Letter to the editor: Is there a future for Kent’s historic places?

When Roger Di Paolo and I presented a proposal to Kent City Council six years ago to codify the section of Kent’s South End as a local historic neighborhood, and later during the street sign installation, we were proud of the city. It appeared that maybe finally the city recognized the value of this 180 area year old “multicultural rail road community”  often tagged as the “flats” which was the industrial section of Kent where European immigrants and African Americans were permitted to live a century ago. Most worked at the Atlantic & Great Western Rail Yard founded by Marvin Kent.

The Historic South End community has made great contributions to the city, and its residents have risen above marginalization and stigmas from over a century ago to achieve exceptional accomplishments. However, we continued to get resistance to substantial development and investment in the area.