PENGUINS REJECT DOLLAR A CAR FUND!

Travis Williams, Penguins COO thinks that giving $1 per car back to the Hill District, in return for the millions of dollars of public money that will be needed to develop the Lower Hill, is a bad idea.  What Mr. Williams thinks is more appropriate are 'policy commitments that would cost the Penguins little if any money.  These policy commitments include setting MBE/WBE  standards, hiring Hill District residents and providing an 'appropriate' level of affordable housing .  During the 12/19/11 community meeting with the Penguins where Williams gave his opinion, Charles Johnson pointed out that much of what Williams offered is a standard part of what is considered good development. What these policy commitments do not provide that the Dollar a Car campaign does are resources that can be used by Hill District residents and stakeholders  as we see fit.

Fundamentally, the act of taking the Lower Hill with eminent domain was an act of violating our right to self-determination. The Dollar a Car Campaign, while not restoring order by any means, will at least be a resource that we can use for our own self-determination. Some of needs that community members have expressed include: micro business development, anti-gentrification, after school programming and transportation for seniors. The Dollar a Car fund will be governed by a broad and transparent community process. Despite what the Penguins  have said about their unwillingness to consider the Dollar a Car campaign, we should all remember that at one point they said they would give nothing to the CBA campaign and that turned into $1,000,000. We also all have to note and celebrate that the Penguins began the conversation talking about “benefits” and that is our language!

We also want to draw attention to the position of  Councilman Daniel Lavelle. He said at the12.19 meeting that he wasn’t sure as to whether the Dollar-a-Car campaign was the best idea and that he was considering many ideas at the moment and would soon know which approach would be the one for which he would advocate. Councilman Lavelle has said that he is considering a development fund of some kind, but we want to emphasize that he should take the ideas of his constituents and add whatever it is he finds the fund is missing. State Representative Wheatley has not answered our request for his opinion.

The Dollar-a-Car Fund will have a process of disbursing money that is governed by broad community input. We want to ask the Councilman and Representative to make a public commitment to support the HDCG’s ideas for a fund, one that would use the process we have developed for NPP dollars or could be governed by the Planning Forum, so that the process will have broad Hill District governance in contrast to the current Greater Hill District Development Growth Fund.

We need to keep a close eye on this issue. The Penguins' planning meetings are coming up in March and the Penguins will need public approval. We just need to stay in dialogue with our Councilman  and State Representative to make sure our issues being represented. Go Dollar a Car Campaign!