Mayor Jim Suttle with 2011 Neighborhood Grants Award Recipients
May 9, 2011 – Omaha Mayor Jim Suttle, Kristi Wamstad-Evans, Omaha’s Sustainability Coordinator; Leilah Kelly and Michelle Roy, with the Ford Birthsite Neighborhood Association presented 26 grant awards to Neighborhood programs throughout the city today.
The grants were presented at the Hands to Harvest Community Garden, a joint project between the Leavenworth and Ford Birthsite Neighborhood Associations, by Mayor Suttle at an afternoon ceremony.
All over the city, neighborhoods are finding ways to solve the challenges unique to their own backyards. “Neighbors know what is best for their neighborhood,” said Mayor Suttle. “That’s why I want to continue to develop the Mayor’s Neighborhood Grants program, to give our citizens the tools they need to improve their communities.”
Since 2002, the Mayor’s Neighborhood Grants Program has helped Omaha residents make their communities safer, more enjoyable places to live, work, and raise a family. Last year, in keeping with his promise to make Omaha more environmentally friendly, Mayor Suttle added a green improvement category to the grant program. The Hands to Harvest Community Garden is a beautiful model of sustainable, urban agriculture that brings our citizens to together and builds connections between neighbors.
The Neighborhood Grants program funds projects in two categories: neighborhood green improvements, like community gardens, tree plantings, and landscape design; and public safety projects, like citizen patrols. This year, neighborhood associations could’ve applied for up to $5,000 in either or both categories.
The competition was tough. The City received 42 applications from associations across the city, but due to budget constraints only 26 of the outstanding projects were funded. Nineteen awards are for green improvement projects, and seven are for crime prevention projects totaling $80,000.
Mayor Suttle thanked every neighborhood association for its interest in this important program, and for always working hard to improve not only the area where you live, but the entire city of Omaha.
The Neighborhood Green Improvement Category awards:
Aksarben/Elmwood Park Neighborhood Association — $5,000 for Schroder/Vogel park improvements.
Belvedere Point Neighborhood Association — $615 for a flower garden on 30th and Belvedere Blvd.
Benson-Ames Alliance — $4,788 for prairie grass restoration in Benson and Fontenelle Parks.
City Sprouts — $4,550 to develop a community garden in Orchard Hill.
The Omaha Downtown Improvement District — $4,200 for tree and planter flowers at 16th & Douglas.
Dundee/Memorial Park Neighborhood Association — $1,115 to develop a community orchard in Memorial Park.
Fairacres Homeowners’ Association — $2,847 to plant trees and install a walking path on Fairacres Island.
Fountain Hills Pacific Meadows Homeowners’ Association — $5,000 to install park equipment at Pacific Meadows Park.
Gifford Park Neighborhood Association — $4,200 for the Gifford Park Community Garden and the Teen Market Garden, and $800 for safety lighting in Gifford Park.
Hanscom Park Neighborhood Association — $5,000 to develop a dog park in Hanscom Park.
Joslyn Castle Neighborhood Association — $2,525 to install a bus stop and trash receptacles at 40th and Cuming.
Midtown Neighborhood Alliance — $5,000 to plant 100 new trees in Midtown Omaha.
Morton Meadows Neighborhood Association — $3,500 to install an LED streetlight on Twin Ridge Boulevard.
North Downtown Alliance — $5,000 to add trees and planters to North Downtown.
Park East Neighborhood Association — $1,835 to add a tetherball pole and replace existing lights at Park East Park.
Ridgefield Neighborhood Park Foundation — $3,500 to replace walking path and enhance green space in Ridgefield Park.
Roanoke Neighborhood Association — $936 to install park benches at Roanoke City Park.
Spring Lake Neighborhood Association — $2,100 to install a picnic table at Spring Lake Park.
Wyman Heights Neighborhood Association — $1,375 to berm and landscape the bus turnaround at 31st and Ferry.
The Neighborhood Crime Prevention Category awards:
Clairmont Heights Neighborhood Association — $2,970 to outfit the Clairmont Heights citizen patrol with flashlights, digital radios, and uniforms.
Ford Birthsite Neighborhood Association — $4,000 to develop a dog park in Hanscom Park in collaboration with the Hanscom Park Neighborhood Association.
Leavenworth Neighborhood Association — $2,425 to outfit the Leavenworth Neighborhood citizen patrol with a digital radio and police scanner.
Miller Park Minne Lusa Neighborhood Association — $2,507 to fund annual crime prevention events in the Miller Park Minne Lusa neighborhood.
Montclair West & Kingswood Neighborhood Association — $2,345 to outfit the Montclair West & Kingswood citizen patrol with a digital radio and uniforms.
Willow Wood Neighborhood Association — $1,827 to outfit the Willow Wood citizen patrol with a digital radio.
