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From Ben Arredondo, a neighborhood success story

By Ben Arredondo

July 15, 2006

Editor's note: The following from Tempe Councilmember Ben Arredondo discusses how residents of a central Tempe area assisted the city in formulating plans for a new park to be constructed from federal grant funds. South Tempe residents can get involved in their neighborhoods, too, through a different program. The city's Maryanne Corder Neighborhood Grant Program provides assistance (maximum $12,000 per grant) to neighborhoods for local improvement projects. Projects could include such work as designing a master plan for a park. Applications for the 2006-07 grants have closed, but look for the application process to open in early 2007 for the 2007-08 grants.

By Ben Arredondo

The city of Tempe is doing a good thing for residents of the Victory Acres neighborhood.

This historic collection of modest homes and hardworking families near the Loop 101 freeway and Apache Boulevard will soon have a park to call their own. Victory Acres Park will provide much-needed amenities to the neighborhood, which has long been known to its Mexican-American residents as “La Victoria.”

Until the Loop 101 freeway was built, Victory Acres children had easy access to the Escalante Community Center and Escalante Park to the west. Soon, neighborhood children will once again have a safe place to play – without having to cross major roads to get to their park.

It was vitally important for the city to get this done for the neighborhood. After all, economic development doesn’t do much good for our community if we don’t also talk about neighborhood enhancement and preservation.

The road to get here has been long. In the past, City Council members tried to pay for the project with capital improvement funds, but hard economic times made that difficult. Then, last year, Tempe decided to use federal Community Development Block Grant funds to build Victory Acres Park.

Neighbors were consulted about where to locate the park and they were invited to suggest desired amenities. Even children at nearby Thew Elementary were asked what they would like to use at Victory Acres Park. Their input ensured that the three-acre park will include a BMX and skateboard area, ramadas, a concrete ping-pong table, a basketball court, amphitheater, spacious lawn areas, playground equipment, horseshoe pits and a children’s splash playground.

The park is entering the design phase and construction will begin in early 2007, with completion in late 2007. That day cannot come too soon for the very patient and deserving residents of Victory Acres. I am eager to see children playing, friends catching up, adults exercising and the community growing even closer.

Councilmember Arredondo chairs the Tempe City Council’s Neighborhood Quality of Life and Public Safety subcommittee.

 

 
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