City staff hit the bricks with a major task Wednesday after officials asked them to come up with five ways to improve livability in Edmonton’s Chinatown area.

The city’s executive committee met Wednesday morning to discuss the impoverished area and hear a new report on proposed action strategies to transform the south Chinatown community.

McCauley resident Geogina Fiddler — who has worked in the area nearly a decade — took the podium to express her disappointment with the recent report.

“There’s nothing new or inspirational about this report,” she said.

“We should feel inspired…we don’t.”

She says community members were frustrated with the lack of effort to include resident’s suggestions, and with the constant focus on eliminating homelessness as a solution.

“We do not need homelessness to cease to exist in order to foster a successful community,” she said.

“Enhancing a service ghetto does not create a healthy neighbourhood.”

But the long-standing issue of centralized homelessness here in Edmonton is not a battle that can be won with a swift blade, said Mayor Stephen Mandel.

“Is it possible to get all of the homeless off of the streets in the blink of an eye, or the twitch of a nose,” he asked.

“No, but it is possible that there is other help we can give them.”

After a passionate debate, Mandel — along with the rest of the committee — sent administration packing with a unanimous vote dictating they return with their top-five strategies to improve the area’s livability.

“We’ve been working on this for so long, maybe we need to focus on a few things,” said Mandel, before suggesting admin work directly with Fiddler on the five strategies.

“What are things we can do quickly that can be in the name of change?”

Some of Mandel’s suggestions included tearing down derelict homes in a more timely fashion and dealing with business’ acting inappropriately along the stretch.

“Safety and security comes first,” he said.

“We need to get some action.”

Listed in the report were 40 possible ideas for improving the area’s livability, all still in the conceptual stage.

One suggestion was to renovate the 97 Street bridge, which Great Neighbourhoods director Stephane Labonne says could spur development in south Chinatown.

“The vision is to open up the bridge to connect to Chinatown, the north-end business revitalization zone, Grant MacEwan and possibly the LRT,” said Labonne.

“It’s an important piece of infrastructure that could benefit the area.”

Admin is slated to report back to the committee later in September with their top five priority projects.

angelique.rodrigues@sunmedia.ca

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