Bayview's turnaround

Bayview Townhouses manager David Haas recalls that when he started at the low-income housing complex in the late 1970s, "it was the most troubled place in the city of Madison." Rape, murder and robbery were so prevalent that "I thought, 'What am I getting into?'" But, as Robert Reinke reports in his cover feature, Bayview managed to evict disruptive tenants while its nonprofit foundation survived a close call with bankruptcy and won court approval as a "benevolent institution." It assimilated more than 50 Hmong families, established a 3,200-square-foot community center and expanded its programming to include the launch of its Triangle Ethnic Festival. "What we try to do is showcase the cultures here and show that diversity is a good thing," explains Haas. "Normally, when you have such a potpourri of people, there are a lot of racial tensions, but it has been real good for our community." Haas is now executive director of the Bayview Foundation; this summer's 26th annual Triangle Ethnic Festival is scheduled for Aug. 15.