UPW JUNE 7 - 13, 2018
SOMETHING NEW IN THE CSRA
The Fire Explorer Program offers youth glimpse into the Fire Service
URBAN PRO WEEKLY
VOL. 7 NO.13
Gilbert Manor • Sunset Homes • Underwood Homes
Have all vanished Augusta well into new era of affordable housing development
C&J MARKET WAS ONE OF THE ONLY STORES WITHIN WALKING DISTANCE of the former Cherry Tree Crossing public housing complex (aka Sunset Homes) on 15th Street. The store closed not long after families started moving out of Sunset due to the pending demolition. Over the past few years, Sunset’s hundreds of residents have been dispersed to fend for themselves in the Section 8 Rental market. This week the city celebrated the Grand Opening of Phase I of The Legacy at Walton Green on the old site. Most of the former residents of Sunset have moved on and only a relative few might have been able to afford to live in the new development anyway. (2014) Photo by Vincent Hobbs
UrbanProWeekly - JUNE, 2018
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COMMUNITY
HAPPENINGS
FIRE EXPLORER POST #706
Fire chief announces start of Fire Explorer Program for Augusta AUGUSTA Young people between the ages of 14 and 20 interested in possibly pursuing a career as a firefighter now will have a chance for a first-hand look in the field. The new Augusta Fire Department Explorer Post is an opportunity for prospective youth to see what it takes to become a part of our Fire Department. The program is sponsored by the Augusta Fire Department and affiliated with the Boy Scouts of America organization. The program encourages both males and females to enroll. This program will allow the fire department to stimulate growth in our local youth. The goal is that the Explorer Post will train to compete in the various competitions presented at the local, regional, state, and national levels. The competitions put the team members in various real-life emergency scenarios. The Explorers will also become CERTTrained and be active in events around the community that involve
the Fire Department. Participants will also have volunteer hours to demonstrate for colleges that they possibly want to attend. “Our community needs this program and other programs like this to provide young adults with a personal, inside view of the fire service through training, practical experiences, competitions and other activities,” Chief James stated. “The Fire Explorer Program promotes personal growth through character development, respect for the rule of law, physical fitness, good citizenship, and patriotism, all traits that serve a fire service professional extremely well.” He went on the state “The Fire Explorer program gives youth (ages 14-20) a firsthand experience in what it mentally and physically takes to be a professional firefighter. Participants will receive fire service training under supervision of trained firefighters. The program is designed to give participants beneficial experience, discipline, and knowledge that can apply to any career field.”
Frequently Asked Questions How do I become a Fire Explorer? •You must be 14-20 years old. •You must live in Richmond County. •You must maintain a GPA of 2.0 or better. •You must be willing to learn and be available to actively participate in various drills, fundraisers, and fire training. •You must submit an application. •You must participate in an interview. •You must have a background Check What do Fire Explorers do? •Attend drills twice a month and practice the skills they are learning. •Assist firefighters during emergency incidents. •Volunteer at special events.
•Attend Fire Explorer academies and participate in Fire Explorer Muster competition. The enrollment process for a potential participant includes a in-person interview by the Explorer Board, and a brief background check. The Augusta Fire Department, and other emergency professionals, oversee all training, lectures and other learning activities. Please complete this survey, w w w.exploringyourcareer.com, this will help us gain information on interest. Augusta Fire Department Training Chief Edward Hawthorne has been very instrumental in establishing the post and is serving as principal advisor to the group. If you would like more information on this program please contact ehawthorne@augustaga.gov.
The grand opening of a new mixed-use complex on the site of one the “last” public housing “projects” in Augusta means that the Augusta Housing Authority’s plan-of-action — wooing developers with investment-friendly tax credits — is working. In 2013, residents of Cherry Tree Crossing get updated on demolition plans
AHA OFFICIALS MEET WITH RESIDENTS: Buddy Oldfield (L), Director of Resident Services for the Augusta Housing Authority, speaks to Cherry Tree residents during a public hearing held on Tuesday. (April 16, 2013 - Augusta, GA) Photo by Vincent Hobbs By Frederick Benjamin Sr. UrbanProWeekly Staff Writer AUGUSTA In 2011, Jacobs Oglesby, director of the Augusta Housing Authority, addressed a gathering of housing officials, developer representatives and local politicians and community members on the occasion of the grand opening of The Legacy at Walton Oaks. This was new ground for the AHA. The gleaming, neatly landscaped apartment complex bore no resemblance to the Underwood Homes Public Housing complex which it replaced. “We’re very excited. This is our first development. It’s a mixed-finance development. We’re hoping it’s the first of many,” Oglesby said. The development reflected the
AHA’s evolving policy of integrating lower-income families into communities of higher-income families. “Instead of having all public housing families living together, you have them mixed into the broader community. So we think this is the model for the future,” Oglesby continued. “We can take this model and do other developments around town. We want to make this the success story first.” Three short years later, the plan was being duplicated. This time, the site was Cherry Tree Crossing (also known as Sunset Homes). While these multi-million dollar housing ventures have been a key part of the nation’s affordable housing strategy for decades, the pain that these demolitions and relocations cause the current residents cannot be overstated.
THE DISPLACED: Cherry Tree Crossing residents attend a public hearing in the community room of the complex on Tuesday. The Augusta Housing Authority gave residents updated moving information during the hearing. (April 16, 2013 - Augusta, GA) Photo by Vincent Hobbs Oglesby said it very plainly. Poorer families need to be integrated into the broader community. But what that means to residents who have grown up in a public housing community — especially, the elderly who have raised families and whose most precious memories are permeated into the cracked sidewalks and poorly kept grounds. (See A Look Back, pg. 5) Former county commissioner Alvin Mason, himself a former resident of public housing, tried to let the residents know what was ahead. Meeting with residents shortly after it had been announced that the Cherry Tree Crossing comlex would be torn down to make room for something better, Mason said. “As you probably know by now, it is pretty much a done deal that resi-
dents of Cherry Tree will be relocated due to the decisions made by others to demolish the housing complex and replace it with a mix-use development complex. Whether you agree with that decision is not relevant at this point, as you do not have any say in that process. But what is relevant is the decision that you will be required to make as to where you will live in the future. “All that I ask is that you be mindful and get educated now on the relocation process. Make sure during your counseling with the housing authority that you address some of the issues that I have spoken about and that you get a clear understanding of what is expected of you in this process.” The process was daunting. Mason Continued on Page 5
UrbanProWeekly • JUNE , 2018
The end of a housing era
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Neighborhoods Grand Opening THE LEGACY AT WALTON GREEN
(ABOVE) THE LEGACY AT WALTON GREEN, a new gated apartment complex on 15th Street, built on the former 30-acre site of public housing complex Cherry Tree Crossing. The first phase of the new mixed-income development features 80 residences for seniors aged 55 and over. Three additional phases will be built on the site and will be completed in 2020. (June 6, 2018 - Augusta, GA) Photo by Vincent Hobbs
(AT LEFT) Augusta Housing Authority resident commissioner Mary Fallen (center), holds scissors to cut the ribbon during grand opening festivities at The Legacy at Walton Green, a new gated apartment complex on 15th Street. The development is built on the former 30-acre site of public housing complex Cherry Tree Crossing. The first phase of the new mixed-income community features 80 residence units for seniors aged 55 and over. Three additional phases will be built on the site and will be completed in 2020. (June 6, 2018 - Augusta, GA) Photo by Vincent Hobbs
UPW Urban Pro Weekly Hephzibah, GA 30815
URBAN PRO WEEKLY Publisher URBAN PRO WEEKLY MEDIA 706-306-4647 urbanpromedia@yahoo.com
CEO / Sales FREDERICK BENJAMIN SR. 706-306-4647 editor@urbanproweekly.com
Contributors VINCENT HOBBS Photography & New Media
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CHERRY TREE CROSSING just before demolition in 2014. Photo by Vincent Hobbs
UNDERWOOD HOMES in East Augusta just before demolition in 2008. Photo by Frederick Benjamin Sr. Cherry Tree Crossing resident Johnnie Robinson (R) talks to Buddy Oldfield (L) at the conclusion of a public hearing in the community room of the complex back in 2013. The Augusta Housing Authority gave residents updated moving information during the hearing. (April 16, 2013) Photo by Vincent
Housing: A new era from page 3 told the residents that if they wanted to remain in public housing, they would be able to choose, with certainty, which of the remaining housing complexes they would be able to move to. Further, he advised those with children, to be mindful of the schools and transportations opportunities or limitations in their new home.
For those who would be venturing out into neighborhoods that took Section 8 subsidy vouchers, they had to understand that living in a private residence required them to take more responsibility for things like yard-maintenance, trash collection. In Section 8 situations, he counseled, they may have financial obligations for which they may not be prepared.
A LOOK BACK - from UPW 2015
Cherry Tree Crossing Demolition on Schedule The following profile appeared in a 2015 edition of UPW By Vincent Hobbs A neighborhood once filled with the laughter of children and families is now mostly silent, an eerie testament to the inevitability of change. A desolate landscape of abandoned broken furniture, boarded-up windows and streets devoid of cars greets those who venture down Carver, McCauley and Hunter streets. The once neatly-kept lawns have given way to weeds and overgrown shrubbery. Old mattresses pile up near community dumpsters. Broken glass and litter dot the landscape. It is evident that a change has come to Cherry Tree Crossing. Yet a few families remain at the housing development. According to Buddy Oldfield, Director of Resident Services at the Augusta Housing Authority, twenty-four families remain on the property, with one family slated for eviction.
“I hope to complete the relocation by the end of April, but there may very well be a few moves that will continue into May,” Oldfield shared in an email to UPW. The area is slated for a sparkling new, mixed-income apartment development, an enterprise funded by tax credits that will enhance the 15th Street corridor. Similar developments are Walton Oaks and The Legacy at Walton Oaks, which sit on the former site of Underwood Homes. Cherry Tree Crossing was home to 355 families when the decision to demolish the residences was approved in August 2013 by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. A series of public hearings and meetings held by AHA provided detailed information to residents about the disposition of the housing property and available options for re-locating. Subsequently, 62 families moved on their own, 204 families have moved using Section 8 vouchers for apartments or rental homes, and 65 have
relocated to other public housing units. The stress of moving is listed as one of the top five causes of stress, right along with the death of a loved one, divorce, major illness and job loss. According to HealthStatus.com, it is the disruption of routine that is the primary factor in stress from moving. Some remaining tenants are certainly feeling the pinch. Long-time resident Johnie Mae Stephens is not having much success finding a new residence. “I opted to go to another project, but they didn’t seem to have too many apartments available for the time that I wanted to move,” she told UPW. “That’s why I’m still here. I’m supposed to go to Lake Olmstead to live in an apartment, but I don’t know if that’s what I want. If they don’t have anything else in another project, that’s where I will have to go.” Stephens has lived at Cherry Tree Crossing since she was a young child. Her mother moved into the complex in 1959 and when her mother passed away in 1971, Stephens took over the residence. “The reason I never
moved is because I like it over here. I never had any problems, whatsoever.” While Stephens reflected on her positive experiences in the neighborhood to UPW, a few other neighbors, who didn’t want to go on record for this article, chimed in about what a great place Cherry Tree had been to live. “This is my home…this is my home. I’m going to miss it…I’m going to miss it,” Stephens expressed. “I’ve always had good neighbors. I never had a problem with management or anything. We even had a convenience store right across the street, but now it’s closed.” According to the residents UPW spoke to, the convenience store, C & J Market, closed its doors shortly after residents starting moving out. There just wasn’t enough business anymore. “It’s gonna be kind of hard for me to go to another area, because I’m used to this,” Stephens said, motioning toward the vacated apartments along her street. “I knew they were going to have to get rid of it sooner or later… but I’m going to miss it.”
UrbanProWeekly - JUNE, 2018
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FORUM
Americans don’t value reading to children
Margaret Peters said, “Time has a wonderful way to show us what really matters.” Apparently, literacy does not really matter because little time is spent reading to children. According to a Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) chart titled, Average hours per day parents spent caring for and helping household children as their main activity, “Parents spent between 4 to 7 minutes reading to household children.” Moreover, “In activities related to household children’s education, parents spent between 10 and 19 minutes.” The data applies to parents who are black, white, and everything in between.
One the other hand, in another BLS chart titled, Average hours spent in selected leisure and sport activities by sex, employment status, and day, “Adult men and women spent between 2.37 and 2.61 hours each day watching TV and one hour socializing.” Thus, the data suggests adults spend more time on self-gratification and less time encouraging children to read. Even more alarming, according to another BLS chart titled, Percent of the population engaging in selected activities, averages per day, 2016 averages, “Over 95 % of the population engages in leisure and sports, and only 8% engage in educational activi-
ties.” It appears Americans are recreationally overstimulated and academically under stimulated. Therefore, Americans need to spend less time in vain pursuits and spend more time reading to children. Recently, the Richmond County School System was awarded a $1.2
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million grant to improve literacy. If the school system can afford to spend a million dollars, then, parents can afford to spend more time reading to children.
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IN THE SPIRIT
by Thurman K. Brown, Jr.
Everyone needs a relationship with someone or somebody in their lives. That relationship could be with family, friends, or loved ones. It may also be with a coach, a pastor, or a mentor. Many of us have developed carnal relationships with material possessions such as cars, clothes, houses, and money. The best relationship that anyone could have is a personal relationship with God. Several years ago, I struggled with my own personal hardships: lack of adequate finances, bouts of depression, stress, and a lack of faith and confidence in my abilities. It became a challenge just to cope daily with life itself. After much thought and contemplation; and some spiritual guidance from others, I realized that I could not deal with life on life’s terms. Therefore, I sought and found someone much larger than life; a Supreme Being. Who could that be? Jesus Christ! My relationship with God began the
moment I realized I needed Him. Having a personal relationship with God means including Him in your daily life, praying to Him, reading His word, and meditating on scripture in an effort to get to know Him even better. Wisdom is the most valuable asset we could ever have. “But if any of you needs wisdom, you should ask God for it.” (James 1:5). Trusting in God to get us through each day; and believing that He is our sustainer is the way to have a relationship with Him. You may not see changes immediately, but you will see them over time, and all the truths will become clear. A relationship with God is not hard to find. Come as you are. Respond, submit, study, pray, and obey Him. The benefits of having a relationship with God include: an everlasting life, peace, happiness, but most importantly; your soul will be saved from eternal damnation. Stay away from yourselves, and seek a relationship with God today.
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A personal relationship with God? It’s easier than you might imagine
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ARE YOU AT RISK?
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