Arlington Mayor Dr. Robert Cluck

June 27, 2007
Celebrating Neighborhoods in June and July

I am thrilled that Arlington is celebrating Neighborhood Month in June and July this year. What a great time to celebrate our community and the achievements of the Arlington Strong Neighborhood Initiative! This initiative is about growing participation in our city and encouraging more residents to invest in the communities where they live and work. I am also thrilled to be able to congratulate our 2007 Neighborhood Matching Grant recipients, as well as, the graduates of our Arlington Neighborhood Academy.

After the Arlington Strong Neighborhood Initiative was launched in 2006, more than 140 citizens pledged their support for a better Arlington and signed commitment forms as participants in the Neighborhood Summit. The summit gave all of us an opportunity to learn about the strategies being developed for reinvigorating our neighborhoods.

We walked away from the summit with greater insight into what’s most important to our neighborhoods and how to connect with the resources that makes neighborhoods stronger and our city better. Please be on the look out for more details - the 2007 Neighborhood Summit is coming November 10!

The 2006 Neighborhood Summit was followed by the Arlington Neighborhood Academy - four weeks of classroom style instruction in leadership, municipal government and civic engagement. On June 28, the City of Arlington will celebrate the 2007 graduating class during a graduation ceremony. More than 40 adults and 15 youths completed community service projects and course work.

As we celebrate Neighborhood Month, several neighborhood organizations are receiving grant dollars for improvement projects in their community. The Briarhill Neighborhood Association, Heart of Arlington Neighborhood Association, Rolling Hills Neighborhood Association, Arlington MLK Celebration Committee, East Arlington Renewal and Arlington Independent School District will share grants totaling $19,194. These grants were made possible by the new Neighborhood Matching Grants program. Next year you’ll see more exciting things happen in our neighborhoods as more grant opportunities become available.
To keep the Arlington Strong Neighborhood Initiative going, we will continue to forge strategic alliances and partnerships that capitalize on the influences of collaborative efforts. Please join me in celebrating our neighborhoods and the achievements of our Strong Neighborhood Initiative.

To learn more about the Arlington Strong Neighborhood Initiative visit our website at www.arlingtontx.gov/asni or by contacting the Neighborhood Coordinator, RJ Blair at 817-459-6104 or RJ.Blair@arlingtontx.gov.
 

Robert Cluck, MD
Mayor
City of Arlington