After decades of inaction, York County is taking its first tangible steps toward improving the living conditions for residents along Blackmon Road.
The York County Council plans to hold a public hearing April 5 as part of its application for a $20,000 state grant aimed at studying the impoverished neighborhood and coming up with a list of needs and improvements. As part of the deal, the county would be required to come up with a $2,000 match. If approved, the county could have the grant money by the summer.
"What we are proposing to do is a comprehensive study of the neighborhood, which will include the needs for water, sewer and housing, as well as look at all the components and the social service needs to try and identify the problems and the solutions that go with them," said Grazier Rhea, community development director for the Catawba Regional Council of Governments.
Community center tabled
The county, with the help of the Council of Governments, had planned to apply for a $500,000 Community Development Block Grant to build a community center for destitute residents of the community that lies less than two miles from downtown Rock Hill yet falls in the county's jurisdiction.
But county officials recently learned that the state had some concerns about the county's plan. For example, state officials want the county to sign formal agreements with state agencies such as the Department of Social Services or groups such as Keystone Sub-stance Abuse Services to provide counseling and other programs at the center.
The county also had proposed building a bathhouse, laundry room and meeting center for residents. But the state wanted to know who would maintain the facilities and who would assume liability if anyone were injured there. The state also wanted assurances that the public rooms would not be used for religious services or Bible studies, apparently out of concern for constitutional issues regarding separation of church and state.
While the county has been working to apply for grants, a number of area churches have teamed up to clean up the neighborhood and try to help residents get back on their feet.
"We are proceeding with the desire and intent of putting a building up in the Blackmon Road area," said Dick Spatola, director of outreach and discipleship for Westminster Presbyterian Church. "How and when we do that is up in the air. I would say there are some positive signs that this is going to happen."
Contact James Scott at 329-4068 or jscott@heraldonline.com.
After decades of inaction, York County is taking its first tangible steps toward improving the living conditions for residents along Blackmon Road.
The county, with the help of the Council of Governments, had planned to apply for a $500,000 Community Development Block Grant to build a community center for destitute residents of the community that lies less than two miles from downtown Rock Hill yet falls in the county's jurisdiction.
"We are proceeding with the desire and intent of putting a building up in the Blackmon Road area," said Dick Spatola, director of outreach and discipleship for Westminster Presbyterian Church. "How and when we do that is up in the air. I would say there are some positive signs that this is going to happen."