BALTIMORE — Blight, drugs and more than its share of crime, there’s no question the forest park community needs help.
WATCH: $800,000 investment in neighborhood revitalization
“We know that we’ve heard a lot of pretty negative things from the federal government about Baltimore,” said Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson, “and we know that we have challenges. There’s no doubt about it.”
But talk is cheap, and now, state leaders are putting some real money behind an effort to revitalize the area.
“I am so proud to be standing here right in the center of Forest Park to announce an $800,000 investment in Forest Park Renaissance,” said State Sen. Dalya Attar.
On its face, $800,000 may not seem like much to try to turn around this business district, but over the last few years, three organizations representing 14 separate neighborhoods have pulled seven million dollars together to try to make a real difference.
“WBC has acquired the old firehouse, they have a letter of interest and intent on this apartment building at 3301 Garrison and their trying to reach out to… the Walgreens properties are layered in ownership so we’re trying to penetrate the layers to see if we can purchase it,” Cheron Jones of Healthy Neighborhoods Inc. told us.
Healthy Neighborhoods also won state funding to do façade improvements, safety and cleaning projects, as well as working with the city to add pedestrian lighting---all in an effort to reclaim what was once a vibrant community decades ago.
“I have no problem talking to absolutely anybody---the drug users that are a few blocks down or anything so we just have to engage the problem,” said Jones, “and we have spent too long hiding in our homes. We need to get out, and how are we going to get people to come out? Provide something for them to come to.”
