According to a preliminary report prepared by consultant Cindy Gunderson, police calls in Zone 102, which includes the Conestoga Neighborhood, dropped 57% from 2006 to 2007, compared to a 1% reduction for the balance of the city. Totals were 3,152 to 1,344 for Zone 102, and 11,471 to 11,354 for the rest of Port Clinton.
For the more serious calls involving nuisance and violence complaints, the neighborhood number decreased from 1,284 to 836, a drop of 35%. Reducing these complaints, often referred to as “incivilities” by community re-vitalization experts, is a major goal of the Conestoga Project, a multi-jurisdictional collaborative spearheaded by the City Council, The United Way in Ottawa County and the Mental Health and Recovery Board of Erie and Ottawa Counties (MHRBEO).
“These results are very encouraging,” commented Hartlaub. “The reduction in police calls shows that the positive adult leadership in the neighborhood has set the standards of expected behavior, and city authorities are acting decisively to enforce those standards.”
The Conestoga Neighborhood is bounded by State Street on the south, Maple Street on the east, the Perry Street alley on the northeast to Cedar Street, and then south to 2nd Street, west to Lincoln Street, and south back to State Street. It was chosen by the planning team because it held great promise for increasing its property values. The program has received statewide publicity and financial support from government grants, philanthropic organizations, and charitable agencies including the U. S. Department of Justice, Stensen Foundation, Toledo Community Foundation, Stranahan Foundation, WSOS Community Action Council and both the Ottawa County and the Greater Toledo United Way.
One strategy of the Conestoga program to further this goal of building good neighbors is to provide sufficient, affordable behavioral healthcare services to all existing residents who need them. As Chris Galvin, United Way Director in Ottawa County pointed out, “We’ve partnered with the Mental Health and Recovery Board of Erie and Ottawa Counties because people investing in a community need to know that all of their neighbors have the services necessary to help them deal with any drug, alcohol and mental health problems. With these barriers resolved, the recovering families can then move forward with their lives to become the prosperous, good neighbors we all want in our community.”
Data released by consultant Gunderson showed initial progress in this area, of behavioral health, as well. Although overall Port Clinton’s Uniform and Non-Uniform Crime Data report showed an increase in offenses of 587 to 914 from 2006 to 2007, the number of substance abuse and mental health related offenses actually decreased from 300 to 265, a drop of about 12%.
Dr. Kirk W. Halliday, MHRBEO Executive Director, lauded the spirit of cooperation and mutual support among local elective and civic leadership which has been the basis of success for the program. He was especially complimentary of the “vision and can-do attitude” of the United Way and its contributors and volunteers.
“This is truly a team effort,” he stated, “and like the original Conestoga wagon trains it takes everybody working together to build a better life for us all. As we continue to advance,” he concluded, “Port Clinton and Ottawa County will build a brighter future for ourselves, our families, and generations to come.”
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