I'm wondering how many people talking about NRP have firsthand experience. My firsthand experience says it isnt just about creating housing, it is for keeping existing housing from deteriorating to the place it has to be condemned. We have housing that is now about 70 years old. Several things needed rehabbing. We are very interested in maintaining the quality of this housing and the quality of the neighborhood as a result. So we have taken two loans through NRP to pay the cost of renovating features of our property. So far, we haven't applied for a grant of any type, so we really aren't draining NRP resources. But there's no doubt that this is contributing to the preservation of Longfellow as a desirable neighborhood.
My firsthand experience is that NRP is a very good idea, one I hope that will be preserved by any method that is practical. The city needs to keep plowing capital back into itself on a constant basis so it never gets to the place of needing a massive resurrection program. Often cities will get on an unstoppable downward spiral by trying to save a dime or two, with the responsible citizens then moving out and being replaced by those who don't mind surroundings that are a shamble. Then those residents elect politicians who encourage denial. Better to have politicians who fight the battle to keep the spiral from starting. -------------- Jim Mork--Cooper "War is cruelty, and you cannot refine it; and those who brought war into our Country deserve all the curses and maledictions a people can pour out." Gen. William T. Sherman (1864) Letter to the Mayor of Atlanta. Get your free Web-based E-mail at http://www.startribune.com/stribmail _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
