A very Happy Thanksgiving Day to all those who celebrate this Traditional Holiday!
Eat big or go home hungry my Grandfather always used to say.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Sunday, November 22, 2009
A Happy Thanksgiving Dinner Enjoyed By All
The Karis Church Group once again blessed Paquin Tower and it's residents with a huge Thanksgiving Dinner on Nov 19 2009.
There was so much food and nobody who attended went hungry and some were even taking left overs home with them.
It really was a great time and there was music to listen to and alot of great conversation as well.
Thank you once again Karis Community Church for the blessing you bestowed upon the residents of Paquin Tower.
There was so much food and nobody who attended went hungry and some were even taking left overs home with them.
It really was a great time and there was music to listen to and alot of great conversation as well.
Thank you once again Karis Community Church for the blessing you bestowed upon the residents of Paquin Tower.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Paquin Tower Community Garden coming revovation
Well not much is going on with the Community Garden behind Paquin Tower except planning for it's coming renovation that has been on the 5 year plan of Columbia P & R.
The coming renovation includes:
All new build raised assessable Garden beds. The old beds are wore out and falling a part rather badly.
A new area for Perennial only Garden spot. ( this is so the raised beds can be for vegetables and non Perennials )
New concrete to be poured around all of the new raised Garden beds.( we have gravel now that when wet wheel chairs sink down into and users have had to call for help in getting unstuck from. )
Old trees to be removed that are not in line with future development and new trees to be planted.
Extensive tree trimming of other trees.
Removal of current stairs that can be a slip or fall hazard. This will result in users having to use the walk way that is in place for wheel chair access.
Installation of chain link fence and a locked gate at the top of the accessible walk way so that all non gardeners can be kept out of the garden area.
Possible installation of a second hose bib at the back end of the garden area so users do not have to drag so much hose the entire length of the garden area.
There will be more but that is the primary list for the coming renovation of this small community garden area that was put in place for the disabled residents of Paquin Tower. That is just for the garden as the Park itself is due some much needed cosmetics to.
The coming renovation includes:
All new build raised assessable Garden beds. The old beds are wore out and falling a part rather badly.
A new area for Perennial only Garden spot. ( this is so the raised beds can be for vegetables and non Perennials )
New concrete to be poured around all of the new raised Garden beds.( we have gravel now that when wet wheel chairs sink down into and users have had to call for help in getting unstuck from. )
Old trees to be removed that are not in line with future development and new trees to be planted.
Extensive tree trimming of other trees.
Removal of current stairs that can be a slip or fall hazard. This will result in users having to use the walk way that is in place for wheel chair access.
Installation of chain link fence and a locked gate at the top of the accessible walk way so that all non gardeners can be kept out of the garden area.
Possible installation of a second hose bib at the back end of the garden area so users do not have to drag so much hose the entire length of the garden area.
There will be more but that is the primary list for the coming renovation of this small community garden area that was put in place for the disabled residents of Paquin Tower. That is just for the garden as the Park itself is due some much needed cosmetics to.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Attack at Walmart was racially motivated, police say
First off we know these two from them living here at Paquin Tower. James is the young guy with the small White fuzzy puppy named Molly. On with the story.
Source and More:
http://www.columbiamissourian.com/stories/2009/11/02/chaotic-attack-walmart-racially-motivated-police-say/
You can read the rest of the story at the Source Link provided.
Now is my time here to play Devil's Advocate and ask some rather pointed questions:
1: If these two really were or are racists by nature how come they were hanging around with,partying with,running gang banging with African American's in our building?
What made him and his brother so racist on that occasion to prompt them doing what they are accused of. What brought it on and so violently?
2: James came out of a Rehab Center here in Columbia straight up into Paquin Tower and was basically left to his own devices once again by the Agency that was supposed to be helping him. Subsequently he relapsed back into Drugs and or Alcohol,tried to commit suicide at least once and was not in a daily treatment program that I am aware of.
Why was there almost if no follow up by the Agency that was supposed to help James in all of his issues? Why no daily intervention? Why no daily recovery classes,work shops nor groups mandated that he attend?
3: The last information I had was that James's mom was his legal Guardian/Conservator over all of his financial needs and such.
If the above is still correct why didn't his parents do what they needed to do and put him into a Group Home environment until he could get his major issues worked through?
4: I had heard James's brother was up here in Columbia with him to help him take his meds and basically help him over all.
If this is and was the case obviously somebody's experiment failed miserably by what we now see here.
5: Where was CHA's Resident Services in all of this working side by side with the Agency that was supposed to be helping James with his many issues?
I ask all of these questions of not only you the readership of this blog but of those of you involved with the Agency(s) that helped put James into Paquin Tower and was supposed to or should have been supervising his Recovery Process alot closer than you obviously were.
I am also asking this of all concerned and involved CHA Management Staff as well.
Somebody dropped the ball somewhere and I think the residents of Paquin Tower and this entire community deserve some honest answers since now Paquin Tower has caught another bad looking case reputation in the local news outlets.
As a resident of Paquin Tower I am disgusted at how Paquin Tower has been allowed to become a "Dumping Ground" for the local Mental Health Agencies who often times leave their clients to their own devices with little to no daily intervention after they come out of group homes or drug and alcohol treatment centers or even fresh off the streets from being homeless with Mental Issues that need daily intervention.
As a standing member of the Columbia Housing Resident Advisory Board (R.A.B.) I am appalled this is allowed by the Columbia Housing Authority Board of Directors to continue and Policies have not been looked into to change current standing policy.
As a Disabled with a Mental Illness since birth citizen of this nation I am in shock that the Columbia Housing Authority allows this type of thing to continue to go on month after month and year after year with no talk of looking deeper at this main issue of Paquin Tower being used as a literal dumping ground by local Mental Health Agencies with no Master Plan of Mandated Daily Recovery Plans/Treatment Policies in place to ensure that these Agency's Clients are working on a Honest Recovery Plan.
In not doing any of the above IMHO not only are these local Mental Health Agencies failing their Mission Statements but they are if we can go so far as knowingly putting other Disabled Citizens in possible instances of danger or hardships they do not deserve as a whole with in the Paquin Tower Community.
I can also say in all honesty that CHA as a whole is failing it's own Mission Statement in not protecting all of the rights of it's residents in making sure that these residents being dumped or warehoused if you will at Paquin Tower by these local Mental Health Agencies are not in some form of Mandated Treatment Program and that accountability is not being enforced nor even thought about.
What is Paquin Tower and what has it become from long ago? Is it a community development for Independent Living as it should be or has it become a convenient facility for all of the local Mental Heath Agencies to warehouse and to dump their clients into and leave them to their own devices all the while expecting great results in the obvious process of their recovery needs.
We have clients of these local Mental Health Agencies that are chronically relapsing back into Drugs and or Alcohol and or refuse to stay on their medications they are prescribed. We have residents that are involved with these Agencies that cannot hardly take care of themselves day to day. Is this the way these local Mental Health Agencies look after the Health and Welfare of their clients? If it is I am one disgusted Disabled individual!!
I have alot of love,sympathy and empathy for my fellow Disabled citizen but I do have lines I do not go past nor things I do not tolerate and this is one of those subjects that crosses those personal and ethical boundaries in my life that I will not tolerate for very long with out speaking up about it.
I was once told if I do not like it then I could move but that is not how issues and policies get worked out for the betterment of all potentially involved. You stand your ground and you fight for what you know is right and you stand your ground until your final dying breath if need be to get other concerned residents, citizens, community leaders,politicians and others involved to create that change that is needed so our home here at Paquin Tower can be the best it can be and deserves to be.
If you are a resident or citizen in this community have any problems at all with current CHA Policies you can write formal letters of concern and address them to the Columbia Housing Authority's Board of Directors at Switzler Street so your concerns will be known or you can take go to any meeting (if you are a resident of CHA) of the Columbia Housing Resident Advisory Board Meeting held each month in the Paquin Tower dining room and you can call the CHA Switzler Office for the date and time of these meetings and you can also bring up your concerns at your CHA Resident association Meetings held at the respective CHA Housing Developments once a month. Once again call the Switzler main office for date,time and details.
Only working together can we get policies and issues changed for the better but you must be willing to stand up and push for those changes.
If you do not speak up how will anybody know of your concerns involving CHA Policies and how they effect each and every one of us who live at Paquin Tower and under CHA Management.
Source and More:
http://www.columbiamissourian.com/stories/2009/11/02/chaotic-attack-walmart-racially-motivated-police-say/
Two brothers were arrested Thursday afternoon after an attack in which Columbia police say one brother, motivated by race, tried to run over three adults and four children in the Walmart parking lot at 3001 W. Broadway.
James Robert Pezold, 25, and his younger brother, Michael Garrett Pezold, 20, face a string of charges for crimes police say were committed before, during and after the incident at Walmart. Both men are from O'Fallon, but police say they were living in Paquin Tower recently.
You can read the rest of the story at the Source Link provided.
Now is my time here to play Devil's Advocate and ask some rather pointed questions:
1: If these two really were or are racists by nature how come they were hanging around with,partying with,running gang banging with African American's in our building?
What made him and his brother so racist on that occasion to prompt them doing what they are accused of. What brought it on and so violently?
2: James came out of a Rehab Center here in Columbia straight up into Paquin Tower and was basically left to his own devices once again by the Agency that was supposed to be helping him. Subsequently he relapsed back into Drugs and or Alcohol,tried to commit suicide at least once and was not in a daily treatment program that I am aware of.
Why was there almost if no follow up by the Agency that was supposed to help James in all of his issues? Why no daily intervention? Why no daily recovery classes,work shops nor groups mandated that he attend?
3: The last information I had was that James's mom was his legal Guardian/Conservator over all of his financial needs and such.
If the above is still correct why didn't his parents do what they needed to do and put him into a Group Home environment until he could get his major issues worked through?
4: I had heard James's brother was up here in Columbia with him to help him take his meds and basically help him over all.
If this is and was the case obviously somebody's experiment failed miserably by what we now see here.
5: Where was CHA's Resident Services in all of this working side by side with the Agency that was supposed to be helping James with his many issues?
I ask all of these questions of not only you the readership of this blog but of those of you involved with the Agency(s) that helped put James into Paquin Tower and was supposed to or should have been supervising his Recovery Process alot closer than you obviously were.
I am also asking this of all concerned and involved CHA Management Staff as well.
Somebody dropped the ball somewhere and I think the residents of Paquin Tower and this entire community deserve some honest answers since now Paquin Tower has caught another bad looking case reputation in the local news outlets.
As a resident of Paquin Tower I am disgusted at how Paquin Tower has been allowed to become a "Dumping Ground" for the local Mental Health Agencies who often times leave their clients to their own devices with little to no daily intervention after they come out of group homes or drug and alcohol treatment centers or even fresh off the streets from being homeless with Mental Issues that need daily intervention.
As a standing member of the Columbia Housing Resident Advisory Board (R.A.B.) I am appalled this is allowed by the Columbia Housing Authority Board of Directors to continue and Policies have not been looked into to change current standing policy.
As a Disabled with a Mental Illness since birth citizen of this nation I am in shock that the Columbia Housing Authority allows this type of thing to continue to go on month after month and year after year with no talk of looking deeper at this main issue of Paquin Tower being used as a literal dumping ground by local Mental Health Agencies with no Master Plan of Mandated Daily Recovery Plans/Treatment Policies in place to ensure that these Agency's Clients are working on a Honest Recovery Plan.
In not doing any of the above IMHO not only are these local Mental Health Agencies failing their Mission Statements but they are if we can go so far as knowingly putting other Disabled Citizens in possible instances of danger or hardships they do not deserve as a whole with in the Paquin Tower Community.
I can also say in all honesty that CHA as a whole is failing it's own Mission Statement in not protecting all of the rights of it's residents in making sure that these residents being dumped or warehoused if you will at Paquin Tower by these local Mental Health Agencies are not in some form of Mandated Treatment Program and that accountability is not being enforced nor even thought about.
What is Paquin Tower and what has it become from long ago? Is it a community development for Independent Living as it should be or has it become a convenient facility for all of the local Mental Heath Agencies to warehouse and to dump their clients into and leave them to their own devices all the while expecting great results in the obvious process of their recovery needs.
We have clients of these local Mental Health Agencies that are chronically relapsing back into Drugs and or Alcohol and or refuse to stay on their medications they are prescribed. We have residents that are involved with these Agencies that cannot hardly take care of themselves day to day. Is this the way these local Mental Health Agencies look after the Health and Welfare of their clients? If it is I am one disgusted Disabled individual!!
I have alot of love,sympathy and empathy for my fellow Disabled citizen but I do have lines I do not go past nor things I do not tolerate and this is one of those subjects that crosses those personal and ethical boundaries in my life that I will not tolerate for very long with out speaking up about it.
I was once told if I do not like it then I could move but that is not how issues and policies get worked out for the betterment of all potentially involved. You stand your ground and you fight for what you know is right and you stand your ground until your final dying breath if need be to get other concerned residents, citizens, community leaders,politicians and others involved to create that change that is needed so our home here at Paquin Tower can be the best it can be and deserves to be.
If you are a resident or citizen in this community have any problems at all with current CHA Policies you can write formal letters of concern and address them to the Columbia Housing Authority's Board of Directors at Switzler Street so your concerns will be known or you can take go to any meeting (if you are a resident of CHA) of the Columbia Housing Resident Advisory Board Meeting held each month in the Paquin Tower dining room and you can call the CHA Switzler Office for the date and time of these meetings and you can also bring up your concerns at your CHA Resident association Meetings held at the respective CHA Housing Developments once a month. Once again call the Switzler main office for date,time and details.
Only working together can we get policies and issues changed for the better but you must be willing to stand up and push for those changes.
If you do not speak up how will anybody know of your concerns involving CHA Policies and how they effect each and every one of us who live at Paquin Tower and under CHA Management.
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