The State Journal-Register
Even longtime critics say MacArthur Park Apartments has turned a corner after years of neglect that left many of the units unliveable and the complex with a reputation as a hot spot for crime.
“It’s been quite a transition,” said Ward 7 Ald. Joe McMenamin. The apartments in the 2100 block of South MacArthur Boulevard are in McMenamin’s ward.
More than two years after the city of Springfield took the unusual step of obtaining a search warrant to inspect the complex, 60 percent of 184 apartments are occupied. Hundreds of building code and safety violations were found after city inspectors executed the search warrant in the summer of 2011. Apartments were boarded up as uninhabitable. The Springfield Housing Authority suspended Section 8, low-income rental assistance.
Apartment owner Granite Investment Co., based in Granite City, settled with the city last November. The agreement included more than $57,000 in fines and a commitment to complete repairs by March 1, 2013. In May, the city pronounced the terms met and granted certificates of occupancy for remaining apartments.
McMenamin was among city government, neighborhood, church and business representatives who pushed hard to reverse years of decline at MacArthur Park. Work remains, said McMenamin. But he noted that police calls are down from the old days, and new on-premises management has tightened tenant screening.
“I do drive through there regularly,” said McMenamin. “There has been significant improvement.” Section 8 rental assistance remains suspended, he said, adding that the number of apartments designated Section 8-eligible is down to eight from more than 60 prior to the start of the improvements.
Outreach center
The MacArthur Boulevard Association took on the issue soon after the not-for-profit neighborhood-business group was formed in 2007. In the past few weeks, the association collected hundreds of books to stock a Family Outreach Center, scheduled to open later this month in a larger apartment near the management office. South Side Christian Church, just across the boulevard from the apartments, donated bookshelves.
“There are 31 school-age children in the apartments,” said association president Jen Dillman. “They can go there to read, do homework and play games.” An introductory family night is scheduled for 5:30 to 7 Tuesday. Vachel Lindsay Elementary School also is involved. Assistant principal Donna Jefferson said the school is expanding its outreach to families of school-age children in MacArthur Park, including weekly tutoring and homework sessions.
Jefferson said principal Joby Crum is working on plans for on-site registration of MacArthur Park students next fall. A health fair and healthy eating program also is planned.
Still watchful
The outreach center not only has more space, it will be easy to monitor, said Sharon Helms, property manager at MacArthur Park. She lives in the complex with her 7-year-old daughter. “It’s right next to the (manager’s) office,” Helms said. “I’ll be able to keep a close eye on it, and I can help the kids.”
Apartment inspections continue about every three months, said Bill Logan, executive assistant to Mayor Mike Houston. He said the mayor’s office has asked for monthly reports from the police department, and that that calls typically have not been as serious as in the past.
Dillman said she considers it a good sign that a roomful of books was donated for the new outreach center, including teachers who donated old textbooks. South Side Christian Church provided sorting space.
Troubled past
The MacArthur Park Apartments opened in the 2700 block of South MacArthur Boulevard with 188 apartments in about 1966, according to State Journal-Register archives. After repair of hundreds of building code violations in the past year, the complex has 184 units. About 60 percent are occupied, according to the apartment management.
***In the interest of space this article has been edited from the original.
Joe McMenamin for Ward 7 