Rafe Buckner is a longstanding resident of the Northwest neighborhood. He recalls being a kid, when he said the neighborhood was extremely community-oriented, and he wants to keep that same feeling alive today.
Buckner remembers being able to feel the love everyone had for each other in the neighborhood, adding that most of the fun happened between the H.L. Neblett Community Center to the east and Kendall-Perkins Park to the west.
He said kids would also run to Moneta Sleet Jr. Park — or as it was known to the residents, “Red” park.
Young kids would walk through the neighborhood, young parents would push strollers, mothers would head over to the grocery store around the corner at the Foodland, and elders would spend their time in the mix of them all.
“But overall, the neighborhood was alive. There were definitely a lot more businesses on West 5th Street at the time. A lot more houses up there. So you just had a self-contained community,” Buckner said.
As time went on and he grew up, eventually Buckner left his childhood home on West 7th and moved to Nashville. He eventually made his way back to Owensboro in 2002.
When he arrived back home he was still adjusting to adulthood, but Buckner still noticed the neighborhood was changing from the place he once knew.
Buckner and some friends spent time walking through the neighborhood, reacquainting themselves with the things they missed. It didn’t take long for him to start to see the turning tide. Childhood elders were starting to pass on, but others started rising to the occasion.
“When you’re younger, you don’t really pay attention to that type of stuff, but I noticed people had this pride in the neighborhood,” he said.
Buckner said after a shootout at Motel 6, he and several members of the community wanted to dedicate time to helping keep positive energy in the community. In pursuit of that goal, they flipped the switch on the then-inactive Neighborhood Alliance.
After gathering people from throughout the neighborhood, the alliance has been on the ground doing work for the community.
“It’s a passion for just wanting better for us in the community, and for Owensboro overall,” Buckner said. “We just want to make sure folks don’t forget that we’re here.”
Many of the conversations that were had around that table 10 years ago are just now seeing the light of day. That includes talks about painting a mural along the Kendall-Perkins Park wall and getting free WiFi at the park.
Buckner said that along the way, there were doubts from others that either project would be beneficial or necessary — but he knew otherwise.
“When COVID hit, you saw the schools were scrambling to get Wi-Fi buses into these areas, but our kids could just go to the park,” Buckner said. “We were proud of that and it seemed like nothing major at the time, but what COVID showed was it’s a very important thing to get done.”
Buckner said their neighborhood alliance makes a dedicated effort to get community members involved each and every time they have a program.
“I think that’s how we keep people engaged. Some of the other alliances will pull me to the side and ask ‘Man, how do y’all get the turnout that y’all get?’” Buckner said. “We just try to do something.”
As chair of the alliance, Buckner hopes they never become stagnant. Through their events, the group creates a direct pipeline for communication with City officials.
Earning the engagement of the neighborhood turns into opportunities to hear from people about pressing issues within the area. Buckner sees that component of the neighborhood alliance as crucial to the development of the area.
Buckner’s ultimate goal is to cement the Northwest area as the unique spot that it is.
“There’s no place in Owensboro like the Northwest,” Buckner said.
Buckner also acknolwedged that the area is one of the most diverse in Owensobor, and wants to both celebrate that and find ways to meet all those needs.
“I don’t want a lot of people displaced. I would hope that we could come up with a plan to keep the diversity that’s here, and that we just improve the infrastructure that needs to be done to improve the area,” Buckner said.
Additionally, he hopes to find ways to bring more businesses — both small and large — to the Northwest area, adding that the “food desert” of the neighborhood is a detriment to the citizens.
He said the area has a lack of small businesses, clinics, grocery stores, and several other vital assets.
“Those types of things add value to the neighborhood and that’s what I hope to see in the future,” he said.
In the meantime, he said he will continue to spotlight the different successes and things that make Northwest great with hopes of further unifing the community from Parrish Avenue to the riverside.
