CONCORD, N.H. – Six resident-owned communities were awarded a total of nearly $10,000 grant funding to complete quality of life improvement projects by the end of the year.
“We had a bunch of strong grant proposals and it was hard — really hard — to limit the awards to what we could fund,” said ROC Association Board Chair Natividad Seefeld. “As it is, there are now six projects that can move forward and make real improvements in six communities across the country. I’m excited about that and can’t wait to see the results in pictures from these ROCs.”
The Grant winners are:
- Morning Star Community in Kalispell, Mont. Morning Star will repairing the asphalt around their mailboxes so water will drain away from the area. This will be safer for residents, particularly in the cold months when ice can build up and make it slick in that area. The $1,500 project should be completed this summer.
- Ossipee Mountains Estates Cooperative in Ossipee, N.H. Ossipee Mountains will turn its former pool into a new playground for the neighborhood children. This work will include adding more fill to the pool, relocating some wires, purchasing mulch or rubber chips for the area and fixing up the playground equipment. The Board of Directors approved a 100 percent match to the $2,000 Grant to complete the work.
- Pine Tree Village in Carver, Mass. Pine Tree Village will replace signs around the community that have been either destroyed or knocked down. These include street signs, stops signs, speed signs and “Children at Play” signs throughout the community. The community was awarded $2,000 for this project and will be providing $600 of its own funds. Work is expected to be done in September.
- Prairie Lake Estates Homeowners Cooperative in Kenosha, Wis. Prairie Lake Estates will replace its current mailboxes with new ones that meet postal code. The new boxes will be more weather resistant and also include flyer boxes to more easily communicate with residents. This $1,687 project should be done by the end of August.
- Running Brook Cooperative, Inc. in Derry, N.H. Running Brook Cooperative will add speed bumps throughout the community to slow the traffic passing through. Though there are posted speeds of 10 mph, many often speed through, endangering the safety of residents. Using $700 and another $300 of approved funding from the Board of Directors, the ROC will buy the materials and install the speed bumps over the next few months.
- Sunset Terrace Mobile Home Cooperative in Rockland, Maine. Sunset Terrace will install four message kiosks to keep residents more easily informed about water repair projects going on in the neighborhood. The Board of Directors currently needs to go door to door to let people know when water might be shut off and how long it will take. Volunteers will install the signs on all four streets. This $1,646 project is expected to be finished by July or August.
The ROC Association also made $75 donations to each non-winning applicant and encourages each Board of Directors – and all Boards for that matter – to celebrate the volunteer efforts.
In October 2010, the ROC leaders who attended the Community Leadership Institute in Louisville developed a community grants program idea that would both help a fellow ROC as well as engage new leadership in the resident corporation. The ROC USA® Board of Directors has included the grants in the budget since 2010.
The projects are meant to meet safety and health needs, as well as bring together neighbors to solidify the already growing feeling of camaraderie.
Stay tuned for the next round of grants in 2019.