Residents urge neighborhood organizing, raise parking and senior-center concerns

During the courtesy of the floor portion of the meeting, two residents raised community and neighborhood service concerns.

Rick Hicks Sr., identifying himself as a community organizer and resident of 1300 Bigelow Court, said he is forming an Uptown organizing effort and expects to work with council, Parks & Recreation and Public Safety on summer programming and community safety. “Get used to seeing our faces down here,” Hicks said, adding the organizers do not plan to be adversarial and want to partner with council members and the mayor.

Later, Evelyn Hunt, a State Street resident, said parking near City Hall is difficult when special events and buses occupy curb and loading zones. She asked whether the city can provide better options for council meeting attendees, including parking in the garage or loading zones. Hunt also requested updates on a proposed handrail for steps into Reservoir Park at the end of Walnut Street, sidewalks, grass cutting along Walnut and funding for the senior center.

Councilwoman Rawls responded that staff have documented conditions during a recent walkaround and that she spoke with Kevin Jackson; they are meeting soon to discuss rails and sidewalks. The administration said it had no updates to share about ARPA funding for the senior center and that invitations to Department of Building and Housing leadership to provide updates had not resulted in a briefing.

Council members did not take formal action during public comment but acknowledged the requests and indicated staff follow-up would be appropriate.

Key follow-ups requested: contact Codes for the foreclosure/foreclosure-registry QR-code question (raised earlier in old business), arrange meetings to review steps/sidewalk plans and provide an update on senior-center ARPA funding when staff are available.