East Side Block Watch hosts picnic

Members of Lorain’s East Side Block Watch hosted their annual picnic in Century Park on July 30.

With the grill fired up for hot dogs and burgers along with a number of other tasty treats, volunteers and community activists were able to enjoy the sun while celebrating the success of the group’s collaboration and coordination at the Block Watch’s annual picnic.

The watch started more than a decade ago in an effort to empower residents through sharing and exchanging information about ongoing

issues in the area, said coordinator JR Lee, who praised city officials in their willingness to collaborate and listen to their concerns.

“We came together to see what we could do to improve our community,” Lee said. “The mayor and the safety service director as well as Lori Garcia have been great to work with.”

The picnic had a decent turnout, which also featured members of the Lorain County Sheriff’s Office with two cruisers on hand to offer support, in addition

to Beth Henley, a long-time member of the group who is currently running for Lorain City Council in Ward 1.

Lee added the group has been working for the past six years on improving Century Park. There are also plans to pursue funding for future projects to improve Longfellow Park at 1850 Cleveland Boulevard.

The Block Watch holds meetings on the third Tuesday of each month at Longfellow Middle School located at 305 Louisiana Ave. Lee added that the group is actively seeking new members and said the picnic is an opportunity to reach out to members of the community.