St. Joseph Coummunity Health and Safety Fair in Patee Park area later this month

By MATT PIKE

The St. Joseph Police and Fire Departments along with health officials and other city departments are continuing their efforts to improve areas of the city later this month.  

The City of St. Joseph will again hold a Community Health and Safety Fair on Saturday, October 24th from 4am to 2pm at Patee Park.  The event is designed for residents living in the Patee Park neighborhood, bounded by South Ninth to South 18th streets between Messanie Street and Mitchell Avenue.  The fair brings together city staff from the police, fire, health, and planning and community development departments with other local partners to provide resources, education, and neighborhood support.

With the event occurring just a week before Halloween, the organizations attending will have trick-or-treating for kids at their tables.  Other activities and services at the fair will include.

1. Dumpsters for area residents to use during neighborhood cleanup efforts. No hazardous materials will be accepted.
2. Free smoke detectors and batteries distributed by the St. Joseph Fire Department through donations from Home Depot and Shelter Insurance’s Matt Cathey and John Anderson.
3. Information and resources provided by the Health Department.
4. Free pet microchips and other items from Animal Services.
5. Information on zoning, historic areas, rental programs, dangerous buildings, Community Development Block Grant programs, building permits and business licenses.
6. Information and resources from local agencies.
7. Bounce houses and games for children.

The Community Health and Safety Fair is intended to strengthen relationships between residents and city staff in a non-enforcement setting. This is the City’s third health and safety fair following similar events held last fall in the College Hill Park neighborhood and this summer at John Lucas Park.  City officials use various data points, along with mapping tools that identify neighborhoods that may benefit from these concentrated improvement efforts.

You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.