PROGRAM NEEDS TO PURSUE GREATER REFORM

Nonprofit, tax-exempt status may provide Greenville's Weed and Seed program
the fresh start recent reports show it needs. But unless the group
addresses problems of accountability, organization, communication and
direction it may never fulfill its promise as a crime-fighting force in
west Greenville.

The Weed and Seed program was certified and funded by the federal
government in 1997 to reduce crime and build pride in west Greenville
neighborhoods. It lost certification last year after the U.S. Attorney's
Office that oversees the group found a multitude of failings in the
program's administration.

A Justice Department review of Greenville's Weed and Seed found the 14
deficiencies in the group's application. The review scored the program
unsatisfactorily in all four categories evaluated. A June report indicated
the group's 17-member steering committee did not communicate effectively,
did not understand its duties and was too narrowly focused. More recently
it found that the group did not use its allotted funding each year since
1997, failing to spend thousands of dollars.

Greenville's Weed and Seed group is part of the city's parks and recreation
department, which receives the federal funds and approves funding requests.
Steering committee members cast blame on that department for some of the
group's problems, namely its unspent funds. They also accuse the city of
failing to dedicate itself to the program's success.

Those charges indicate a lack of trust and an abundance of bad feelings
which must be overcome if the program is to operate effectively. A strong
partnership with city government is crucial to Weed and Seed's success. The
root of these problems should be identified and a workable relationship
established. Tax-exempt status will not address this important flaw within
the current set-up.

Nor will that status automatically repair the program's other problems.
Justice Department expectations that accompany the federal grant money
provide a proven framework for achieving the goals of the Weed and Seed
program.

Greenville's program has been unable to meet those guidelines
satisfactorily. It has problems with accountability and vision, which have
muted its effort to root out crime and restore strong, safe and vibrant
neighborhoods. Its members have not communicated to each other their hopes
and goals for the program and they have failed to develop effective
strategies for helping the citizens of west Greenville.

It will take more than nonprofit status to rectify those issues.

In cities across the nation, the federal Weed and Seed program has helped
to reduce crime and rebuild neighborhoods. Greenville wants the same for
the area Weed and Seed targets locally. If those involved in the program
hope to make it effective here, they need to build a strong working
relationship with the city and improve the accountability, direction and
communication problems that have hindered their progress.