Program plans for Head Start in a reluctant neighborhood

By Timothy Pratt

Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2002 | 9:07 a.m.

Meeting

The Economic Opportunity Board, a community development nonprofit agency, will hold a public meeting today from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the West Charleston Library, 6301 W. Charleston Blvd. The meeting will be on plans to build a HeadStart program at the corner of Lindell Road and Edna Avenue and other programs.

The project, sponsored by the Economic Opportunity Board, a Las Vegas nonprofit, has residents concerned that the preschool program would cause problems ranging from increased traffic to an influx of low-income families.

The project's opponents voiced their opposition at an Aug. 21 County Commission meeting, where the Head Start program received unanimous approval from the seven-member board.

"The people said they were upset about traffic and kids running wild. We explained that traffic studies showed there would be no negative impact, that the kids were supervised," said Angela Quinn, administrator for the nonprofit's housing and development department.

"Then when you heard them talk a little more at length, it was clear their concern was about poor people moving into their neighborhood.

"But what they didn't realize is that they're already there -- the poor people are their neighbors."

Commissioner Yvonne Atkinson Gates, whose district includes many of the families that would be served by the project, said the reaction of those opposed to it is because of a lack of contact between the mostly white, middle-class homeowners and their mostly Hispanic, low-income neighbors.

"These people haven't branched out and gotten to know their neighbors yet," she said.

"So I think it's good that this has come up because it will allow these people to find out more about their own neighborhood and integrate more with other people."

Ron Hall, the project's architect, said the opposition is a case of the not-in-my-back-yard syndrome.

"Everybody's worried about their own back yard," he said. "But these people live there. Aren't we supposed to help our neighbors?"

Construction would be started in Decemberat the corner of Lindell Road and Edna Avenue, near Decatur Boulevard and Sahara Avenue. It would take about six months to finish.

It would cost up to $4 million to build and about $500,000 annually to run, most of which would be federal dollars.

It will be built on the same site as a Boys and Girls Club that serves children 5 years old and up and would serve about 250 preschool children. It would employ 63 people.

Quinn said she had never seen opposition to Head Start programs in other parts of the Las Vegas Valley, 17 of which EOB runs.

"This certainly caught me by surprise," she said.

She hopes tonight's meeting helps clear the air.

"When people see what Head Start is really about, I think the community will get behind it -- though we may never convince a small group that is against it," she said.