DETROIT – Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan delivered his State of the City address on the road to the city’s west side, which served as a focal point for the city’s investment in its neighborhoods, accomplishments, and future.
Local 4 was at one of the extensive renovation projects at the old Dexter Elmhurst Recreational Center, which is next on the list.
The rec center has been dilapidated for years, but not anymore. It will soon receive a gut job and a total makeover.
Since he became mayor, Duggan has detailed the next neighborhood project the city is working on each year.
This time, Dexter is getting the love, whether it’s the rehab of the Dexter Elmhurst Community Center, which will be renovated and named after Detroit activist Helen Moore.
“Next year, this brand new facility will be the Helen Moore Community Center,” said Duggan.
Most of the speech was about community investment, whether rehabbing housing or removing blight.
“You can’t store your car on homes like this,” Duggan said. “You can’t store your commercial vehicles in residential neighborhoods. You can’t store your whole fleet of vehicles.”
Duggan says 2024 is the year Detroit finally rids its neighborhoods of abandoned vehicles, as a new 12-person squad is intensifying enforcement.
Duggan also talked about crime in the city. Last year, the big push was $10 million to try something new: funneling the money into community groups to prevent crime before it happens.
It sounded questionable at best, but the six-month report card is in. While the Detroit Police Department has done a great job reducing violent crimes, the drops in the designated areas where these community groups have been operating fell substantially.
“If we keep this strategy of strong law enforcement and community prevention and do this year after year, we’re going to get to the city that we all want to see,” Duggan said.
Duggan has been advocating that the city put up enough solar panels in neighborhoods to eventually power all 127 of its buildings.
The suggestion is full steam ahead, according to Duggan, who said during the address that he will be presenting his first request to the city council to buy up land in different neighborhoods.
