Weekly View » Brookside

State Nominates Opportunity Zones, Many on East Side

Weekly View — Thu, 26 Apr 2018 05:10:39 +0000

INDIANAPOLIS — Gov. Eric J. Holcomb has submitted Indiana’s 156 Opportunity Zone nominations to the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury. The federal Opportunity Zone program was created in the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and provides federal capital gains tax incentives to attract private sector investment to low-income urban and rural communities.
The federal initiative allows up to 25 percent of a state’s eligible low-income census tracts to be designated as Opportunity Zones. Once approved by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, the designations remain in place for 10 years, encouraging long-term investment in the selected communities.
Areas in Marion County include several on the east side, including south Irvington along Brookville Rd., Brookside, parts of Lawrence, Keystone from 38th to 46th and east to Sherman, and the North Mass area.
The state collected extensive economic data on all eligible census tracts and received close to 2,000 recommendations, including input from 357 local officials, stakeholders and citizens via an online portal.
Upon approval of the Secretary of the U.S. Treasury, these Opportunity Zones will cover over 1,000 square miles and the residences of over 500,000 Hoosiers. The average poverty rate in these census tracts is 31 percent. For a complete map of the zones, visit in.gov/gov/2979.htm

Applause!: April 27-May 3

Weekly View — Thu, 26 Apr 2018 05:09:13 +0000

• The east side was abuzz with April 21 cleanups and tree plantings. On the near-eastside, someone found a $100 bill! Lots of dumpsters were filled with trash and debris from the winter months. To the many volunteers who got up early and spruced up our streets and alleys, thank you!
• Cleanups this weekend, April 28, will focus on the southeast quadrant of the city. My Christian Park will hold theirs from 8-11 a.m. and meet at the Christian Park Community Center. (Check out their Facebook page for more information). Others on the southeast side include Fountain Square, Orange Street Block Club, Franklin Township Civic League, Fletcher Place, Irish Hills, Emerson Heights, Springdale, City of Southport, and Garfield Park areas. Visit www.kibi.org or your neighborhood Facebook page for where to help out.
Even if you can’t find an official clean-up group, no one is stopping you from grabbing a trash bag and picking up litter from our alleys, along fence lines and curbs, or calling the Mayor’s Action Center at 317-327-4622 for the city to clean up illegal dumping.
A litter-strewn neighborhood is a sign that no one cares. Criminals like to set up shop on streets where it appears no one is looking — or caring — about what is going on. Let’s all help out by turning on our front porch lights, getting to know our neighbors, and picking up the trash.
• Congratulation to new branch managers at two Indy Library locations! Michelle Sharp is the new manager at the Garfield Park Branch, 2502 Shelby St. She was a juvenile librarian at the Southport branch prior to becoming manager at Garfield. Judy Gray is the new manager at the Glendale Branch, 6101 N. Keystone. She served at the Pike and Lawrence branches, as well as Central Library, and most recently as the manager at the Garfield Park branch.
• Upcoming neighborhood meetings include St. Clair Place on Thurs., May 3 from 6:30-7:30 p.m. at the John Boner Neighborhood Center, 2236 E. 10th St.; Brookside on Thurs., May 3 from 6:30-7:30 p.m. at the Old Centenary Church, 1035 N. Oxford, and Willard Park on Mon., May 7 from 6:30-7:30 p.m. at Woodruff Place Baptist Church, 1739 E. Michigan Rd.
• To celebrate Small Business Week, April 29-May 5, the John Boner Center will present a Small Business Road Map Workshop on May 1 at 8:45 a.m. at the Boner Center, 2236 E. 10th St. The workshop will include time for networking, writing business plans, funding issues, marketing, and much more. There will be exhibitors and lots of information. Registration is required online at www.bit.ly/SBAIn_Indy51
As another way of supporting small businesses, remember to support your independent newspapers! Place an ad for your sale, rental, event, or announcement with us. Give us a call at 317-356-2222 and we’ll be happy to help you with all your marketing/advertising needs.

IMPD Names Crime Fighters of the Year

Weekly View — Thu, 15 Aug 2013 05:10:55 +0000

INDIANAPOLIS — During the 30th Annual National Night Out Against Crime Kick-Off at Martin University on Aug. 6, Mayor Ballard, Marion County Prosecutor Terry Curry, Director of Public Safety Troy Riggs, Chief Richard Hite, and the IMPD Command Staff honored several community members as Crime Fighters of the Year.
Ms. Renee Lynch was named the IMPD East District’s 2013 Crime fighter of the Year. Renee has spent countless hours engaging people in the Brookside area, including watching to ensure kids walking to and from School 54 are safe during school hours. Renee has boarded and re-boarded more than 24 vacant properties in the Brookside area and at times, using her own money. She has also been known to cut the high grass at vacant properties. Here are some of the other things she does to improve her neighborhood, including organizing neighborhood cleanups, working with government agencies to improve quality of life, and much more. She is the President of Brookside Neighborhood Association
Mr. Aaron York is the IMPD Southeast District Crime Fighter of the Year. Mr. York is a man of extraordinary faith, fortitude, intelligence, ingenuity, compassion and kindness. His support, generosity and good extend far beyond the police department to include; various neighborhood groups, community organizations, businesses, schools and so many others. And at nearly 80 years young, his energy, enthusiasm, and “Can Do” attitude puts many men half his age to shame.
The 2013 Downtown District Crime Fighter of the year is Ms. Valencia Hightower. Ms. Hightower is the Community Manager of the John Barton Apartments, an Indianapolis Housing Agency development located at 555 Massachusetts Ave. In the past three years as the manager of the 21-story high rise (and the manager of the adjoining 8-story Barton Annex), Ms. Hightower has turned what was once one of the Downtown District’s high call volume locations into a safe community for her tenants, visitors and public safety.
The IMPD’s North District named Ms. Clara Warner for the “Crime Fighter of the Year” award. Clara has been an active community participant for decades in Mapleton/Fall Creek. Her service to community began after attending a neighborhood leadership training class that inspired her to become involved. She soon became the vice president of her neighborhood association and later then was named as the president.
In addition, Marion County Prosecutor Terry Curry presented the Community Resurrection Partnership (CRP) with the 2013 Marion County Prosecutor’s Office Crime Fighter of the Year Award. Established in 1996, CRP is a community action group focusing on the Near Eastside and Martindale-Brightwood community. Through its Healing Communities project, CRP has supported individuals released from incarceration thereby reducing crime recidivism. CRP, as part of its Faith Walks initiative, has also worked with IMPD to identify areas within the Martindale-Brightwood neighborhood that have the highest concentration or risk of violence.