Gregg Deneweth and Terri Bonfiglio trudged through the Sunday afternoon heat in their neighborhood, taping notices on doors as they passed.
“You belong to the Fort Wood neighborhood,” the fliers read.
They weren’t for the Victorian mansions deeper within the historic district, but for the smaller homes and duplexes along Central Avenue, Oak Street and O’Neal Street. In the coming weeks, and perhaps as soon as tonight, the neighborhood association will decide whether these houses, and a few others on the perimeter, will be disenfranchised in Fort Wood decisions and leadership.
“They think we’re second-class people,” Deneweth said of those who would support redefining the neighborhood. “I don’t think they like the look of this block.”
The disputed areas, which are not part of the Fort Wood Historical District, have been included in the Fort Wood Neighborhood Association since it was formed in 1981. A year earlier, the area was eyeing a federal grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development that would contribute $1.6 million to clean up the neighborhood.