A Cal State San Bernardino professor has launched an effort to bridge the gap between residents on the east and west sides of town.
Sondra Doe, an assistant professor in the Department of Social Work, received a $500 grant from the university for her project.

Her long-range goal is to find residents, politicians, business leaders and others who would set up a community development corporation to tackle problems on the west end, a predominantly low-income area.

Doe is organizing a series of monthly town-hall meetings as a way to bring residents together to talk about issues in an informal setting.

"In Highland, we have a significant number of low-income people,' said Doe, who lives in East Highlands Ranch. "My concern is, as a very young city, we need to do long-range planning so we will have a mechanism to balance the growth, so we don't end up creating a place with lots of high-income people and very poor people.'

Doe wants to create a diverse grass-roots group that will focus on helping people on the west end in areas such as housing, education, job training and access to social services.

The nonprofit organization, which will be run by a board of directors, "can go in many directions,' Doe said. "It will be people in the city coming forward and deciding what needs to be done.'

About 20 residents attended a meeting at City Hall last month to discuss concerns, including the need for more parks, recreation amenities, restaurants and retail opportunities. The next meeting has not been scheduled.

Councilman Steve Graves said the council is addressing the issues brought up at last month's gathering.

"These are things that we are working on this year that are part of our work program,' said Graves.

Some west side residents think the city has long ignored their needs.

"The city of Highland doesn't have an interest in this part of the city,' said Jesus Segovia, 59, who is married with two teenage daughters.

Segovia said he has been waiting years for the city to put in sidewalks, stop signs and crosswalks in his neighborhood. He also wants more police patrols and improved code enforcement.

"We need to make changes,' said Segovia, who lives on Fourth Street near Del Rosa Drive.

Mayor Ray Rucker said he agreed with Segovia's concerns.

He suggested using some of the city's reserves to install curbs and sidewalks and repair streets.

"If you just clean the street up, it seems to brighten the neighborhood,' Rucker said.

He also proposed better enforcement of laws that require people to keep their properties in decent shape.

Rucker said the construction of a park on Central Avenue this year will provide opportunities for children throughout the city to come together and play baseball on new Little League fields. Two other parks one in west Highland, the other in east Highland are expected to be built in the next year.

Rucker said the area's economy will improve as the city embarks on a program to attract businesses and create jobs around the San Bernardino International Airport.

Fixing up the west side is "something we've been trying to do forever,' Rucker said. "There won't be any quick fix.'