In Your Neighborhood SPRING 2021
A Newsletter from the Healthy Neighborhoods Initiative
Grace Arbor residents spread New Year cheer with care packages Residents of the Grace Arbor neighborhood delivered “It was a blast!” volunteer Joni Gold wrote in a post on the 27 care packages to neighbors in January and early Grace Arbor Facebook page. “We got to meet more of our February to lift spirits and encourage a healthy 2021. neighbors.” At Grace Arbor’s virtual meeting for December, residents decided to apply for a Kansas Beats the Virus grant from the Kansas Leadership Center to purchase supplies for New Year’s care packages. When Grace Arbor received the $500 grant, volunteers packed food, vitamins, puzzles, notes of encouragement, and more, before delivering them to neighbors.
Photo: The Eddington family were among the volunteers that packed and delivered care packages to neighbors in Grace Arbor for the New Year. (Photo by Jamie Eddington)
Hutchinson Healthy Neighborhoods Initiative is provided through a partnership with the City of Hutchinson & Hutch Rec, with additional financial support also provided by the Hutchinson Community Foundation and Hutchinson-Reno County Chamber of Commerce. Our seasonal newsletters are now available virtually! Visit the Hutchinson Healthy Neighborhoods Facebook page to view the publication, as well as hutchrec.com. For additional information, contact Adam Stewart, neighborhood coordinator at Hutch Rec, at astewart@hutchrec.com or (620) 663-6179.
Featured neighborhoods hold annual meetings Churches pledge teamwork on Creekside projects At Creekside neighborhood’s virtual annual meeting on Jan. 26, representatives of three churches in the neighborhood expressed a desire to work together with each other and the neighborhood on projects. Residents were joined in the meeting by pastors of Hutchinson Wesleyan Church and First Church of God, as well as members of Zion Lutheran Church. Crime prevention was a major topic of discussion for 2021 goals and plans. Specific ideas for crime prevention included meeting with police to ask how the neighborhood can best help, looking into establishing Neighborhood Watch in Creekside, improving outdoor lighting, and increasing observation of Bernard White Park once planned improvements are completed. The group also discussed celebrating those improvements to Bernard White Park with a grand re-opening after the work is finished. Last year neighborhood and church volunteers removed an ugly old wire fence from the park and held a National Night Out block party in the park. Property maintenance was also a topic of discussion for the group, who set a goal of holding a neighborhood cleanup day to support property owners fixing up properties, as well as organizing volunteers to assist with projects. The group discussed holding a sidewalk repair or replacement demonstration, which could be part of a cleanup day or a separate event. Creation of a resource network for property maintenance was hypothesized. That could include the creation of a collection of tools that residents could borrow for projects.
Farmington Park keeps eye on park improvements The Farmington Park neighborhood will be carefully monitoring planned improvements to its neighborhood park this year in preparation for a grand opening. At their virtual annual meeting on Jan. 26, neighborhood residents discussed holding a chili feed in the park this fall if improvements – including a walking trail, second picnic shelter, and basketball court, among others – are ready. Residents also would like to hold their third National Night Out event in the park in August if able. Residents identified the park as a central focus right from the start of organizing in the neighborhood in 2017. They have held two National Night Out block parties and a spring picnic in the park, and volunteers re-stained the gazebo in the spring of 2019. Residents also discussed promoting grants and incentives for home improvement and repairs.
SW Bricktown sets sights on volunteerism, neighborhood events SW Bricktown’s goals for 2021 include holding more neighborhood events in the park and organizing volunteers to help neighbors clean up and repair their properties. Residents discussed goals for the year at their virtual annual meeting on Jan. 19. The neighborhood has held three National Night Out block parties in SW Bricktown Park, and now that initial development of the park is essentially complete, organizers would like to host more events there. Organizers discussed having a Hispanic heritage celebration in the park, favoring scheduling it during Hispanic Heritage Month, Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, rather than for Cinco de Mayo. Neighbors also discussed organizing neighborhood volunteerism events, possibly as often as quarterly. The purpose of the events would be to share resources to help neighbors clean up their properties and make repairs. Other goals neighbors discussed at the meeting include re-engaging with Hutchinson Police Department, growing the Neighborhood Watch program, advocating for better outdoor lighting, and seeking grants for major home repairs.
Grace Arbor plans tree trimming, pushes for park As spring arrives, Grace Arbor will launch a project to trim trees in the neighborhood. The neighborhood has secured funding from the city’s planning department to assist property owners with trimming trees, especially those that obstruct drivers’ views at intersections or that interfere with pedestrians on sidewalks. Neighborhood volunteers will nominate trees for assistance this spring, starting by targeting routes to and from Faris Elementary, which receives a lot of traffic from outside Grace Arbor. Hutch Rec will then notify those property owners of the assistance available; the city funding is to provide a 50 percent match, and the neighborhood is pursuing funding for additional assistance. Other goals discussed at Grace Arbor’s virtual annual meeting on Feb. 2 include lobbying the city to create a neighborhood park on the field by the Salvation Army; the Salvation Army supports the creation of a park on its property and knows of donors who would financially support the effort. Residents discussed circulating a petition in support of establishing a park.\ Additionally, residents discussed getting the neighborhood involved more with Faris Elementary School as a way to serve children in Grace Arbor. They hope to invite school administrators to discuss possibilities at a future meeting.
College Grove plans to roll out the welcome wagon College Grove residents are developing a neighborhood welcoming program for new residents after their virtual annual meeting. The program will serve three purposes: 1. To help people get to know their new neighbors. 2. To make new residents feel welcome in College Grove. 3. To let new residents know about neighborhood organizing efforts. College Grove organizers will track home sales data to find new homeowners in the neighborhood and will attempt to keep an eye on rentals. Hutch Rec is designing a brochure with neighborhood info to share with new residents. Organizers will recruit “block captains” to welcome new residents and share information about other neighborhood activities with people on their blocks. Other goals residents discussed for the year include relaunching Donuts on the Driveway in the spring, partnering with Hutchinson Police Department, Hutchinson Community College, and the Cosmosphere, painting another round of sidewalk stencils, and developing plans to repaint the decorative crosswalks in a more durable version when the opportunity arises. Get Involved: If you would like to volunteer as a block captain to welcome new neighbors and share info about neighborhood activities on your block, contact Neighborhood Development Coordinator Adam Stewart at astewart@hutchrec.com. Sign Up for Sidewalk Stencils: If you would like to have College Grove stencils painted on your sidewalk, email astewart@ hutchrec.com.
Sixth featured neighborhood to hold naming vote in spring The newest neighborhood in the Hutchinson Healthy Neighborhoods Initiative is preparing to hold a vote on a name this spring. The neighborhood located between 11th and 17th avenues from Main Street to Monroe Street had its first annual meeting virtually on Feb. 2. Remaining steps to fully launch as a recognized neighborhood were discussed, including naming, development of a logo for street signs, and receiving a proclamation from City Council. Residents discussed other goals for the year at the meeting, including improving pedestrian infrastructure and getting to know neighbors. For pedestrians, the group discussed lobbying the city to have a signalized crosswalk added at the intersection of 14th and Adams next to HMS-8. They said traffic speeds there are excessive considering the number of students crossing Adams. They also discussed a desire for more handicap-accessible curb ramps at corners. On the topic of getting to know neighbors, they liked the example of Donuts on the Driveway in College Grove, where once a month during the warmer parts of the year, one family will host a casual get-together on their driveway or sidewalk with breakfast or snacks, conversation, and sometimes guest programs. Jan Bretz volunteered to host the first event for the neighborhood at 10 a.m. on Saturday, April 17, at 117 W. 12th Ave. Please RSVP to astewart@hutchrec.com to help estimate the headcount.
Check out these local housing programs The Down Payment Match Incentive from the City of Hutchinson provides up to $2,500 in matching funds toward down payment and closing costs on a home purchase in certain Hutchinson neighborhoods.
Neighborhoods discuss shared National Night Out celebration this fall Four adjacent neighborhoods in central Hutchinson may partner with the city on a shared National Night Out block party this August. In 2020, the Planning Department received a grant from the Hutchinson Community Foundation to demonstrate how temporary, lower-cost projects can change how a place is perceived and show its potential, a practice called “tactical urbanism.” One of the projects planned out of that was a one-night “play street” on Main Street, closing one block for a party, and that was planned for National Night Out 2020. That effort was postponed when National Night Out changed its date for the year, and now those plans are being brought back. The idea is for neighborhoods that intersect at 11th and Main – College Grove, Creekside, Grace Arbor, and the currently unnamed neighborhood around HMS-8 – to have a shared block party on Tuesday, Aug. 3. The shared block party was discussed at those neighborhoods’ annual meetings, and residents in attendance were supportive of the plan. Photo: A police officer plays cornhole with SW Bricktown residents at the 2019 SW Bricktown National Night Out block party.
• Eligibility: To be eligible, an applicant must not own a home. Funds are available for down payments on homes in the College Grove, Creekside, Grace Arbor, and SW Bricktown neighborhoods and Houston Whiteside Historic District. • Process: To apply, contact Interfaith Housing & Community Services at (620) 662-8370. Applicants will be required to complete the Hutchinson Area Home buyers Club program, which includes an eHomeAmerica Home buyer Education Course and one homeownership counseling session. Credit counseling also is available, but not required. The incentive provides 40 percent of down payment and closing costs or $2,500, whichever is less. In order to receive the maximum incentive amount, a home buyer would need to have at least $3,750 from other sources toward the down payment and closing. Zero-Interest Home Improvement Loans via the city and Peoples Bank and Trust can help residents of eligible neighborhoods make improvements to their homes. • Eligibility: Residents in the College Grove, Creekside, Grace Arbor, Farmington Park, and SW Bricktown Neighborhoods and the Houston Whiteside Historic District can qualify. There are no income limits, but participants must be able to qualify for a loan, which can be up to $15,000. Certain home improvement projects, such as swimming pools, do not qualify for the program. • Process: Inquire with Peoples Bank and Trust, 601 E. 30th The Brush Up Hutch! Paint Program from the City of Hutchinson provides up to $500 reimbursement to paint eligible owner-occupied homes. • Eligibility: Applicants must own and live in the house to be painted. Homes appraised at $50,000 or less by the Reno County Appraiser’s Office are eligible, or applicants can qualify based on income. The income limit for a oneperson household is $48,150; two people, $55,050; three, $61,950; four, $68,775; five, $74,325; six, $79,800; seven, $85,350; and eight or more, $90,825. • Process: Homeowners must apply with the city Planning & Development Department, 125 E. Ave. B, before beginning the painting project. If approved, the applicant has 90 days to complete the painting project. When it is completed, the applicant needs to provide receipts for the purchase of paint to be reimbursed.