West End makes progress in participatory budgeting process

West End Revitalization’s participatory budgeting process has entered a new phase on its way to unveiling the final ballot at Rock Island’s Aug. 30 Soul of the City festival. It will decide how WER will spend $40,000 to lift up this historic marginalized community. Those funds are in addition to a Thurgood Marshall Learning Center […]

West End Revitalization’s participatory budgeting process has entered a new phase on its way to unveiling the final ballot at Rock Island’s Aug. 30 Soul of the City festival. It will decide how WER will spend $40,000 to lift up this historic marginalized community. Those funds are in addition to a Thurgood Marshall Learning Center student-led effort that will ultimately invest an additional $10,000 in community donations in that school.

About 50 West End stakeholders gathered Tuesday, June 24, at the city’s Martin Luther King Jr. Center at 630 Ninth St., to hear from WER’s trio of community coordinators who have been tasked with wrangling both those efforts. WER Coordinator Virginia Jarrett told the engaged crowd that the participatory budgeting and the WER planning process that gave birth to it are about “us working together. It's not about me. It's about what is the community’s need? How are we working together? How are we going to make this happen?” Throughout this month, organizers said the project will continue to be dedicated to idea collection. The next phase, which is expected to take place in August and September, is creating a development proposal for investing the funding and then creating that community ballot. On Tuesday, WER leaders shared the progress made so far to create that neighborhood-wide plan that could among other things improve quality of life, add community greenspaces and job opportunities. The audience also learned what a previous group of community leaders shared at WER’s April 29 public input meeting where Ms. Jarrett said, “those who live, work, play or are passionate about the West End” talked about their priorities for improving the once-thriving neighborhood.

Wish lists so far

On those earlier wish lists were more community marketing, such as adding signs and creating flyers, and adding outdoor spaces for such events as farmers markets, outdoor markets and youth activities. They also advocated for new historic exhibits and other amenities that will create a sense of place in the West End. Also featured were the need to build awareness of existing businesses and improve and invest in them while creating more job opportunities centered on meaningful work and a livable wage. Infrastructure improvements also were a priority for April 29 attendees. Areas focused on include walkability, better streets and sidewalks, and more affordable housing. In addition, a few commenters want grocery store improvements for an area that has been designated a food desert. “People mentioned wanting to get out, be part of the community, having what we call these third spaces where they're able to share and be actively talk to people like having leverage and action like communities,” added Augustana College student Madi Greenwood. She and other urban planning students at the Rock Island-based college have been working to create an existing conditions report that includes business mapping to help determine where the West End’s needs are. They also are researching Special Service Areas like the one that is part of the West End Revitalization Plan as well as seeking feedback from local businesses. Also, as part of the effort to make the West End healthier, she said an Augustana College professor is working on a project to gauge how economic and other West End challenges impact community and mental health.

Students led the way

West End supporters also heard from some of a diverse group of West End leaders who are members of the Participatory Budgeting Committee which will help steer the plan to spend $40,000 in donations earmarked for that process.  Augustana students and WER coordinators, who worked with students on a separate $10,000 participatory budgeting process at Thurgood Marshall, also shared how students navigated this innovative grassroots democratic process to determine how best to invest funding there. The student body’s top four choices from a ballot created by that budgeting committee, in order of popularity, were: new vending machines, financing several unique field trips, and tied for third, creating a school garden and greenspace or adding schoolwide celebrations, WER Coordinator Thurgood Brooks said. Those choices are in the hands of the school board. Importantly, too, working on how to spend the $10,000 also helped to transform the students who led that effort. WER Coordinator Avery Pearl talked, for example, about a committee member who had thought of himself as a “throwaway” before joining the panel. Today that youth is someone who is looked up to and emulated by his peers. Tuesday’s meeting at the MLK Center, which serves as the backbone of the WER project, also included a call for more community involvement. “This is the beginning,” Ms. Jarrett said. “It doesn't start and stop here. Tell people to go to our website. Tell people to come out to another meeting.” She added, “If you have a community group meeting somewhere, we will come and talk to you about our steering committee. They will come out and talk to people and ask what their ideas are, because their ideas are important.” For more details, contact WER at (309) 732-2999 or visit mlkcenter.org/westend. A Facebook page also is in the works.