Mayor Pro Tem Hidalgo Faring and city staff on Tuesday described a neighborhood-led alley beautification effort that will begin with a community convening this week and move to public project dates after neighbors set priorities. Assistant City Manager Sandy Cedar said the meeting is scheduled at Westview Plaza, 1850 Main St., at 6 p.m. on Sept. 17 and is intended as a planning session for future cleanup and improvement work. "Tomorrow, members of community neighborhood resources will be meeting with members of the community to find out what kinds of projects and things they would like to do in that neighborhood," Cedar said.

The meeting is a follow-up to a council motion to support alley and trailway improvements. Cedar told council members the event is meant to be neighborhood-focused and will identify the resources needed for any projects residents select; a larger promotional event will be scheduled once a plan is set. "Everybody come and help," Cedar said, adding that council and other members of the public are invited to attend the convening.

Why it matters: councilmembers said they want the effort to be ongoing rather than a one-off cleanup, with the city supporting resident-led work. Resident Charlie Schilling, who spoke during public invited to be heard, praised the effort and urged city staff to improve visibility and user-friendliness of information about volunteer projects and events. "Just do what you can to make this effort more visible so that all know about it," Schilling said.

Details and next steps: Cedar said the neighborhood will decide project timing during the meeting and suggested coordinating the work with the city's hard-to-recycle event in October so residents can dispose of large items easily. The hard-to-recycle event runs Oct. 6–10 and Oct. 13–18, according to Cedar. Councilmembers offered support and encouraged staff to streamline notices and outreach so people who do not use the city's website or apps can still learn about and join the work.

Public participation: staff invited council and residents to attend the convening and noted the meeting is intended to be a smaller planning session rather than the final large promotional event. City staff indicated they will follow up with schedules and resource plans determined at the convening.

The meeting is part of the city’s larger neighborhood resources work to connect residents with tools and city support for small-scale public-space improvements. Staff said they will report back to council with outcomes and any requests for resources or scheduling needs after the neighborhood meeting.