Like crocuses pushing their blooms up through the soil, a small garden of neighborhood associations is beginning to flourish all around Hagerstown. We heartily support them and invite citizens in areas where they're active to do the same.
The associations grew out of an initiative by some city government employees called "Neighborhoods First," which began after a 1996 city survey uncovered the fact that many city residents didn't know their next-door neighbors.
To change that, city workers put together a series of public meetings during which they explained this unusual concept: If the neighborhood needs something (a new park, perhaps) city government won't do everything for neighbors, but it will help. The idea is to get neighbors working together, instead of encouraging them to believe government can do it all.
According to Community Development Coordinator Larry Bayer, there are now four active associations: Ridge Avenue, Downtown Hagerstown, the Northwest community (including Carroll Heights and Hamilton Park) and the West End. A fifth group is forming now in the Jonathan Street area.
