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Another article on Centennial Hill

Centennial Hill neighborhood 'can be great again'

By David Irvin
Montgomery Advertiser

Lorenza Patrick loves Centennial Hill. In fact, his heart races anytime someone starts talking about the neighborhood, he said. Above all, he wants the community that lives there to fight for it.

At an economic summit Saturday at Alabama State University, Patrick and many others spoke about the historic Centennial Hill neighborhood, which over the years has fallen into disarray, with vacant buildings lining the streets, homes slouching on their foundations and criminal activity stunting economic growth.

"We have to be prepared to fight this fight on an economic development level," said Patrick, who grew up in the neighborhood and now runs the Small Business Development Center at Alabama State University.

"Somebody is going to invest downtown, but they might not look like you. And they might not be from Montgomery, and they might not be from Alabama," he told a group of mostly black business people.

In response to the scourge of decay on the Hill, a group of residents and planners who say the neighborhood can thrive again brainstormed ideas Saturday morning with the goal of making their dream come true.

Rep. John Knight Jr., D-Montgomery, opened the summit by encouraging the attendees to take seriously the task of revitalizing the Hill. He said there is no reason Centennial Hill should not have comparable housing values to those found in the Cloverdale district.

"Decay has set in, but she can be great again," Knight said.

The key to making it happen, according to summit attendees, is to develop a plan to solve some of the social problems that repulse economic development.

"Today we have high crime. We have an environment that is not appealing," said Simuel Sippial, whose father started Sippial Electrical and Construction Co. in the Centennial Hill neighborhood.

An expert in real estate and property management, Sippial said, "the worst thing that I find that detracts people from going to a certain area is crime. In order to get people attracted back to this area, you've got to build something that's going to bring them back," he said.

Sippial wants to see a comprehensive plan that can be put into action, he said. He said he envisions a mixed-use Centennial Hill, replete with condos, traditional and old-style houses, and plenty of room for businesses.

The Montgomery Improvement Association, which hosted the summit, produced a pledge for attendees to sign.

Officials with the association intend to put all the ideas generated at the summit into motion early next year, when they develop work teams to look at business development, education, home ownership and church community developmen