City Council to hold neighborhood meeting Tuesday
By Kenneth Fine
Published in News on June 25, 2006 2:06 AM
Residents in another city block will get the chance to voice their concerns Tuesday as City Council members, department heads and staff take to Teakwood and Mimosa Park for the third in a series of city-sponsored neighborhood meetings.
Assistant City Manager Tasha Logan said the meetings are an opportunity for residents and city staff to meet and to open lines of communication.
"This is really another way for us to have more civic engagement," she said. "I think the meetings have gone pretty well so far."
Mrs. Logan added she has no predictions regarding problems the neighbors in the Teakwood and Mimosa Park area might discuss, but looks forward to hearing about happenings in the area.
At previous meetings, emotional voices urged officials to deal with drug problems, crime, fire ants and "slum-lords." Mrs. Logan said many of those problems, including housing and drainage issues, have been addressed by staff at City Hall and the Goldsboro Police Department.
"We have followed up with most of them," she said.
Officials, while concerned about the issues raised, were not surprised by them, Mrs. Logan added.
"I think that maybe we didn't know the extent of some of the activities we were aware of," she said. "But we weren't necessarily surprised by it."
From the onset of the neighborhood meeting program, officials have outlined goals for the gatherings, including opening lines of communications, providing a chance for residents to meet elected officials from other districts and to nurture the creation of groups within each neighborhood who will aim to attack the roots of problems plaguing their home blocks.
Tuesday's event will follow a format similar to the other meetings held previously. Pizza and refreshments will be served as officials are introduced and then residents will have the option of coming forward to speak to those in attendance.