and to all those behind-the-scenes for their hard work with the set-up, including Anne and Paul Leone, Ken and Theresa Sohmer, Larry Pace and The Ruth and Don Baker family.
-Kurt Carlson-
PRIDE of Jamestown, INC.P.O.Box 781Jamestown, New York 14702E-mail: northsidepride33@yahoo.comhttp://northsideprideofjamestownnewyork.blogspot.com

JNP Class Takes Part In Walkability Survey - post-journal.com | News, Sports, Jobs, Community Information - Jamestown | Post-Journal

2011-06-08T09:04:00.000-07:00

JNP Class Takes Part In Walkability Survey - post-journal.com News, Sports, Jobs, Community Information - Jamestown Post-Journal

Northside PRIDE's Second Summer Block Party

2011-06-07T11:14:00.000-07:00

Trash Bash Set For Saturday - post-journal.com | News, Sports, Jobs, Community Information - Jamestown | Post-Journal

2011-05-20T07:48:00.000-07:00

Trash Bash Set For Saturday - post-journal.com News, Sports, Jobs, Community Information - Jamestown Post-Journal

Teresi To Begin Weekly Walking Tours Today - post-journal.com | News, Sports, Jobs, Community Information - Jamestown | Post-Journal

2011-05-19T09:24:00.000-07:00

Teresi To Begin Weekly Walking Tours Today - post-journal.com News, Sports, Jobs, Community Information - Jamestown Post-Journal

Northside PRIDE's 5th Annual TRASH BASH

2011-05-18T08:16:00.000-07:00

Dogs Pulled From City Apartment - post-journal.com | News, Sports, Jobs, Community Information - Jamestown | Post-Journal

2011-05-15T08:45:00.000-07:00

Dogs Pulled From City Apartment - post-journal.com News, Sports, Jobs, Community Information - Jamestown Post-Journal

Here is a great reason why landlords need to better manage their properties. Why should the rest of us have to suffer at the expense of these derelects!! And yes, the tenant should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. HORRIBLE!!

Deplorable & Dangerous Living Conditions!!! RRC Property Mgmt. LLC should be ashamed!!

2011-05-03T07:07:00.000-07:00

Jamestown arson under investigation
JAMESTOWN -- Fire officials were investigating a small arson fire set early Saturday morning at an apartment building on Liberty Street.At about 5:20 a.m., one of the occupants of the three-unit building at 49 Liberty woke up and smelled smoke. He found a fire at the rear entrance to the building.
The man managed to stomp out the fire on his own but suffered some minor injuries, said Jamestown Fire Battalion Chief Don Woodfield.
No one else was injured.
Woodfield said it was fortunate the man woke up.
"They got really lucky," he said.
Investigators determined the blaze was deliberately set and were continuing to probe the incident.http://www.buffalonews.com/city/police-courts/police-blotter/article408680.ece

Neighborhoods In Crisis - post-journal.com | News, Sports, Jobs, Community Information - Jamestown | Post-Journal

2011-04-25T13:48:00.000-07:00

Neighborhoods In Crisis - post-journal.com News, Sports, Jobs, Community Information - Jamestown Post-Journal

Renew Chautauqua Helps County Residents Lower Utility Bills - post-journal.com | News, Sports, Jobs, Community Information - Jamestown | Post-Journal

2011-04-12T08:49:00.000-07:00

Renew Chautauqua Helps County Residents Lower Utility Bills - post-journal.com | News, Sports, Jobs, Community Information - Jamestown | Post-Journal

Chapter 215, section 68 of the city code, which states each housing code violation may be punishable by a combination of 30 days imprisonment and a $1

2011-04-11T21:18:00.000-07:00

http://www.post-journal.com/page/content.detail/id/582655/Good---Bad.html?nav=5192

In the Neighborhood

2011-04-11T12:21:00.001-07:00

2011-04-05T19:32:00.000-07:00

2011-04-05T03:21:00.000-07:00

http://www.post-journal.com/page/content.detail/id/582339/Residents-Express-Safety-Concerns.html?nav=5057

2011-03-23T06:17:00.000-07:00

James H Kunstler dissects suburbia | Video on TED.com

2011-03-02T06:55:00.000-08:00

James H Kunstler dissects suburbia Video on TED.com

A Livable City - post-journal.com | News, Sports, Jobs, Community Information - Jamestown | Post-Journal

2011-02-25T05:49:00.000-08:00

A Livable City - post-journal.com News, Sports, Jobs, Community Information - Jamestown Post-Journal

Northside PRIDE To Host Fifth Annual Chocolate, Champagne Celebration - post-journal.com | News, Sports, Jobs, Community Information - Jamestown | Post-Journal

2011-02-10T15:42:00.000-08:00

Northside PRIDE To Host Fifth Annual Chocolate, Champagne Celebration - post-journal.com | News, Sports, Jobs, Community Information - Jamestown | Post-Journal

CHOCOLATE & CHAMPAGNE # 5

2011-01-16T17:04:00.000-08:00

Community Builders - post-journal.com | News, Sports, Jobs, Community Information - Jamestown | Post-Journal

2011-01-16T06:25:00.000-08:00

Community Builders - post-journal.com News, Sports, Jobs, Community Information - Jamestown Post-Journal

Northside PRIDE attends Governor Andrew Cuomo’s "Take it to the People Tour."

2011-01-15T06:31:00.000-08:00

Northside PRIDE was delighted to be in attendance at Governor Andrew Cuomo’s "Take it to the People Tour." PRIDE was particularly impressed by Cuomo’s appeal for grass roots activism. He called on New Yorkers to become a part of the process for change—to be vocal and active—in essence, he encouraged his audience to get off their duffs and do something about local and state problems. PRIDE encourages Jamestown to speak up. Check out these websites to share your ideas and views:
Governor Cuomo: www.NYcitizenscampaign.com: http://www.governor.ny.gov/contact/NYCitizensCampaign/index.php
Mayor: http://www.jamestownny.net/index.php/office-of-the-mayor/contact-the-mayor-s-office
City Council: http://www.jamestownny.net/index.php/city-council/contact-us
Chautauqua County Legislatures: http://www.co.chautauqua.ny.us/departments/legislature/Lists/Legislators/AllItems.aspx
Assemblyman Andrew Goodell: goodella@assembly.state.ny.us

Report to the City of Jamestown, NY Reinvesting in Itself

2010-11-18T06:53:00.000-08:00

PRIDE encourages everybody to read the recent czb report.
Lets get behind this plan to improve our neighborhoods.
Here is the link:http://www.czb.org/cmsdocuments/jamestown_FinalReport.pdf

Northside PRIDE Held its 4th Annual “TRASH BASH” Neighborhood Cleanup

2010-04-11T05:28:00.000-07:00

Northside PRIDE Held its 4th Annual “TRASH BASH” Neighborhood Cleanup

Northside PRIDE – committed to improving the cleanliness, beauty and safety of their community, held its annual “Trash Bash.” Several volunteers from the neighborhood turned out on a crisp, beautiful Saturday morning to convene for breakfast before setting out to spruce up the neighborhood. Youth and adult volunteers worked side by side to clean and beautify the target area of Liberty, Lincoln and Grant Streets as well as parts of Falconer, 6th, 7th and 8th Streets. Jamestown YouthBuild volunteers began the cleanup by raking and grooming the empty lot on the corner of Grant and 8th Streets. PRIDE volunteers wrapped it up by raking, sweeping, cleaning and collecting the debris and litter from curbs, streets and sidewalks. “Thanks to the City’s street cleaner and the shared aims of conscientious neighbors” said Kurt Carlson, Vice President of PRIDE “the neighborhood looked noticeably neat this year--we collected twice the amount of litter last year.” “This tells me that PRIDE is finally having a positive impact—the community is starting to come around.” PRIDE hopes to set an example, Carlson said, “we would like to see this enthusiasm radiate throughout the North Side: healthy neighborhoods really are the building blocks of a vibrant city. “For us,” Carlson noted, “our neighborhood clean up’s are a great way to interact with our neighbors-- and they can be a lot of fun too. For insatance, every year we look forward to the “treasures” we may come across; this year’s trove was a vintage16 pound bowling ball and a Take Five lottery ticket.” If we win Carlson laughed, "PRIDE will create a pocket park with gardens and a waterfall or maybe a state-of-the-art playground." Pride would like to extend a thank you to Eckloff’s Bakery who generously donated breakfast for the event.

2010-03-31T17:54:00.000-07:00

The State of the Neighborhood.

2009-07-28T21:27:00.000-07:00

Yesterday as I was strolling through the neighborhood I was quite pleased with what I saw: several of my neighbors were working on their lawns or tinkering on their houses--pounding nails, painting, sweeping etc. It made me feel that many of my neighbors take pride in their houses and really care about this neighborhood. It gave me a sense of hope that this neighborhood can become great if we each do our part. I also thought to myself, what a shame it is that some derelict property owners continue to disgrace our neighborhood with an utter lack of civic ethics. Over the course of four years, PRIDE has ascertained that the root cause of neighborhood decay isn't due to the fact that some homeowners can't afford a quart of paint or a box of nails(because generally the homeowner does what he can with the little income he has to keep his property up), but it's the greedy landlord-- the property owner that owns twenty or fifty houses in Jamestown but lives in Ohio or Lakewood that's disgracing Jamestown neighborhoods. A little upkeep, a little paint and lawn maintenance subtracts from the bottom line. I said to my neighbor that day, let's not get pushed out of our homes by greedy individuals who disdain Jamestown. In an effort to fight back, the next blog entries will identify these derelict properties and the respective owners.

Check Our Next Blog Entry to Discover Who Owns What

2009-02-15T06:55:00.000-08:00

Check Back For a Video Tour of the Neighborhood

2009-01-11T16:55:00.000-08:00

Jamestown Post Journal Articles

2009-01-11T16:46:00.000-08:00

Northside PRIDE Receives HonorBy Kristen Johnson kajohnson@post-journal.com
Northside PRIDE has been chosen as this year's
recipient of the Parker Award for Social
Justice. February 2010
The award will be given during Sunday's 10:30 a.m. church service at Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Jamestown on Prendergast Avenue.

Now in its 20th year, the award was established in 1985 as memorial for T. Richard Parker, a leader in the Unitarian Church of Jamestown. It is given to a person or group that voluntarily works for social justice through efforts to protect the civil rights of racial, religious and ethnic minorities, to protect the civil liberties of individuals, to extend economic or political opportunities to poor or socially disadvantaged groups, to deal with the problems of world hunger and world peace, to protect the natural environment and to stop environmental pollution, or to improve deteriorating neighborhoods.

''(Northside PRIDE has) done tremendous work in starting a movement to rehabilitate at least one neighborhood in Jamestown,'' said Bruce Anderson, who chaired the committee that selected Northside PRIDE for the award. ''They also serve as a model for others interested in doing the same thing.''

Anderson said Northside PRIDE was recommended for the award by a number of different people. ''It's just a thrill to be chosen for this award,'' said Northside PRIDE vice president Kurt Carlson. ''We've worked so hard over the years to combat the problems of blight and promote neighborhood revitalization. It was such a surprise to be chosen and everyone is very, very excited by this.''

It is said that imitation is the most sincere form of flattery - and that's true, too, when one considers the other neighborhood revitalization groups, such as the Lakeview Avenue Community Action Project, that have cropped up and have tried to imitate Northside PRIDE.

''We're so encouraged by that,'' Carlson said. ''Jamestown is our home and we want to do as much as we can to improve the quality of life here. It's wonderful that we have inspired others to step up and work hard for their neighborhoods.''

Northside PRIDE, which was established in 2006, focuses on the neighborhood along Liberty, Lincoln and Grant streets between Sixth and Eighth streets. The target area includes about 120 homes, just 39 percent of which are owner-occupied. The remaining 61 percent are so-called ''investment properties'' - properties purchased by someone who wants only to rent the property and typically cares nothing about the home's maintenance or property upkeep.

One of PRIDE's biggest accomplishments has been the creation of public-private partnerships that include partnerships with the city of Jamestown and the state and federal governments. It is thanks to those partnerships that the city of Jamestown has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in Community Development Block Grant money in the neighborhood. With that money, new curbs and sidewalks have been constructed. More than 100 new, young trees have been planted and more are planned. An empty lot that had become a trash dump was purchased, cleaned and landscaped, three houses have been demolished and 20 new street lights have been erected.

PRIDE also works closely with the Chautauqua Home Rehabilitation and Improvement Corp., or CHRIC, and Chautauqua Opportunities, Inc. Thanks to those partnerships, 12 properties have been rehabilitated and work on several others is in the planning stages.

A Lincoln Street home was donated to Chautauqua Opportunities, which renovated the home from the inside out, placed it on the market and sold it to an eligible first-time homebuyer. CHRIC, which owns several homes in the Northside PRIDE area and has been busy with rehabilitation efforts of its own, renovated a home on Grant Street from top-to-bottom - a home that's now owner-occupied.

As this year's winner of the Parker Award, Northside PRIDE joins a long list of community-minded individuals who have donated their time and effort. The list ranges from Anna May Cole, who was recognized for her work in literacy education with prisoners, to Russell Tilaro, who was recognized for his work to establish programs to help Jamestown-area residents with AIDS.

Northside Neighborhood Teeters Between Blight, StabilityBy Kristen Johnson

2009-01-11T16:42:00.000-08:00

kajohnson@post-journal.com
http://www.post-journal.com/page/content.detail/id/528395.html?nav=5018&showlayout=0
Part two in an ongoing
series on neighborhood
revitalization efforts
Walk through the six-block area bordered by Grant, Liberty, Falconer and Sixth streets, and it's clear the neighborhood is in transition. But whether it's going to fall victim to blight or whether it's going to be able to reestablish itself as one of Jamestown's stateliest neighborhoods remains to be seen.
The area is known as Northside PRIDE. Its namesake is a relatively young grassroots organization that's tackling the problem of blight and neighborhood decay head-on.
''Neighborhood revitalization and home rehabilitation both snowball,'' said Bob Doverspike, the Northside PRIDE leader, as he walked the streets of his neighborhood. ''If the residents cooperate and participate, revitalization snowballs and a neighborhood can, after a few years, find itself in a much different position than it was initially. But participation is key.''
BUILDING A SENSE OF COMMUNITY
There are 116 houses in the Northside PRIDE neighborhood and just 39 percent of them are owner-occupied. The remaining 61 percent are so-called ''investment properties'' - properties purchased by someone who wants only to rent the property and typically cares nothing about the home's maintenance or property upkeep.
For example, one abandoned home in the Northside PRIDE target area is painted two shades of yellow - one an almost pastel yellow on three exterior walls, the other a nearly neon shade on the wall facing Eighth Street. On other homes, roof shingles peel like old paint, porches are crooked, windows are old or broken and trash litters front yards.
''That house is very exposed now that the home on the corner of Eighth and Grant streets has been demolished,'' Doverspike said. ''It's a vacant property and has been for two years. I'm getting concerned about it. It's amazing how quickly a house deteriorates when nobody is caring for it, living in it or keeping it heated.''
The home stands next to a vacant lot upon which a house once stood. But that house was torn down last June after standing empty for a long time, Doverspike said. Eventually, he said, Northside PRIDE wants to acquire the adjoining property and put a park there.
''It's a nice size for a little pocket park or a playground,'' he said. ''Those are important - that's where you go to meet your neighbors. Places like those are where you form a sense of community.''
That's the kind of initiative and foresight that has made Northside PRIDE one of the city's success stories for neighborhood revitalization efforts.
After being approached by Chuck Cornell, a Chautauqua County legislator, residents in the Northside PRIDE area quickly banded together. They had a ''neighbor helping neighbor'' program where neighborhood residents helped an elderly woman by doing some work on her home that included scraping, painting and caulking. The group has organized neighborhood cleanup efforts, rummage sales and fundraisers.
SUCCESS STORIES
While there's still a lot of work to be done - dilapidated or totally abandoned homes exist on every single street in the Northside PRIDE target area - success stories abound in Northside PRIDE's neighborhood. The group has formed close partnerships with the city of Jamestown, Chautauqua Opportunities Inc. and the Chautauqua Home Rehabilitation and Improvement Corp., or CHRIC.
Over the years since Northside PRIDE was formed, the city of Jamestown has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in Community Development Block Grant money in the neighborhood. With that money, new curbs and sidewalks have been constructed. About 100 new, young trees have been planted and more are planned. An empty lot that had become a trash dump was purchased, cleaned and landscaped.
A home on Lincoln Street, formerly owned by Ken and Teresa Sohmer, was donated by the Sohmers to Chautauqua Opportunities Inc. It will be renovated on both the interior and exterior, then placed on the market and sold to an eligible first-time homebuyer. That organization recently received $250,000 to enhance its neighborhood revitalization efforts.
CHRIC received $490,000 toward neighborhood revitalization efforts in the northside area. It currently owns four homes in the northside area, which includes the Northside PRIDE neighborhood.
One - an old Dutch-colonial at 52 Grant St. - is perhaps the neighborhood's most shining example of what partnerships can accomplish. The home is a single-family, two-bedroom house that, thanks to CHRIC, sports a new roof, new windows, new sheetrock, a new kitchen, new siding and is well-insulated. If that sounds like an unattainable dream, think again - mortgage payments on the house, including taxes and insurance, will be $550 or less.
It's all part of a larger plan for the neighborhood, according to John Murphy, CHRIC executive director.
''By taking vacant properties, which drag down the values of surrounding homes, over-investing in them to improve their quality and pricing them at the high end of values in the neighborhood, the effect is an increase in the values of the houses around them,'' Murphy said. ''By selling to owner-occupants only, we help create a more stable neighborhood where owners are invested in the general well-being of the neighborhood because they live there, send their children to neighborhood schools, make personal connections with other neighbors, and work together to preserve their common interests. If we can do that with a number of vacant houses, the private market will begin to take over.''
CHRIC has purchased three other homes in the northside area, Murphy said.
''Chautauqua County, through the county executive's office and the administrative services committee, have been partners in allowing CHRIC to purchase tax-foreclosed houses in the north side neighborhoods we're working in,'' Murphy said. ''Three houses CHRIC purchased from the county for $5,000 each through that partnership have preliminary development work being done on them and have had scopes of work developed for them that are out to bid. Once rehabilitated, they will be sold to income-eligible families for owner-occupancy only, meaning they are not available for purchase and rental by real estate investors.''

North Side Pride's First Annual Block Party

2007-06-10T09:00:00.001-07:00