Rebuilding St. Louis Block by Block

Volunteers from the Boeing Company lend a hand to a Lee homeowner during “Rebuilding Day” on April 30. | Photo by Hitomi Inoue

O’FALLON – On Saturday, April 23, a tsunami of good will swept through the 4100-4300 blocks of Lee Avenue in the 21st Ward. More than 200 volunteers from Rebuilding Together-St. Louis, The Acts Partnership, and the Boeing Company joined forces with Alderman Antonio French for the innovative “Block-by-Block” neighborhood rebuilding program. The one-day event was a reflection of a first-of-its-kind partnership between the alderman and the nonprofit Rebuilding Together-St. Louis. Eight homes on Lee, mostly occupied by elderly women on fixed incomes, were targeted for repairs that day. Another six homes in the ward were also rehabbed that day, for a total of 14.

By 9:00AM, the police-barricaded blocks were already packed with cars and trucks parked at 90-degree angles and cargo-sized containers at the ready for debris and waste material. The sound of buzzing chain saws, clacking hammers, and humming mowers and trimmers filled the air. Volunteers wearing yellow, blue, and white T-shirts scurried about with brooms, paint cans and brushes, roofing and plumbing materials, and other home repair necessities. Without a doubt, the entire event left a lasting impact on the neighborhood.

“It’s nice, you know, them coming out getting the neighborhood together,” said Oscar Childress, a 68-year-old resident in the 4300 block of Lee Avenue. His neighbor, Mabel Flournoy, was one of the homeowners who received help from a team of volunteers that day.

Bo Daniels, a Boeing employee, served as “house captain” for the 40 volunteers working on Flournoy’s house. Early in the day, with chart in hand, Daniels outlined each volunteer’s responsibilities as they stood in front of a makeshift table with coffee fixings, Krispy Kreme donuts, and White Castle burgers.

Further down the block, Lorenzo Noble, 36, stood outside his grandmother’s house overseeing the volunteers’ work. He explained how his grandmother, Gayle Hightower, had lived and worked in the neighborhood her entire life and how appreciative she was that her house was included in the first phase of repairs this year.

Inside the house, standing under a crooked, yellow-framed photo of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Hightower listened intently as her house captain, John O’Reilly, described the painting, new tile flooring, and other work his team planned to complete that day. Hightower’s grand-daughter, Asia, was so moved by the effort, she signed up to work with O’Reilly’s team.

“I appreciate them doing this, so why not help out,” said the 16-year-old Carnahan High School student.

Hightower’s daughter, Darlene Noble, 51, was tragically killed last summer during a shooting on the block. Noble was survived by her five children, who are now in the care of their grandmother.

On a block that saw a high level of violence last year, many expressed amazement at seeing so many of their neighbors involved in doing something positive. Wayne Holland, Home Repair Manager with Rebuilding Together-St. Louis, said it’s not uncommon for residents to get motivated and join the one-day fix-up effort.

“When you’re doing repairs on their houses, it seems to inspire a lot of people to get involved and make a difference,” Holland explained.

One inspired homeowner traveled all the way from Boston to do her part. Jeanine MacKenzie, who works for an accounting firm in Boston, recently learned that her property on Lee Avenue didn’t exactly fit the description given her by the Utah real estate buyers’ group that sold her the property. MacKenzie said she was looking for property she could offer to first-time home owners on a rent-to-own basis. The Utah firm, she said presented a “beautiful package,” and listed a mere $10,000 estimate to rehab the home to make it available for occupancy.

“As you can see, it wasn’t exactly a fair assessment,” said MacKenzie, as she walked through the house with shattered windows, rotted floors, broken fixtures, and peeling paint on cracked walls.

Thanks to a letter from Michael Powers, the 21st Ward’s Neighborhood Stabilization Officer, MacKenzie learned about the true state of her property and the “Rebuilding Day” event.

“I had no idea the house was in this state,” MacKenzie said, while fighting back tears. “I’m a very blessed person. I’ve lived a great life and wanted to do something more. I’m not a real estate mogul. My intentions were good but I got taken in, and I’ve learned a huge lesson.”

After talking to Powers, MacKenzie said, and learning exactly what was going on with her property she thought, ‘OK, let me get down there.’ “As someone who owns property in this area, it’s my responsibility,” she said.
MacKenzie said she has made valuable contacts during her visit, including Mr. Powers, the neighbors who occupy the houses next door to her property, and a contractor who she can trust to make the necessary repairs.

Many valuable connections were made that day as volunteers, homeowners, and even those on the block whose homes weren’t targeted for improvements, collaborated for positive change.

Walter White, who was born and raised on Lee Avenue, owns properties throughout the city including seven buildings in the 4300 block of Lee Avenue. The Rebuilding Day event, White said, “helps make the neighborhood worth something.”

“We are thrilled to be helping over 50 families repair their homes in the 21st Ward this year thanks to the support of Alderman French, volunteers from Boeing Corporation, and the valuable support from the skilled trades,” said Dave Ervin, Executive Director of Rebuilding Together.

The 21st Ward has a goal of repairing at least 50 homes in 2011. In addition, French’s “Block by Block” program includes repairing sidewalks, demolishing vacant buildings, trimming trees, replacing streetlights, and organizing block units to maintain neighborhoods in the ward. Saturday’s fix-up event, said Alderman French, sent a powerful message to an area besieged with crime, poverty, and hopelessness.

“The residents of Lee Avenue have lived through violence and tragedy during the last twelve months. We are going to do everything we can with the resources we have to rebuild these blocks and show these homeowners that they are not alone.”

For more information and to volunteer for the next 21st Ward Rebuilding Day, please contact Rebuilding Together at (314) 918-9918.

By SYLVESTER BROWN, JR.
Senior Staff Reporter