Parkridge West

Neighborhood Improvement Program Grant Proposal

Project Description

The first portion of the project is to install a stone neighborhood sign at the corner of 9th Ave and Lashley. The sign will proudly identify the neighborhood and increase property values.

The second portion of the project will be to clean up the roughly four acre area East of the bike path, North of 9th Ave to the conjunction of the East, West bike path and the railroad tracks. The clean up will consist of thinning trees and brush in the flood retention area so that it will work as designed instead of holding standing water for mosquitoes.

Clear lower limbs of trees, down fall, and broken limbs to clear out congestion that limits visibility. Thinning this area out will improve public safety, reduce crime, and create a more aesthetic recreational path for area residents. No large healthy trees will be removed due to prevailing consensus of local residents.

Six of the smaller trees will be transplanted to an area just West of Lashley along the canal and bike path that run from Mountain View to Lashley. The larger trees will be groomed no higher than twelve foot above ground level to maintain the natural light blockage formed by the trees that block light from the bowling alley from shining into the windows of homes that stand along the bike path.

The clean up, trimming, and transplanting will be the basics of future NIP Grant request from this neighborhood to eventually create pocket parks and bird sanctuaries along this bike path.

How the neighborhood was involved in choosing this project:

Ideas for grant proposals were solicited in the May, 2004 neighborhood meeting. Several ideas were developed into rough plans that were discussed at neighborhood meetings for the following two months.

A vote was taken during the August neighborhood meeting that selected the top three ideas. Those ideas were then developed and a grant proposal committee was formed to develop the grant proposals. Due to the amount of work involved and the impact on all residents, the committee was restructured into sub committees that would deal with all the details of each sub project like the sign, the clean up, and the pocket park design.

Throughout the entire process, meeting minutes and neighborhood group flyers were delivered monthly inviting comments, suggestions, and issues be submitted to the Park Ridge West Neighborhood group leader Lonnie Gontier or the Assistant group leader Karen Murphy.

All issues were addressed and resolved at neighborhood group meetings in June and July of 2004. The deadline for grant proposal ideas was the September neighborhood meeting. Grant proposal ideas will still be considered for projects in 2005 and 2006.

Neighborhood meetings average about twelve members that are different each time. Flyers go to each resident of the neighborhood once each month. All information is also available on the group web site.

How this project will benefit our neighborhood:

The neighborhood sign will proudly identify the neighborhood with a nice low maintenance stone sign. It will increase participation in the neighborhood organization. The sign should go a long way toward enhancing neighborhood identity and aid in increasing or maintaining property values at a favorable level.

The area clean up project is the most popular project among neighborhood members because most believe it will improve public safety by clearing away debris and dangerous broken branches. Clearing away ground clutter and unkempt vegetation should allow the flood holding area to function properly and drain the standing water that is now a haven for mosquitoes. By thinning the brush and lower limbs of trees, the visibility will be increased, which should aid in reducing crime.

Clean up of these areas will allow future development to include park benches, bird houses, and dog stations that will increase the aesthetics of the area. Hopefully one day this bike path will be a very nice, safe, and appealing area to walk and enjoy nature within the neighborhood.