The UPTOWN Initiative PEPSI Refresh Grant

Revitalizing North Central is near and dear to my heart. Oh what a success story it would be to bring this once vibrant and elegant section of Troy back to its former glory! Xenia Allen, one of the founding members of the Uptown Initiative Neighborhood Project has written a application for a 50K Pepsi 'Refresh Grant'. This Grant would, if awarded, provide a great foundation for further restoration of Uptown/North Central. This has become a wonderful Community effort and we are asking and encouraging everyone to please go to the Pepsi Refresh site every single day and place your vote for this project. To vote simply click on the Internet address below or copy and paste into your browser.

www://www.refresheverything.com/search/?q=Troy+Neighborhood

The following are the Goals the group has included in their application:

1. Plant Trees and Perennials for improved curb appeal of our streets.
2. Artist paintings of murals at the gateway to Uptown.
3. Community outreach and education.
4. Regular clean -n -sweeps of the entire Uptown Neighborhood.
5. Encourage urban green living & sustainability.

Here is the breakdown of how the 50K will be used:

$27,500 Trees, Perennials,Supplies, Landscaping services

$3,500 Brochures, Fliers for Community Outreach & Education

$10,000 Artist Mural Paintings

$3,000 Uptown Neighborhood Banners

$3,000 Street Cleanups and Signs

$3,000 Administrative

Volunteering your time in your Neighborhood or any other project is time consuming and not all Citizens do it. So this is a small request to do some Community service and help this group out by giving them a BIG BOOST and vote for this project and also send out the link to everyone in your Address Book and ask them to do the same on a daily basis to make this a successful effort! Paste it on your Facebook page also. REMEMBER.....this voting segment ends on December 31st!

Billie-Jean Greene

Billie-Jean Greene has made an announcement of her intention to run for City Council. I applaud her effort! In the short time she has resided in Uptown/North Central, she has gone the extra mile to make it her home and work towards making it a better place for everyone here. Some people reside in an area and just live in a house. Others take a look around them and say, 'what can I do to make it better for me AND my Neighbors'? This is what Billie-Jean has done. Billie-Jean attends on a Monthly basis the North Central Neighborhood Assn. meetings and also is a founding member of the Uptown Initiative. What is the difference you may ask? Not a whole lot but the Neighborhood Assn. focuses more on changing and eliminating the problems in our area, has a larger membership and has our Community Police in attendance and usually has a Guest Speaker to address and answer problems we may need help in dealing with. The Uptown Initiative is focusing on giving Uptown/North Central a different appeal to people and counteracting the negative reputation it has gained, mainly due to the fact it has become a dumping ground for situations not wanted in other areas of the City. Seeing Billie Jean lives DIRECTLY in North Central this young lady is going to be giving it her best. She is a member of both organizations and puts her effort out into the Community! If you don't know who she is, then you just haven't been involved.

Billie-Jean , should she definitely run , no doubt will focus on our problems and do her best to improve our conditions. We have a great location here in the City of Troy, situated nicely on the Hudson and really need to reach our potential as a desirable place to live. We have some of the largest and most beautiful houses in the City, and some of the most run down. We need to focus on and maximize what we already have. I know what she would like to see for herself, she would like to see for us all. Let's keep an eye on her and cross our fingers she WILL run! I have not heard of whomever else may be throwing their hat into the ring, but Billie Jean has my support.