Neighborhood Alliance seeks another year of council support

Nov. 26—Neighborhood Alliance landed in Norman more than a year ago. With a contract from the City Council and with staff in place, the program hopes to win support from the panel for a second year.

The council approved a contract for $100,000 in September 2021 to launch a program with workshops and other education events to inspire neighborhoods to organize.

Organized neighborhoods are stronger with the unity of once voice advocating to their city leaders for improvements, said Georgie Rasco, the alliance's executive director.

"In neighborhoods that are more organized, children function better in school, people age better at home, they age longer at their home because they have people who watch over them and care for them," he said.

"There's higher property values in organized neighborhoods and lower crime rate. There's huge benefits for organized neighborhoods."

Rasco organized three focus groups to learn what the program should include in Norman instead of transposing the Oklahoma City model onto the community.

"We learned very quickly that Norman wanted something different," said Rasco. "They didn't want to 'Oklahoma City their Norman' and that came out loud and clear."

Norman a 'little weird'

So what do Norman residents want in a Neighborhood Alliance?

"Norman is a little weird and it wants to stay a little weird," Rasco said. "They don't want to be run by the University of Oklahoma. They're proud of their university. They like what it brings to Norman, but neighborhoods said we don't want our university to run our neighborhoods."

During focus groups, residents — both people of color and white — agreed that racial tensions remained a concern, Rasco said. The alliance hosted a focus group with with non-white residents in cooperation with retired OU Dean of Liberal Studies George Henderson.

"There still is some racial tension in Norman," Rasco said. "So we wanted to be very cognizant of that and trying to make sure we are continuing to bring all different kinds of people together because all kinds of people make up neighborhoods."

Residents welcomed workshops to educate themselves on code enforcement, legal issues homeowners associations face and how to be a voluntary neighborhood leader, Rasco said.

The code enforcement workshop paired department heads with residents at "speed dating" tables for 15 minute question and answer segments — from animal welfare and policing to zoning and the planning department.

"It was very successful, very helpful" Rasco said. "The department heads were dancing a jig when it was over. I think residents don't think the city has citizens in mind, but their whole job is making residents happy with their city. That's really what they want to accomplish.

"Maybe it doesn't come across that way when they're busy handling contracts and plans and all these things at once, but their job is not complete unless residents are happy."

Lisa Krieg, the city's community development block grant coordinator, praised the program's efforts so far.

"Whereas OKC wants to really focus on individual neighborhoods, the meetings that Neighborhood Alliance has had with Norman has been, by and far, they want to talk about neighborhood issues, not specific neighborhoods," Krieg said. "I have the confidence that we will get there."

What's next?

The alliance will present two neighborhoods to target specific efforts to the council, if it chooses to continue the contract. Workshops will continue to be offered open to the public, Rasco said.

"A multitude" of workshops are planned, including a second code and zoning enforcement session at the library and a Norman Neighborhood Academy, he said.

The academy is an event which features a buffet of workshops in one day.

The alliance intends to work with the planning department on initiatives to improve neighborhoods, in particular a revitalization of one north of the downtown area, Rasco said.

Recently hired coordinator Leo Zombolo and community planner Kimmie Diedrich intend to build traction with the creation of steering committees to start initiatives in neighborhoods.

To organize a neighborhood, five or more residents contact the alliance to form a steering committee, Rasco said.

Whether the committee chooses to form a board or leadership committee, it will take up a vote from neighbors in order to form. The alliance and the steering committee work to develop the neighborhood's goals, from better lighting and beautification to safety and reaching out to the elderly, the direction is up to residents, he said.

Krieg said she looks forward to the program's progress in the coming year.

"I am very excited for the upcoming year's activities that we are working on," she said. "I anticipate the new contract will come before council at the December 13th meeting."

To organize a neighborhood with the alliance, contact Leo Zombolo at 405-778-2194 or leo@nacok.org.