The City of Springfield Neighborhood Advisory Council was established in 2013 to facilitate and encourage two-way communications between Springfield’s City Council, City staff and Springfield’s 15+ neighborhood associations. At its most recent quarterly meeting, NAC took some early steps in its emerging roles related to capital improvements and job training. It discussed a new multimedia communication initiative being led by the City in support of neighborhoods, and provided early input to the consulting firm recently hired by the City to study solid waste collection. It also reviewed a draft set of Fiscal Year 2018 budget recommendations which will be finalized and conveyed to the City in early 2017.
New this year, through the Neighborhood Works Program, neighborhood associations will have the opportunity to steer a portion of the renewed Quarter Cent Capital Improvement Sales Tax beginning in 2017. Under the program, about $400,000 will be targeted in 2017 to projects that improve livability, benefit residents and enhance safety in neighborhoods. Project selections are anticipated by March.
The Missouri Jobs Center is partnering with a number of local companies in Green for Greene, a program to train workers in environmental cleanup and assessment. Trained workers start out well above minimum wage and with overtime, some currently working in such jobs are making $40,000 per year or more. While the program targets residents in economically depressed neighborhoods, anyone interested in participating can learn more at orientations being held at The Fairbanks, 6:00 pm on Nov 16 or Dec 6, or at the Missouri Career Center on East Sunshine, 2:00 pm on Nov 30, Dec 7 or Dec 14. There are other times in January and more information can be found by contacting Isaac Weber at the MJC, 417-841-3361.
Be looking for a new newsletter SGF Neighborhood News which is set to debut in early 2017 in both paper form and online. It will provide information about goings on in neighborhoods and the efforts of neighborhood associations, the City and others to help residents and build quality communities.
Mr. Bob Craggs with Burns & McDonnell is heading up a study of Springfield’s open, competitive system for solid waste collection. Goals are to study efficiency and cost effectiveness of our current system in comparison to other methods used in other communities. The study has kicked off with meetings between B&M and city council members and the NAC, and a public open house recently conducted at the Discovery Center. NAC looks forward to the study’s findings due to be released in early 2017 to see if there are strategies that would improve efficiency, expand recycling, be feasible, and avoid negative impacts to the City’s many excellent waste haulers and residents including those who do not currently contract for their solid waste removal.
We wish to thank many excellent City staff, the Community Partnership of the Ozarks and other community organizations and churches, as well as a great many volunteers throughout our neighborhoods for their thoughtful and often unsung efforts in support of Springfield’s neighborhoods.