Group keeping Old West End safe

Published: Monday, 12/15/2014 - Updated: 29 seconds ago

BY LAUREN LINDSTROM BLADE STAFF WRITER

When volunteers in her neighborhood painted the home of Bobbie Davis on Nesslewood Avenue, she was overjoyed. The weeklong project of scraping, priming, and painting the house with coat of blue paint, trimmed in gray, was a gesture of neighborly affection she said she never saw coming.

It came to her free of charge in the summer of 2013, and though she found it unexpected, it was anything but random. The project was part of deliberate, ongoing beautification efforts by the Old West End Neighborhood Initiative aimed at bringing life back to the homes in the area.

OWENI began meeting in 2012 to address neighborhood safety and blight concerns. The organization works in the Old West End and Overland Industrial Park areas between Collingwood Boulevard and the old Jeep site, and from Berdan Avenue south to Delaware Avenue.

Ernest Sawyers and his wife, Brenda, moved to Toledo 29 years ago when he was transferred by Chrysler, and theyve lived in this neighborhood for 10. Shes an OWENI chairman and he works with neighborhood development. The group meets monthly to discuss concerns and plan projects. Mr. Sawyers said he wants residents to know OWENI is there to help them make their neighborhood better.

Though mention of the Old West End often conjures up images of the expansive Victorian homes plentiful in the historic part of the neighborhood, the area that concerns Mr. Sawyers and OWENI has been harder hit.

The Old West End is informally sectioned off, divided up in the historic district and his section, while the Cherry Street Legacy Project starts on the other side of Collingwood. When neighborhoods define their own boundaries and characteristics, lines can be fuzzy. Mr. Sawyers said they often work with homes a few blocks outside of their official boundaries. If someone wants help fixing up their home, theyll listen.

Local community leaders, including several pastors and church parishes, have joined in the efforts. It is funded through the Toledo Community Foundation and partners with the local chapter of NeighborWorks, a national organization devoted to community development. The goal: to beautify and bring people back to the central city.

A combination of factors contribute to the decline, Mr. Sawyers said. The area has few job opportunities, especially after the former Jeep plant stopped production. Many of the residents are senior citizen so repairs are difficult, and the older homes make utility bills expensive. When OWENI started meeting two years ago, vacant homes were more than commonplace.

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Group keeping Old West End safe