MCDP Grant Application

MEMPHIS COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PARTNERSHIP NEIGHBORHOOD SMALL GRANTS PROGRAM FUNDING APPLICATION

I. Basic information that we need:

2. Name of association: Tucker-Jefferson Neighborhood Association (TJNA)
3. Association’s mailing address: 1910 Madison, PMB 627, Memphis, TN 38104
4. Name of association’s contact person: Stacey Greenberg, President
5. That person’s telephone number: 528-4821 (day), 729-2591 (evening)
6. What are the geographic boundaries of this groups’ neighborhood? Poplar (North), Cooper (East), Madison (South), McLean (West)
7. Has your group received a 501 (c) (3) tax exempt designation from the IRS? No
8. How much money are you requesting from the Neighborhood Small Grants Program? $5000
9. Where would you like for your site visit to take place? Neighborhood residence. List any times during the week that your organization could not meet a site visit team. We are flexible. Anytime is fine.
10. Has your group received funding from other sources in the past? No

II. Tell us about your neighborhood:

Tucker-Jefferson is nestled between Overton Park and Overton Square, two of Midtown’s greatest assets. The residents are friendly and we look out for each other. We can often be seen walking our dogs, sitting on our porches, and working on our lawns. The neighborhood itself is racially and socio-economically diverse and boasts an array housing stock. Tucker-Jefferson has writers, musicians, and artists living in colorful shotgun houses on Rembert Street; photographers, accountants, and graphic designers living in turn of the century homes on Court Avenue; and Vietnam Veterans, retirees, and young families living in apartments on Jefferson. Tucker-Jefferson is the proud home of several small businesses, including a photo studio, a dentist office, and a real estate firm. Tucker-Jefferson is also the home of many well known businesses such as Malco’s new Studio on the Square, the Hi-Tone, Boscos Squared, Sherwin-Williams, and the Memphis College of Art’s Graduate School.

III. Tell us about your neighborhood association and how it works in your neighborhood:

a. When and why was your neighborhood association organized?

Tucker-Jefferson was one of the first neighborhood organizations formed in Midtown. The association was active for several years and was well known for its home tours and tree planting. Participation gradually dwindled and the association was dormant for over 10 years.

In the summer of 2000, Ray Skinner, an original member of TJNA, passed out flyers throughout the neighborhood announcing a meeting in July. Nearly 40 people attended. Elections were held, meetings scheduled, projects planned, and the association was reborn.

The future plans of Southland Capital and the Overton Square Redevelopment Project have been a major catalyst for the rebirth of the Tucker-Jefferson Association. Residents want to ensure that our neighborhood retains its character and that we have a voice in redevelopment plans that will directly affect us (whether it be in a positive or negative way).

a. How many members do you have? We currently have 51 members but are always looking for more. When do you meet? We meet on a quarterly basis. When do you hold elections? We hold elections once a year in July.

b. What are the goals (or mission statement) of the neighborhood association?

The goals of Tucker-Jefferson Neighborhood Association are: 1) To maintain and improve the dignity and integrity of the residences and businesses in the area. 2) To preserve the diversity of the area. 3) To insure orderly and compatible land use in the area. 4) To encourage homeowners living in the area to improve their homes, real estate investors in the area to improve their holdings. 5) To work together on problems and issues of certain concern.

The association’s first goal is to establish an identity. TJNA is creating neighborhood signs at the gateways to the neighborhood, publishing a newsletter, and participating in area events. The association has 5 committees each working on different projects. They are: Communication & Membership, Home Improvement & Beautification, Friendship & Special Events, Tactics & Action, and Home Tools & Talent Pool.

TJNA has held three quarterly meetings, two of which had guest speakers. The five committees have met regularly. In addition, the association hosted block parties for National Night Out, hosted a booth at the first annual “A Taste of Midtown,” and sponsored a Halloween party/cook out.

c. Has your neighborhood worked with neighborhood businesses, institutions, or agencies (churches, schools, boy scouts, etc.)? If so, please explain.

TJNA has worked hard to maintain a friendly relationship with Southland Capital, the development firm that owns most of Overton Square. Kathy Smith, marketing director for Southland Capital, spoke at our second neighborhood meeting and presented us with detailed plans for the area. She has been readily available and answered all of the questions we have had thus far. Kathy also invited us to participated in the first ever “A Taste of Midtown.”
TJNA also has formed a partnership with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW). The IBEW graciously lets us use the union hall on Madison for our neighborhood meetings. The Mail Center on Madison has printed of our flyers, designed our stationary, and rented us a private mail box.

d. Does your neighborhood host neighborhood wide event(s) or have some way of contacting everyone in the neighborhood? If so, please explain.

Until our newsletter is completed, we rely on Block Captains to pass out flyers door to door to advertise monthly meetings and special events. We also have a website at www.neighborhoodlink.com and an email address list.

IV. Tell us how your neighborhood association relates to the wider Memphis Community.

a. Are there any other neighborhood associations in or near your neighborhood? If so, name them.

In: Murray on McLean Homeowners Association, East End Condo Association
Near: Cooper Young Community Association, Cooper Young Community Development Corporation, Evergreen Historic District Association, Vollintine Evergreen Community Association, Idlewild Neighborhood Association, East End Neighborhood Association, and Central Gardens.

Has your association worked with them?

Our Vice President is the President of the Murray on McLean Homeowners Association. We have worked with this group to secure land for a neighborhood sign. We receive the Evergreen newsletter and try to stay informed of their activities. (TJNA President, Stacey Greenberg, is a coworker with the EHDA President, Bill Bullock at MLGW.) A former president of Cooper Young Community Association, Richard Coletta, was a guest speaker at our third quarterly meeting and shared some great ideas with us.

b. Does your association have a relationship with people or organizations working outside your neighborhood (for example, city officials, other community-oriented organizations)? Please explain.

Since TJNA is a fairly new group, we are still in the process of forming partnerships, but the TJNA officers are a pretty well connected group. As already mentioned, the President, Stacey Greenberg, works at MLGW (in the Community Relations Department) and our Vice President, Andrew Crawford, is the President of the Murray on McLean Homeowners association. Our Treasurer, Les Edwards is affiliated with the Memphis Zoo and Memphis Heritage. Our agent, Ray Skinner, is a long time resident and has been involved in the community in countless ways. Our committee chairmen are also affiliated with many organizations such as the Jaycees and MidPac. We plan on using these connections to our advantage and plan on being active participants in the larger community. We are fully supporting the Mayor’s Midtown Initiative and we are also working with other neighborhood groups to ensure that Overton Park remains family friendly. An active TJNA member and committee chairman, Pam Parker, is producing a documentary of Overton Park with William Bearden.

c. Are there any specific issues affecting the city that the neighborhood residents are interested in working on (for example, parks, schools, citywide cleanup, environmental issues, etc.)?

TJNA has a very strong interest in Overton Park as well as a citywide cleanup, starting in our own backyards.

Have you worked on those types of issues in the past?

One of TJNA’s earlier projects was tree planting. The neighborhood has always been concerned with beautification. Although as a group, we are still new, we have many talented and resourceful members who could accomplish just about anything they set their minds to.

V. Your Project
How would your association use a grant from the MCDP?

Our project is simple. We want to place a sign at each end of Tucker (Madison & Poplar) and each end of Jefferson (McLean & Cooper) that says, “Tucker-Jefferson Neighborhood Association.” We feel that neighborhood signs are vital to creating a neighborhood identity. We are proud of our neighborhood and we want everyone to know who we are. By establishing our identity in the greater community, we will be putting ourselves on the map. TJNA is hoping that the signs can bring the neighborhood together and get more people excited about the association.

There is a twist. We want our signs to be beautiful and exciting pieces of art that will show people that Tucker-Jefferson is a beautiful and exciting place to live. Like Cooper Young, we want our gateways to be different. TJNA is the home of many creative people-artists, musicians, photographers, graphic designers, and sculptors. We wanted our signs to reflect the neighborhood’s assets, so we organized a neighborhood wide campaign to collect submissions. The neighborhood then chose Roy Tamboli, a sculptor and member of TJNA, to design the signs with his wife, Carol Buchman. Carol is also an artist and TJNA member. Roy and Carol have come up with 4 unique designs for our neighborhood.

We would use the grant money from MCDP to cover costs associated with this project, specifically materials for construction, installment, and artistic labor. Additionally, TJNA would like to request funds to promote the sign project.
Attach a sheet of paper listing each step your association will take to accomplish the above.
(Please note that some steps are already in place)

Date Action Person Responsible
Oct/Nov 2000 Design/distribute flyer for submissions Carol Buchman
Present idea to TJNA Pam Parker

Jan/Feb 2001 Present submissions to committee Carol Buchman
Present update/submissions to TJNA Pam Parker

Feb/March 2001 Finalize site selection/permission Beautification Committee
Solicit funds from area businesses Pam Parker & Carol Buchman

March 2001 Write/submit grant for MCDP funds Stacey Greenberg & Carol Buchman

March/April 2001 Continue Fundraising Pam Parker & Carol Buchman
Neighborhood Yard Sale Gene Sneed & Sarah Jordan

April-June 2001 Continue Fundraising Pam Parker & Carol Buchman
Sign Construction Roy Tamboli & Carol Buchman

June 2001 Continue Fundraising Pam Parker & Carol Buchman
Media Campaign Sara Goff & Jim Moffatt

July 2001 Sign Installation TJNA

VI. Budget
Please attach bids/estimates for the item(s) or service(s) that exceed $250.


Expenses

Type of Expense Amount of Expense
1. Steel $ 483.00
2. Welding Electrodes $ 180.00
3. Welding Rods $ 130.00
4. Paint $ 53.00
5. Welding Gas $ 246.00
6. Concrete $ 160.00
7. Installation ($50 per site) $ 200.00
8. Labor $16,000.00
9. Media Campaign (Ads, Flyers, T-Shirts, Stickers) $ 500.00

Total Expenses $17,952.00


Revenues

Amount Requested from Neighborhood Small Grants Program $ 5000.00

Other Revenue
Cash (TJNA Yard Sale-Media Campaign) $ 500.00
Fundraising (Sponsors-Remaining Labor) $ 3000.00

In-Kind
Roy Tamboli Labor $ 9252.00
Installation $ 200.00

Total Revenues $17,952.00

VII. Please attach the following items:
a. A list of officers and board members of your association, with their names, addresses, and telephone numbers:

b. A copy of the minutes from a recent meeting of your organization that includes a discussion of this funding opportunity and a vote to seek funding for this project. Please include an attendance roster for this meeting:

c. A map of your neighborhood, showing the boundaries of your neighborhood.

d. If your organization is a 501(c)(3), a copy of your IRS tax-exempt letter.