The City of Renton’s Neighborhood Program received two honors at the Neighborhoods USA conference held in Spokane recently.
Renton’s Neighborhood Picnic Program received the second-place award in the “Social Revitalization” category and the Liberty Ridge Playground Project, funded through the city’s Neighborhood Grant Program, came in third place in the “Physical Revitalization/Beautification” category.
Renton was the only city in the nation to have two finalists for this year’s Neighborhoods USA awards. Renton Mayor Denis Law received the awards from Neighborhood Program staff members Norma McQuiller and Wendy Kirchner at Monday’s Renton City Council meeting.
“We have known for a long time that the city’s Neighborhood Program is an incredibly positive force in our community. This national recognition affirms the great work the city is doing in partnership with countless community leaders to strengthen our neighborhoods,” said Law.
The city’s Neighborhood Program was established in 1997 to promote positive communication between residents and city government. The program has grown to 53 officially recognized neighborhoods.
Neighborhood picnics were created to encourage neighbors to gather together and create a forum to discuss neighborhood issues and ideas and allow neighbors to get to know their city officials. In 1998, the first city-sponsored picnic was held with an attendance of approximately 200 residents.
Ten years later, in 2008, the program hosted 19 picnics throughout the city, serving 25 combined neighborhoods and approximately 3,800 residents.
Through the Neighborhood Grant Program, the city provides funds to enhance the vitality of neighborhoods, foster a sense of community, and build relationships among neighbors. The neighborhood is required to match the city contribution with volunteer labor, resources and donations. The Liberty Ridge Homeowners Association received matching funds from the Neighborhood Grant Program to plan and install a neighborhood playground.
Neighborhoods USA is a national non-profit organization committed to building and strengthening neighborhood associations and promoting productive communications and collaborations between those organizations and the public and private sectors.
