Apr 11, 2002 By Christine Haines 3 min read

BROWNSVILLE – Residents and business owners from Brownsville’s Southside are being asked to attend a meeting tonight at the First Christian Church on Second Street to discuss the renewal of the neighborhood. The Southside Renaissance committee, an offshoot of the Brownsville Area Revitalization Corporation, is hosting the meeting at 6:30 p.m.

Although the committee is newly formed, the Southside Renaissance really began 12 years ago when Mary Jean Cicconi purchased the old Thompson House on Water Street, which once served as a Jehovah’s Witness meeting hall. It is now called Wayside Manor.

“I bought the house in 1990. It took me three years to restore it. I opened in April 1993,” Cicconi said.

The stately old house was converted to a restaurant and specialty stores. It now contains a restaurant, tavern, bookstore, cultural center featuring live theater, a dress shop and a bath shop.

Cicconi is now actively involved with the Southside Renaissance, as is Ike Polacek, the owner of Elmo’s cyber caf? and computer store on Second Street and Fred Lapisardi, the owner of Geezer’s Bookstore and the 64 Crayons Cultural Center at Wayside Manor.

Polacek bought a closed synagogue on Second Street in 1996. Like Cicconi, it took him three years to renovate the old building, including restoring numerous stained glass windows.

“We both live there. We love the neighborhood,” Polacek said of his and Cicconi’s involvement with the Southside Renaissance and willingness to invest their time and money into renovating some of the historic buildings there.

Lapisardi’s involvement is more recent, stemming from a trip to Cicconi’s dry cleaners to have a pair of pants shortened. A casual conversation turned into a second career.

“I was planning to retire and I said I didn’t know what to do with all of my books. I was thinking of opening a bookstore. Mary Jean was thinking of a small room downstairs for me and I was thinking of taking over the entire third floor,” Lapisardi said.

From that conversation Geezers and the 64 Crayon Cultural Center were created.

“We’re looking at the Southside as a building block. We’re using this as a model. Instead of moaning and groaning about what’s happening downtown, we’re going around it,” Lapisardi said.

“We want to attract new businesses. We want to give people a reason to come to Brownsville,” Polacek said.

In addition to tonight’s community meeting, a neighborhood cleanup will be held on Saturday. Volunteers are asked to meet in the parking lot behind Elmo’s at 10 a.m. Bags, gloves and safety vests will be provided.

Cicconi said she would like to see Southside property owners get involved long-term by cleaning their properties, painting and planting flowers to make the neighborhood more attractive.