Members of the Weed and Seed committee are going to try to tackle six types of problems in Farrell and Sharon that were identified by local committees and addressed in a revitalization plan.

The Assistance Impact Delegation team came up with six areas -- public health and safety, economic development, education, housing, recreation and employment -- that must be improved to help rebuild areas of Farrell and Sharon served by the Weed and Seed program.

Weed and Seed is a state-funded program that boosts law enforcement in a targeted area to combat crime, especially drug trafficking, and then works to revitalize the area through development of jobs, transportation, a "safe haven" center for children, housing and community activism.

The public health and safety committee decided that in addition to general neighborhood safety measures, such as more street lights and stop signs, the community needs to deal with drug and alcohol problems and increase medical services in the target area.

The plan calls for community members to support the location of a detoxification treatment center in the target area along with a center to act as a safe haven and another to focus on recreation.

The committee also set a goal to foster better relations between residents and police, in part by having police walk the streets and familiarize themselves with the residents. Part of the plan is to garner funds to increase the size of the police force and to increase the number of minorities working as public safety personnel in the target area.

The education committee said a major concern for them is the inequity in money given to local schools by the state. The committee also said they want to improve relationships between the schools, families and community by establishing a community/school education committee and by re-establishing a parent-teacher association in the Sharon City and Farrell Area School Districts.

The plan also recommends development of literacy and cultural programs, culturally diverse and intergenerational opportunities and workshops and training for school personnel and community members to address cultural differences, racism and socio-economic barriers in the target area.

To improve economic development the plan calls for Farrell and Sharon to hire a community and business liaison to encourage the two communities to collaborate and to improve assistance for entrepreneurs trying to start small businesses.

The committee also said the two cities need to take a closer look at zoning to make the best use of land and to identify the owners of parcels of property that are in poor condition or could be better utilized.

The recreation committee said they found a "serious lack of land availability for recreational use" in Sharon and Farrell and a lack of supervision for recreational programs for youth.

The plan entails creating a recreation center in Farrell for all ages that has affordable memberships, is handicapped accessible and suitable for a variety of uses. The creation and promotion of "mini-parks" in neighborhoods as well as a city park and a well lighted walking path are part of the plan.

The education committee realized in their plan that there is a lack of transportation to potential employers and service providers, a lack of affordable day-care centers and loss of benefits for people who are between or without jobs.

The plan involves promoting ethnic and cultural diversity by employers in the target area, soliciting on-the-job training slots for people who lack marketable job skills and involving local ministers, church workers and volunteers to motivate the community to promote work ethics and positive values, especially in area youth.

The housing committee found a lack of safe, sanitary, affordable rental housing in the target areas as well as a lack of single-occupancy rooms, especially for men. The committee also said there are residents that fall into "program gaps" meaning they have a very real need but may not be eligible for any current programs.

The plan entails creating new services -- including housing rehabilitation programs and the demolition of unsafe, dangerous and unsightly houses -- and using existing services to eliminate blight and promote neighborhood beautification.

Another part of the housing committee's plan calls for a long-term home ownership program that consists of starting and strengthening relationships between mortgage lenders and residents of the target area.

You can e-mail Herald Staff Writer Kristen Garrett at kgarrett@sharonherald.com