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The Mejorar Marine Park project in Tarrant County, Texas will be spearheaded by the Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Marine Park is the largest and most central public space located in the center of the Historic Northside District in Fort Worth. Northside families recall walking to the park to listen to Tejano bands, enjoying the Cinco de Mayo and Deiz y Seis de Septiembre celebrations that used to be held annually. Unfortunately, the district now faces many challenges including litter and unkept yards, safety issues, needs for road improvements, etc. Through creative placemaking, the Historic Northside District hopes use arts and cultural expression to rejuvenate Marine Park, thus deepening a sense of place and reenergizing the neighborhood’s pride in the community. This project aims to reinvigorate Northside community pride by bringing music and creative programming back to its most valuable public space through a multi-phase approach: 1) Beautifying and improving the Marine Park pavilion, 2) Installing a temporary free-standing swing installation to create interest and engagement and 3) Executing several community weekend events to bring people back to the park and demonstrate how it can be utilized.

Little 5 Points Plaza Patio will be led by Little 5 Points Business Association in Fulton County, Georgia. The project will establish a community-oriented outdoor seating area in the heart of the business district. The area borders several restaurants and retail spaces, but currently lacks effective programming and utilization. This project will orient the plaza as a destination space at the intersection of community and commerce, including a seating area provided by a local restaurant with tables and chairs painted by local artists. Tables will include a QR code linking to nearby restaurant menus, special offers and promotions. The project will also staff servers to run food from restaurants to the outdoor diners.

The “A New Vision for Historic Dorr Street” project in Lucas County, Ohio, will be led by the City of Toledo, Department of Economic Development. The Dorr Street Corridor was once a cultural and economic hub for the African American community in Toledo, Ohio. The corridor was once a nine-block area with 70 Black-owned businesses but was almost completely destroyed with the construction of an interstate through the district in the mid ‘70s. Today, the only remnant of the former commercial corridor is tracts of grass covered by land owned by the City of Toledo. “While we cannot restore what was lost or fully heal the pain that is still felt in the community, we have the opportunity to create a new vision for Dorr Street, built upon the same values and ideals of its former vibrancy entrepreneurship, community resilience, and ownership,” wrote the City of Toledo’s Deputy Director of Economic Development, Sandy Sprang, in their grant application. With this grant, the City will work with an architectural and planning firm to conduct community engagement and provide recommendations for restoration. Through these recommendations, the city hopes to take the next step of engaging with business owners to set up businesses on Dorr Street, work with community organizations to engage in building renovations and tree canopy restoration, and the implementation of a new community resource center and office building to serve as an anchor establishment for the redevelopment of a neighborhood commercial corridor.

The Dave Grohl Alley Improvement Project in Trumball County, Ohio will be led by Tech Belt Energy Innovation Center, dba BRITE Energy Innovators. Dave Grohl Alley is currently an outdoor art exhibit, event space, and public gathering destination in the center of downtown Warren, Ohio. For residents, the alley is a source of pride and a symbol of economic revitalization. The alley was completed in 2009, with the Foo Fighters founder and Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl in attendance and performing at the opening ceremony. While the alley continues to be a catalyst for economic development in the community, BRITE aims to improve the safety, usability, and overall aesthetic of the alley while also implementing the latest clean energy technologies in order inspire community conversation and education to build the next generation of clean tech workers and entrepreneurs. The project will include the installation of a kinetic dance floor in an underpass that will provide power to the clean energy technology demonstrations available at BRITE’s offices. They will also work with local artists to create three kinetic sculptures, inspired by Foo Fighters or Nirvana music. Interpretive signage will also be installed to explain the technologies used, provide context to the installations, and connect visitors to more information and training.

For more information about the GM on Main Street grant program, please see the project webpage here.