The community meetings scheduled for tomorrow will help consultants develop a plan to revitalize the West 30s neighborhood in Covington.

Frank Saxton of the Northshore Community Foundation, which is funding the plan, said that the more community participation in developing the plan, the better.

The meetings are scheduled for tomorrow at the following times and sites: 9:30-10:30 a.m. at Greater Starlight Baptist Church, 521 W. 28th Ave., 11 a.m. to noon. Doughty Chapel Church, 623 N. Lee Road; and 1:30-2:30 p.m. Collins Boulevard Baptist Church, 1501 N. Collins Blvd. In addition, there will be an in-depth meeting Monday night from 6-8:30 p.m. at Faith Bible Church, 1148 N. Columbia St. explaining how to get more involved in the process.

Saxton said that the process began by awarding the project to a consultant team led by the Walker Collaborative of Memphis, which will conduct the study. For the past few months, the firm has collected data and pictures to prepare for the beginning meetings with the public. Saxton said the public meetings to be held Saturday are the beginning of the most important phase of the process.

He said that only the residents of the neighborhood know what is wrong, what is best about the neighborhood, what needs to be changed and generally how things work in the area. Therefore, their input is vital to the success of revitalizing the area.

The neighborhood is challenged by issues such as poverty, housing, crime and a lack of resources.

“Maximum public participation will ensure a better plan with no surprises for anyone,” Saxton said.

The $150,000 grant the NCF is using to develop the plan will not fund any projects that may be named in the plan.

However, Saxton said that once a plan is formulated, the NCF would help the area secure funding for implementing parts of the plan.

He said the plan is the key that will unlock other funding proposals for the area.

Thus far, data such as population, topography, flood zones, land use, wetlands, historical areas and current uses have been collected. Beginning this weekend, the public input phase will build on the raw data and provide the community’s input to devising the plan.

Saxton is hoping to receive information from the public that will help prioritize what needs to be done. In addition, he wants the community to make recommendations directly involving neighborhood issues and what should be done.

After the community meetings, community members and/or project leaders may even go from door to door to collect the opinions of area residents.

The workshop on Monday will touch upon subjects needed to get involved with the process up close and personal, such as roles of neighborhood members, the role of local government, planning in the area and smart growth, what characterizes a good community leader, what challenges the area faces and what opportunities are available for positive change.

Saxton said the plan is to provide a way for the community leaders to guide the consultants in the right direction.