In more than 70 neighborhoods throughout
Groups and individuals in those neighborhoods have dedicated themselves to keeping up their own medians, triangles, traffic circles and curb extensions though a partnership with the City of
The Hollywood/Santa Monica Neighborhood Association used the project to landscape three traffic triangles and a monument area at the neighborhood’s entrance.
“It turned just an unsightly area into just a beautiful spot that I think just lifts the spirits of anybody who passes by,” says association board member Sharon Wright.
The association paid about $7,000 for the project and received about $14,000 from the MOWmentum program, Wright says.
“We would still be trying to raise money to do that project on our own,” she says.
The money paid for landscaping and sprinkler systems in median areas at these intersections:
· Monte
and
· Monte
·
·
and
The association hired a company to install the sprinklers, but about a dozen residents did all the planting.
“Everything was a total neighborhood project,” Wright says. “I think the neighborhood was very pleased with the project.”
The MOWmentum program, with an annual budget of $125,000, helps both the city and residents by combining efforts to keep right-of-ways and neighborhoods clean and beautiful, says project coordinator Yvette Holley.
“It’s an enhancement for the neighborhood,” she says.
Groups or individuals can adopt locations, but they must commit to maintain them for at least two years. Some projects may require commitments up to 10 years.
Drawings of landscaping plans must be submitted for approval by city engineers, but they don’t need to be professionally prepared. Signs, walls or anything that causes visual obstructions are not allowed.
Wright says the program worked well for her neighborhood.
“It was great. It was fairly easy to do,” she says. “I would do it again in a minute.”
