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Show laffm Wftift naia-- free not for sale salt lake volume one june 29, 1972 number forty-fiv- e At the June meeting of the Coordinating Council, Model Cities director Pete Grundfossen, requested the Council to take a stronger role in setting the direction of planning for the third action year, as a result of a letter from Housing and Urban Development Regional Administrator, Robeit C. Rosenheim to the Joint Board of Commissioners. The letter, in part, stated that "there appears to be a lack of focus to the Salt Lake Model Cities program." The letter went on to say there was some concern on HUD's part "that with 50 projects, little impact is likely to occur." If changes are not made in the program, HUD does not intend to refund the program for a third year. Rosenheim also emphasized the essential role of the citizens in the Model Cities program. He said, citizens should play a Victor Delgado, People's Free Way representative, says, "We want someone to care. Residents Fight Flooded Streets meaningful role in the planning, monitoring and evaluation of the program. by Kirk Terry People's Free Way During recent heavy rains, the residents and businesses along the 600 South freeway overpass near 200 West had to fight back their dampened spirits and flooding streets. representatives said that the Governor took a great deal of interest in the condition. They said the Governor charged State highway engineer, Blaine J. Kay, Drain pipes that channel rain run off to the streets below the overpass have become clogged with litter and street debris. Compounding the problem is the fact that the drain pipes don't face street storm gutter grates, also clogged, or pass over them. The run off pours into the streets, swirling around the parked cars, the drains and people's feet. The People's Free Way Center addressed the problem of the flooded streets to Governor Calvin Rampton. Center representatives met with the Governor on June 19 at the State Capital. Dorothy Pulley, Center representative, Vic Delgado, representative and other residents presented a series of photographs to the Governor showing the condition in the area. Grundfossen said that the letter states very clearly that inadequate comphrensive planning has been done in the Grundfossen agreed with HUD officials that local planning appears to be weakening. The Coordinating Council and the Joint Board of Commissioners must their efforts to insure a broad, over-al- l design in planning into which all projects can fit, he stated. What role will the task forces play in the future, was a question raised by residents. Grundfossen said he sees the task forces assisting the Coordinating Council in identifying major goals in an attempt to really "reverse the blight cycle." As an example of how problems are related, he said, you in a All Model Cities task forces marketable skill unless you investigating the situation and to have been instructed to develop overall gcals and priorities in provide food, clothing, housing, health care or take care of other report recommendations to terms of the entire model needs. with the responsibility of alleviate the flooding condition. Streets Commissioner, and the Model Cities program to be submitted to the Coordinating Council on July neighborhood Stephen Harmsen, disclosed the Tribune, said the state will not clean up their portions of that freeway, and that the city has unsuccessfully tried to negotiate work areas of the freeway which the city could maintain. "It difficult to predict, at this time, what comprehensive plans might be developed at the Coordinating Council meeting and agreed upon by the Joint The community Board of Commissioners," representatives said that recommendations to correct the problem are expected within two weeks. They said the Governor's interest over the condition and his response by setting the two week deadline for action is "greatly appreciated." "All we want done," said Delgado, "is for someone to care, someone to clean up the streets. 13. is Grundfossen said. However, he continued, saying, "I belive that most of the currently funded projects could be maintained under the new "I believe the thing that makes the model neighborhood different than other neighborhoods in the city and county is a high concentration of people," low-incom- e Grundfossen said. To break this concentration and blight cycle, he suggests e people moving some into other areas and attracting middle income people back into the "inner city. low-incom- The reason people are subsequent action years will be to do a better job of comprehensive reluctant to move into this area now, he advised, is because large portions have been turned over to industrial development and transportation networks. "It looks ugly, feeis ugly and plan writing, he said. smells ugly," he said. program. One of the major staff responsibilites in the third and in planning. le can't train everyone past. Pete Grundfossen, Model Cities director, urges a stronger role need buffer zones - strips of green - around freeways and industrial buildings, he suggested. Property valves and zoning laws often prohibit people from building single family dwellings in these areas. Grundfossen urged where its not likely that land will be used by industry but only in cases where buffer zones will separate homes from industrial We buildings or freeways. This would mean writing intensive plans about property use, after a he said. block by block study, However, Grundfossen concluded, if we don't change the residential patterns of the model neighborhood, nothing else will change. "If we don't make these basic changes, there will not be enough political 'clout' within the model neighborhood area to obtain adequate educational facilities, health-care- , adequate housing or other needed services, he said. "Unless we make these basic changes, the Model Cities program will be a first aid kind of program, never really healing the victim," he warned. |