By Fallan Patterson
Staff Writer

With crime down and grant money coming in, north Kissimmee residents met with community leaders and elected officials at a town hall meeting Aug. 19 at Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church to decide on ways to improve the area's infrastructure and safety and boost children's programs.

Residents emphasized the need for speed bumps and street lights in the area; wanted an update on the proposed 5,400-square-foot, 200-person capacity community center; and questioned why the Prestige AB concrete plant blows dust into living rooms and onto cars.

“When you come to a meeting and the primary concern is speeding, they may not realize it, but they're talking about prevention,” resident Ronald McCrimon said. “It's everybody's responsibility.”

Lania Crouch, Osceola County Human Services manager, announced the area is now entitled to its own Community Development Block Grant for community projects, worth $1 million a year due to an increase in population. Previously, the money was shared throughout the county.

The Marydia neighborhood was chosen by the Osceola County Health Department's PACE-EH (protocol for assessing community excellence in environmental health) program two years ago in an effort to improve health and safety in the community by developing partnerships with community leaders to accomplish the goals.

“Environmental factors, below-average socio-economic factors and poor overall conditions” played a part in why the community was chosen, according to Health Department spokesperson Camille Bissainthe.

According to Bissainthe, from 2004-08, Marydia residents' health and economic factors were worse than 75 percent of the 27 other areas in Osceola County measured by the Census. The Census measured the population below the poverty line as well as infant deaths, low-birth weight babies and teen pregnancies.

State Sen. Gary Siplin, D-Orlando, who distributed backpacks to youngsters in anticipation of the new school year, vowed to stay involved and help the community.

“My goal is to hear what you all want and see what I can do in Tallahassee to get money to the area,” Siplin said.

Money has flowed into the area due to the Health Department program's efforts: more than $2.5 million has been allocated in the past two years from various grants and state and local funding.

Residents also were interested in other changes the program has fostered.

Since last July, crime calls are down 15 percent in Marydia; impressive, Osceola County Sheriff Bob Hansell said, because the overall county crime rate was only down 6 percent.

“It used to be that Garden Street was known as the place to go in Marydia to get your (drug) supply,” Hansell said. “You can put a cop on every street corner but it's not going to do anything without community involvement.”

Hansell promised to implement a Community Crime Watch program in Marydia within the next 30 days and supply interested residents with uniforms and a patrol vehicle. Osceola County has more than 70 resident-operated Crime Watch programs.

Additionally, since the cleanup began two years ago, four crack houses have been condemned: two mobile homes have been removed from their properties and the two other houses are slated for demolition, Bret Smith, environmental administrator for the Osceola County Health Department, said.

County Commissioner Ken Smith said he was disheartened to learn nearly 2,000 young people, one as young as 8, were arrested in Osceola County last year and wants after-school programs offered at the community center.

“Our kids are hurting,” said Smith, whose district includes Marydia. “Even though I only have 88 days left in my term, we're going to work like I have 88 years left.”

In an effort to encourage youngsters to stay off the streets and out of trouble, Boy Scout and Cub Scout groups were implemented last September, although many local boys have yet to take part.

According to Turner Wallis, who helped establish the groups, 10 to 12 boys take advantage of the Cub Scouts and only five are actively involved in the Boy Scouts – a number Wallis said he hopes will rise as school begins.

“Scouting's primary goal is to build character in young people. They learn character traits that should make them better citizens; they learn life skills, first aid,” Wallis said.

In addition to hopefully adding more members to the boys' groups, Wallis said local mothers are working to develop a Girl Scout troop in Marydia this school year.

Although several residents complained at the meeting about the concrete plant on Garden Street blowing dust into their homes and truck drivers' careless behavior, Lisa Kelley, district spokesperson for the Department of Environmental Protection, which regulates the plant, said residents have not contacted her agency.

“The plant's permits are in compliance,” Kelley said. “Oftentimes, the dust is caused by trucks kicking it up and it being moved off-site.”

Marydia is a community of more than 200 homes within Kissimmee's 34741 ZIP code. A walk-through assessment of the community in October of 2008 by Health Department staff revealed a 90-percent African American population.