Welcome to the neighborhood
Residential rehab, urban renewal high on Paul Barnes' to-do list
By Lynn Zerschling | Posted: Monday, January 05, 2009
Daniel Ford, a school probation officer active in neighborhood activities, left, and Paul Barnes, Sioux City’s new Neighborhood Services supervisor, are shown at Dale Street Park Friday. The park is a project in progress. (Staff photo by Jim Lee)
SIOUX CITY -- On Dec. 1, city planner Paul Barnes was promoted to the position of neighborhood services supervisor. He replaces Cheryl Connot-Perez, who resigned to take another position.
A graduate of East High School, Barnes earned a degree in community and regional planning from Iowa State University. He worked for a nonprofit agency in Ames before joining the Sioux City Planning Department in 2005.
He completed his master's degree in business administration from the University of South Dakota and received the designation of certified planner from the American Institute of Certified Planners. He also worked as the planning department's first intern when he was a college junior. Barnes, 26, took time recently to tell the Journal about his new job:
Question: What are your job responsibilities?
Answer: In this position I administer, manage and monitor various federally funded neighborhood planning projects, advise the Historic Preservation Commission and supervise the neighborhood services staff.
Q: What projects are you overseeing and how will you handle them?
A: I continue to work on the mitigation to demolish the KD Station (in the Stockyards). Because the building is on the National Register of Historic Places and federal funds will be used to demolish the structure, we are required to mitigate the demolition.
We are going to salvage the terra cotta pieces and document the building to save historic and architectural significance of the building. These actions "mitigate," or lessen, the adverse effects of demolishing the structure. This is being required by the National Preservation Act. In addition, we will document the significance of the building and the meatpacking industry in Sioux City and the region. We would like to reuse the terra cotta as monument identification signage within the Yards district.
Our focus will be on the residential rehabilitation program. We will continue to educate neighborhood groups and engage in partnerships with other social service agencies. We want residents to know resources are available to them.
Q: How do you intend to engage residents?
A: We will continue to hold events such as block parties, hand deliver fliers and hold discussions, and coordinate activities and notifications with the school district. We will be very active in finding additional ways to reach the residents to engage them in the revitalization of their neighborhoods.
Q: What are the target areas?
A: Those include the urban renewal areas of Rose Hill, Greenville and Jones Street. However, we have other programs that cover the entire city.
Q: What are the major challenges of your job?
A: I see continued input from our target neighborhoods as a challenge. The work our office completes relies on participation from the residents. Without that participation, our programs do not succeed.
Q: Who is your role model?
A: My grandmother, Jayne Burnight of Sioux City. She worked hard throughout her career and always keeps a positive attitude. At 80 years old, she still lives life to its fullest by traveling all over the United States. She was the strings teacher for the Sioux City Community Schools and was active in the Sioux City and South Dakota symphonies.
Q: What experience best prepared you for this job?
A: My education and previous planning experience. I plan to bring additional planning perspectives to Sioux City's residential neighborhoods. Anyone from Sioux City knows the strong ties residents have to their neighborhoods. Our neighborhoods have unique attributes that make them interesting places to be.
A graduate of East High School, Barnes earned a degree in community and regional planning from Iowa State University. He worked for a nonprofit agency in Ames before joining the Sioux City Planning Department in 2005.
He completed his master's degree in business administration from the University of South Dakota and received the designation of certified planner from the American Institute of Certified Planners. He also worked as the planning department's first intern when he was a college junior. Barnes, 26, took time recently to tell the Journal about his new job:
Question: What are your job responsibilities?
Answer: In this position I administer, manage and monitor various federally funded neighborhood planning projects, advise the Historic Preservation Commission and supervise the neighborhood services staff.
Q: What projects are you overseeing and how will you handle them?
A: I continue to work on the mitigation to demolish the KD Station (in the Stockyards). Because the building is on the National Register of Historic Places and federal funds will be used to demolish the structure, we are required to mitigate the demolition.
We are going to salvage the terra cotta pieces and document the building to save historic and architectural significance of the building. These actions "mitigate," or lessen, the adverse effects of demolishing the structure. This is being required by the National Preservation Act. In addition, we will document the significance of the building and the meatpacking industry in Sioux City and the region. We would like to reuse the terra cotta as monument identification signage within the Yards district.
Our focus will be on the residential rehabilitation program. We will continue to educate neighborhood groups and engage in partnerships with other social service agencies. We want residents to know resources are available to them.
Q: How do you intend to engage residents?
A: We will continue to hold events such as block parties, hand deliver fliers and hold discussions, and coordinate activities and notifications with the school district. We will be very active in finding additional ways to reach the residents to engage them in the revitalization of their neighborhoods.
Q: What are the target areas?
A: Those include the urban renewal areas of Rose Hill, Greenville and Jones Street. However, we have other programs that cover the entire city.
Q: What are the major challenges of your job?
A: I see continued input from our target neighborhoods as a challenge. The work our office completes relies on participation from the residents. Without that participation, our programs do not succeed.
Q: Who is your role model?
A: My grandmother, Jayne Burnight of Sioux City. She worked hard throughout her career and always keeps a positive attitude. At 80 years old, she still lives life to its fullest by traveling all over the United States. She was the strings teacher for the Sioux City Community Schools and was active in the Sioux City and South Dakota symphonies.
Q: What experience best prepared you for this job?
A: My education and previous planning experience. I plan to bring additional planning perspectives to Sioux City's residential neighborhoods. Anyone from Sioux City knows the strong ties residents have to their neighborhoods. Our neighborhoods have unique attributes that make them interesting places to be.
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Mike wrote on Jan 5, 2009 10:07 PM:
Bob wrote on Jan 5, 2009 8:17 PM:
Oscar wrote on Jan 5, 2009 10:33 AM: