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More Greenspace and Gardens Success

None of the these projects would have happened without the dedication and hard work of hundreds of volunteers who plan and plant to help KIB and these neighborhood organizations beautify our city. Thank you all very much.

Indianapolis Housing Agency's Clean and Green Project:
IHA's four senior communities took part in a program called "Clean and Green,"
sponsored by Energy Systems Group (ESG).  Volunteers from IHA and ESG
helped plant flowers and shrubs, weed, prune, and mulch their grounds.
The difference that was made is wonderful, and has helped re-energize
residents to care for their community!

West Indianapolis Development Corporation:  WIDC has partnered with KIB over the past several years on a dozen projects to create a cluster of improvements in their area.  In 2003, WIDC partnered with KIB to landscape a playground and beautified two new IndyGo bus stops on West Morris Street.  In 2004, we landscaped homes for Habitat for Humanity, and also WIDC’s new food pantry.  What an amazing difference this landscaping has made! Thanks to Christy Van Horn of Claire Bennett Associates for her design assistance.

For 2005 we updated and repaired existing landscaping along West Morris Street on all of our previous projects. We also landscaped new housing for up to 33 young adults aging out of the foster care system, provided in four duplexes in the 1800 block of West Morris Street. The project, Fostering Independence, is a partnership with the Mary Rigg Neighborhood Center who will provide participants with life skills training, counseling, and job training. The project is part of the City of Indianapolis’ Blueprint to End Homelessness. KIB provided design and landscape materials for this project. WIDC and KIB provided the volunteers for the planting. The Federal Home Loan Bank of Indianapolis through 5/3 Bank, the City of Indianapolis, and the WIDC Board of Directors provided funding for the construction of the homes. KIB provided funding for the plant material through the Project 180º program.

Footlite Musicals Hedback Theater:  Footlite Musicals Hedback Theater, near historic Old Northside, Herron-Morton Place, and Mapleton-Fall Creek, is undergoing restoration of its buildings and grounds.  Clean-up, seeding, pruning, and some planting took place in 2002 by volunteers through donated materials.  In 2003, volunteers have added pavers, concrete planters, trees, shrubs, and more perennials, as designed by a landscape architect.  In 2004, low retaining walls and landscaping were added along the edge of the parking lot.

Friends of Historic Fountain Square:  Thirty tall sedum plants were planted in the existing concrete planters in the medians on Calvary Street between Fletcher and Virginia Avenues. 

Woodruff Place Civic League:  After a very smooth 2002 project, Woodruff Place continued beautification of their esplanades.  They planted 200 flats of flowers in urns and gardens located throughout their neighborhood. 

Grace Tuxedo Park Neighborhood Organization:  Grace Tuxedo planted 30 flats of flowers in planters purchased in previous Project 180 projects.  These planters are located throughout the neighborhood.  They will also be giving away 800 bulbs to neighborhood residents.

Denny Street Block Club:  This unique project, called “Flags and Flowers,” provided each house on the 100 block of North Denny Street with red, white, and blue annual flowers, and a flag was installed at each house.  Neighbors, the American Legion, firefighters, and police were part of this volunteer day which took place on Flag Day (June 14).

Butler Tarkington Neighborhood Association:  BTNA created a community vegetable garden on Unitarian Universalist Church property. The National Bank of Indianapolis sponsored the project. BTNA Community Concerns Committee chair Ron Reichel spearheaded the effort, knocking on doors and putting fliers out encouraging people who had an interest to get involved. Today, the garden is beautiful, bearing much fruit, and there is a waiting list to be a part of the garden.

Riley Area Development Corporation:  With the help of over 30 motivated volunteers, the beds along Massachusetts Ave were replanted and mulch in preparation for summer on May 17.  All of the beds are full of the colors of various annuals and perennials for those passing by to enjoy.

Rocky Ripple Community Association:  This year, Rocky Ripple (RR) has continued to add to its park and community garden efforts with boulders, new trees, benches and the like.  RR has a very successful history of working with KIB and continues to do great things in their neighborhood.  In 2004, KIB helped RR finish their park pavilion, and grade and landscape more of the park.

Eastern Ave. Block Club:  The Eastern Avenue Block Club continued its work that began in 2002 through Project 180º.  This very inspiring project--one that has brought neighbors together and taught kids the value of keeping their community clean—took some more steps toward completion this past spring.  A fence was put up to preserve the plantings, and volunteers came to help plant more flowers, mulch and weed the garden.

Concord Community Development Corporation:  Concord CDC landscaped 4 rehabbed homes by planting shrubs, perennials, and bulbs.  Thank you to the United Way’s Day of Caring volunteers from St. Thomas Aquinas for their help on this project!  Concord will also be planting flowers and vegetables in their “Learning Garden” at 1300 S. Illinois St. This garden allowed youth and elderly community members to work together and learn from each other. 

St. Thomas Aquinas students pose in front of the
rehabilitated house that they helped landscape with
Concord Community Development Corporation.

Hoosier Veterans Assistance Foundation:  In May of 2004, KIB landscaped the entrances to 6 transitional houses for formerly homeless veterans. In addition, we built a vegetable garden for fun and therapy for the residents, and built three landscaped sitting areas, one quiet, one semi-active, and one active, for the residents to relax and socialize.

Habitat for Humanity:  In 2001, KIB helped Habitat celebrate their 25th Anniversary by landscaping 25 existing homes in the United North West Area where Habitat built 25 new homes. In 2004, KIB landscaped 3 homes in May as a warm up for the 23 homes we landscaped in the fall. Landscape design, done by KIB staff, took into account environmental factors (sun and wind) to lower the new homeowner’s utility bills as well as beautify the streetscape. Human factors (children and cars for example) were also taken into account in the placement of the plant material to create a sustainable, beautiful landscape.

St. John the Forerunner Church:  KIB helped this church’s members plant the design by long-term partner Cory Gliege of Tru North Landscaping to improve the entrance to and to screen their parking lot from the houses next door.

Indiana Women’s Prison:  The supervisor of education for the Outdoor Learning Center had applied to KIB for some landscaping and tree planting, and maybe for a greenhouse. In the spirit of teaching a person to fish rather than giving a fish, KIB provided the materials for a greenhouse. The building trade class within the prison has designed and will build the greenhouse on their grounds.

Stop 11 Median Planting:  This was a first ever cooperative, pre-planned, median construction and planting and adoption project. The 2006 project took place April 2006. Five new medians were built on Stop 11 Road in 2005, and through the coordination of Mike Speedy, City County Councilor, all parties, public, including Mayor Nannette Tunget, the City of Southport, private, and not-for-profit, worked together to beautify and add an environmental benefit to this corridor. Twenty-four trees and three large perennial flower beds were planted on these five new medians, with the plan to add other landscaping in the future. Median adopters are maintaining the trees and landscaping.

 

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