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Eight NLC Member Cities Win All-America City Award
by Cherie Duvall
Out of the 10 winning cities that were recently awarded the prestigious All-America City award in Tampa, Fla., eight are NLC member cities.
The winners of the award given by the National Civic League, a nonprofit organization with a mission to strengthen democracy at the local level, include NLC member cities Phoenix; Inglewood, Calif.; Fort Wayne, Ind.; Wichita, Kan.; Somerville, Mass.; Albany, N.Y.; Kinston, N.C.; and Statesville, N.C. The other winning cities are Richmond, Ind.; and Caroline County, Va.
For 60 years, the awards program has been a vehicle to recognize neighborhoods, villages, towns, cities, counties and metro regions for outstanding civic accomplishments. Winners of the awards are those who have demonstrated their ability to address serious challenges with innovative, grassroots strategies that promote civic engagement and cooperation between the public, private and nonprofit sectors.
“These communities give us outstanding examples of leadership and civic innovation,” said National Civic League President Gloria Rubio-Cortés. “The All-America City Award is like an Oscar for civic accomplishment. This year’s event was particularly exciting because it is our 60th anniversary. We really had outstanding finalists to choose from.”
This year’s winners addressed issues such as housing for seniors, immigration, education and economic development.
“There’s wonderful work going on around the country in communities small and large,” said National Civic League Board Chair Sandra Freedman. “It’s uplifting to find that out because we always hear the bad, and these are great stories. This is the good.”
Project Summaries
About 800 civic leaders and community activists from across the country met in Tampa for the three-day All-America City award competition. Each finalist delegation had to make a presentation to a jury of civic experts from the public, private and nonprofit sectors listing three outstanding examples of collaborative, community problem solving.
The following projects are some of those that were presented at the competition by representatives from each winning city.
• Focusing on Urban Higher Education, Phoenix’s 2006 Citizens Bond Program has resulted in two academic campuses — the Phoenix Biomedical Campus and the new Arizona State University Downtown Phoenix campus — that are blossoming in downtown Phoenix, where previously educational opportunities were limited. The community’s investment and partnerships for research and education eventually will create 26,000 jobs, educate 18,000 students and spur an economic impact of $2.6 billion annually.
• Rising from a dilapidated area formerly consisting of run-down apartments and a sky-high vacancy rate, Inglewood’s The Village at Century celebrated its much-anticipated grand opening on May 25, 2006. The high quality retail center located on 16 acres along the city’s historic Century Boulevard features eight national brand restaurants and retailers, and has created 350 new homes and approximately 600 new jobs. The Village at Century has positively transformed the city’s personality, evoking a spirit of celebration, delight and optimism.
• In Fort Wayne, a federal grant was submitted to the Office of Refugee Resettlement for funding for services and needs for the refugee community by a coalition consisting of several community agencies to develop a refugee resource center that will serve as a one-stop location. The coalition received the grant and in November 2008, The Refugee Resource Center was officially opened. The center provides services and educational classes that help refugees access health care and employment, and learn English and other skills.
• In Richmond, the entire community set out to address the 30 percent high school drop out rate by raising third-grade reading levels. During the summer of 2008, a four-week intervention reading program was developed to generate an interest and enthusiasm for reading and to involve key local institutions. Of the 145 eligible students who had not passed Indiana’s language arts test, 118 participated and raised their scores by 50 percent.
• The Mennonite Housing Rehabilitation Services program in Wichita was founded to make the world better for low-income residents by repairing homes of elderly and disabled residents and helping people who cannot afford decent housing or home ownership. For example, in 2005, a block in Northeast Wichita was a hub for drugs, crime, prostitution and gang activity. Through a community-based intervention strategy called “Weed and Seed,” Mennonite Housing partnered with other agencies to address these issues and rebuild. This development changed the lives of six families and makeup of an entire neighborhood.
• Since Massachusetts’ “Big Dig” project began in the early 1990s, which rerouted sections of Interstate 93 from Boston through Somerville, Somerville’s community members and elected leaders have advocated for reliable, accessible public transportation options and have made it clear that Somerville will not be an on and off ramp for Boston. The work of residents, community groups and stakeholders has paid off, most recently with the promise from the Governor of Massachusetts that construction and implementation of the project will be completed by 2014.
• First released in 1996 after a two-year committee driven effort, Capitalize Albany was intended to be a plan of action based on a long-term, broad vision for improving New York’s Capital City by attracting investment, residents, development and new job opportunities. Over the past 13 years, more than $6 billion in new investment has been made in development and infrastructure projects throughout the city. In downtown alone, millions have been invested in new streetscapes, infrastructure, and a pedestrian bridge to reconnect the city to its waterfront.
• The Neuse Regional Water and Sewer Authority was formed in 2001 as a result of the collaboration between Kinston and other regional water providers to support the current needs of the city and encourage and support potential growth and jobs for the region. Since the authority was established, financing secured, and construction began, three major corporations have chosen to relocate to Kinston, bringing more than 3,000 jobs and millions of dollars in investment. The new water plant increased the available water supply to Kinston by 3 million gallons per day and regionally by 15 million gallons per day.
• In 2007, the Mi Familia Institute was established to help Statesville’s Hispanic community navigate the difficult journey of assimilation by “building family strength through education, promotion of respect, and advocacy for social justice.” Mi Familia has a wide range of programs, ranging from domestic violence prevention to financial planning. Statistics kept by Mi Familia indicate more than 1,900 persons have been served by one or more of the nonprofit’s programs, and support continues to grow.
• Dawn, an underserved community in Caroline County, worked together to solve a critical standard of living challenge — an outdated and ineffective wastewater system. The county committed $1.8 million of local funds to the project and, in late 2003, the Board of Supervisors approved the concept of using technology to create a decentralized wastewater system, which is less expensive and simpler to design and construct. Three years later, the first homes were fully connected to the working system. Within the next 18 months, 188 more homes and businesses were connected to the system. Low-to-moderate income residents own half of the connected homes. These homes were connected at no charge to the owners.
Details: For more information on the All-America City Awards, visit www.ncl.org.
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