2019 IPL Project GreenSpaces Selected

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact: 
Ashley Haynes
Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, Inc.

ahaynes@kibi.org

c: 317-793-2871

IPL Project GreenSpace Recipients Selected for Transformation in 2019 by Keep Indianapolis Beautiful
Neighborhood diversity, building community, and need underscore upcoming greenspace

INDIANAPOLIS — (September 25, 2018) Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, Inc. (KIB) announces three new community greenspace projects awarded as part of KIB’s IPL Project GreenSpace program for 2019. KIB reviewed over 11 applications from active community groups wanting to transform vacant areas into useful places for their neighborhood and our city. Three applications were selected for 2019 GreenSpace projects.

In partnership with Indianapolis Power & Light Company (IPL) and the City of Indianapolis, KIB has helped neighborhoods, schools, churches, and other community-based organizations create pocket parks and other greenspaces since 1995. These spaces focus on connecting people to nature and creating a sense of place rooted in local identity.

The following organizations and spaces have been selected as 2018 project partners:

• The Learning Tree GreenSpace (Project location: 3150 N. Clifton Street, 46208) — Located north west Indianapolis, The Learning Tree GreenSpace will transform the already well-traveled path and grassy area at the I-65-Clifton Street overpass into a beautiful, vibrant corridor filled with community art, perennial flowers, and shade trees. The neighborhood hopes to upgrade the current overpass lighting to energy efficient lighting and install a shelter for IndyGo bus riders. Clifton Street is a main thoroughfare the neighborhood – the community plans to create a space that is inviting, beautiful, and tells the story of the area to all who pass by on foot, bike, or car.

• Capital City Church of Christ GreenSpace (Project location: 8925 E. 42nd Street, 46226) — Visible to neighbors who commute by foot, bike and car, the new IPL Project GreenSpace at 42nd and Post Road will be a serenity park and garden for neighbors to sit, relax, and create art on chalkboard-topped tables. Local artists and neighborhood children will add murals to the building that frames the space. Capital City Church of Christ has operated at this location for 20 years and hopes to create a space open to the entire community – including the nearby apartment complexes and those use the bus route. There is little greenspace in the surrounding area, making the additional of native perennials and trees a comfortable, inviting, and beautiful space to gather and host community events.

• Gethsemane Lutheran Church GreenSpace (Project Location: 6810 E. 10th Street, 46219) — Located on six acres, adjacent to two large apartment complexes (Crestwood Village East and Charleston Apartments), the Gethsemane Lutheran Church community hopes to ecologically steward their grounds and make them an inviting space for the neighboring community. The new greenspace will include wildflowers, native perennials, and grasses, walking paths and benches. Plans for the space also include removing the invasive overgrowth along the neighboring creek to reveal a view of the water and discourage illegal dumping.

The new class of project partners attended a kick-off orientation at KIB on Wednesday, September 19 and will begin the design process for their spaces on Wednesday, October 10, 2018 at the KIB offices (1029 E. Fletcher Ave.).
KIB would like to thank the City and community development and design professionals and KIB donors who assisted in project selection for 2019. The IPL Project GreenSpace program is made possible by the support of our title sponsor, Indianapolis Power & Light Company, as well as other generous supporters, including the City of Indianapolis. For more information on KIB’s IPL Project GreenSpace, please visit www.kibi.org/ipl-project-greenspace.

About Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, Inc. (KIB)
Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, Inc. is a private, nonprofit organization with a mission to engage diverse communities to create vibrant public places, helping people and nature thrive. Annually, KIB works with nearly 20,000 volunteers on nearly 900 community projects. To learn more, visit www.kibi.org, or follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook at @kibiorg.
 
###