ROCK HILL, S.C. (CN2 NEWS) The Clinton ConNEXTion project hosting its first community meeting Thursday evening getting the community’s input on what changes they’d like to see in the area.
What would you like to improve about South Rock Hill? That was the questions the Clinton ConNEXTion asked the community at this Thursdays meeting.
Jennifer Wilford, Rock Hill’s Director of Housing and Neighborhood Services, says, “This presentation of the plan that the committees been working on for a long time but, this was really our first chance to sort of unveil the process and to really start the hard work of collecting their input in their feedback, because at the end of the day this needs to be the Community’s plan.”
BELL XPrize’s Dawn Johnson, says, “I think it’s something that everyone definitely wanted to see happen and to have something concrete to plug into was just some thing that really hit home with everyone.”
The Clinton ConNEXTion project team says they got great feedback from the community and now they’re ready to push forward with a development draft, submitting that by May. Community leaders are talking about what this project will mean as community partners.
Clinton College President. Dr. Lester McCorn says, “Not only will our immediate students benefit, but there will be certificate programs that will be offered here, where people can get the benefit of that education, that they can cash in for employment.”
Community partners at Habitat for Humanity of York County say affordable housing will play a big role in these new developments. The organization was one of eleven to get the National Neighborhood Promise grant $160,000 that will go toward revitalizing Carroll Park and the surrounding area.
Habitat for Humanity of York County’s Tim Veeck, says, “The challenge is now and it’s urgent for us to be able to get access to funds and property that can be developed that can be affordable for families.”
“All of us share that vision and that passion and so…we are putting the right foundation in place for us to really build upon and see progress,” says Wilford.
In the video above, CN2’s Rachel Richardson is speaking with the project’s leaders about what next steps will look like and how community partners are getting involved.
