Ever since Mercer County Housing Authority announced it was considering tearing down Steel City Terrace, Farrell, and rebuilding it, residents have questioned and, at times, criticized the plans.

According to Rhonda Brandon, opposition is not likely to go away.

Ms. Brandon is executive director of Manchester Citizens Corp., which undertook a project in Pittsburgh similar to what is planned in Farrell.

She said residents complained about losing their homes, plans for the new buildings, mandatory classes and new responsibilities foisted upon them.

But MCC, which partnered with the City of Pittsburgh Housing Authority and Falbo-Pennrose Joint Venture, Pittsburgh, didn’t respond by closing ranks and moving on without resident input. Instead, it incorporated residents into every aspect of the planning, she said.

"If you live there and need to be responsible for it, you need to have input in it," she said.

Residents worked with architects, visited other sites built by Falbo-Pennrose and influenced the content of the life skills classes they were required to attend.

Developers also made a blanket statement that any residents who were moved elsewhere during construction and wanted to live in one of the newly built units would be able to do so, said Duane Hampton, property manager for Pennrose Properties Inc., which manages the buildings.

In some cases, residents had to wait for a number of years. There were 50 families impacted by demolition who wanted to stay in Manchester, and only 20 units were built in the first construction phase.

"They were patient," Ms. Brandon said. "Some people had to move twice. They kept their eyes on the prize -- a new house."

Denise Dean, MCC office manager, took the brunt of resident rage because she lived among them. But residents came around, she said.

"Once the units were completed, the people were eager to participate," she said.

Mercer County Housing Authority Executive Director L. DeWitt Boosel said resident involvement is "vital" for the Farrell project and he wants to build a consensus not only with residents but the community.

Steel City Terrace Resident Council is being asked to approve key measures, and residents not on the council and non-residents can make an impact by speaking at public meetings.

"The more participation, the more people who understand the Hope 6 project, the better it will be," Boosel said.

Authority staffers are constantly learning things and being forced to look at issues in new ways because of resident ideas, he said.

Steel City resident Gwendolyn Johnson said there still are residents who have not participated in planning activities, and some have the attitude that the authority will do what it wants.

She also said she fears the change might be too abrupt for some residents.

"I wonder if Farrell’s going to be ready for this," she said. "If they’re not ready for a change they’re not going to do anything."

Boosel said the authority is trying to get as much information out as possible so people can make informed suggestions and decisions.

Even though key issues are yet to be resolved, Ms. Brandon told residents the end result will be a better community.

"You want to do things and it takes so, so long," she said. "Please, take advantage of this. It’s your last chance."