Making Communities Greener, One Street at a Time
Community members participate at "Green Street" volunteer event in Barrio Logan
SAN DIEGO, Calif. —
What:
San Diego Redevelopment Agency partners with Urban Corps of San Diego County for community service event in Barrio Logan. Event is part of the Green Street Community Enhancement Program
Who:
Redevelopment Agency of the City of San Diego; Urban Corps of San Diego County; San Diego City Council President/Redevelopment Agency Board Chair, Ben Hueso
When:
Saturday, November 6, 2010
8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Where:
Event will kick off at the Barrio Station
2175 Newton Avenue, San Diego, CA 92113
Background:
Improving the appearance of Logan Avenue is the focus of the Green Street community clean-up in Barrio Logan. As part of the Community Enhancement Program, the volunteer event is being organized by the Redevelopment Agency of the City of San Diego, Urban Corps of San Diego County, and San Diego City Council District 8.
Community members are invited to join San Diego City Council President and Redevelopment Agency Chair Ben Hueso and other neighbors at the event from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Urban Corps staff and dozens of youth Corps members will also be on-hand to coordinate volunteer service among area residents. Participants will meet at the Barrio Station, 2175 Newton Avenue, San Diego, CA 92113.
“Community Enhancement Programs like Green Street provide residents and community stakeholders the opportunity to join forces to improve their neighborhood,” said Mayor Sanders. “These events build community and help beautify the places we call home.” Sanders also serves as the Redevelopment Agency’s executive director.
This year, the Green Street program features the renovation of 14 homes for low-income qualifying Barrio Logan residents. Home renovations include interior and exterior upgrades designed to improve both the energy efficiency and curbside appeal of homes. For each project, every effort is made to employ green building methods that utilize durable, non-toxic and/or renewable materials.
Volunteers will be divided into sub-groups to paint over graffiti, tackle weeds, repair fences, plant trees and remove debris. Oversized waste bins will be on-site to dispose of debris from the surrounding community. A large historic home on Logan Avenue will receive several upgrades, including a fresh coat of paint being donated by Dunn Edwards through their Neighborhood Paint Store program—an initiative by the company to give back to the community.
"Dedicated volunteers and residents are able to accomplish a great deal in a relatively short amount of time," said Council President Hueso. "The 'before' and 'after' photographs are always impressive, though the program's true benefit reveals itself in a renewed sense of community pride. The Green Street Community Enhancement Program both helps those in need and revitalizes neighborhoods throughout Barrio Logan and San Ysidro."
The first Barrio Logan Community Enhancement event kicked-off in January 2009. Since then, the Redevelopment Agency and Urban Corps have hosted two community clean-ups and performed 12 home improvements. In San Ysidro, three community clean-ups have been held and 20 homes have been improved. The Redevelopment Agency will continue the current program until July 2011.
The mission of the Redevelopment Agency’s Green Street Community Enhancement Program is to provide home and community improvements which conserve resources and enhance the public spaces of two redevelopment project areas within the City of San Diego. These activities promote healthy living environments while developing youth and encouraging public volunteerism and increasing residents’ connection to and ownership of their own communities. In addition to the projects in Barrio Logan, 25 homes in San Ysidro will be renovated through July 2011.
In its two decades of service to youth and environment, Urban Corps has helped more than 6,500 youth in San Diego County attain job opportunities in the fields of conservation, recycling and community service. The majority of these participants are high school dropouts aged 18-25 with little or no job skills. Urban Corps places a high premium on volunteerism and community service. Civic responsibility is extensively promoted by the program and each Corps member participant is required to provide 8 hours of volunteer community service per month. As a result, approximately 9,000 hours of community service hours donated annually to the San Diego community.
About the Redevelopment Agency of the City of San Diego
The City of San Diego Redevelopment Agency, created by the City Council in 1958, uses special legal and financial mechanisms to eliminate blight and improve economic and physical conditions in designated areas of the City. The Agency’s purview encompasses 17 project areas, study areas and affordable housing. Activities within the project areas are carried out by the city’s Redevelopment Division and two public, nonprofit city corporations: Centre City Development Corporation (CCDC) and Southeastern Economic Development Corporation (SEDC). The Agency also administers seven Project Area Committees (PAC) that advise the agency on the adoption of redevelopment plans and implementing redevelopment projects. For more information, visit: www.sandiego.gov/redevelopment-agency/
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