Published: October 15, 2007 12:22 pm            

HIGGS: Going around the block

This week I am introducing you to some new neighborhood watch block clubs that have recently formed and our Block Club of the Year — the River Rapids Block Club, who received this honor at the annual Crime Night Out event sponsored by the Niagara Falls Block Club Council on Aug. 7.

This block club has been active for three years and they hold its meetings in the Wrobel Towers Community Room, 800 Niagara Ave., on the fourth Wednesday of every month. The club serves an area bounded by Ontario Avenue to Lockport Street from 11th Street to Whirlpool Street. Their president is Betty Rivers, and the vice-president is Gloria Nuedert. Alice Geusle serves as secretary and Ethel Drozdek is treasurer.

They have educational meetings each month with community speakers about crime prevention and other topics of interest. Their members are active with the Block Club Council and other organizations such as the Niagara Beautification Commission. Each year they have taken an active role in the Beautify Niagara cleanup campaign working around the Wrobel Towers area where they also plant flowers. They also have a booth each year at the Freedom Trail Festival.

Two seminars have been held over the past few years: one on safe shopping and one on disaster preparedness. Their meetings are open to anyone within the boundaries shown previously. This group assists the Niagara Falls Housing Authority in every way possible to keep tenants safe by providing education about crime prevention and safety through the police and fire departments. Rivers received the “Good Neighbor Award” from Tops Markets recently on the Iney Wallens Show.

The Falls Street Block Club has been active for only a few months but already are making an impact in their neighborhood. The area they serve is Falls Street and Welch Avenue from 27th Street to Hyde Park Boulevard. Rick Williams is the leader here and he has a few dynamic women who have taken on the responsibility of keeping tract of neighborhood problems and changes. They have gone door to door to solicit new members, pass out window signs and generally find out what is happening around them. They are learning who to call and how to solve problems. They were active at our Crime Night Out with Pat and Diane making the popcorn and Judy and Bert sorting out the crowd waiting for the Operation Safe Child project sponsored by the Niagara County Sheriff Department. Keep up the good work! It will pay off in the end. It is important to start this type of organization before your neighborhood changes or at least in the early stages.

Another new group is aptly named Echota West Block Club as it is situated from Falls Street to Buffalo Avenue and from Hyde Park Boulevard to Gill Creek. This is a very historic district as it was formed in the early industrialization of Niagara Falls as “factory housing.” Stanford White designed this factory worker housing for the Niagara Falls power company and some of these houses in the several block area are still standing. The residents call themselves the “forgotten citizens.” Roger and I visited them after a call for help near the end of summer. They listed their major concerns during this visit and most of them were the same things we hear from every area of the city: problems with youth, poor condition of streets and sidewalks, trees that need trimming as street lights are barely visible, boom box noise nuisance, traffic control and the need for more police presence. We did learn that some sidewalk repairs were made last year and this year, D Street will be getting new sidewalks.

This first gathering brought together 10 neighbors mostly from D Street who stepped up as leaders and are willing to organize the rest of the area. Follow up meetings were held to set up officers and adopt bylaws and generally acquaint themselves to each other and learn how to solve their problems. It is so important to know your neighborhood and who lives there. With property changing hands so rapidly in our city (due to constant recycling in the In Rem process and “flipping of real estate”) it is vital to keep tabs on the condition of housing and more important who is moving in.

The Echota West Block Club will meet again 7 p.m. on Oct. 18 at the American Legion Portage Post 1465 at 407 Hyde Park Blvd. They will be visited by the Niagara Falls Fire Department Life Safety Educator Al Hornung and City Assessor Dom Penale who is out and about reminding people to sign up for their property tax rebate. Anyone living on A, B, C, D, or E streets on the west side of Hyde Park Boulevard is welcome to attend.

There is a couple more in the early stages which I will tell you about next week. I am excited about the many citizens who feel the need to connect with their neighbors again and Roger Spurback and I are very willing to help them get organized.

A quick note to tell you about a Halloween Safety Event sponsored by the East Side Block Club. This will be held Oct. 13 at the Polish Nook at 2242 Cudaback Ave. Costumes are encouraged but not required. Events include the fire safety house with our new friend Hornung, Shawn Bosi, the community relations officer for the Niagara Falls Police Department, the Niagara County Sheriff’s Department and its Operation Safe Child and lots of fun activities such as arts and crafts, trick or treating, cider and donuts and other entertainment. See you there!

Norma Higgs serves with the Niagara Beautification Commission and Niagara Falls Block Club Council. Her columns appear Mondays in the Gazette.

        

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