Chain link fence surrounding house. |
and safety concerns minimize its use. In fact, houses that abut the park are separated by unkempt landscaping and a chain link fence that inhibits easy access to the park. Residents of the neighborhood have initiated a community garden that is on the edge of the neighborhood across Broadview from Friendship Park.
Property maintenance is a significant issue for the western half of the neighborhood. Many of the properties are in a serious state of deterioration, while others are marginal and on a fast course of decline if repairs are not made. Debris of all sorts, along with many items eligible for heavy trash removal, clutter some lots. In many instances, this not only creates a blighted appearance but unsafe conditions for residents, especially children. Roadways are also poorly maintained and, in some cases, unpaved.
House in state of deterioration. |
Active commercial corridors surround Hilltop to the south and east. In fact, one of the older, enclosed malls, Wichita Mall, is adjacent to the neighborhood across Harry. Many of the commercial establishments are not necessarily neighborhood-oriented, instead many of these businesses seem to attract their customer base from other parts of the city. Fast food restaurants line Harry to the west of the neighborhood. A significant neighbor exists to the west on Harry Street in Via Christi Hospital. This stakeholder provides job opportunities and a committed partner for neighborhood redevelopment efforts.
An additional stakeholder exists in the Hilltop Evangelical Free Church located at Lincoln and Broadview. The Church has been instrumental in supporting the development of neighborhood leaders, the non-profit Hilltop Improvement Alliance, the construction of a new community center, and other programs to sup- port the neighborhood. The church is a community resource that serves as a set- ting for many resident meetings and events, but more importantly, its leadership is heavily involved with grass-roots community organizing. Church leaders saw that, although resident involvement and responsibility had shown signs of improvement, the grass roots group needed help and advice from members of the community who had experiences that could help the neighborhood reposition itself. This resource group is the Hilltop Improvement Alliance, a non-profit 501 (c) (3) corporation, which could ultimately become a community development corporation (CDC). The new community center in Friendship Park houses the federally-funded Head Start program.