STERLING – The city’s mayor said on Friday he hopes developing Sterling’s neighborhoods and creating a sense of community will improve the quality of life and reduce criminal activity in town.

“I believe that if we want to fight guns and drugs, make Sterling a better place to be, what we have to do is develop again the sense of neighborhood identity,” Mayor Skip Lee said.

Lee is inviting members of the church community to get involved in the neighborhood building effort. It’s part of an effort by the city and WeCAN, the Whiteside Community Action Network, which aims to use community resources to deal with and eradicate drugs and gangs countywide.