Hello everyone,
I’m working with the Nortown Community Development Corporation (CDC) this summer working on my Detroit Community Based Research Project (DCBRP).
Nortown CDC
Nortown Community Development Corporation (CDC) was established in 1991, when leaders of the residential, commercial, industrial, and institutional community first gathered to support a community-based and community-controlled economic development collaborative.
Nortown CDC’s goals are to foster community control of economic development, improve economic conditions, provide affordable quality housing, support and attract local business ventures, and promote employment opportunities within the community that is bounded by Eight Mile Road to the North, I-94 to the South, Gratiot Avenue to the East, and the Mound Rd./Mt. Elliott Corridor to the West. Map
Nortown CDC is governed by an eleven-member Board of Directors. The following four organizations are considered “Founding Directors” with each designating its own appointed representative:
- North East Manufacturers Association (NEMA)
- We Care About Van Dyke – Seven Mile, Inc.
- Van Dyke-Seven Mile Business Association
- Grinnell Business Area
Seven other seats are reserved for “At Large” Directors requiring that at all times, at least four of the seats shall be held by residents of low income neighborhoods, other low income residents, or elected representatives of low income neighborhood organizations. The officers of the corporation consist of a President, a Vice-President, and Executive Director, a Secretary, and a Treasurer.
Nortown CDC Mission
Nortown CDC acts as a community-controlled collaborative to develop and foster safe and affordable housing, business retention and attraction, educational improvement and job opportunities. These ideals raise and stabilize the economic, environmental, educational, and social levels of its neighborhood constituents, especially minority and low to moderate income persons.
Summer Research Project – Northeast Detroit Research – Colonel P. W. Norris
My research project is to Research Colonel P.W. Norris. He was the founder of the Village of Norris which is now known as Nortown. In addition to founding the Village of Norris he created the Two Way Inn which is now the oldest bar in the city of Detroit. He was also the second superintendent of Yellowstone National Park. He served as a Union soldier during the Civil War and also founded Pioneer Ohio with his wife.
My project is to do “deeper dive” research on Col. Norris. The goal is to make Norris and his home more relevant. This will help Nortown CDC create funding for restoring his home and creating a historical center for the neighborhood there. This would enable Nortown CDC to educate and inspire the neighborhood while retaining and promoting the history of the area.
My research will consist of doing biographical research on Norris. It will also consist of doing geographical and historical research of Yellowstone National Park and the parts of the park discovered by Norris such as Norris Geyser.
I will also be doing research on the Norris house and finding historical contractors that could help restore it. I will also be researching grants that could help fund the project.
My First Week in Detroit
This first week in Detroit has been a difficult and busy for me. That said I think I am responding to it better than I was expecting to. I figured a lot of stuff out early in the week and this has enabled me to help the other students in the program. I’m starting to get to know the other students in the program which has been nice and is helping me feel less isolated and alone.
It’s also been an adjustment for me to live on my own. I’ve always lived with other people so it’s different for me. I do think I’m starting to like it. It’s very freeing to just have to worry about yourself when you’re at home.
I’m also getting used to living in an apartment. I haven’t done it in a long time and the majority of my life has been lived in a house. So it’s different. I do feel pretty safe in the building but miss the easy access to going outside. At home I could easily go outside and see trees and nature and I miss that. It also was an adjustment to have to walk to a parking structure instead of just to a driveway to leave.
Parking has also been a hard adjustment for me as well. I’m not used to having to pay to park most places I go. I’m used to driving to a store and parking in front of it in a big lot.
I’m also a commuter student when I’m in class so I drive from home to school instead of living there. I think living in the apartment with other students has given me more of the traditional college experience of living with other students in a building away from home. I think this is an important experience to have as leads to personal growth and shared experience with other peers.
Experiences
One of my goals for this week and the project in general is to spend time outside of the apartment experiencing the city. I’ve been going to a different restaurant every time I eat out. So far I’ve gone to Hopcat, Slows BBQ and the Jolly Pumpkin. My favorite so far is the Jolly Pumpkin. I like a more quiet atmosphere when eating out. I like to be able to hear and talk to the people I’m with and that was difficult at Hopcat since it was so loud. I liked slows but it was expensive for me. The Jolly Pumpkin was expensive but you get a whole pizza which I’m having leftovers with. It also had a lot of natural lighting and I could talk to the person I went there with easily.
We also did a group Underground Railroad Tour of Detroit. Which I found to be very interesting. We don’t learn a lot about there being slaves in Michigan and to hear about the history of that was sad but important to know about.
On my first day of work we went to City Council for a public hearing on US Ecology. My boss and the organization are trying to stop the company from getting approval to go from storing 76,118 gallons to 676,939 gallons in a renewal of its operating license, currently before the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality.
DEQ nears approval of expansion at hazardous waste facility in Detroit
Takeaways
Overall, I’m enjoying the program and my experiences so far. I think it’s starting to go by fast but I’m working to make as many memories and absorb as many experiences as possible. It feels like its been much longer than two weeks but I think I am already growing as a person through my experiences. I also find that the work is making me feel like my chosen path in Public Health is the correct one. Many of my classes and experiences from UM-Dearborn are coming into play with this internship and it feels good for me to continue doing something with my skills and knowledge.
