What are we up to at Swella’s Ville? We’re creating a movement and we need you to get involved.
Here’s what we’re working on:
We’re putting together an Executive Board that will steer the vision of Swella’s Ville, and give direction to putting our mission statement into action. The board will be made up of community leaders who have a heart for our community and want to see all members of our community thrive.
Our Mission Statement: P.O.W.E.R. Power stands for: Purposeful Opportunities Working Economic Revitalization. We are actively working on restoring, revitalizing, and renewing our community by raising the quality of life for all.
How will we improve quality of life? It starts with a plan. We’d like to share the Swella’s Ville multi-phase vision with you, as this is what we’ll be working to achieve in the coming years.
Phase 1: Creating a Movement, the Lincoln Way West Corridor Beautification Project. We started the LWW Corridor Beautification Project as a neighborhood initiative in 2010 to encourage residents and business owners to work together to restore, revitalize and renew our community along the Lincolnway West Corridor, from Olive Street to Martin Luther King Drive. In the last 10 years, we have removed over 11 tons of trash and yard waste from our streets with the help of hundreds of volunteers.
As Swella’s Ville works to expand now, we have huge plans for the 2020 10th Annual Lincoln Way West Corridor Beautification Project. This event will not only be a cleanup day, but a celebration of our community. We hope all Swella’s Ville supporters will get into the spirit of our mission and join us to raise the standards of beauty and neighborly living on our streets. As our plans come together, we’ll be asking for volunteers, donations, and sponsors. We’ll keep you posted!
Phase 2: A New Huey Street Project—Raising Rental Housing Standards
While we haven’t officially launched this phase of the Swella’s Ville vision, we have already purchased 6 homes as part of a plan to rehab homes in our neighborhood with higher quality amenities and better curb appeal with landscaping and maintenance.
Our Swella’s Ville Association Corp. will also work in this phase to set housing standards for the neighborhood, and to provide resources for renters and landlords. We will work on public safety and volunteerism. And, we’ll work to create gathering places like parks and gardens for the children in our community.
Phase 3: Building Oneness, Community and Partnerships
In this phase, we plan to organize neighborhood meetings, parties, and clean-ups. We’ll work to publish community newsletters
We want to start two resources called Landlord University and Tenant University that teaches our community members how to be good stewards and helps them to develop the skills they need to properly maintain their properties and take pride in their community. We’ll work on a program called Kids Play that will teach life skills and take advantage of our parks. And we’ll begin a Business University for those in our community who want to be entrepreneurs and need to learn the basics of running a business.
This is just the first half of the Swella’s Ville vision, and we’ll share more in the future. We want our community to know that we’re working hard to bring these plans to life. We’ll work to give you updates on progress, and we’ll be asking for help. Think about how you can support the Lincoln Way West Corridor neighborhood. There will be an opportunity for you to share your skills with us as we grow and make our community the special place that we know it can be!