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The desire of one person wanting to create a better neighborhood is now represented by an organized group of residents working together to make a change.
The North Rome Community Action Committee has worked with the city of Rome and other agencies since last summer in an attempt to improve safety and community pride in an area that leaders say was needed.
“We didn’t think it could be done because we were just small town people and we just lived here,” said Vicki Schroeder, vice chair of the committee.
“You hear stories sometimes about the city not wanted to make change, but they so want to make change.”
The group has helped bring new street lights to areas, get bulbs replaced in existing street lights, organize community cleanups and get people to know each other.
Committee Chairman Charles Love knows they are baby steps, but they are making a difference.
Love moved into his new wife’s house on Kingston Avenue in October 2013. In the next three months, Love became concerned as he saw people go in and out of the house next door, blocking his driveway. He had a suspicion that there were drugs involved.
“I called 911 and the police would come out, but I thought, ‘You know, there is something else I can do,’” Love said.
After going to a City Commission meeting, Love spoke with Commissioner Milton Slack and expressed how much he liked his house and wanted to see what he could do.
“The police started patrolling area more, and that led to some arrests,” Love said. “I thought, ‘OK. This is pretty cool.’”
When he returned to the City Commission, he was met by Keep Rome-Floyd Beautiful Director Mary Hardin Thornton, who told him about others in the North Rome area who were concerned about what was going on.
Love met Bill and Vicki Schroeder, and they talked about getting a group together to make the neighborhood better.
“Everything was perfect,” Thornton said. “You had the people with vested interests who had just never really gotten together. It was a beautiful thing to watch happen.”
North Rome United Methodist Church pastor Ken Jones offered them a place to meet, which they do every second Thursday of the month at 6 p.m. Their next meeting is scheduled for this Thursday.
Love said they began tracking issues that people brought up. Street lights were installed in three different areas — Chambers Street, King Bee Circle and Stevens Street.
“City services were a big issue,” Love said. “Things like the lights. I think that has a lot to do with the crime dropping, along with more police presence.”
Schroeder said they have a crime report at each meeting, courtesy of the CrimeMapping.com website.
A total of 21 incidents were reported between Feb. 13 and March 12, down from 58 incidents reported six months ago in the same one-mile radius around Calhoun Avenue, according to the group’s reports.
The committee has also worked with the city to get speed limit signs posted, and worked with Berry College students for a community cleanup one weekend.
“What helps is when you have accomplishments like that,” Love said. “They’re small successes, but when citizens get together and do something, people respond. We can do this.”
That community response is getting some attention from city officials as well as other local businesses and organizations.
The Rome Braves, who play at State Mutual Stadium, are partnering with the group and Keep Rome-Floyd Beautiful to host a block party April 24 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with free food and entertainment. The event will be at North Rome UMC.
Source: Rome News
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