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Rescuing a community

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By DON GRANTHAM Special To The Tampa Tribune

The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 22, 2009

The communities located in the six-square-mile area just west of the University of South Florida's Tampa campus once represented gross crime, blight, decay and poverty. Last week, with more than 1,300 people in attendance, the 3,000-member USF Area Community Civic Association, Inc. (USFACCA) commemorated its 20th year of success by honoring 35 of its "unsung heroes." Today, their accomplishments stand as a case study of leadership, community organization and cooperation.

It was in 1989 that despair turned to hope and began its march toward community redevelopment. The first step was to create strength in numbers and merge the USFACCA with seven other disparate civic groups to become the lead community organization for the area. Toiling through two years of community meetings, studies and reviews, these tireless volunteers and stakeholders created a plan of action built around the common strategy of revitalization through grassroots organization and advocacy.

By 1993, more than 2,000 street lights were in place. By 1994, the university area community was selected as one of only 15 target areas nationwide to receive a coveted Federal Weed & Seed designation. This $2.2 million grant, renewed on three separate occasions, leveraged millions of federal dollars to weed out crime and seed redevelopment. By 1998, there were miles of new sidewalks, major infrastructure and drainage improvements as well as the new District 1 Sheriff's Command Center.

Through these efforts, the USFACCA helped to provide a hand up rather than a hand out to the over 40,000 at-risk children and adults. Now in 2009, this once desolate, blighted area known as "Suitcase City" has the award-winning University Area Community Center Complex as its anchor. With the University Area Community Health Center, the University Area Community Human Services Center, Bowers-Whitley Career Center, Muller Elementary Magnet School, the University Area Mass Transit Center and the North 22nd Street "Main Street" initiative, core educational programs continue the focus on crime, children and strained families. Today many, if not most, of these efforts stand as models for community redevelopment throughout our county, state and country.

As we proudly celebrate our success, we humbly recognize that much remains to be accomplished. With daunting tasks ahead, we remain steadfast in our planning, commitment, focus and - most importantly - unity. Now, that's a successful strategy for community redevelopment.

Pastor Don Grantham is first vice president of the USF Area Community Civic Association.

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