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A Repmrt of Citizen Participation in the Pittsburg Connnunity The Pittsburg Neighborhood Service Center, as is true of all other centers, has a citizen's advisory connnittee, whose primary function is to keep the staff of the center advised on changing needs and suggested remedies. Since the Pittsburg Neighborhood Service Center is still operating with a temporary connnittee, and is only now holding elections for its first permanent committee, the ad hoc committee in this community is much larger and has a broader base than normal. The prior function of this group had been to generate sufficient connnunity concern and interest, and to demonstrate to EOA Headquarters a need for a center in the Pittsburg Community . To this end, meetings were held over a period of a year during which all of the committees and sub-committees functioned . Whe n the Pittsburg Neighborhood Service Center opened, this temporar y connnittee continued to advise. Representing approx imately fou r hundr ed (400) people , this group has been able to give direct i on to the cent er from a var iety of experiences , and from a gene r al k nowledge of c ommuni ty problems . Things f or which th is corrnnuni ty is or has been d i re c t l y re spon sibl e are: 1 - rec ommendat ion s f or indige neou s and indigent p er sons t o be empl oyed 2 determination of prioritie s o f service 3 - selec tion of s ite 4 - advocate s for the c enter. �A further evidence of citizen involvement may be demonstrated by the neighborhood elections which are now in progress. The entire connnunity, which has been subdivided into groups called area blocks, is at work electing persons to represent them on a permanent connnittee, and this is being accomplished via the same procedure used in all local and national elections. The same machines used in general elections are being used in these neighborhood elections, and the same registration procedures are being employed. After a survey conducted by the center staff, and after finding that voter registration did not account for a reasonable percentage of the total community population, the ad hoc committee of the Pittsburg Neighborhood Service Center felt that in conjunction With the election process, some emphasis should be placed on voter registration. In all of these instances, the entire staff of the center has operated both at the direction of the committee, and in response to the obvious need for organization. One major pr oject, which is still continuing, is a cooperative effort of the center and the Pittsburg Civic League toward the acquisition of a community center. The extension and housing departments, along with the director, have had plans drawn up, inspected sites and written proposals, all at the direction of the Pittsburg Civic League. Contact has been m~de with Dr. Phillip Weltner of The Whitehead Foundation wi th the hope that funds for this project may be made avail- ' able. Due to some difficulty with a wi ll, the first choice was re- luctantlY, rejected. Title searche s are in process to determine the availability of other sites, and, hopefully, the Pittsburg Civic League will be able to realize this ambition in the very near future. There are other instances of general connnunity involvement which are usually on a smaller scale , and would require a more specific and numerical presentation. �All of the above are submitted as examples of the involvement of the Pittsburg Cormnunity through the Pittsburg Neighborhood Service Center in the solution of their own problems. �