David Caldwell Jr. - Rogers Road Battles (clip)

Blanche Brown (BB): So, what do you see as the next steps as far as trying to work with the companies who are sort of threatening the Rogers Road community?

David Caldwell Jr. (DC): Oh gosh, we got so many battles going on. For Rogers Road, we’re looking at a mitigation. There’s a mitigation committee that we’re working with. One thing they did agree with is that, ‘Oh we gave you, You’ve got sidewalks, you’ve got street lights.’ Yeah, we got it, but it’s 20 years down the road, so do you really feel like you’ve done what you’re supposed to do when you said you’re supposed to do it, even in a timely manner? So they’ve set up a group, a board that’s gonna look at everything, and look at mainly the remaining sewer for the people that don’t have it, and recreation facility or facilities, a community center, something that’s a little more modern that what we have here. Not that it is not a beautiful place, just the history of it.

BB: Yeah, how long have-? So, this house was built in the 40s?

DC: In the 40s. We’ve been here since 2011, so not long at all.

BB: Is it a part of the original houses developed on Rogers Road?

DC: Yeah, this is the Rogers home. When you come to the old house on the top of the hill, that’s the Lloyd-Hogans-Rogers house built in the 1840s.

BB: Woah.

DC: Yes, we were able to–St. Paul’s has the property, and we’re trying to figure out a way to save the house. So through some communication and some compassion, St. Paul’s is gonna give us the house. And we’re in the process, one of the things we’re talking about is moving the house. And we’ve gotten Habitat, and I think they’re going to work out a way of If we can pull everything together, then they’re going to give us a lot to put the house on. And then we’ll have to get the money to refurbish and get it ready, and get a computer library and library to put in it.

BB: Oh, that would be amazing.