Editorial
Front Page - Friday, August 14, 2009
Neighborhood Partners improving one community at a time
Samara Litvack
The City of Chattanooga’s Neighborhood Partners Program was established to assist organizations in completing projects that affect their communities in a substantial, positive manner. Through a detailed application process, neighborhood associations and civic organizations within the city limits can apply for funding to complete such projects in one of three categories.
“What it does kind of varies depending on what the association’s needs are,” says Donna Deweese, project specialist with the program.
The first category, Neighborhood Development, is comprised of a number of possibilities, including, but not limited to: neighborhood identity programs, such as banner and community markers that identify the neighborhood; community- or neighborhood-based training programs and community building; activities like research and archiving that focus on neighborhood histories; projects that increase the membership and/or capacity of community and neighborhood organizations; adult or family literacy projects; career preparation programs; neighborhood directories, newsletters, brochures, meeting notices and signs; promotional T-shirts for first-time applicants; advertisements for neighborhood associations; and neighborhood association meeting supplies.
“I think the historic books are good examples of how people have captured the history of their neighborhoods and have shared them with the folks who live there,” says Beverly Johnson, department administrator.
With these books, members of the community do all the legwork to collect photos and information about their neighborhoods, with representatives from the program by their side every step of the way. Upon completion, Deweese says the groups are proud of their work, and proud to share what they have accomplished with members of their community.
“They have made donations to both the local history museum and the bicentennial library to have these books placed there, as well,” says Johnson.
The next category, Neighborhood Beautification, includes, but is not limited to: beautification and/or landscaping to improve the appearance of blighted areas and open spaces; neighborhood clean-ups and educational programs to enhance community pride and cleanliness; development of passive parks or community gardens, to be maintained by the neighborhood; and passive park furnishings, like concrete, benches and birdbaths.
One such project recently completed was a passive park built by the Hamilton Acres Neighborhood Association.
“They put a tremendous amount of work in what they did,” says Deweese. “They have a melting pot of people who live in their community. They have people from Latin America and from Russia and from China. So they got plants that were representative of those different areas and worked with our urban forester, who is on staff with the City, to figure out what would grow, what wouldn’t work so well, and they planted all of these plants.
“It’s just amazing and it’s become a community gathering place for people that live in that area.”
Johnson mentions another beautification project, completed on the Brainerd side of the Missionary Ridge Tunnels. Through collaboration with Neighborhood Services, Public Art and Parks and Recreation, a group of neighborhood associations (led by Alta Vista) worked together to create a passive park on land donated by the Tennessee Department of Transportation.
“You’ll see pieces of art that were donated through the Lyndhurst Foundation,” says Johnson. “We, meaning the Neighborhood Partners Program, provided funding to do the landscaping and some of the beautification work and the park benches and so forth.”
“We love to see partnerships like that,” says Deweese. “That’s very important in seeing a successful project.”
New to the program this year is the Neighborhood Tree Planting category. Applicants requesting this type of assistance must request a minimum of 10 trees, and the City’s urban forester must pre-approve all types of trees before they are planted. Recipients must obtain a warranty from the vendor of the trees, as the City will not provide one. Recipients are also held responsible for the trees’ care for a minimum of one year, and must secure the necessary permits, clearances and supporting documentation.
“We’re excited about being able to add that to our slate of offerings,” says Deweese.
“That is going to help us enhance the green canopy in our city.”
Applications are being accepted now through Friday, September 25, at 4:00 p.m. No exceptions will be made for late applications. Applicants must also attend a technical assistance workshop, on either Thursday, August 20, or Thursday, September 20, from 10 a.m. until noon or 6 p.m. till 8 p.m., on either day.
“In addition to the application, we actually have applicants come in and interview in front of the committee because a lot of times you don’t get the full thrust of the project just looking at it written down on paper,” says Deweese. “That gives the applicant an opportunity to embellish and really give the committee a good, solid idea of what the project’s about.”
This independent selection committee, made up of a cross-section of Chattanooga’s population, reviews the applications before the interviews begin. Typically, someone in the group is specifically familiar with beautification and planning, and can help guide the discussion.
“When the applicant comes and presents before the committee, it’s not like this is something they’re hearing for the first time,” says Johnson. “Plus, it allows them to have their questions already available for the applicant, mostly for clarification.”
Deweese adds that while the available funds for this year’s program is still unknown, approximately $85,000 was awarded in 2008. Even still, only one-third of last year’s applicants received funds. Since the limited funding for the projects comes from the City, Deweese assures that members of her department act as good stewards of taxpayer dollars.
“We don’t just give a neighborhood association or an organization a check for their project and say, ‘Have a nice life,’” she says. “We actually purchase the items on behalf of the organization and we monitor it very closely.”
Recipients also have to complete their projects in one year, says Johnson, and the program will not, under any circumstances, fund operating expenses.
“We don’t cover personnel expenses,” she says. “It’s strictly to benefit a neighborhood or community; it’s not to benefit an individual.”
For more information about the Neighborhood Partners Program, contact Deweese at 423-425-3718 or deweese_d@mail.chattanooga.gov.
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