The United Way of the Wabash Valley’s Strong Neighborhoods Council is awarding $40,000 in funding for eight Neighborhood Improvement Project mini-grants across the Wabash Valley. Earlier this month, the Shelburn Park Board was notified that they were one of the eight recipients to receive the $5,000 grant. The Neighborhood Improvement Project mini-grant program focuses on projects intended to enhance the “look and feel” of a neighborhood by addressing public safety, beautification projects, blight elimination, and/or government-service improvements or a combination of any of these categories. The Shelburn Park Board will be using the grant to work towards their completion of their 5 Year Plan of cleaning up and revitalizing the community spaces in the Town of Shelburn. This grant specifically will be used towards the Dawson Pond Revitalization Project of cleaning out the pond, stocking it with fish, installing electricity for lights, and adding a picnic area for families to enjoy time together.
This is the fourth round of this community investment for the Wabash Valley's Strong Neighborhoods council whose goal is to create a positive impact for struggling families in the Wabash Valley by investing in programs and initiatives that provide our community with safe, vibrant, and inclusive neighborhoods. This is the first United Way of the Wabash Valley grant for the Shelburn Park Board and they are very excited that they were chosen among the many applicants. The Shelburn Park Board is currently working on the Shelburn Ball Diamond Improvement Project that was funded from a Wabash Valley Community Foundation Grant at the end of 2023 and will begin on the Dawson's Pond Revitalization Project later this Summer. Once those projects are completed, the Shelburn Park Board hopes that future grants they have applied for and are still applying for will help them do a major overhaul of the Town's East Side Park on Mill Street. Shelburn Park Board President Heather Lewis says "The Park Board realizes how important it is to have community spaces that are clean and safe for our town's youth and our main goal as a Park Board is to work hard to provide these spaces for the kids and families in town." Shelburn Clerk-Treasurer Melissa Copeland, who is also a Park Board Member, stated that several of these properties have been neglected for some time and need quite a bit of work. "It is going to take time and money to do all these projects but the current park board is dedicated to putting in the time and effort it will take to do it and not just do it, but do it in a financially smart way." The Park Board hopes that after all the community spaces in town are cleaned up and revitalized that they can start working on a way to connect all of them with a trail system or sidewalks. That way families from all over town can hop on their bike or take a walk and safely travel to and enjoy each location. The Shelburn Park Board is not funded by the town and any monies used for projects are from grants or donations.
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