Report to the Worcester Community

about the

November 30^th, 2005 Community Forum

At the YWCA

Question 1:     What do you like about Worcester?

Community Life/Arts and Culture

Art Museum (x4)

history of Worcester (x4)

architecture (x3)

community gardens (x3)

Mechanics Hall (x2)

city on the move (x2)

crime watch with neighborhood participants (x2)

significant effort to revitalize neighborhoods

effort to conserve and make city environmentally friendly

ability to make a difference: easy to get involved

people in Worcester care

positive energy in the city

open minded, younger thinkers leading within the community

improved look

partnership between neighborhoods & community orgs. on issues like violence, block parties

lots of established networks, collaborations

local foundations generously support community

Shrewsbury Street beautification

Tuckerman Hall

Ecotarium

Union Station

YMCA/YWCA

Restoration

Lake Quinsigamond

Indian Lake

amusement area

long-term businesses

small businesses

Diversity & multi-culturalism

variety of ethnic restaurants, food businesses (x7)

welcoming to new comers (x2)

creative community, lots of artists (x2)

multi-cultural

gay pride festivity, family events

collaborating religious communities, shared values

cultural sensitivity

JCC

city of immigrants constantly changing

brochures available in many languages

diversity spread throughout city

Education

good public school system (x7)

can learn from people: fine colleges

colleges add energy to the community

new vocational school

potential of college students

lots of afterschool programs

Environment/Recreation/Parks

residential districts/neighborhoods (x3)

green space (x3)

not too big and not too small (x2)

no pretensions (x2)

friendly people (x2)

city with a small town feel (not fast paced)

not isolated, close to big cities

not too much traffic, noise

attitude of respect

Courteous drivers

deer and wild turkeys

generations of people stay here

avoid "bad things" of big cities

pedestrian friendly

cabs

affordable (x3)

so much to do: family, art, parks (x4)

sports

natural resources: lakes, streams, Blackstone River

lots of open space: parks, golf course

festivals

pools in the summer

First Night

Housing initiatives

community housing agencies working towards home ownership

great affordable housing programs going on

Human and Social Services

new library (x3)

elder services (x3)

access to whatever you need: healthcare, services (x2)

approachable city/civic leaders (x2)

lots of medical resources

Rise: Worc. Institute for senior education

reliable city services

public transportation

airport

public water supply

availability of food pantries

Public safety services and resources

police have good customer approach/sensitivity

police chief willing to work with youth

safe spaces for youth

not as violent as it used to be

community policing/safety

Youth participation and energy

many active youth groups in area (x2)

better students at North High

exceptional students

young adults (college-aged) population

teen dances (Shbooms)

Question 2:         What concerns do you have about Worcester?

Business & economic development
empty buildings downtown (x3)
inadequate & cumbersome public transportation
commuting is not convenient
can not fly out of Worcester (x2)
need for a stronger identity
malls aren't great
tax base decreasing (x2)
poor public transportation
lack of assistance for first time home buyers
lack of public restrooms
few restaurants/amenities downtown
Union Station beautiful but no real identity, unsafe women's bathroom
lack of high end retail
no parking garage/accessibility at Union Station
fear that Wyman Gordon property will be under-utilized
not capitalizing on medical opportunities (Biotech Park, research, etc.)
not a big city downtown (no grocery store, etc.)
too much $ to park, no free parking
disconnection between haves and have nots (socio-economics)
traffic leaving city at 5 pm
noise ordinance
entertainment licensing not enforced
battleground between residents and businesses
not business friendly
residences becoming offices
jobs that are being created (tech, medical) aren't for people who live here
brain drain, how do we keep 'em
lack of racial equity
no movie theaters within walking distance downtown
too many bars and liquor stores in low-income areas
need new and updated zoning (x2)
need more diversity/equal opportunity in workforce
strip clubs on main arteries
need jobs for unskilled, elders, people without transportation
not business friendly
community should be more welcoming
more fast food places to eat as opposed to healthy food alternatives
brownfields
get rid of tax rate

Civic leadership
ignored input from community groups
no planning: city goes about development ass backwards
public advocacy worn down by multiple meetings
siting of social programs
"old boys" network too strong (15 families control Worcester) and dominate decisions affecting city
poor city/governmental attitudes: need to train city employees around customer support and dealing
city government
neighbors don't talk to one another
lack of connecting the dots and tying together loose ends
lack of coordination between colleges and neighbors
no place to get information on what is happening
lots of managing in the city, no leading
NIMBY, city officials need to look beyond the NIMBY issues, there is a bigger issue, vicious cycle
city surveys: always about sidewalks which never get fixed and brownfield properties that never get cleaned up year after year

 

Education
schools have gone downhill: student/teacher ratio, fiscal management, no creative curriculum, not very progressive, teacher burnout
schools don't challenge talented students enough
some teachers don't know how to teach
students' abilities aren't assessed
decreased school funding
need more parent involvement in education
need email communication between parents and teachers
need more understanding of students: currently suspensions for minor infractions
music classes in schools do not have instruments
lack of leadership in public school system
uniformity within public schools
edge location of high schools rather than central location
safety within schools
lack of minority representation in schools system (x2)
lack of disabled representation in school system
special needs students: not enough support for students or families (crisis)
Worcester Public Schools not adapting, need to do a better job for all students
the construction: new courthouse but no new schools
huge need for ESL/ESOL (x2)
resources of colleges are not well integrated
colleges aren't accessible to everyone

 

Health & medical care
lack of empathy for people with substance abuse issues or HIV/AIDS
lack of treatment for drug use
so many without health insurance
limited free health care
not enough medical competition/choice
high asthma rate
high lead levels in blood of  kids
infant mortality
obesity (African American women can't afford the high cost of health clubs/gyms)
health disparity issues
smoking rate in Worcester is higher than the state average
not enough trees which improve quality of life and have beneficial environmental impact
anti-panhandling policy is a waste of money which could have been spent to build homeless shelters

health centers are overbooked
no continuity of staff/case worker at SSI

 

Housing
homelessness, not enough services or housing available (x3)
large percentage of low income population
perception of homelessness
 
Parks & recreation capacity, infrastructure and maintenance
parks are poorly maintained, especially playgrounds (x2)
can't walk dogs in the park

Public safety
safety concern downtown after dark (x2)
poor street lighting downtown
crime, especially drug-related break-ins
drugs in the city (x6)
prostitution capital of New England
violence (x4)
don't see police cruisers
not pedestrian friendly (x2)
lack of signage
Main South prostitutes and drug dealers
traffic disruptions caused I-290 & downtown Worcester construction projects
tendency to blame the victim (x2)

too many bars and liquor stores in low-income areas

Social cohesion/community & family involvement and participation/youth support & involvement
rate of Worcester high school pregnancies (x2)
not enough afterschool programs to keep kids off street
high school drop out rate (x2)
high school violence (although being worked on by Girls, Inc., public schools, YWCA)
lack of youth employment (x4)
lack of support systems to advocate for kids
lack of communication between youth and adults
how do we get parents to teach their kids to be respectful
lack of parental involvement
lack of exciting places to go like arcades for kids
City Square will leave young people with nothing to do downtown once retail is gone
need more youth involvement and investment in process
youth need a voice
need safe recreation space for kids and families

no movie theatres within walking distance downtown

strip clubs on main arteries

Question 3:     How can we improve Worcester?