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Councilman Greg Stanton's
Arcadia News Column
September 2001
Fight Back. These powerful words are used to designate an important city of Phoenix program where specified neighborhoods receive $90,000 of city funding to improve and enhance their communities.
Each year, eight Fight Back areas are designated by the City Council. Each Fight Back program lasts three years. I am pleased to report that the newest Fight Back area is the Orangedale and Mounds View communities, with boundaries from McDowell and Thomas roads, 48th to 56th streets.
District 6 is home to two other Fight Backs in addition to the Orangedale and Mounds View Fight Back. Harmony Fight Back, which encompasses Thomas to Osborn roads, 32nd to 40th streets, and Thomas Road to Oak Street, from 36th to 44th streets, started in July 1999 and will be wrapping up this December. Kennedy Fight Back started in July 2000 and is located in the area from Thomas to Indian School roads, 24th to 32nd streets.
Phoenix created the Neighborhood Fight Back program 10 years ago to offer neighborhoods in transition city support and services over a limited period of time. The key to the Fight Back program is that it follows the concept of neighborhood self-determination. In other words, residents themselves - not the city - determine the resources and programs that will help improve their community.
Over the years, the city and residents have implemented many successful Fight Back programs. Efforts focus on revitalization, sustainability, crime and blight reduction, resident participation, neighborhood development and community building. Fight Back funding has been used to add traffic controls to residential streets, provide additional equipment for police officers to use solely in the Fight Back area, paint homes, place neighborhood identification signs and install street lights. Funding also has been used to partner with schools to create after-school programs, such as the one that will begin in November at the Monte Vista Elementary School to teach kids environmental values, self-esteem, diversity and community pride.
The Fight Back program has thrived for so many years because it truly helps improve the quality of life in our community. By the city partnering with neighborhoods, we make Phoenix a better place to live, work and play.
For more information about the Fight Back program or other issues, please call my office at 602-262-7491 or e-mail me at greg.stanton@phoenix.gov.
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