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Neighborhood Program
 The City of Grand Junction Neighborhood Program is a way of building a stronger sense of community, beginning with small groups of motivated people.
The program evolved from a goal stated in City Council’s 2002-2012 Strategic Plan: “A vital, organized network of neighborhoods will exist throughout the City, linked with parks and schools and supported by City resources and active citizen volunteers.”
Often it is problems within a neighborhood that raise residents’ interest and concern. The Neighborhood Program seeks to build a sense of community to promote pro-active pride, safety, volunteering and fun within neighborhoods rather than merely a group that deals with controversy as it arises.
Organization
One of the first steps in the program is encouraging groups to hold meetings to begin to discuss positive and negative aspects of their neighborhood, plans for improvement, and a means for people to socialize and get to know their neighbors.
How to Make Meetings Work
Beyond meetings, the program supports all types of activities within neighborhoods, including block parties, flyers or newsletters, volunteering, and working together on neighborhood improvement projects.
Neighborhood Association Registration
For neighborhoods that want to become more involved in their community, the next step is to become an officially registered Neighborhood Association.
Neighborhood Assoication Application
Registered Neighborhood Services Map
Registered neighborhoods enjoy many benefits such as:
- City-wide neighborhood meetings with representatives from other neighborhoods to learn what is going on throughout the community, share ideas and gain more information about the Neighborhood Program.
- Eligibility to apply for Neighborhood Pride Grants which provide the opportunity for each neighborhood to pursue projects that directly improve their quality of life. Currently no funding is available for this type of grant.
Neighborhood Grants
The City of Grand Junction offers two types of grants to assist with neighborhood functions, events and improvement projects. Currently no funding is available for these grants.
- Know Your Neighbor Grants -
Without even registering as a formal neighborhood, a group of residents may apply for a small Know Your Neighbor Grant which can be used for events such as an ice cream social or barbeque or it can assist with publishing and postage for a neighborhood newsletter.
- Neighborhood Pride Grants
- Registered neighborhood associations are eligible to apply for larger Neighborhood Pride Grants. These grants are to be used for larger projects for which the neighborhood has developed plans such as landscaping, lighting, fix-up/clean-up or a community service project. In order to be considered for a Neighborhood Pride Grant, the group must demonstrate
 at least one of the following:
- Matching funds from the neighborhood
- Donation of volunteer services to the project
- A majority of the neighborhood actively involved in the project
- Input from local schools, parks or other affected nearby properties/facilities.
Block Party Tips -
The Neighborhood Resource Center of Colorado has developed a Good Neighboring Resource Guide to assist neighborhoods with organization, successful interaction and various improvements.
Neighborhood Clean-Up Tips -
Organizing a neighborhood clean-up is a wonderful  opportunity to get to know your neighbors and noticeably improve and beautify yourneighborhood at the same time. Neighborhood grants are available to help offset the costs of doing a clean-up. Grant applications are due 3 weeks prior to when you want to hold the event. For more information about grants, click on the grant applications in the right-hand column. Suggestions when planning a neighborhood clean-up:
- Annual Spring Clean-Up the City of Grand Junction offers, organize neighbors and tools to help others get clean-up items to the street or alley at the designated time.
- Annual Leaf Pick-Up the City of Grand Junction offers in the fall, organize neighbors and tools to help others get leaves to the curb at the designated times.
- Use the City’s Neighborhood Program Resources. Neighborhood Program staff can assist you with organization and advertisement, provide ideas and information and help coordinate with other City departments as needed.
- Valuable volunteers. Arrange to have 5-10 volunteers to help in preparation and on the day of your clean-up. Specific volunteers can be assigned different duties prior to and during the event such as putting out a promotional flyer or doorhanger advertising the event, keeping a list of neighbors/addresses that will need help (such as elderly persons), organizing tools, getting tools where they are needed, supervising clean-up and calling for additional help.
This page updated
Friday, August 6, 2010
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