Everyone's Opinion Newsletter

(Not an opinion)

It's been over a year since Everyone's Opinion Newsletter spoke with Altoona City Councilman Erik Cagle in February 2008, and now he shares his thoughts on his term and which direction he sees Altoona heading. As of now, Cagle feels optimistic about the direction of the city, citing the new website look, new volunteer programs, and a decline in crime.

In respect to the issue of crime and drugs in the city, Erik Cagle believes that Altoona is gaining headway in its fight against crime recently. "Crime is still on people's minds, but there's a sense that we are making headway and the city is becoming safer." In her annual police report, Chief Freeling noted that crime rates are decreasing. One group that is making a wonderfully positive impact is Operation Our Town.

While he and other Altoona officials combat the crime problem, Erik finds another disturbing detail within the city. The Neighborhood Gateway Project has no dedicated volunteers.

This project puts the focus on the gateways which define Altoona's appearance to visitors and commuters, by cleaning up blighted properties for free. "We [council members] dedicated some time to fixing up a blighted property, but no one has followed." Cagle is optimistic that groups like Habitat for Humanity and the newly formed Rail City Youth Committee may become a valuable asset in this effort.

As Erik Cagle points out, "the City of Altoona has so many more volunteer opportunities than people know," and The Rail City Youth Committee is yet another way young people ages 15-23 can get involved with volunteering for projects such as The Neighborhood Gateway Project.

Erik would eventually like to see the city manage a network of volunteers from groups like this to assist others, and train and develop new community leaders.

Councilman Cagle invites anyone who would be interested in helping the Rail City Youth Committee or The Neighborhood Gateway Project to contact Linda Rickens, City Clerk, at 949-2410.

With this task, Erik Cagle feels that making Altoona's website more user-friendly and resourceful is essential. "I would like our website to be more interactive than it is right now." He cites a volunteer section, as well as easy to use business application forms and other city forms which are currently hard to find.

"My goal," he said, "is that our site will be a great guide for potential students, visitors, and businesses. This includes the use of social networking."

Councilman Cagle reflects on past goals he set for himself. "I was glad when we finally rejoined the League of Cities, because we're learning new strategies as we go." Concerning the Rail City Youth Committee, he says, "I am proud of the headway we have made in laying the groundwork and getting ready to kick it off. It is going to be a great way to engage our youth and help connect them with their community. It will be kicked off this fall."

Cagle then adds one more item to his 'to-do' list. He would like to see the city conduct a Customer Service Survey to find out how business friendly Altoona really is - or isn't. Maybe this could be yet another volunteer opportunity?

Your Opinion

Approved by Erik Cagle - Everyone's Opinion Newsletter 2009

By: Jeff Neff