ANTI-CRIME PROGRAM SEES CHANGE

DELRAY BEACH - One of the city's neediest areas will lose federal funding
from the Weed and Seed program, according to new guidelines for the
neighborhood improvement initiative.

But local officials say the new rules, which no longer allow for renewal of
a Weed and Seed site and encourage the creation of new locations, won't
affect the progress of the communities north and south of West Atlantic
Avenue. Weed and Seed is a Department of Justice community-based initiative
aimed toward weeding out crime and seeding social programs.

"We're not leaving where we're at," said Delray Beach Police Capt. Robert
Musco, explaining that his officers would continue their anti- drug efforts.

"We're committed to the communities we're already in."

The neighborhoods bordered by Lake Ida Road on the north, Linton Boulevard
on the south, Interstate 95 to the west and Swinton Avenue to the east,
comprise the current Weed and Seed area.

Cities apply for official recognition, then for federal money. Each year for
five years, Delray Beach gets $225,000 in federal money that is supplemented
with more than $1 million in grants and partnerships. Delray Beach received
its official recognition in 2000.

This year, Weed and Seed officials had planned on applying for a renewal of
the existing Weed and Seed area, as well as expanding it to include Osceola
Park, a community of about 2,000 people just west of Swinton Avenue and
south of Atlantic Avenue.

That was the plan until officials learned the federal government had changed
the rules. Now, instead of applying for an expansion of the site, Weed and
Seed coordinators must decide what new area most needs the Weed and Seed
program.

The designation not only brings money, but partnerships with federal law
enforcement agencies.

"This is a whole new playing field," said Sharon L'Herrou, program manager
for Delray Beach Weed and Seed. "We still have a little bit of time, but
this is a significant change in direction."

Joan LaRocca, spokeswoman for the federal Office of Justice Programs, said
the national Weed and Seed strategy emphasizes self-sustainability after
five years.

"In terms of the new guidelines, they are to provide opportunities for new
Weed and Seed sites to compete for funding," LaRocca said.

Historically, the national program has allowed for expansion to a new site
and renewal of existing sites, said Brenda Oakes, countywide Weed and Seed
coordinator.

"But you know all along that it's not a permanent source of funding," Oakes
said. "Any time you change the rules of the game, it's difficult for us to
adapt, but philosophically, that's the intent of Weed and Seed. I suspect
it's just a new policy to try to get sites to really focus on one area and
then see if it can sustain itself."

In the next few weeks, L'Herrou plans to meet with city officials to decide
whether Osceola Park will be the focus of the new program.

Though local officials said they realized the community should be able to
maintain its programs after five years, they hadn't anticipated losing Weed
and Seed recognition this quickly.

"We are looking at our funding ending next fall," L'Herrou said. "But no one
is willing to see our current Weed and Seed area deteriorate."

L'Herrou points to police statistics to show that the investment in the
community -- particularly the creation of the West Atlantic Avenue Task
Force police unit -- has paid off.

Drug-related arrests decreased by 37 percent from 2002 to 2003, according to
police records. The police task force will continue to patrol the area
regardless of the Weed and Seed designation, Musco said.

Delray Beach's current site should overcome the loss of recognition, Oakes
said.

"I don't think we'll see much of a difference in Delray, because the
commitment is already there," Oakes said. "I think what we're going to
probably see is the residents are going to need to step up to the plate and
be more of a voice."

L'Herrou and police say resident involvement wouldn't be a problem in
Osceola Park, where recently homeowners have increasingly attended meetings
to learn about crime prevention.

The Osceola Park area, once blighted, experienced a rebirth five years ago,
said Gail-Lee McDermott, president of the homeowners association. But in the
past six months, crime has crept back into the community, McDermott said.

"We thought most of our problems were over," she said. "Suddenly there was
an unfortunate rash of crime."

McDermott would like to see her neighborhood become part of a new Weed and
Seed area.

"Our hope is for closer police vigilance," she said. "We can no longer be
lax."