THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, October 20, 1994 TAG: 9410180138
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 06 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: IN THE NEIGHBORHOODS
SOURCE: MIKE KNEPLER
LENGTH: Medium: 70 lines
This is a little story about one civic league meeting among many.
It's also about restoring civic values and order.
And it's about talking trash but putting that talk to good use.
If the words strike you as corny, then think how often you bellyache that society is degenerating, and what little you do to help.
The scene was the recent swearing-in ceremony for officers of the Park Place Civic League.
You know Park Place, the largely blighted and low-income West Side neighborhood struggling to hang on.
You've heard about millions spent on redevelopment, more police patrols, housing renovation and construction, deterrents to teen pregnancy, the nonprofit community development corporation.
This month, they tried something that doesn't cost money. Some citizens made promises to each other.
Standing up. The tone setter was the Rev. Finley O. Jones of the Norfolk United Methodist Church.
As civic league officers stood before him, Jones asked neighbors and friends to stand as well.
The result was unspoken symbolism: a formation of league officers in front of the room, and dozens of people standing behind.
``We rejoice to recognize these persons as office bearers,'' Finley said. ``I ask you to assist them and to encourage them . . ., giving them at all times your cooperation, your counsel and your prayer, giving them a shoulder to lean on because there will be times that they will need a shoulder to lean upon.''
The newly sworn president is B.J. Stancel, 46, who grew up in Park Place, moved to Washington, and returned home in 1986.
First Stancel asked her mom, Sallie Stancel, to stand. Then she expressed thanks for the work of recent presidents, Thelma Harrison and Lenious Bond.
Stancel also thanked league members for trusting her.
``I consider this office an honor and a privilege,'' Stancel said in her unwavering voice. ``Hopefully, our being here tonight is also a reaffirmation of our commitment and dedication to improving the community.''
No secret that Park Place has a history of factionalism. So Stancel explained what to expect.
Officers have devised a form to log neighborhood issues and track accomplishments. ``If you care enough about the concerns, put it in writing,'' Stancel said.
The board will group problems by priority. Then they'll look for solutions, within the community or at City Hall. To improve communication and accountability, results will be reported to the neighborhood.
``People will act differently if they feel they are a part. It makes them excited, makes them feel like they're contributing,'' Stancel said.
Trash talk. Stancel wants to tap neighborhood skills and ideas. She cited James Howard, a Park Place man with talent for talking trash.
Howard is relentless in reporting neighborhood trash problems. ``You don't know what the talent is unless you listen,'' Stancel observed.
The persistence paid off when City Hall devoted a recent Saturday to plying Park Place streets with a squadron of garbage trucks.
Park Place, Stancel noted, now has a clean slate to work with, and it's up to residents to maintain it. One idea, she said, was forming a network of trash look-outs, similar to crime-prevention block captains.
``I am reasonably confident that Park Place can become the success story that other communities can emulate,'' Stancel said.
It starts with Stancel, Howard and Finley, and people who care enough about citizenship. by CNB