What do you want?

By Milton Gutierrez

February 10, 2009 4:56 PM | Link to this | Report comment abuse

Hello Carol Dugat,

I am from Austin with a community action team working diligently to save Reagan High School from closing. I would like to interview you and hear your perspective on the closing of Wiley MS.

By Carol Dugat

February 10, 2009 7:03 PM | Link to this | Report comment abuse

Milton, how can I get in touch with you?

By Bethany B.

February 12, 2009 11:05 AM | Link to this | Report comment abuse

Hi Ms. Dugat- I cannot wait to see your vision for EW to become a reality-finally! I hope the group I’m involved in will be able to help further this by helping out with JH Hines Elementary School’s Parent Involvement Day 2010.

By Carol Dugat

February 13, 2009 9:32 AM | Link to this | Report comment abuse

Thanks Bethany, with people like you caring enough to get involved - yes we can!

By Margaret

February 14, 2009 12:38 PM | Link to this | Report comment abuse

My husband preaches and ministers in EW. The first thing that I believe should be done, is for the vacant school on Taylor Street be torn down and a new community center be placed on that lot. Vacant buildings and vacant homes create a downtroddened and depressed feeling in a neighborhood. This school represents the decline and neglect that is plaguing EW. If this building is torn down and replaced with a beautiful new community center, I believe that EW would be revived with the rebuilding of existing homes and the construction of new commercial and residential properties.

By Earl Stinnett

February 15, 2009 12:16 AM | Link to this | Report comment abuse

I grew up in East Waco, attended J. H. Hines, got my hair cut at Satchell’s Barber Shop, learned to play ping pong at the local Fire Station, and later worked and played at the Doris Miller YMCA. The one thing that has really changed in East Waco is the “village” mentality. People genuinely cared for each other and took an interest in making sure every member of the community was valued and nurtured. Adults were empowered to discipline children when they acted up. My parents and teachers were friends and church members.

The closing of the General Tire and Rubber Company and the relocation of Paul Quinn College severely damaged East Waco economically and socially,and it has never recovered.

Paul Quinn College leaving Waco has had a direct impact on the quality of education in Waco. The College produced the majority of minority educators in this town. The struggles we currently face can be traced in part to the difficulty in attracting the best and the brightest. We were much more successful back when we grew our own!

East Waco needs to re-create the village it once enjoyed! The revitalization of Quinn Campus is a great start. We need to make sure all of our efforts are inclusive, and provide opportunity for input from everyone.

East Waco has always and still is rich with strong Church organizations. They have the financial and intellectual resources to bring about positive, sustainable change to East Waco. I would love to see an effort to develop a master plan for the revitalization of East Waco that addressed economic development, infrastructure improvements, and reduced crime.

The pride and vitality can return to East Waco if the residents want it badly enough. Thanks for listening.

By Brandon Wold

February 18, 2009 1:42 PM | Link to this | Report comment abuse

Dear Ms. Dugat, I am a member of the servant leadership class that you came and spoke to. I am so thrilled to get involved in the EW community. Education is vitally important. I hope the entire city of Waco can rally around a banner of education for everyone. I know that JH Hines has great potential. The community can rally and be the change in the life of those children.

By James Green

March 5, 2009 7:25 PM | Link to this | Report comment abuse

I James Green does”nt have a comment,I need help on a matter which involves the community of East Waco.I and my wife own a home in the neighbor hood,and just recently move because the “City Of Waco” is harassing me about my home which was in code since 2006.Here it is 2009 and they are telling me that my home is unfit for me and my family.But the outcome of all that i can do to save my home is not enough for the city to remove red tag from my home,but remove it for others on the other side of town.Question,What can i do?

By Carol Dugat

March 7, 2009 11:26 AM | Link to this | Report comment abuse

Mr. Green, Sorry to hear of the challenges with your home. For clarity, are you saying, your home meets the code, yet the city has red-tagged it anyway?

By James Green

March 9, 2009 2:18 PM | Link to this | Report comment abuse

Yes,because of an inccident in 2007’labling my home as an drug house.Even though befor the purchase of the home,the city has already lable the property within the previous owner about the codes and violations,but yet then it was sold to me and my wife.O.K. now what needed to be done they want let me lift the red tag until my finicial is politically correct,but the way i presented my case was like other person-and that home was burn up partial front and mainly the back,but they lifted his tag from red to green soo he can get his permits.

By By Una

March 10, 2009 12:19 AM | Link to this | Report comment abuse

Well,I am concern about our neighborhood and we would like to have R. L. Smith school torn down and make a Neighborhood Center with a kitchen and we would also like to have a water fall for our Parks in East Waco Park. We like to have something in our East Waco Neighborhood.