| Name | Lisa |
|---|---|
| Last Name | Lemza |
| Home Address | 560 N Crest Rd Chattanooga, Tennessee 37404 United States |
| Organization Name | Grace Episcopal Church |
| Describe Your Role In The Organization | I am an active lay leader of many years, regularly attending services. For 12 years I have co- chaired the Grounds Committee, which encompasses a certified arboretum, multiple pollinator gardens, an active community garden, an open pavilion, and which serves as a venue for a weekly (Brainerd) Farmers Market. I co- chair a committee, the GreenGrace Creation Coalition, which builds programs and projects to model ethical Christian stewardship of God's Creation, to include environmental justice. I have led and variously served on the church's governing board (vestry) for a total of 6 years. |
| Organization Address | 20 Belvoir Avenue Chattanooga, Tennessee 37404 United States |
| Website | https://www.saygrace.net/ |
| Best Phone Number To Reach You | 4232433530 |
| Alternate Phone Number | 4234135787 |
| Email Address | lemzala@aol.com |
| Alternate Email Address | lemzala@aol.com |
| Please Describe Your Project In Detail | We wish to expand public access and community use of the only extant green space in this densely urbanized part of Brainerd: the Arboretum, gardens, and grounds of Grace Episcopal Church at the intersection of Brainerd Road and Belvoir Ave. This site acts as a stormwater inflow basin from higher ground around it. Specifically, we wish to (1) install public walkways [city sidewalks exist only on one side, Brainerd Road, of the property; there are none on Belvoir Avenue, a busy car corridor] and internal walkways for better access into Chattanooga’s newest Level Two Arboretum (certified by the Tennessee Urban Forestry Council 15 December 2021). This requires the installation of .9 miles of flagstone walkways to support access and more foot traffic. These pavers will be widely spaced with minimal mortar sets in order to help retain heavy rain runoff. (2) Convert an empty 50 by 100 lot along Sunbeam Avenue to community greenspace by constructing (a) a sixteen foot performance stage and amphitheater alongside a (b) walking, meditation labyrinth and (c) community firepit. These areas will be connected with a (d) walkway. We will need (e) suitable teaching signs and (f) adequate lighting. Currently this empty lot adjoins an active, raised- bed community garden and open-to-the-public pavilion. The pavilion already has a green roof, one of Chattanooga’s largest. This area is at present in used as a passive community refuge and gathering space for both residents and transient/homeless populations. |
| Please explain how your project meets the requirements of the American Rescue Plan | Exposure to outdoor settings has been repeatedly proven to aid not only mental health, but intellectual acumen, school performance, as well as psychological balance and student resilience. It has repeatedly proven to reduce violence. All these have worsened during the pandemic. COVID also brought extreme social isolation and whiplashing economic upheaval. Many have lost cars, jobs, and even housing, and lost or reduced normal social activities. Violence and deadly levels of substance abuse have risen. These difficulties have accumulated for many; they weigh most heavily by the struggling poor, who pay most directly for the lack of greenspace and gathering forums in this dense suburb with its acres of isolating, aging pavement. Studies routinely demonstrate that accessible greenspace reduce community violence and vandalism. We believe these projects will help address mental and physical consequences of COVID 19 isolation by providing routine access to healthy exercise and fresh air, in outdoor settings where physical distancing is not only possible, but necessary. We think that providing passive, open meeting spaces are crucial to public welfare, reducing substance abuse, domestic abuse, and other social disorders. We intend to offer the amphitheater to the community for poetry slams, line singing, musical, dance, and other performance groups as possible. We want these amenities for both casual, passive availability, as well as for formal, reserved events. We believe that our recently certified arboretum offers outdoor teaching opportunities and programs for local students, and hope to develop partnerships for this in the coming year. The site straddles widely diverse racial and economic neighborhoods, giving both renters, and homeless transients access to amenities they are often denied. This brings a measure of environmental justice to an intensely urban and park- starved area, through access to healthy outdoor spaces and venues. COVID- 19 proved how vital these spaces are, and how quickly local venues were overwhelmed; the pandemic starkly revealed the high number of Chattanooga residents whose lack of transportation denies them access. Park and greenspaces are necessary to human life, and ought not be considered an amenity only for the wealthy. |
| Where would your project take place? | On the approximately 3.5 acres of greenspace around Grace Episcopal Church, at the intersection of Belvoir Avenue and Brainerd Road. |
| How much will your project cost in total? | 75000.00 |
| Do you have any matching funding sources from other local governments, private entities, non-profits, or philanthropic entities for your project? | No |
| Please describe the source and list amounts of any other funding. | |
| What portion of the project are you asking the city to fund? | |
| If funded, when would your project start? | February 1, 2022 |
| How long would your project take to complete? | Approximately 24 months, depending on vendor availability. |
| What milestones would you use to measure your project’s progress? | Beginning in February of 2022, as soon as vendors are competitively chosen, we will use the following priorities, first reinforcing existing projects: (1) Work on Arboretum Walkways to (a) access Brainerd Road and (b) incorporate Belvoir Avenue; (c) internal connecting walkways are part of this plan (cost: $20,000). (2) construction of labyrinth. (cost: $15,000 ) (3) construction of stage/amphitheater and benches. (cost: $18,000) (4) construction of bonfire pit with benches. (costs: $3,000) (5) construction of walk connection items 2- 5, along the east edge of the lot. (cost: $ 4000) (6) landscaping items 2- 5 with native plants and additional native trees. (cost: $5000) (7) lighting, passive solar with automatic switch offs. (cost: $5000) (8) Instructional/ teaching signage for bluebird trail, labyrinth, stage, native plantings, stormwater and heat island mitigation. (cost: $5000) Construction milestones will be set in accordance with standard construction practices, negotiated per vendor. Arboretum and other grounds attendance is free and unmetered. Outdoor venue space will be reserved for modest fees of less than $50/event. Programs for using this space will be managed by our parish administrator, in consultation with the rector and church program staff and volunteers. |
| How would you ensure accountability and transparency throughout the project lifecycle? | We will use standard business and construction milestones for project management and oversight. The church has been in existence for 70 years and is well accustomed to managing large scale construction projects and physical plant repairs. Parish finances, including the proposed project, are overseen by the Vestry (governing board) and Finance Committee, comprised of individuals with finance, management and accounting experience. Our finances are professionally audited by an outside CPA-directed accounting firm annually. We will provide reports on progress to these internal teams, the City of Chattanooga and to the Belvoir Neighborhood Association. |
| If successful, how would your project benefit the community? | The Grace church campus already serves as a well-used public space and neighborhood asset. We believe this is important, and wish to improve and vary access to more diverse users. We want to improve our service to substance abuse patrons. We strongly believe that data amply proves these improvements will effectively help reduce vandalism and violence. We know it will improve the physical infrastructure of the City by mitigating the urban heat island effect, retain stormwater runoff, and reduce erosion and sediment washing into the South Chickamauga Creek watershed (via Spring Creek). It will also sequester carbon through increased and deliberately designed planting. It will increase habitat for urban wildlife and native pollinators through increased native plantings. It will serve as additional recreation space for families and children, many of whom are apartment dwellers with limited outdoor access. We believe that providing a variety of open venues is crucial, for spontaneous, informal social interactions—with our amphitheater, firepit, exercise paths and additional arboretum/greenspace access along Brainerd Road—will change the nature of our surrounding neighborhoods. We want to broaden the property’s use for a wider variety of use. See 16 December New York Times article on America’s dive in mental health, caused by Covid: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/12/16/well/mental-health-crisis-america-covid.html?campaign_id=9&emc=edit_nn_20211217&instance_id=48061&nl=the-morning®i_id=93835587&segment_id=77254&te=1&user_id=ab3e8bff0793eac5430436bd2f55ad8b |
| How will you attract community buy-in for your project? | • The surrounding neighborhood(s) have already bought into use of this publicly accessible green space, with constant use by surrounding homeowners as well as a transient homeless population. However, we would like to increase our visibility and access to the larger community: for those within walking distance and those using bus lines. We want to use the Trust for Public Lands’ model of offering a park-like space ‘within a ten-minute walk’, for far more people. We would particularly like to offer easier access to the economically stressed apartment dwellers nearby. • The community garden includes both church and community members, who value it highly as a neighborhood amenity. We operate a farmer’s market on Saturdays, with double SNAP credit, variously, for qualifying purchases. We also operate a food pantry each Wednesday, which is widely supported by weekly donations from the Belvoir Neighborhood Association. Walkers and joggers daily zig zag through the property with our current extremely limited and antiquated sidewalk system which, with improvements, would provide safer, more accessible sidewalks and pathways. People simply come and sit under our large oak trees, sometimes for hours. Each evening we support numerous substance abuse care groups and would like to improve our walks so they can safely use these areas at twilight and dark, when they generally meet. We have supported an open field (intersection of Brookfiled Avenue and Brainerd Rd) for immigrant soccer teams since the mid 1990s. • Additionally, we have pre-existing contacts through community and church networks, through which we plan to model and encourage similar scope and vision; we want to demonstrate what’s possible through a program of workshops and round tables with other faith groups. |
| Name | Reverend April Berends |
| Contact Information | aberends@saygrace.net |
| Name | Kristina Shaneyfelt |
| Contact Information | jkshaneyfelt@epbfi.com |
| Name | Brittany Williamson |
| Contact Information | brittwilli90@epbfi.com |
| Is there anything else you would like us to know about your project? | This project includes a certified, level two arboretum, under the auspices of the Tennessee Urban Forestry Council. Its grounds are a registered project offering Hamilton County Master Gardeners county- wide volunteer opportunities, under the auspices of the UT’s Extension Services. In addition to our recent arboretum certification, the mature trees on site are registered in the Chattanooga Notable Trees program, under then- city arborist Gene Hyde. This site also houses community compost bins, both free and commercial, and a 23 bed community garden. The site has organized and hosted public rallies and classes for pollinators, vegetable gardening, native plant sales and native plant giveaways. It operates a weekly food pantry. It provides 4- 6 various substance abuse support groups meeting space at nominal cost. It runs a small ‘free garden’, for anyone driving by to stop and pick for themselves. Our weekly Brainerd Farmers Market has operated continuously for over ten years, each Saturday, also at nominal cost to the farmer vendors; as funding allows, we offer twice the purchase for each SNAP dollar presented. We have provided the local refugee community an empty lot as a soccer field and gathering place. Through all this we demonstrate a long and consistent ability to organize and effectively manage a variety of community support projects. It is our calling, in which we have sunk considerable amounts of our own time and money. With more resources, we believe we can do more. |