Lake City, Tenn. (August 14, 2009) - On Wednesday, August 12 the CRA approved the East Jackson Plan Proposal during a Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) meeting. This is a big victory for East Jackson residents and SOCM who have been holding public meetings with Councilman Dodd since early July. 

“As a result of our meeting with Johnny Dodd and the mayor, the city is now ready to sit down and talk with people. This is the people’s time now,” says Teresa Trice, SOCM member and president of the Eagle’s Nest.

Councilman Dodd agreed to put East Jackson on the CRA agenda after his last meeting with SOCM on July 20, when more than 100 East Jackson residents were in attendance.  

East Jackson residents and SOCM have come a long way since beginning this redevelopment process. On May 28th, they attended the second public meeting on the Lambuth Area Revitalization Plan at Tigrett Middle School where Steve Auterman of Looney Ricks and Kiss Architects contracted by the City of Jackson out of Memphis presented options for improvement in the Lambuth community.

After several weeks in an attempt to reach Councilman Dodd, SOCM and the community held their first public meeting with him on July 6th. More than 70 people attended and spoke about continued issues after the tornado of 2003 including filled in ditches from debris, abandoned damaged houses, and sidewalk and street destruction.  Residents were also concerned about the several weeks it sometimes takes for their curb trash pick up.

“The citizens of east Jackson have put the pressure on Dodd and now he’s headed toward being a much better councilman,” says Howard White.  

Others came forward in response to the citizen outcry in East Jackson.

At the called City Council meeting on June 25, Councilman Harvey Buchanan submitted “A Call for Sense of Urgency” saying that he supports the Community Redevelopment Agency and, “I submit that the same SENSE OF URGENCY, commitment, dedication and willingness be applied to the urgent restoration, stabilization and fresh start of the 2003 tornado damaged areas of Jackson. The SENSE OF URGENCY after six years of planning and broken promises for whatever reasons is NOW!!”  The African American Chamber of Commerce also held a meeting with Councilman Dodd, Brooks, and Buchanan and the city.

“We appreciate the effort that has been put forth by Councilman Dodd and the Community Redevelopment Agency to listen to the concerns of the East Jackson residents and to move toward solving the problems brought out in our meetings,” says Martha White who is a SOCM member and life-long resident of Jackson.  White continues, “SOCM has been classed as troublemakers but we’re not, we’re trouble shooters.”

“We came together and made something happen and SOCM pulled us together.  I even came to one of the meetings and saw my brother and a couple pastors I know,” said Ozell Taylor.

“We shake the right trees to get positive action done; whereas the average citizen sits and says nothing, we take the average citizen, empower them, so that we can confront the powers to get positive results,” say Howard White, SOCM board member and Jackson resident.

“I don’t count it a complete victory because right now all I’ve heard is talk,” say Ruth Jackson who has lived in the East Jackson area since ’73 as the Jackson SOCM chapter chair person.  

The Community Redevelopment Agency was officially established at the City Council meeting on April 7th. According to the workable program, the board “has broad authority to carry out the purposes of the agency. These include: executing contracts, acquiring real property, disposing of real property, establishing a redevelopment trust fund, establishing a Tax Increment Financing District, issue revenue bonds with approval of governing body, and other powers necessary to carry out the purpose of the act and redevelopment plans approved by the governing body.” (Jackson Revitalization Strategy/Community Redevelopment Act Workable Program City of Jackson, Tennessee, February 2009, page 79).  Members of the board approved on May 5th at the City Council meeting are Michael McWherter (1 year term), Vicki Lake (3 year term), Monte Jones (2 year term), Greg Milam (3 year term) and Johnny Dodd (2 year term). The conditions for appointment are “Five of those members, one of which must be a serving City Council member, shall be nominated by the City Mayor, subject to approval of the City Council, and two members, one of which must be a serving County Commissioner, shall be nominated by the County Mayor, subject to the approval of the Madison County Commission.” 

 

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