By Etta Walsh
Correspondent
CHICOPEE – Curtis Price didn’t waste any time in addressing complaints about Westover Job Corps students, the subject of complaints by Fairview residents for rowdy, disruptive behavior when off campus.
Price, who formerly worked at Job Corps centers in Penobscot, Maine, Centerville, Utah, and Gary, Texas – the largest Job Corps center in the country – became interim director of the Westover center in early February.
One of his first actions was to get in his car and drive up and down James Street, visiting Fariview businesses and asking owners what they wanted him to do to address neighborhood complaints.
“I did a lot of listening,” said Price, who became full-time director of the center in March. “I wanted to hear the issues from their point of view. One of the business owners was nice enough to go with me in my car and show me areas of concern.”
He added, “Sometimes, you just have to hear the brutal truth. It provides an opportunity for us to make some changes.”
Neighbors complained
In February, nearly 200 Fairview residents turned out for a neighborhood meeting with city officials, complaining that Job Corps students congregate in public parks to drink, smoke marijuana and deface public property. Some children had bicycles and music players stolen by Job Corps students, they said.
Ward 9 City Councilor Ronald Belair said neighbors complained about “overall disrespect” from Job Corps students when they are off campus. The center has 550 students, aged 16 through 24.
Top Job Corps officials recruited him to address those concerns, Price said.
“That had been a point of emphasis,” he said. “They wanted me to concentrate on improving the relationship with the community.”
Price said he has had several meetings with city officials and community representatives, resulting in some new policies being instituted at the center, including:
• A 10 p.m. weekday curfew for students has been scaled back to 8 p.m.;
• Job Corps security vehicles patrol the neighborhood surrounding the Westover Road center;
• More bus trips have been scheduled for students, to bring them to retail and recreation centers, reducing their need to walk to neighborhood venues and congregate there in numbers;
• Meetings of the center’s Community Relations Council have been increased from every three months to every month;
• On-campus recreation activities for students have been increased; and
• Job Corps officials instituted a quicker response time to neighborhood complaints.
“The students didn’t like the negative press,” Price said. “They want to be good neighbors.”
So far, the changes seem to be working, he said.
“I have found the community to have concerns, but also be responsive to the changes we have made, and are making, here,” he said, adding that community feedback to the changes has been “encouraging.”
Community projects
A recent Job Corps cleanup of Prescott Park on Access Road brought out some neighbors who pitched in, he said. One neighbor even took photos of the event, which he shared with the center, Price said.
Belair “has been very involved” in working with the center, to address neighborhood concerns, Price said, as have been other community representatives.
Price said that while Job Corps has traditionally contributed volunteer labor to numerous municipal and community projects, the pace has been stepped up in recent weeks. Students have “adopted” nearby James Street and conducted a cleanup there, as well as at neighboring Selser Elementary School, the center’s next-door neighbor.
“We’re out there every Saturday, doing some community project, big or small,” he said.
The center has also instituted a “respect initiative” for students, emphasizing self-respect, respect for others and the community, and a focus on the future, said Price, a former head basketball coach at West Virginia State College.
“It’s our behavior when we are in the community that’s the problem,” he said. “It’s how we carry and respect ourselves. That is key.”
Healthy choices
“We want to help them make healthy choices,” he said of students. “There’s nothing like seeing young people come in and grow. To have that opportunity is a blessing.”
“Job Corps is a microcosm of society,” said John Arthur, the center’s business and community liaison. “We have many good kids here.”
Some students didn’t like the new, tougher Job Corps policies and have left the program, Price said.
“We let some students go who didn’t adhere to those policies,” he said. “I had visited here several times and saw how much the students wanted a change. You have to give them a chance to perform. Those who don’t want to, this isn’t the place for them.”
Price said Job Corps will continue to emphasize good community relations with students.
“We don’t see an end to this process,” he said. “It’s an ongoing effort.”
He added, “I have the best job in the world. The students inspire me and challenge me. There is such a difference in when students come in and when they leave. They’re not the same – and they shouldn’t be.”
