Meeting Announcement

On Monday February 25 at 7:00 the Bessemer Neighborhood Association will hold a meeting for city residents who are interested in the Bessemer Water Service, GUSC and the future of our water supply. The meeting is at Food World on 9th Avenue in their community room and all are encouraged to come. Care about your water rates?

GUSC and Bessemer's Water

The Bessemer City Council has proposed giving more authority to the Governmental Services Utilities Corporation, which runs our water plant. An example of a water system that has been given too much authority and no oversight is The Birmingham Water Works. Is this the model that we want to pattern our water authority after?

Come to the Bessemer Nighborhood Association meeting tonight (Monday, January 28, 2008) to hear what the ramifications of such an agreement could be. 7:00, at Broken Vessel Church on Dartmouth Avenue.

BNA Goals and Objectives

The Bessemer Neighborhood Association meets regularly to pursue our mission of improving the quality of life in Bessemer. Our goals and objectives are constantly being revised.

Our current goals include:

• Increase our active membership.



• Fight urban blight and work to beautify our community.



• Develop programs and activities which give our youth alternatives to life in the streets.



• Work in conjunction with elected officials and law enforcement to reduce crime throughout our community.



• Improve educational opportunities for all ages.

We are in the process of developing specific objectives to help meet these goals. One specific objective we have discussed is identifying dilapidated structures within our community and working with the city to tear down those structures which are beyond repair and rehab those which can be saved and made an asset to the community.

Carrying this objective one step further, we are targeting the old apartment building on 19th Street South between Clarendon and Dartmouth Avenue. This building has for years been an eyesore, and recently has become a danger and has been declared a public health threat. Removing this building will lift the spirits of the people of the south side of Bessemer, as they will not be looking at that piece of residential blight any longer.

This old building has become a symbol of "old Bessemer" to the people of the community. This is what visitors see as they drive along 19th street, one of the busiest streets in the neighborhood. The Bessemer Neighborhood Association says there is a "renewed" Bessemer coming, and this building is not going to be a part of it.