Save Downtown, Save District 3

Save Downtown, Save District 3

By Eddie D. Gillis

The Monroe City Council recently gave approval to the Ellis administration to spend $120,000 for a downtown revitalization project. Campo Architect, a firm out of New Orleans, will look at areas in the downtown area that can be used as an economic springboard to revitalize downtown Monroe. The money for the study to be done by Campo Architect will come from the economic and administration fund of the city. Of particular interest to city officials will be how the riverfront will be utilized for economic development. The area that is in consideration that will be looked at during the study will be the River Market to 5th St. and Louisville Ave. to Calypso St. near I-20. Monroe mayor Friday Ellis ran on a campaign of using the Ouachita River as an economic hub, and this study is expected to make that a reality. Residents of District 3 would like to see some of that enthusiasm in their neighborhoods, as some of them have made several trips to city council meetings to voice their concerns and disappointment that city resources are not being spent on them as in other areas of the city. The Monroe Dispatch is running a series of articles highlighting problematic areas of concern that residents say have gone ignored for years. The Monroe Dispatch mentioned overgrown lots in the South College area along the railroad tracks on White St. and what those residents want to see done. Lots that are owned by the city, parish, railroad companies, and private citizens continue to be an eyesore, as residents have asked their council representative Juanita Woods to address their concerns.

It is not just overgrown lots in their backyards or high grass alongside the railroad tracks. There is also the concern of erosion in some residents' yards where a large drainage ditch exists. The ditch that concerns residents in the Booker T areas is at White and Barlow Streets. The yards next to the ditch are showing signs of severe erosion issues that have gotten worse over the years. Homes on those two streets near the ditch are literally tilting into the direction of the eroding grounds, and residents are looking to the Ellis administration for assistance. Residents say that "assistance" has been mostly lip service and that the city has only "looked" at their concerns. Those residents also noted that snakes are now a big problem along with other small animals. Mayor Ellis said infrastructure is a major concern for the city, but not for the Booker T residents who are witnessing yards crumble by means that weren't there years ago.

Residents said that even though the city has long been aware, they are not high on the priority list. That has done little to quell the anger felt by many residents, as projects in other city districts seem to get the kind of attention they have been lacking. They mention the funding that the airport is slated to get to address flooding, and they wonder why none(some) of that money can't be spent to meet their concerns. When one listens to their concerns, there is no doubt that Monroe is two cities separated by a boundary line where one side seems to get the lion's share of city funding. Some residents are in danger of possibly losing their homes at some time in the future if the drainage/erosion problem is not resolved and soon. They continue to look to Councilwoman Woods, who will need the help of her colleagues to help bring relief to people who call their neighborhood their home and that they want to not only preserve it but improve it. They can't do it alone. Mayor Ellis said that he envisions a city of one, not a "tale of two cities". The residents, along with White, Barlow, and other streets affected by ground erosion by a city ditch that can be addressed, will continue to show up at city council meetings until something more is done.

Photo Erosion concerns in the Booker T. Community have been neglected for years. Homeowners are concerned about losing their homes. danger of possibly losing their homes at some time in the future if the drainage/erosion problem is not resolved and soon. They continue to look to Councilwoman Woods who will need the help of her colleagues to help bring relief to people who call their neighborhood their "home" and that they want to not only preserve it, but improve it. They can't do it alone. Mayor Ellis said that he envisions a city of one, not a "tale of two cities". The residents along White, Barlow and other streets affected by ground erosion by a city ditch that can be addressed, will continue to show up at city council meetings until something more is done.