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' -. .,. . . •143.215.248.551;: ·co.V.MUNITY RELATIONS. CO/,lJ,\ISSION ___ MEMORIAL DRIVE ANNEX BLDG. _ - . 121 MEMORIAL DR:VE, S. W. ATLANTA, GEORGIA 30303 G:-.~----=:-;;·_-i.;,ln,, -Ji 11 .' ' ~22-4463 ~~t~Jt{,::~;; Jf.: '--- - . July 25, 1969 DR. SAMUEL W. WILLIAMS. CHAIRMAN VICE MAYOR SAM MASSELL, JR . , . EX-OFFICIO .COMMISSION MEMBERS. TO: M~yor A.Hen and the 1?oard of Aldermen MR.T.M.ALEXANDER,SR . . · --i.lR. R. BYRON ATTRIDGE '-IRS. SA.RA EJAKER MISS HELEN BULLARD MR.R.J. BUTLER l~fL f.!:!':E: CHE:.'\!H A!.! REP. JAMES E. DEAN MR . ROBERT DO BBS REP.C.G. EZZARD . MR. L.L. ~ELLERSTEDT,J~. MR. CHARLES HART OR. ROBERT E. L.EE

,_!RS. F. V:. PATTERSON RABBI JACOB M. ROTHSCHILD · MR. PAUL SHIELDS '-IR. L. 0. SIP.10N i . •• J.IRS. MARY STEPHENS OR, J. RANDOLPH TAYLOR -REV. J.·A. WILBORN FROM: Community Relations Commission SUBJECT: Summary of Complaints from Town Hall Meetings and Re.commendations of the Commission · The key role of the Community Relations Commission (CRC) in the Mayor's Summer Progr am has been in holding Town I MR. WILLIAM McGEE. EX-OFFICIO Hall meetings in the disadvc. ntaged ares of the City. The ATLANTA YOUTH CONGRESS l C0rnmj s si0n hijtially goes in to hear the complaints of . MR. NAT WELCH EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR citizens and returns some thirty days later and reports on actions taken by City Hall and other agencies. In many cases, CRC has been able to report corrective action taken -·oy City Departments and other agen cies (note Supplement 1 . • .~!A". for _responses this week to complaints at Perry Hoines). Town Hall meetings have been held since lvlarch in the following communities : Blair Village, Grant Park, Mechanicsville, Perry Homes, University_ Hom es and EdgewoodKirkwood. ··--- -· ·- . This report tabulates the frequency of complaints registered _·_in the initial meetings. The frequ ency of compla ints is not in itself conclusive evidence of the gravity of problems faced ,1··· - ·by ·Atlanta. 0 The purpose of this memorandum is to make recommendations on problems th e Comrn ission has been unable to resolve . �Pag:e 2 Summ~.ry of Complaints Community Chest agencies in the disadvantaged areas. The Commission would like to recommend four areas for improving this situation: 1. The Parks Department capital improvern.ent budget of approximately $350,000 is grossly inadequate. This . - sum can easily be expended to build one new park; but this $350,000 has to be spread over 65 parks. For example, a modern swimming pool costs approximately ····.- ·-- -~--- ----------$220;·000. · - The City of Atlanta needs to give serious consideration to a multi-million dollar bond issue for . ... -.improvement and expansion of its Parks system. It should b~ pointed out that the Parks Department is operating 80 play lots of which 40 are staffed. These , are constructed and maintained principally from Federal Poverty Funds. If these funds ar.e redli.ced, this would t~row an immediate and substantial burden on this City. ·"-···--z.--Emphasis ·should be ·_placed on expanding and improving play lots for tots and neighborhood parks in such com__________ ·· munities as _11echanicsville, Sun1merhill, Fulton Village, •· · Blue Heaven, Bowen Homes, Perry Homes and Grant _ _ ____ p _a rk area. Parks need to b e in walking dista nce of these citizens where possible; ghetto families have very poor transportation. Improved transportation in disadvantaged areas will help broaden recreationa l opportunities. 3. Better uti lization must b e made of school -pla yg rounds · - ·-...::...:.-=-and facilities. ··· ·This re·quire s more coo pc ration between ·. the Atlanta School Board and the Parks Departm e nt. ___ ... With the costs of construction and r eal estate spiraling, . Atlanta h a s to make better use of school f ac ilities for recreadon. · 4. The need is pressing for improved recreation in public - · -· hou sing. The Atlanta Hou s ing Aut hority c a n build recre.--ational, buildings. Th e City should urg e action he re by the Authority. The Board of Alde rmen h as offere d to • pay 50% of the co s ts of op e r a ting recr eat iona l pro grams in public housing if the A uthority wo uld do likewise. Und er Federal l aw , AHA can not do so. Therefore; the City must a cc ept its responsibility here in as much as it has assumed re s ponsibility in providing other s ervices in public housing. 0 A major burden for improving recreation in the City rest s with the Parks Department. Churches have been ren1iss in d eve loping recreatio nal programs �.. ~ Page 3 Summc:ry of Complaints . and using their facilities for their neightborhoocls. Community Chest agencies need to step up their programs in disadvantag ed areas and to guard against serving just the middle class. The Atlanta Children 1 s and Youth Services Council has done an outstanding job in coordinating and promoting volunteer services and warrants continous support. Complaints abo-ut the Atlanta Police Department were eight in number •••..•• seven dealing with the need for greater protection and quicker response and - ---one-about segregation ·:n the department. Four suggestions were made by citizens for improving police services: I. More foot·.patrolmcn in areas of high crime. z. Quicker switchboard answering at headquarters. 3. Complete desegration of the Police Department. - . ----4. Improved stre·et lighting in areas of high crime. This has sharply reduced crime in some American cities. "Jf Atlanta is to cope with its nsmg crim e rate, citizens must share this responsibility with the Police Department. The Atlanta Police Department · must be given a deguate funds for ope rations, - salaries, training and res ear ch. Atlanta citi zens have a strong responsibility to report crimes and to serve as witnesses where needed. _________ _G~i:?age service also ranke d second in number of complaints. The Commission received six complaints on the quality and frequency of garbage collection and -- -- ---.- two complaints on garbage being s tre wn over premises. The Commission held a special meeting in June with the Director of the Public Works D epartment and the Director of the Sanitary S ervic e to info rm t hem of these facts and to make recomme ndations. The Public Works Committee of the Board of Aldermen nee~s to take furth e r steps to mecha ni ze garbage collection and to incre ase the pay-of ·sanitary workers ·and to elevate· the-dignity-o·f ·thc· job. ·· Citi ze ns need to . show more appreciation for the men who perform this important public service. -A serious compla int h eard at Town Hall meetings during the spring d ealt with ·the failure of the City to remove junk cars. The responsibility for removing junk cars on private property rests with the Sanitary Department and on streets with the Police Department . In the last few weeks both d epa rtments have moved· forward \vith aggressive pr9grams for coping with this nagging problem. Other complaints received by the Commission are list e d below in the frequency - in which received: 7 complaints .• ; .•. on sewers and dra i nage- -5 on flooded streets and - 2 on dirty sewers and smelly creeks. 5 compla ints •••••• la.ck of jobs for youth . ... �I. ": w • Page 4 Summary of Co1nplaints 5 COffi:plaints •• _. ••• Comprehensive Health- -3 on services offered- and 2 alleging discriminatory hiring practices. 5 complaints ••••• ~ Model Cities- -lack of knowledge of program, inadequate community repres e ntation, objections to horn~ purchase and r e pair program,s, and community contractors not getting a chance to bid. -· __ __ _:__ 4 . complaints •••••• repair of and the need for better street lighting. 4 complaints •••••• need for new streets and the paving of existing streets. 3 complaints •••••• rats. 3 c01nplaints ••.•.• City of Atlanta- -2 on the lack of coordination of City Departments and 1 on the lack of responsivei:iess - to complaints of citizens. 3 complaints .•••.• Atlanta Housing Authority- -2 on the condition of housing and 1 on high rents. 2 complaints •••.•. stray dogs. 2 complaints .••.• ~ Urban Renewal--the desire of citizens for information, and representation on _u rban renewal committees. 2 _complaints •.•••. Economic Opportunity Atlanta The Co~~unity Rela tions Commission itself was not above criticism. One . complaint was registered on the lack of youth r e pre s entation on the Commission and another on the inability of the Commission to re spont to complaints. ' ~- .. • �p • • " • .. SUPPLEMENT "A" I i ,· The follow-up meeting in the Northwest Perry Homes area was held on July 22~ )-The CRC was able to report the followi~g pos,itive actions on complaints registered by the citizens: 1. Transportation--the CRC met with M;. William Maynard, President of the Atlanta Transit Company, to encourage the extension of the Perry Boulevard Bus to Holiywood Road. 'This would ena ble the r e sidents of Perry Homes to have bus transportation to the K-Mart and several large grocery stores in the Ba1:Jd1ea d Highwa y area_. The Atlanta Trans it Company agreed to make this e x t e nsion on a three month tria l basis. New bus sche dules w er e h a nde d out to resid e n t s of P e rry Home s a t the C R C m eeting ~ - ---z~-- Recreation: a. Through the e ffo r t s of the Atla nta Youth Council, the Butler Stree t YMCA and Communit y Chest a re creation progra m for t e enag e rs a t Northwe st Perry Home s has b een T h i s p rogram w ill p r o v i de re creation four d e v e lope d. / / . • nights a week during t he remainder of the s ummer. b. Mr. Perse ll s reporte d that the A tlanta Housing Authority will b e gin surveying for the construction o_f a . new recreation building within the next few weeks . .. . • .. .. �·- ~-., .Page 2 Sllpplement "A" 3. Consumer Services: .. a. CRC reported that Mr. Alterman, of Big Apple Food .Stores, has agreed to build a new supermarket in the area ·provi_ding a minimum of three suitable acres c~n be found. .. ..... . - Mr. Welch surveye~ the area wit h a large shopping center --- · .. -- · ·- - ·· developer who promised a b e st effort to develop a shopping -center ·for the Perry Homes Area. Mr. Lindskoog met with M r . Yates·, of Yates & Milton b. ! • . _Drug Stores, to request that a pharmacist be p~aced in their . ·····- ··-Drug St ore :hi Perry· Homes·. Mr. Lindskoog pla ns tc work furt h e r on this i s sue .4·. Atlanta Housing Authority: a. In respons e to the re s ide nts r e quest, new r a ili n gs w ill b e pla c e d on unp rot e cte d s t a irway s . _ ---- ·b.--· Mr. Persells reported that ope rations are now under way to e l imi nat e the m aggots t h a t have b e come a seriou s problem in o ne. se ction of the h ou sing proj e ct. _· · 5. Procto r Cre ek- -c ~ti zen s w e re please d with the r e po r t t h at tlie C it_y i s p·res e nt_ly d oing e x tensive w o rk to e li1n i nat e t he • / . • / . odor of Pro ctor C reek • • . . 1 �Community Relations Commission Percent of Total Total Complaints Parks Police Sanitation Sewers, etc. Employment Health Model Cities 87 26 8 8 7 5 5 5 30% 9% 9% 8% 6% 6% 6% Cities Services Percent of Total (July) ::, Total Complaints Parks Police Sanitation Sewers, etc. Employment Health Model Cities 708 32 133 267 59 5% 19% 38% 8% No Figures Available 19 No Figures Available

Other

Prominent Complaints Housing Code Traffic Engineering 36 40 3% �