July 22, 2009

Foundation Makes Strong Investments in Neighborhoods, Environmental
Conservation and Historic Preservation

Who: The Arlington Tomorrow Foundation

What: Announcement of grant recipients

Why: To fund $553,000 in community programming that supports Environmental and Energy Conservation, Historic Preservation, and Safe and Strong Neighborhoods

About the Arlington Tomorrow Foundation
Created by the City Council in 2007, the Arlington Tomorrow Foundation is committed to the vision of Arlington as an exemplary place to live, learn, work and play. Through its grant-making process, the foundation is dedicated to supporting grassroots initiatives that will enhance the Arlington community today and tomorrow. Learn more about the foundation at www.arlingtonfoundation.org.

Background/Grant Cycles
Each year the Spring grant cycle, which begins in March, focuses on four community areas: Environmental and Energy Conservation, Historical Preservation, Safe Neighborhoods and Strong Neighborhoods. The Fall grant cycle begins in September and will award grants in five categories: Arts & Culture, Strengthening Youth and Families, Beautification, Parks & Recreation and Libraries. For application deadlines and criteria, visit www.arlingtonfoundation.org.

Congratulations, Grant Recipients!

$158,000 to fund Environmental and Energy conservation efforts

• City of Arlington Environmental Services Department will receive $18,000 to implement its Emission Reduction Goal and Action Plan to help address climate change, and increase livability and sustainability in the region. The plan includes public education, community outreach, and the creation of green jobs and other economic opportunities.
   
• City of Arlington Parks and Recreation Department will receive $60,000 for its Green Arlington Program, which will help broaden local support for environmental efforts while enhancing the city’s urban forest, native prairies and wildflower restoration areas.
   
• City of Arlington Water Utilities Department will receive $65,000 for its Downtown Water Efficient Landscape Retrofit Project to upgrade landscape and irrigation plans at entrance areas for City Hall, Central Library and City Tower. The project also includes signage detailing the benefits of water-efficient landscaping.

First United Methodist Church will receive $15,000 to perform energy efficient upgrades to a retired parsonage as a way to convert the facility to a community activity center. Specifically, the grant will be used to improve insulation, replace lighting and reduce energy consumption by 30 percent to expand the use of the facility and make the facility available to a broad range of community outreach programs.

$55,000 to fund Historical Preservation in the city

• Arlington Veterans Park Foundation will receive $18,000 for continued development of the Arlington Veterans Park Memorial, which will serve as a permanent reminder of the sacrifices made by Arlington residents in defense of our country.
   
• City of Arlington Community Development and Planning Department and Landmark Preservation Commission will receive $15,000 for the Arlington Local Marker Program, which will provide formal identification, through permanent signs, of significant buildings and historical landmarks within the city.
   
• Arlington Parks and Recreation Department will receive $18,000 for the Colonel Neal Kearby Memorial project, which honors one of the city’s greatest military heroes and a recipient of America’s highest award of valor, the Medal of Honor. A bronze sculpture is part of a multi-phase project that includes fundraising, design and construction in Veterans Park. Completion is scheduled for fall 2010.
   
• Old Town Neighborhood and Arlington Preservation Foundation will receive $4,000 for the Historic District Texas Historical Commission Subject Marker Program, which will enhance awareness of Arlington’s past with the placement of four markers along Center Street. The grant will cover research, writing, installation and dedication.

$151,000 in grants for Safe Neighborhood programming

• City of Arlington Parks and Recreation Department will receive $40,000 to install lighting and enhance security at the Village Creek Historical Area Park and the Tails ‘n Trails Dog Park.
   
• City of Arlington Community Development and Planning Department will receive $21,000 to enhance security and install street lighting in the Parkview Addition, a 93-acre subdivision located in east Arlington serving about 700 residents.
   
• City of Arlington Community Development and Planning Department will receive $50,000 for the Town North Safe Route to School Program, which will enhance pedestrian safety by providing more sidewalks in area bound by Randol Mill, Collins, Sanford and Cooper.

About 320 in the area are school-aged children.

• City of Arlington Parks and Recreation Department will receive $40,000 to fund projects designed to improve parks and shorelines along Lake Arlington. Funding will help underwrite quarterly shoreline cleanups and help curb illegal dumping activities.

$189,000 in grants to support Strong Neighborhood programs

• The Arlington Board of Realtors Community Service Foundation will receive $35,000 to fund the Kick Start Arlington Neighborhoods program, which provides assistance to homeowners financially unable to make costly home repairs. Funds will be spent on items such as paint, roofing materials, lumber and other home improvement expenses.
   
• The Arlington Public Library’s Mini-Bookmobile program will receive $21,000 to provide library and information services to individuals in underserved neighborhoods throughout the city and offer ease of access to a broad segment of the community, including senior citizens, children and families. The mini-bookmobile will be a retired Handitran bus stocked with library resource materials. The program will roll out in September.
   
• Public Works and Transportation and the Community Development and Planning departments’ Town North Sidewalk Program will get $50,000 for the construction of new sidewalks in an area bound by Randol Mill, Collins, Sanford and Cooper as part of neighborhood revitalization efforts. This program is also supported by federal grants, including economic stimulus funding.
   
• The City of Arlington Family Support Center will get $50,000 for a pilot program at Hugh Smith Recreation Center for families who reside in the 76010 east Arlington zip code. Thirty-six percent of those over the age of 25 in this area do not have a high school diploma. The center will be staffed by professionals who will address issues such as education and economic self-sufficiency.
   
• The Arlington Police Foundation’s Project R.E.A.C.H. (Rejuvenating Arlington, Creating Hope) will get $12,500 for law enforcement, crime prevention and neighborhood restoration initiatives targeting at-risk youth in the southern half of zip code 76010.
   
• Dance Theatre of Arlington’s I Am! program will get $5,000 to help at-risk youth experience the art of dance and theater. The I Am! program targets C.B. Berry Elementary School’s fourth-grade youth, where more than 85 percent of the student population is economically disadvantaged. The spring recital is scheduled for May 2010.
   
• Symphony Arlington’s Kids Notes program will get $2,500 to strengthen and expand arts education for underserved youth ages 4-8. The program is currently under way.
   
• First Tee of Arlington’s America Promise Alliance Outreach Program will receive $13,000 to help decrease the dropout prevention rate in schools and provide youth development and life skills training through the game of golf.

For more information about these projects and other future grant opportunities, contact Foundation Executive Director Carolyn Mentesana at 817-459-6419 or Carolyn.Mentesana@arlingtonfoundation.org.