How do I volunteer for or donate to Jessica Renslow's Campaign?

Email renslow4rep@gmail.com or call (219) 292-2200 to volunteer for Renslow4Rep

DONATE ONLINE HERE

Or Make Checks out to:

Friends of Jessica Renslow

518 South Hancock Street

P.O.Box 2815

Gary, IN 46403

Issue Paper 7: Decorate District 3

On Monday, January 15, 2018 the Friends of Jessica Renslow volunteers gathered on the corner of 6th and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in Gary’s Emerson neighborhood to kick off a different kind of campaign initiative. Covered in snow, eight hardy volunteers secured boards on a structure that had seen better days.

(Gary residents Aldwin Livingston and Katie Bohn creating a decorative board.)

Indiana House District 3 democratic candidate, Jessica Renslow stated, “We have so much potential in Gary, Lake Station, New Chicago and Hobart, opportunities for tourism and investment, but we also have a blight and illegal dumping epidemic. 

Unfortunately perception matters. When people drive by and see a blighted building predominantly situated, or large pieces of furniture laying in a ditch, they make assumptions. They usually don’t notice that the majority of the block is occupied. They don’t know that the ditch is a globally rare ecosystem. They don’t stop and chat with the neighbors who have been voluntarily mowing abandoned lots and maintaining their block. Outsiders see blight. Across House District 3 our cities are trying to strum up money to demolish structures, and keep up with people trashing our byways. It’s not easy. They are making strides, but they need all the help they can get. As a community builder I’ve always focused on blight reduction and beautification, this is just a natural progression for me as a candidate. I would rather raise funds to secure blighted buildings and conduct community clean ups than pay for billboards. Public safety and curb appeal are two of the main reasons we started our Decorate District 3 Initiative. We love our hometowns. We want them to flourish. We chose Martin Luther King Jr. Day as our kick off because naturally it’s become a day of service. It’s a great way for folks across the US to honor an American hero and give back to their communities. We started here in Emerson but this is just the first of many service projects.” 

(State Representative candidates Jessica Renslow and Chris Chyung securing a blighted building.)

What is a decorative board up?

When a blighted building has its windows and entrances secured by boards that have been painted.

(Before and after of the MLK Block Club House in Gary's Emerson Community.)

Why do a decorative board up if the building is just going to be torn down?

• It secures the building which promotes public safety.
• It aides in curb appeal.
• It can uplift community spirit.
• It can help create a community space.
• Sometimes the buildings get purchased and end up getting a new life.

 

(Last summer, an estimated 500 people attended the first annual Outdoor Adaptive Escapade at the transformed blighted Ralph's Grocery Store in Gary, Indiana.)

With the corner brick home on 6th and MLK Drive secured, the volunteers completed their first Decorate District 3 project. They have plans for more in the up and coming months. 

Do you know of a structure that needs to be secured, or a spot in need of a community clean up? Please email renslow4rep@gmail.com. 

(The Ken Parr Build a Bike volunteers are repurposing the blighted Ralph's Grocery Store in Gary, Indiana and tending its grounds.) 

Interested in joining the Decorate District 3 volunteer corps? 

You can sign up Here.

(Renslow4 Rep volunteers working on the MLK Block Club House in Gary's Emerson Community.)

Have you taken our INHD3 community survey  yet? 

(It’s just 4 questions.) https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/renslow4rep 

If elected Jessica Renslow will fight to:

• Protect our environmental jewels and promote public safety/curb appeal by focusing on properly managed blight reduction/beautification efforts across of all of Indiana House District 3.

• Advocate for green jobs that produce goods and/or provide services that benefit the environment, or conserve natural resources. 

• Work with state and local officials to ensure that all community environmental and health concerns are addressed at each stage of a bill's implementation cycle. 

• Foster sponsorship relationships between area businesses and industries to help infuse tourism initiatives, support active transportation, improve infrastructure and protect our environment, so that the burden of funding is not on INHD3 residents. 

• Promote private or environmental groups to develop preserves, solely funded via their revenue sources, on the edges of our already protected areas. This approach will benefit INHD3 by retaining our scenic beauty/ wildlife, reducing our blight situation and it will better guarantee our environmental jewels be allowed to retain their value.

• Create and implement an INHD3 tourism strategic plan and marketing campaign that will give our area presence on the national/international level.

• Pursue partnership opportunities between public school systems and aligned non-for-profits to help develop programming and stewardship of facilities. This approach will benefit INHD3 by lessening the burden of maintaining all of our school facilities on the taxpayer, while reducing our blight situation and better guaranteeing our residents receive meaningful education opportunities at all ages.

Renslow4Rep.com 

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Issue Paper 6: House Bill 1318 Construction/Demolition Site in Gary

HB1318 has passed from the House. Next it will be heard in the Senate. This bill was authored by Representative Harris and co-authored by Rep. Smith, Rep. Soliday, Rep Slager. It has been passed by the House and will next be sponsored in the Senate by Senator Melton. 

House Bill 1318 States: 

“Construction/demolition site in Gary. Provides that the prohibition against establishing a sanitary landfill within one-half mile of an area subdivided for residential purposes does not apply to the establishment of a construction/demolition site located within the corporate limits of a city that has a population of more than 80,000 and less than 80,400 and whose fiscal body and executive have filed a petition with the distressed unit appeal board seeking to have the city designated as a distressed political subdivision.”

(NWI residents giving input on HB1318 photo credit NWI Times.)

On Wednesday, February 7, 2018, at the NWI Public Forum at The Glen, Jessica Renslow, made the following suggestions to Senator Melton as possible amendments to HB1318 when it is presented in the Senate. She requested that he consider proposing an amendment in the Senate that addresses the concerns that the people of Gary have vocalized about HB1318. Jessica Renslow drafted these proposed amendments from the numerous requests she received as a community builder in Gary. She compiled these amendments from the emails, phone calls, social media messages and face-to-face interactions she had with the citizens of Gary, Indiana. The amendments would help ensure that this proposed construction/demolition site would have oversight that would protect Gary’s citizens by:

1. Limiting the debris that is accepted at the proposed site/sites to just be from structures generated by the city of Gary’s demolition team and their community partners within the city of Gary. 

2. Sunset this exception when Gary’s demolition needs have been met.

3. Provide a plan for what to do with the site/sites once all of  Gary’s demolition needs have been met.

Next steps for HB1318? It is being scheduled to be heard in a senate committee very soon. If you wish to speak out about HB1318 you will need to go to Indianapolis, or contact your state senator. (If you are within Indiana House District 3, your state senator is Indiana Senate District 3's Sen. Eddie Melton). 

(Renslow4Rep volunteers starting their MLK Day of Service Decorative Board Up in Gary's Emerson Neighborhood)

Here is a summary of the notes that Jessica Renslow received from the people of Gary:

Everyone knows Gary has a major blight problem. With 6,500 vacant structures it has one of the highest blight rates in the country. Additionally, Gary is four miles bigger than the city of San Fransisco with a fraction of the population. So when you take that in account, along with the cost of moving deconstructed items to the proper construction and debris sites outside of the city the costs really add up to totaling in the millions. 

(The Ken Parr Build-A-Bike volunteer crew fighting blight in Gary Indiana)

Also, Gary has a major illegal dumping issue. This problem is not just limited to Gary, but it is an epidemic within the Steel City. Thousands of volunteer hours are donated annually via 5x5 clean ups, and other blight busting efforts. 

(Aetna Manor Revitalization Program Volunteers cleaning Aetna Street in Gary.)

The people of Gary understand that they have limited resources that is why they volunteer so much to help fight the blight. The majority of folks stated that they had the following concerns about HB1318.

• People are wondering if this proposed construction/demolition site will be accepting debris from outside Gary? With our region’s history of environmental injustices, many are concerned that we might be ripe to become a dumping ground for other cities.

• Citizens want to know who is going to run this construction and demolition site. Will it be municipally owned or operated? Will it be run by a for-profit entity? Who will oversee the site and ensure no environmental regulations are being broken?

• HB1318 states that its goal is to point out that the prohibition against establishing a sanitary landfill within one-half mile of an area subdivided for residential purposes does not apply to the establishment of a construction/demolition site. How many feet from our community members homes would this C&D landfill be able to be established? Under a half mile is a relatively broad concept. 

• There does not seem to be anything in the bill that prevents anyone that is not affiliated with the city from establishing a C&D landfill. If after this bill is passed can anyone wanting to open a C&D landfill in a residential area be able to do so? Will there be a limit to how many of these sites can be opened within Gary?

• There is nothing in HB1318 stating what will happen once Gary’s demolition needs have been met.  Even if it takes two to three decades, most people in Gary have vocalized that there should be a plan not to continue this site into perpetuity.

(Jessica Renslow with Bethel Church youth group volunteers fighting blight in Gary. )

If elected Jessica Renslow will fight to:

• Protect our environmental jewels and promote public safety/curb appeal by focusing on properly managed blight reduction/beautification efforts across of all of Indiana House District 3.

• Advocate for green jobs that produce goods and/or provide services that benefit the environment, or conserve natural resources. 

• Work with state and local officials to ensure that all community environmental and health concerns are addressed at each stage of a bill's implementation cycle. 

Renslow4Rep.com 

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