NEIGHBORHOOD SAFETY INITIATIVES
Emerson Academy Parking and Traffic Plan to improve Hickory Street congestion
Emerson Academy, HSPI and the City of Dayton have been strides towards a parking and traffic design to reduce congestion and neighbors’ frustrations during school pickup/dropoff hours. The crumbling retaining wall along Emerson’s upper parking lot has been demolished and the lower parking lot is close to being complete. Here’s the original plan to reroute Emerson-bound car traffic to Buckeye Street.
Wayne Avenue Traffic Safety Coalition (WATSC)
The Coalition of Wayne neighbors and businesses continue to work with the City to increase pedestrian and motorist safety along the South Park Wayne Avenue business district. After an in person site-visit and meeting with neighbors and stakeholders, WATSC continues to wait for the forthcoming ODOT traffic study recommendations. We hope to reduce speed along our historic business corridor to 25 MPH, among other things.
CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS
Thank you to the volunteer team who brought delightful playground improvements to Blommel Park at breakneck speed. They raised $55,000 and leveraged over $27,000 in in-kind donations for toddler/ADA playground equipment to enhance the new playground equipment for 5-12 year olds. A lively modern playground makes South Park a more attractive place to settle..
STEWARDSHIP OF OUR SPACE
- Thank you to all who took part in our Earth Day Neighborhood Clean-up in coordination with Living City and the Veritas congregation. We removed tons of trash from our alleys and streets.
- Our Parks Committee spent another year beautifying South Park: volunteer teams planted, weeded, watered, repaired historic fence, removed litter and mulched; and of course hung Christmas lights.
- The HSPI Housing Committee remains active in its work with City of Dayton Housing Inspection. This year’s uptick in crime and illegal dumping in alleys are often associated with nuisance properties and abandoned buildings left open to the elements and vagrancy.
- Neighbors formed a new nonprofit (not associated with HSPI) called The South Park Cat Care Collective in order to trap-neuter-release feral/community cats. By the end of this year, the group had fixed 200 South Park cats!
OUTREACH BEYOND SOUTH PARK
- Shakespeare in South Park’s 15th production was the funniest Shakespeare play you’ve never seen: Audiences enjoyed the 3 outdoor performances of Love’s Labour’s Lost!
- South Park Murder Mystery Home Tour: Sold out again in its third year!
- The South Park Urban Garden (SPUG) enjoyed another year with great community participation in its raised garden beds, adding tables and shade umbrellas for gardeners to relax and socialize.
OUTREACH TO NEIGHBORS
HSPI volunteers kept our social life going, introducing neighbors to one another and strengthening community ties. Thank you to everyone who made it happen, both organizing and attending!
NEIGHBORHOOD DEVELOPMENT NEWS
In the fall, 250 Park Drive was demolished (formerly the Fountainview care center). After two decades of neglect, the unsightly building had collapsed, was deemed unsafe by the fire department, and finally slated for demolition by the City of Dayton/The Land Bank of Montgomery County. The removal leaves 3 empty city lots.
Everything we do is made possible by volunteers like you!
“Volunteers are the only human beings on the face of the earth who reflect this nation’s compassion, unselfish caring, patience and just plain loving one another.” – Erma Bombeck