At a Rotary Club meeting on Thursday, Henderson mayor Brad Staton gave more details on his plans to revitalize the inner city over the coming years.
“We have five different committees – one is for blight and affordable housing, one is for economic development, infrastructure, public safety, and beautification/special projects,” says Staton.
The $1.2 million plan will see these committees meet over the next several months – working closely with residents and community leaders to tackle different issues and make improvements that the people living east of downtown will enjoy and appreciate. The improvements will focus on the area from Green Street to Atkinson Street, and Washington Street over to Sand Lane.
“Our neighborhood has been working for the past year trying to identify what the neighbors here would like to see, what they would like to have in there community,” says Tammy Sutton, Executive Director of Audubon Kids Zone.
Some of the plan calls for basketball courts for the kids that are safe and properly lit, community gardens, and repairing existing facilities. The goal is to bring new growth to the area and ensuring a prosperous future for the people living there.
“It’s very important because we have some great assets that are here right now. We’ve got a great school in South Heights, we’ve got some really fantastic neighbors that have been here for a long time. We’ve got a lot of history here on the East End,” says Sutton.
Other ideas and suggestions can be expected in the coming months – which is why the mayor says he is keeping an open mind on how to maximize the impact of this first-of-its-kind project,
“If any projects sort of bubble up to the surface that are outside of the scope of the budget, we will still consider them, alongside all of our other capital projects, and try our best to implement the things that are most important and will make the most impact in our inner city,” says Staton.
The hope is that the open, community-feedback driven structure of the plan will allow it the flexibility to best meet the needs of the community over the coming years.
