11-1SG French River Connection
Grant Round:
2011 February
Grant Program:
Small Grants
Grant Type:
Other Grants
Grant amount requested:
1,550.00
Attachments
Please provide a brief description of the project for which you seek funding.
This project is the opening day celebration of French River Park, a new 1.66 acre riverside park in downtown Webster MA. The park, located on a previously blighted, invasive plant infested parcel, has appeared in town planning documents for many years, but only began to be acted upon after the French River Connection was organized in 2005. The park is a feature of a planned riverwalk, which in turn is a segment of the French River Greenway, reaching from the Connecticut border to Hodges Village in Oxford, a concept that was first identified in 1990. Our strategy for developing the Greenway and its companion "blueway" has been to open small segments as we are able to gain access, until completion of the whole project becomes irresistably compelling. We began French River Park development by leasing the property on a long term basis for $1.00 per year, and with a generous private donation, were able to begin advocating for it within the town, and eventually to gain some funding from the Webster Redevelopment Authority. This, combined with donations of surveying and landscape planning services, enabled us to pay for engineering, permitting, and bid package development. To show progress on the ground, French River Connection volunteers cleared the property of invasives. Following a positive public hearing, the Webster Office of Community Development included the project in its 2010 Community Development Block Grant program application. The project was funded at over $200,000 , and contract work began in October, with completion expected in May 2011. Features of the park include picnic tables and benches, a path which will become a segment of the riverwalk, boat launch, bike rack, lighting and power outlets, rain gardens for stormwater control, bank stabilization, and native tree, shrub, and flower plantings. Citizen initiatives directed to the Office of Community Development will enable the addition of other features such as playground equipment. The purpose of the celebration is twofold: First, we want to introduce the townspeople to the park and provide an opportunity to take pride and pleasure in this addition to the town, the first step of what has become a broad initiative to revitalize a deteriorated downtown area. The second purpose is to raise our own profile, to demonstrate our ability to get things done, and to increase our capacity by adding to our membership and mailing list. The celebration is planned for June 18, from 11am until 4pm. Planned features of the event include: Ribbon cutting to honor contributors to the Park Tasting event featuring local restaurants Duck race Band music Face painting and balloon twisting Moonwalk Children's activity table Prize drawings Displays by the Army Corps of Engineers and the Turtle Rescue League "Enviroscape" watershed demonstration French River Connection information table
Primary Issue Area:
Land & Water
Please break-down/categorize the program expenses:
| Proposed Item | Estimated $ Amount | Would grant funds be used for this item? |
|---|---|---|
| Music | $600.00 | |
| Face painting / Balloon Twisting | $300.00 | Yes |
| Moonwalk | $200.00 | Yes |
| Food tasting tent | $300.00 | |
| 200 Racing ducks | $100.00 | Yes |
| Drawing prizes | $100.00 | |
| Advertising banner | $260.00 | Yes |
| 100 Posters | $80.00 | Yes |
| 30 Staff and guest T-shirts | $290.00 | Yes |
| 2 Portable toilets | $220.00 | Yes |
| Volunteer labor on event day | $522.00 | |
| Volunteer labor to distribute posters | $249.00 | |
| Town labor and equipment to install and remove banner | $400.00 | |
| 1000 Event brochure inserts | $100.00 | Yes |
Whom does your group need to make this project happen?
Please explain how your group will engage members from your community in this project.
We will use volunteers from our organization to staff the event, except the children's activity table which will be staffed by the Webster-Dudley Boy's and Girl's Club. The Webster-Dudley Business Alliance may hold a concurrent sidewalk sale. We will of course publicize the event in press releases, on the public access channels, and by an appearance before the selectmen which is widely viewed. In order to raise the profile of the event beyond the ordinary, we will put a 50 foot banner either across Main Street or across the facade of town hall, which is across the street from the park entrance. We will print 11"x 17" posters and place them in every business that will accept them, likely to be more than 100, in a saturation campaign. Volunteers who deliver these will be equipped with a donation kit to seek contributions. A few potential larger donors will be targeted separately. All donors will be recognized on a sign at the event. To capture the identities of attendees, we will conduct drawings which will require a name and contact information to enter, and entrants will be informed they will be put on our mailing list for information and volunteer opportunities. The same will apply to duck race entrants. New contacts will within a few days receive a welcome letter with meeting and event schedules and an invitation to participate. All attendees will be handed our standard brochure with an insert created specifically for this event, which will include a description of how the event fits in to the riverwalk.
If your group receives a NEGEF Grow grant, how do you plan to pay for remaining expenses?
| $ Amount | Source |
|---|---|
| $300.00 | Food tasting Income |
| $200.00 | Duck Race income |
| $400.00 | Community donations |
| $1,550.00 | NEGEF grant |
Please list these materials or services
| $ Amount | Item |
|---|---|
| $100.00 | Drawing prizes |
| $522.00 | volunteer labor on event day |
| $249.00 | Volunteer labor to distribute posters |
| $400.00 | town labor and equipment to install and remove banner |
Please describe what changes will occur in your community and its environment when your group's project is successful.
We anticipate an increase in the expectations of the townspeople and the initiative of its leaders. Unfortunately, the conventional wisdom in Webster has long been that nothing can be made to happen, so there is no point in trying. The park will be a visible and lasting counter-example. It serves as a small wedge to encourage other downtown revitalization efforts now under consideration: the razing of condemned buildings, construction of a new police station, and construction of a new library. It has already sown the seeds of the next phase: engineering for the riverwalk that will go through it is in the 2011 Community Development Block Grant application, as part of a downtown pedestrian circulation plan. The more enjoyable downtown environment created by the park and the riverwalk should contribute to filling empty storefronts. So approval of other downtown initiatives and a reduction of empty storefronts can be an important if indirect measure of the park's success. Another measure of the park's success is its use. Three years ago the parcel was home to vagrants and drug dealers; fear of these people was the most often heard objection to the park. We expect them to be replaced by downtown workers having lunch, families picnicing on weekends, paddlers launching boats, and community events. We can periodically observe the use of the park; a single person engaged in a positive pursuit is one more than before. We expect that our organization will be empowered by the credibility gained by completion of this project. In order for the Greenway to be successful, we need to negotiate agreements with skeptical landowners. When the park is opened, they'll know that we're capable of following through on proposals we make. We have several target trail segments in mind, and getting access agreements, even at the rate of one per year, would show success. Trails figure prominently in the approved Open Space and Recreation Plans of Webster and Oxford upstream. So we can conclude that as we build trail segments, we are answering a need voiced by the public in those plans. We expect to increase our capacity by increasing the numbers of members and mailing list entries we have. The former provide some financial support; all increase our pool from which to draw volunteers for event and workdays. We hope to identify potential leaders from among our new contacts.
Please list how many people in your community your group expects to actively engage in this project.
600
What relevant skills does the group need (but does not currently have access to) to help move the initiative forward?
We always feel weak in public relations, in terms of maintaining a sustained presence in the mind of the community. We do not have an attorney among our members
What relevant skills do current members of the group have to help move the initiative forward?
We have skills in engineering, mapping, photography/videography, creating presentations, webpage development, carpentry, wetlands science, accounting, writing, event planning, teaching, and general organizational skills. We are rapidly gaining knowledge in the confusing process of permitting.