Pair works to make neighborhood better

Bill and Bell Ellis say Charleston Farms was a quiet residential neighborhood when they bought their home nearly 40 years ago.

But over the years, drugs, prostitution and other crime crept into the once family-friendly section of North Charleston, Bell said.

But the Ellises decided they weren't going to flee like some of their neighbors. Instead, they're working to restore the neighborhood to the safe place it once was.

"We're trying to bring it back to a good place to live, a place with no

problems," Bill said.

Bill has been the president of the Charleston Farms Neighborhood Association for the past 10 years.

Bell has been the treasurer for the past three years.

But Bill said he and his wife really share all the work.

"It's always a team effort," he said.

And it's a lot of work.

About 100 families are members of the association, which organizes social activities for members and coordinates efforts to improve the neighborhood.

One of the association's biggest successes came in 2004, Bill said. That's when, with the help of city leaders, the association was instrumental in changing the neighborhood's zoning.

The change meant that no new multi-unit buildings or mobile home parks could be built in Charleston Farms, only single-family homes.

Bill said he understands that many people need rental housing, but renters already occupy more than half of the properties in Charleston Farms.

And absentee landlords own many of them, Bell added.

The Ellises think that increasing the percentage of homeowners will have a positive impact on the neighborhood.

The zoning change is proving good for the neighborhood, Bill said. Already, three pockets of new single-family homes have sprung up close to the Charleston Farms Community Center, he said.

Paul Fish is the North Charleston coordinator for Weed and Seed, a federal program that tries to weed out violent crime, drugs and gangs from neighborhoods and plant the seeds for a better quality of life.

He said the Ellises found and set up all the neighbor- hood projects for the United Way Day of Caring earlier this month.

At that event, about 300 students from the Naval Nuclear Power Training Command school in Goose Creek volunteered to invest several hours in Charleston Farms.

The students, neighborhood volunteers, local businesses and churches painted and pressure-washed houses, trimmed yards and cleared vacant lots.

The volunteers also gathered more than 500 bags of waste, Bill said.

"It was just a total blessing," he added.

Fish said that Bill motivates people.

"Bill gets a lot of people interested in what's going on in Charleston Farms by speaking up about Charleston Farms," Fish said. "He's the front cheerleader for Charleston Farms."

Bell said that in the future, she'd like to see establishments where illegal activities take place leave the neighborhood. And she'd like to work toward bringing a park to the neighborhood.

"There's nowhere for kids to play now," she said.

She and her husband plan to be part of the next steps in improving the neighborhood.

"We've been here so long. This is home," Bell said.

Reach Diane Knich at 937-5491 or dknich@postandcourier.com.