The West Scranton Hyde Park Neighborhood Watch is still waiting for IRS approval of its nonprofit status so it has a better shot at obtaining state grants to improve the community.
During a neighborhood watch meeting Thursday, watch President Karin Foster said a committee has been meeting every other week since December to work on the application to the state's Elm Street Program, which helps revitalize older neighborhoods throughout the state.
One of the big items the West Scranton Hyde Park's Elm Street Committee has discussed is creating the five required committees and establishing a chairman in each. Three of those committees - neighbors and economy; clean, safe and green; and sustainable organizations - are all areas the watch focuses on. The other two committees under the Elm Street Program are design, and image and identity.
"The group does a lot of this work already, and it will be a more formal version of a lot of the work that we do," said Elm Street Committee co-chairman Tom Borthwick.
Mrs. Foster said the Elm Street footprint would extend from the 500 block of North Main Avenue to the 500 block of South Main Avenue and about seven blocks wide.
Also at the meeting, watch member Mike Toye said the watch's bicycle tours of West Side will begin again on Sunday, March 10, at 6 p.m. at the Jackson Street skate park.
There will also be a meeting on Monday, March 11, at 6 p.m. in Scranton Police Headquarters in the roll call room for groups interested in starting a neighborhood watch, Mrs. Foster said.
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