Vagim on rejuvenating neighborhoods
Large-scale “Running Horse” projects should be privately financed. The city didn’t ask the right questions about the viability of that project. But City Hall got the answers it was eager to hear and ignored the tough questions.
As to rejuvenating aging and ailing neighborhoods – Some homes, unique in character, when fixed up become gems to a neighborhood. Too often these structures have been ignored and left to suffer demolition by neglect. The refurbishing of existing housing stock can do more for the community than new construction. Fresno’s history of tearing down incredible buildings instead of seeking re-adaptive uses is a practice I do not and will not condone.
Right out of high school I got my first taste of civic participation and preservation when I joined my father on the “Save the Courthouse Committee.” That experience taught me the value of standing up and fighting for preservation. Sadly, it also taught me what it means to lose a very valuable and historic resource.