Local Initiatives Support Corporation
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Indianapolis
Quarterly E-Newsletter: Spring 2010
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 Executive Director's Message |
 The Importance of Transit
People who care about urban neighborhoods need to care about the future of transit in our city. Urban neighborhoods have the most to gain from expanded transit options. A high-quality, attractive, convenient, and permanent transit system will give older urban neighborhoods the opportunity to become more attractive places for people to live, work, and visit. Historically, many of our neighborhoods were designed around transit and will work best when it is reintroduced. Older neighborhoods in cities that have installed light rail have experienced a boom in real estate redevelopment near transit stops. Transit stops often attract businesses that offer desirable goods and services. Increased availability and quality of bus service would allow residents to access better quality jobs without owning a car.
I encourage you to participate in the ongoing public input process called IndyConnect that is designed to gather your feedback on the proposed expansion of public transit in Indianapolis. Indy Connect, Central Indiana's transportation initiative, is seeking public comment on a draft plan that includes multiple modes of transportation. It is meant to connect people to people and people to places in Central Indiana through expanded roads, commuter and light rail, enhanced bus service, as well as bike and pedestrian walkways.
Public input sessions are taking place across Indianapolis to garner feedback on our transportation future. Learn more about IndyConnect and weigh in on its importance at a meeting near you. Sessions are ongoing through the end of this month. Go to www.indyconnect.org for more information on date, time, and locations. Please make a personal effort to attend a public hearing or visit the website to give your feedback on the transit plan - and tell your neighbors why it is important that they respond as well. This could be the biggest boost for urban living that will happen in our lifetimes, and I encourage you to make the most of it. Bill Taft Executive Director wtaft@lisc.org | |
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Calendar of Events
March - May
ICBI Community Building Training at INRC
March - July
Comprehensive Community Economic Development at IACED
April 7
IMAGINE Grant TA Session at INRC
April 10
Pleasant Run Clean-Up
April 15
Mapleton Fall Creek 25th Anniversary Celebration and Annual Luncheon
April 22
Southeast Neighborhood Congress, Fountain Square Theatre Building
April 24
Arsenal Legacy Challenge, Tech High School
Arts on the Green, Tech High School
May 3
Façade Application Deadline - Round II
May 15
IMAGINE Grant TA Session at INRC
May 16
Holy Cross Health Fair
June 5
Alabama Street Esplanade Planting
6th Annual West Indianapolis Community Day
June 11
Market on Morris
For more information on the above events, call 317.396.0588 ext 19 | |
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West Indianapolis Develops First of its Kind Community Fund |
 West Indianapolis believes the best way to improve the neighborhood is by working together on projects developed and financed within the community. After three years of work, the West Indianapolis neighborhood has made this vision a reality through the establishment of the West Indianapolis Community Fund (WICF). Through the fund, West Indianapolis stakeholders will pool fundraising efforts and financial resources and work together to implement the common vision established in the West Indianapolis Quality of Life Plan. The funds will be administered through the Central Indiana Community Foundation and the WICF Advisory Committee.
LISC has supported WICF from the beginning through the Great Indy Neighborhoods Initiative and provided technical assistance and support in setting up the fund. In December 2009, West Indy met the challenge of a LISC matching grant by raising over $100,000 from neighborhood partners to leverage a grant of $50,000 from LISC. Neighborhood residents will directly control these funds and decide how the dollars will be distributed each year in accordance with the goals in their quality-of-life plan. This neighborhood funding mechanism is being looked at as a model for its ability to raise funds and enhance collaboration among neighborhood partners. |
| Fountain Square Re-introduces Lady Spray |
 Fountain Square officials, neighborhood residents, business owners, and friends gathered earlier this month to dedicate the new Lady Spray fountain at the intersection of Virginia Avenue, Prospect Street, and Shelby Street. Mark Stewart of Southeast Neighborhood Development (SEND), and Brian Payne of Central Indiana Community Foundation spoke briefly about this important neighborhood project. Elaine Cates, a long-time Fountain Square resident and President Emeritus of Friends & FACT Neighborhood Association, flipped the switch that activated Lady Spray for the season.
SEND, the Fountain Square Merchants Association, and others worked for 15 years to make the improvements a reality. In 2003, the project received a $500,000 Federal Transportation Enhancement grant through the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) to begin a two-phase project to replace the fountain and rework the intersection and public space in the center of Fountain Square. Phase 2 will create the terminus to the Cultural Trail in Fountain Square.
Green 3, a Fountain Square landscape architecture firm, NINebark, Inc., and R.W. Armstrong designed the project. It is managed through SEND's Fountain Square Main Street Program, part of the LISC Indianapolis FOCUS Program. LISC also funded construction documents and early planning for the fountain project. |
| Neighbor Power! Networking Continues |
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 On March 16, more than 50 neighbors, local businesses, and city officials gathered to learn about and collaborate on "green" initiatives in Indianapolis. The gathering included discussions on renewable energy, food cooperatives, community gardens, and brownfields redevelopment, among other topics. The Neighbor Power! team is currently setting dates for additional peer discussions and looking for your input.
This topical discussion forum is a follow up event to the October 2009 Neighbor Power! gathering where more than 250 Indianapolis residents came together to share ideas about how to make their neighborhoods better places to live, work, and play. This "green" forum is the first of a series of topical peer discussions to network local leaders to one another, highlight good neighborhood work, and inspire further community action.
Explore the newly updated website at www.neighborpowerindy.org. Browse 2009 session videos and resources on topics such as abandoned housing, youth engagement, and neighborhood events. Accompanied by the Neighbor Power! Facebook Fan Page, this website will serve as a networking tool connecting neighbors from around the block to neighbors around the city and beyond. We invite all neighborhood groups to submit their upcoming events to our community calendar. We encourage you to visit us online and spread the word of Neighbor Power!
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| Sustainable Beer in Downtown Indy? |
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 In February, LISC organized a tour of Traders Point Creamery and a presentation by 500 Miles Brewing Company, a sustainable brewery seeking to locate in the downtown area. As a part of LISC's emphasis on supporting healthy environments and stimulating economic development, we sought to encourage a conversation on how to build on the vibrancy of downtown to include eco-friendly businesses like Traders Point and green entrepreneurial ventures like a sustainable brewery.
Ken Warren and business partner Kenny Allen shared some of their "500 Miles Core Values." These include taking advantage of green production/distribution options, utilizing renewable energy credits, and forming ties with local markets and supplies. Participants then enjoyed an exciting tour through the Traders Point facility, which highlighted the use of reclaimed materials, soil conservation and compaction, and the use of local vendors. The tour concluded with a meal and conversation about the subject of sustainable practices and how we can promote them in our communities.
Special thanks to Keep Indianapolis Beautiful for providing the transportation.
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| City County Council Recognizes GINI |
 In February, the City-County Council issued a special resolution to recognize the successes of the Great Indy Neighborhoods Initiatives (GINI). Launched in 2006, GINI was created to demonstrate the principles of comprehensive community development in local neighborhoods. GINI fostered collaboration among neighbors, community organizations, government leaders, and businesses to support and integrate civic, social, physical, and economic development in neighborhoods. The resolution noted that GINI leveraged more than $100 million in community investment for the implementation of six quality-of-life plans over three years. Additionally, it highlighted achievements from each of the six demonstration areas.
"GINI is a blueprint for fostering neighbor-created plans that combats key economic and revitalization challenges while ensuring a stronger sense of community," said Councilor Maggie Lewis, the resolution's sponsor. "Hopefully, this resolution will inspire more neighborhoods to confront their issues and build on their successes."
For more information about the stories involved in GINI, view a video at www.liscindianapolis.org. |
| LISC in the News |
| Indianapolis LISC is committed to highlighting community development and neighborhood success stories. Here are a few media stories from the first quarter of 2010.
1/28/10: IndianapolisStar: 30th Street Plan Revs Up Neighbors. A plan to add new life to a Westside corridor also has breathed some vitality into area neighborhood groups.
2/3/10: Indianapolis Business Journal (on-line): Super Bowl Legacy Project Taking Shape on Eastside.
2/1/10: Urban Times: The momentum of last fall's Neighbor Power! summit continues through peer-to peer networks on a variety of subjects.
2/1/10: Urban Times: Indy Food Co-op adds manager, moves forward with over $200,000 in grants; Indy Food Co-op organizers say they are close to opening the community owned grocery store.
3/2/10: Indianapolis Business Journal (on-line): Mass Ave project works towards April approval.
3/12/10: WTHR.com (on-line): Fountain Square dedicates new fountain. |
| Indianapolis LISC Fundraising Update |
| Indianapolis LISC would like to thank the following donors for their generous support in 2009:
American International Group, Inc.
Baker & Daniels
Bill and Joanna Taft
Carmen DeRusha
Central Indiana Community Foundation
Charter One Bank Foundation
City of Indianapolis
David Forsell
Foundation to Promote Open Society
George Tikijian III
Greater Indianapolis Progress Commitee
Gregory & Appel Insurance
Huntington National Bank
Ice Miller LLP
Indianapolis Neighborhood Housing Partnership
Jan L. Diggins
JPMorgan Chase Foundation
Kimberly Wize
Lesley FitzSimons
Lilly Endowment Inc.
Making Connections Indianapolis, a CICF affiliate
Marion County Health Department
MediaSauce
Metropolitan Indianapolis Board of Realtors
National City Bank, now a part of PNC
Old National Bank
Sara VanSlambrook
Shawn Thomas
Shiel Sexton Company, Inc.
State Farm
Tedd Grain
The Annie E. Casey Foundation
The Children's Museum of Indianapolis
The Clowes Fund
The Corsaro Group
The Indianapolis Foundation, a CICF affiliate
Thomas Orr
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
United Water Services Indiana
University of Indianapolis |
| Support LISC |
WE NEED YOUR HELP!
Comprehensive community development takes people with vision: neighborhood leaders working with a quality-of-life plan to achieve their goals. Comprehensive community development also requires the financial support of individuals, foundations, and businesses who believe in the power of people to make their neighborhoods better places to live, work, visit, and raise families.
Will you help? LISC is a non-profit corporation, and your contributions to help fund better neighborhoods are always tax- deductible. To find out how you can support LISC and its programs, please contact Shawn Thomas at sthomas@lisc.org or visit our website at www.lisc.org/indianapolis.
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 www.lisc.org/indianapolis (317) 396-0588
Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) is a national organization with local priorities committed to helping neighbors build communities. We work with the local nonprofit community development organizations to help transform distressed urban neighborhoods into healthy communities that are great places to live, work, do business, and raise families. Indianapolis LISC mobilizes corporate and philanthropic support on behalf of local neighborhoods, providing them with loans, grants and equity investments, policy support, and the technical and management assistance they need to realize their goals. | |
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