It’s incredible what a few people can accomplish, when they put their energy and heart into a project. Take, for example, a tiny pocket park that has sprung up at the corner of Elmwood Avenue and Bidwell Parkway. The Elmwood Village Association (EVA) is giving kudos to EVA Board Member Greg Gima, along with volunteers Susan and Bruce Faso.
For years, we have discussed the huge impact that grassroots beautification measures have on commercial districts. An unkempt, flowerless street can be a real drag. But a vibrant, clean street, with plenty of flowers and trees… now that’s something to be proud of.
Unfortunately, efforts of this nature are few and far between, because people just don’t have the time to create, and tend, lush flower beds. On the flip side, this small team of do-gooders has demonstrated what can be accomplished with a few people in a relatively short period of time (virtually overnight).
Having a pocket park is one thing. Taking care of it is another. For instance, take a look at the pocket park at the corner of Elmwood and North. If I was an owner of the Elmwood Market, which also utilizes the parking lot, I would try to figure out some sort of solution to keep this corner clean. Maybe call the NFTA, to address the major source of the litter – the bus stop. At the same time, I bet that many NFTA customers purchase items at the Elmwood Market, and then simply toss the remnant containers on the ground. Either way, it’s important to have a sense of pride for your neighborhood. If there is a mess outside of your place of business, why not see if you can come up with a solution? The NFTA has proven that it will not rectify these types of problems on its own, unless there is a public outcry. So how about we make some noise? Or clean it up ourselves? Team effort?
As for the Elmwood/Bidwell pocket park, seeing that it’s on an Olmsted Parkway, and has dutiful caretakers, I am sure that it will flourish for years to come. The problem with the Elmwood/North pocket park is that it is in a nebulous zone – in-between The Elmwood Village and Allentown… aka no man’s land.
