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INDIANAPOLIS – (June 20, 2007) – On Saturday
June 23, Keep Indianapolis Beautiful Inc. (KIB), Indianapolis
Power & Light Company (IPL), and the neighborhood of RMS10 will hold a
dedication ceremony at noon for Paige Booker Park. Volunteers
will come together to put the finishing touches on this multi-phased
project, by assembling the final playground pieces, and assembling benches,
and planters. The project will conclude with the dedication ceremony and
lunch.
The park, located on 858 North Parker Avenue, was created to
celebrate the young life of Paige Booker, an infant who died of a heart
defect when she was just seven weeks old.
Deb and Chris Banfield, Paige Booker’s grandparents, saw the need for
community greenspace, and, as the owners of the land where the park now
stands, donated the land to the neighborhood through the coordination of the
Mayor’s Neighborhood Liaison, Katy Brett.
The donated land was previously a rental property. Upon being evicted the
renters burned down the property, leaving it a flooded mess and community
eyesore.
Like Phoenix rising, Paige Booker Park will now be ringed with trees that
serve to celebrate the nobility of life. To gather the community together,
there is a vine covered picnic shelter with cooking facilities. Local art
and flagstone paths are also attributes of the park, along with a playground
area to serve area youth and remind visitors of the young life in which the
park is celebrated.
The process of transforming the lot has created a catalyst for community
change for this Eastside neighborhood which has been previously challenged
with a reputation for high crime. No area in the city has been plagued with
more police runs.
Neighborhood leader, Eric Scott believes that this will now change.
“This project has mobilized our community,” says Scott. “Residents who
previous felt isolated now feel a sense of community by working together for
a common goal and, in the process, are getting to know each other. We have
learned that when we work together, we can accomplish anything. We know this
is just the beginning of positive change for this area."
Indeed, the results of this project have been immediate and far reaching.
The neighborhood has now added eleven new Operation My Town/Adopt-a-Block
Coordinators---leaders who take responsibility for keeping their blocks
clean of litter and illegal dumping, with motivators such as free trees and
flowers for the block. The neighborhood also has a goal to plant 500 more
trees over the next 10 years.
KIB president, David Forsell, agrees that this park might just spur larger
changes for the Eastside. “Studies show that trees and greenspace in urban
areas are directly correlated with lower levels of fear, fewer incivilities,
and less violent and aggressive behavior,” says Forsell. “Communities with
greenspace know their neighbors better, socialize with them more often, have
stronger feelings of community, and feel safer and better adjusted than do
residents of areas with little or no greenspace.”
Indianapolis Power & Light Company (IPL) sponsors
IPL
Project Greenspace, a program which enables KIB to partner with
neighborhoods to eliminate adverse environment conditions and turn their
neighborhoods into communities in which they can take pride. Each year,
through IPL Project Greenspace, KIB works with more than 30 neighborhood
organizations on community improvement projects. Those include planting
trees, creating community gardens, and building pocket parks. Groups apply
to KIB for assistance.
Many other partners came together to help to make this project a success,
including the City of Indianapolis, Indianapolis Neighborhood Housing
Partnership, Tiffany’s Lawn and Garden Center, Bobcat of Indiana, and Tuttle
Nursery.
Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, Inc. is a private, non-profit organization that
unites people to beautify the city, improve its environment, and foster
pride in the community. # # #
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