TOWN OF CARY AWARDS FIRST-EVER NEIGHBORHOOD GRANT TO LOCAL COMMUNITY

Park Village Homeowners to Begin Sprucing up the Neighborhood this Saturday

CARY , NC – Homeowners in the Park Village subdivision in southwestern Cary have an extra $5,000 to spend on an “extreme makeover: neighborhood edition” now that the Town of Cary has awarded the Park Village Homeowners Association the first-ever Healthy Neighborhood Improvement Grant.   Cary ’s Healthy Neighborhoods Initiative provides matching grants of up to $5,000 to qualified neighborhood organizations as an incentive to encourage neighborhood residents to take on projects that will improve the neighborhood and community at large.  

“The Town’s Healthy Neighborhoods Initiative provides a great opportunity for the community to come together and reach a common goal – to enhance their neighborhood and make Cary an even better place to call home,” said Senior Planner Ray Magyar.  “We hope that the Park Village project will encourage other communities to apply for and use this great resource to improve their quality of life.”  

As part of the grant award, Park Village will receive a reimbursement of $5,000 from the Town to go towards the $14,000 neighborhood improvement project that includes:  a playground and sandbox, landscape mulch, picnic tables, trash receptacles, park benches and fencing.  In addition, the grant includes funding for stocking a pond with fish and installing a pond fountain.

On Saturday, March 18, the Park Village Board and at least 15 other homeowners will start putting their new dollars into action and begin installing playground mulch and the sandbox.  The entire project is expected to be complete by June 2006.

For other neighborhoods interested in bringing new life to their communities, the Town accepts Neighborhood Improvement Grant applications year round, which are available by visiting Healthy Neighborhoods Initiative on the Town’s Web site at www.townofcary.org.  Eligible projects include organizational, physical and projects of significant impact, including, but not limited to:  formation of a neighborhood or homeowners association, tree planting projects, playgrounds, or any other project that can significantly impact the physical appearance, environment, recreational, or economic conditions of the neighborhood.

An approved neighborhood group representing a specific neighborhood or community area may apply for matching funding under the program.  Examples of such groups include a neighborhood association, neighborhood watch group, homeowner’s association or an organized committee of neighborhood residents.   Funding is provided on a first-come, first-served basis, and payment of the matching grant is made by the reimbursement upon completion of the project.

The Neighborhood Improvement Program was created in June 2005 following the Town’s Council approval of the Healthy Neighborhoods Initiative in 2004.

The Park Village subdivision is located south of High House Road between Highway 55 and Davis Drive .

For more, see Healthy Neighborhoods Initiative at www.townofcary.org or call (919) 462-3887.

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