Community Invited To “green Street” Volunteer Event In Barrio Logan

Jan. 5, 2010 - PRLog -- The Redevelopment Agency of the City of San Diego, in partnership with Urban Corps of San Diego County and San Diego City Council District 8, will host a volunteer community service event in Barrio Logan on Saturday, January 9, 2010 from 9 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.  The event is a part of the Green Street Community Enhancement Program.

The community of Barrio Logan is invited to roll up its sleeves alongside San Diego City Council President and Redevelopment Agency Chair Ben Hueso in the public clean-up effort, which will kick off at 1042 Cesar Chavez Parkway, San Diego, CA 92113.  Urban Corps staff and dozens of youth Corpsmembers will also be on-hand to coordinate volunteer service among area residents. Lunch will be provided by the Navy and is expecting to serve approximately 200 volunteers at the Barrio Station Theater.  Waste and green waste oversized garbage bins will be available to dispose of large-item debris from the surrounding community.

“Volunteers will be divided into sub-groups to paint over graffiti, tackle weeds, and remove debris,” explained Hueso.  “Those who have attended cleanups in the past know it can be dirty, yet satisfying work. We always manage to enjoy the process. At the end of the day, the area will look better and neighbors will have become closer.”

In addition to the volunteer community improvement event, the Green Street program features the renovation of 14 homes for low-income qualifying Barrio Logan residents. Home renovations include a variety of interior and exterior upgrades designed to improve both the energy efficiency and curbside appeal of homes. Applications for the Green Street home renovation program will be distributed at the event and residents may begin the income qualification process on-site by bringing copies of paystubs.

The mission of the Redevelopment Agency’s Green Street Community Enhancement Program is to provide home and community improvements which conserve resources and enhance the public spaces of the redevelopment project areas within the City of San Diego, promoting healthy living environments while developing youth and encouraging public volunteerism, thereby increasing residents’ connection to and ownership of their own communities. In addition to the 14 homes which will be improved in Barrio Logan, 25 homes are currently being processed for renovation in San Ysidro.  The Redevelopment Agency will continue to complete home renovations and community clean up initiative.  Every effort is being made to employ green building methods that utilize durable, non-toxic and/or renewable materials.

The first Community Enhancement Event and Program kicked-off in San Ysidro on October 24, 2009 without a hitch and was a huge success.  Teams focused on two homes in San Ysidro, including the residence of senior citizen Susana Anguiano whose old porch was demolished and replaced with a new, wheelchair accessible ramp for her at her home on East Park Ave. The event in Barrio Logan will focus on homes at 1042 Cesar Chavez Parkway and around the corner at 1894 Newton Ave.

In its two decades of service to youth and environment, Urban Corps has helped more than 6,500 youth in San Diego County attain job opportunities in the fields of conservation, recycling and community service. The majority of these participants are high school dropouts aged 18-25 with little or no job skills.  Urban Corps places a high premium on volunteerism and community service. Civic responsibility is extensively promoted by the program and each corpsmember participant provides eight hours of volunteer service per month. This results in approximately 9,000 hours of community service hours donated annually to the San Diego community.

About the Redevelopment Agency of the City of San Diego
The Redevelopment Agency of the City of San Diego, created by the City Council in 1958, uses special legal and financial mechanisms to eliminate blight and improve economic and physical conditions in designated areas of the City. The Agency’s purview encompasses 17 project areas, study areas and affordable housing. Activities within the project areas are carried out by the city’s Redevelopment Division and two public, nonprofit city corporations: Centre City Development Corporation (CCDC) and Southeastern Economic Development Corporation (SEDC).  The Agency also administers seven Project Area Committees (PAC) that advise the agency on the adoption of redevelopment plans and implementing redevelopment projects. For more information, visit: http://www.sandiego.gov/redevelopment-agency/