Tupelo officials push for community involvement in neighborhood associations
Nov. 1—TUPELO — Few people believe in the importance of neighborhood associations more than Leslie Mart.
To the longtime Joyner Neighborhood Association member, neighborhoods are the connective tissue of a city, serving as a built-in commonality between neighbors. This commonality breeds a larger sense of pride in the community while helping address issues within that community by providing a unified front to push from.
"Neighborhood associations are an integral part of keeping our neighborhoods healthy," Mart said. "When we have healthy neighborhoods, you have a great quality of life ... and you get to know your neighbors."
Tupelo officials agree. They're currently working closely with neighborhood leaders with a goal of sparking more interest in neighborhood associations after the pandemic stalled the groups' ability to meet in person.
The city currently has 29 registered neighborhood associations spanning every ward. Each has its own president and vice president and host of members, and each comes with varying degrees of support.
"The purpose of neighborhood associations is to allow residents to work together to improve and maintain the quality of life of their neighborhood and create a sense of community," Development Services Director Tanner Newman said.
According to Newman, Tupelo officials are doing everything they can to help the reestablish neighborhood associations that declined during the pandemic.
One way the city hoped to boost its relationship with them was by hiring a neighbor coordinator. Danny Golding has been working with the neighborhood associations since the start of the year. He attends as many of their meetings as possible. He said his job is to see trends and inform the administration of issues present in Tupelo's many neighborhoods. Golding describes himself as a "conduit" for associations to address specific concerns directly with city leaders.
Both Golding and City Planner Jenny Savely are currently working together to help stabilize the Belledeer Neighborhood Association, which Savely said was trying to rebuild after dwindling participation.
Earlier this year, Tupelo officials held a citywide meeting to introduce Golding to neighborhood association members. Newman said the meeting was the catalyst that renewed the city's commitment to work with and facilitate existing neighborhood associations.
Haven Acres Neighborhood Association President Mattie Mabry said her neighborhood association did not meet at all between 2020 and the end of 2021. She said they started back monthly meetings on the first of this year with varying attendance.
"We've seen ups and downs," Mabry said. "(We) got tired of it, banded together and created a group to work toward making the community more comfortable."
She called neighborhood associations vital to community-building. During her 20 years with Haven Acres Neighborhood Association, Mabry said she's helped host adult education programs, Bible study groups, litter clean-up campaigns, voter registration drives and much more.
"(Associations) can be very effective in a neighborhood if you get the participation of those in them," she said.
While the city sinks efforts into rekindling dormant associations, Newman and Savely noted there was increased interest in starting new neighborhood associations. According to Newman, the Grove homeowner association approached the city to do just that.
"It is proven that strong, active neighborhoods reduce the proliferation of blight," Newman said. "The administration has taken a strong stance on providing neighborhoods with the resources they need to remain strong, and we will continue to do so."
