BlockWorks
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- Last Updated on Thursday, 27 October 2011 09:52
Community Pride: BlockWorks!
Months ago, our Community Appearance Commission conceived a groundbreaking project. Take nominations from neighborhoods for the block most in need of a makeover. Have an impartial committee select the neediest block. Gather volunteers and improve the block: trim vegetation, replace porch rails, paint, plant. The improvements could serve as inspiration to the rest of the neighborhood.
The committee named the project, BlockWorks.
Four or five neighborhoods submitted applications. A selection was made. One neighborhood that was not selected decided to perform their own makeover, since the committee was not going to do it. Already BlockWorks had made a positive effect.
The City employee who serves as staff liaison to the committee, fortunately enough, is a landscape architect and an urban planner. Further, she is amazingly dedicated, even though she lives 35 miles away. She partnered with the United Way for volunteers. She divided the assigned area into various projects, and assigned project chairs to each individual project. She gathered tools, equipment, and even acquired a front-end loader on loan. She wrote grants and received more money than ever imagined.
At that point, the committee agreed with the selected neighborhood to expand the project from 1 block to 2.
Fortune smiled so much on this project, that the day selected by the committee, 22.October, turned out to be National Make a Difference Day. No one had realized it. Scads of citizens who called the United Way for recommendations as to how to make a difference, were referred to BlockWorks.
Yesterday was the long-awaited day. It dawned cool, sunny, and clear -- the perfect workday.
We had 90+ volunteers throughout the day.
The 2-block area included a small church in real need of maintenance, and about 9 homes.
We:
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Built picket fences, (8 of them, I think.), and painted them;
- Painted the church's fellowship building, erected a new awning above the door;
- Replaced the church's sign;
- Installed a wooden fence to hide the church's garbage cans;
- Installed pavers at the corner where pedestrians had worn the yard bare;
- Installed 15 or so landscaping beds and mulched them;
- Edged all the sidewalks and cleaned them, swept about 100 miles of concrete (or so it feels);
- Plowed up old bushes and planted new ones;
- Replaced porch railings on 2 houses;
- Pulled 10,000 weeds;
- Laughed, rubbed each others' shoulders, drank a lot of water;
- Cared for the neighbors' babies while they worked.
Many of the neighbors worked hard, too, including one church member who has only 1 arm. How’s that for humbling.
It was one of the best days of my life.
I was determined not to leave while anyone was still working. I left at 6pm and the neighborhood looks amazing. I am truly proud of this community.
Please take a few moments of your day and drive, slowly, down the 200 and 300 blocks of South Shaver Street to see the results for yourself. Not sure where it is? It's about a block and a half behind the big Post Office. If you happen upon a block where every home has a lovely little picket fence in front, you're there.
