CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Phase Two of a renovation project happening on Charleston’s West Side is in full swing.
Project West Invest, a West Side based organization, began landscaping efforts with Hands on West Virginia members this past Saturday on the 1500 block of 6th Avenue. They will then transition to the 1100 block of 1st Avenue.
“It was what we wanted to see in our neighborhood — everyone out working together,” said Cpl. Errol Randle, strategic planning officer with the Charleston Police Department. “I think what that did, as far as for the residents on that block itself, is create that level of excitement that they probably haven’t felt in a long time.”
In the first phase of the project, two Charleston police officers moved into West Side homes of their choice within the Charleston Urban Renewal Authority zone and renovated them. The second phase allows officers to reach out to community members, complete exterior renovations to their homes and to provide a sense of safety in order to create a better environment to live in.
“This is just an all around approach to many different things including reducing crime and creating safe neighborhoods for our kids,” Randle said.
With the officer and police cruiser being on the same street as residents, Randle said it will spur home ownership and make the city’s West Side more attractive for those interested in moving there. The police cruiser will be parked at the officer’s home when he or she is off duty to create a direct link to resources that the officer will provide, Randle said.
“It doesn’t matter where you live at — one thing that’s very common is that everyone wants to be safe or wants to feel safe to be able to have their kids out playing, to be able to walk up and down the street,” he said.
Randle and Detective Eddie Whitehead started the project in Feb. 2015, receiving renovations to their properties at no cost. Randle said they eventually want more officers to get involved and to help renovate homes on the West Side. Those officers would each be granted a $50,000 loan after living in the selected home for 10 years.
The goal is to make it a year-round project, Randle said.
“We’re going to expand from our block. This just won’t be where the police officers live at,” he said. “We’re going to begin to look strategically to use funding that we receive.”
Members Choice WV Federal Credit Union has funded the home improvement loans used to renovate both officers’ homes. CURA and the Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation have also helped with the effort. Landscaping materials came from Green’s Feed & Seed in Charleston.
Additional neighborhood-wide renovations are scheduled to take place this rest of this month. Phase Three of the project will include reinventing the West Side’s neighborhood watch to get residents to look out for each other.