Sunday, July 30, 2017

Access Miller 2017-2018 Goals

We have expanded from our original Goal 1: Identify and engage at least ten (10) key regional partners involved in development, improvements and funding of transportation infrastructure to advocate for and find means to achieve our short and long term goals beginning 10/31/2015. 

We are continuing to advocate and push to create communities that all residents can grow up in and old in, aka life-long neighborhoods/ age-friendly cities.  NICTD is planning to extend its double track and so there has been a great amount of attention placed on Gary’s tourism opportunities. As group we are showcasing critical mass and advocating for complete streets across Northwest Indiana and the state as a whole. 
Our initiative is designed to increase ridership and investment in our blue/green trails. (Particularly close to our hearts is finishing The Gary Green Link and uniting Deep River with more accessible kayak launches. We would love to help install a launch in Lake Station at Bicentennial Park and one one New Chicago along the river.) Cyclist, paddlers, ecotourists and the disabled will travel if opportunities are there for them.



Goal 2: Increase number of residents biking, rolling and walking in Miller 500% by 2025. 

In 2018 we are creating an inclusive biking program with our community partner, The Blind Social Center (who caters to 600+ patrons). We plan to create a tandem cycling club that tours the region advocating for infrastructure improvements. Take Bike the Streets: Biking with the Blind is a project for peo­ple of all abilities to encourage recreational collaborations to implement tourism, well­ness and economic development in Gary, Indiana and beyond. 


We are also looking to expand our Ken Parr Build-a-Bike Shop hours and have partnered with Northern Lights Eco Adventures to launch an expeditionary, service-based learning camp for teens for the summer of 2018. Our hope is once some of our build-a-bike participants turn 18, they will also be able to be hired by Zagster to maintain our bikeshare cycles, thus creating a cottage industry for Garyites that could expand across the region.

Goal 3: Bike Share and Car Share programs will increase from zero users to a combined twenty (20) users per day by 2019. 

We are seeking community partners to help fund the 2018-2019 season of Zagster as well as looking for parties interested in participating in a car share program. 
(Gary's Miller Spotlight volunteers enjoying the new Zagster Bike Share.)

Goal 4: Provide shuttle bus services to 500 Miller residents on weekends and for special events by summer 2016 and increase numbers by 10% each year until the beginning of 2018. 


This service actually launched a year early in the summer of 2015! We have been working all summer to up the ridership and market this amazing service/ partnership with the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. We will continue to work with NPS on this project.



Goal 5: Develop a website tracking physical obstacles to accessibility in Miller and improve the 10 public sites identified as least accessible by 2020. 
Access Miller has partnered with Barrier Free Beach 2020 and The City of Gary on this project. We ran 6 workshops on this subject and received a 2016 ADA Indiana Community Grant. We created a multi platformed educational series on accessibility. Access 4 All premiered as part of the Directed by Women Global Film Festival this September. A portion of the series Access 4 All: Progress in our Parks was featured in the Indiana Dunes Film Festival.  



It is now available on YouTube at : Access 4 All

Please watch the series, take the survey and encourage others to do so too. 

We just received a 2017 ADA Indiana Community Grant that we will collaborate on with the National Lakeshore and City of Gary.

You can access our entire Access Miller Updates here:


Goal 6: Make all Miller Spotlight web content accessible by 2019. 



We have designed our content to be as universal as possible and continue to do so. Please email any notes/ recommendations to millerspotlight@gmail.com.


(Click here to find our more about Gary’s Miller Spotlight.)


Saturday, July 29, 2017

Take Bike The Streets Part 4: Outdoor Adaptive Escapade


The 1st Annual Outdoor Escapade was held on Saturday July 15, 2017 with great success. Roughly 500 people of all ages and abilities came to Gary to enjoy accessible ecotourism activities. The event started at 10:00AM at The Dana Evans Community Corner (6300 Miller Ave Gary, IN 46403). This location was one of four sites set up in Gary’s Miller community for this active tourism festival. The festivities included a ton of free active tourism attractions such as paddling, bicycling and archery. 

The Outdoor Adaptive Escapade (OAE) focused on highlighting green & blue trails.It celebrated all abilities and showcased the many hidden recreational gems that the Miller area in Gary, and neighboring, communities have to offer. 

OAE featured adaptive vehicles and equipment that enabled individuals with limited mobility to access roads, trails, dunes, and beaches, to participate in activities of all types of terrains and in all kinds of weather. New resources and opportunities typically not seen or not readily available were introduced to community attendees of different abilities that allowed for a fun, creative outdoors experience. 

Staging took place primarily at 6300 Miller Ave., the ADA Launch at Calumet Lagoon in Marquette Park, the Douglas Center for Environmental Education and at Lake Street Beach. 

Attendees had the opportunity to explore and experience a wide range of adaptive outdoor recreation equipment including: accessible paths, vehicles, hand and tandem cycles, Action Trackchairs, and Freedom Trax, kayaks and paddle boards. Zagster Bikeshare and Miller Spotlight’s Take- Bike- the-Streets Build-a-Bike volunteers were on hand to demonstrate bikes and share information about bike sharing, bike racks, bike repair stations and Build-A-Bike shop initiatives in Gary’s Miller neighborhood. 



The Miller Spotlight group showcased the initial phases of two accessible community gardens. Activities were in coordination with Adaptive Adventures, Northwest Paddling Association (NWIPA), Barrier Free Beach 2020, City of Gary Parks & Recreation, Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, National Park Services, Save the Dunes, Causes for Change, and the Legacy Foundation Neighborhood Spotlight Groups. 

The purpose of this annual event is to showcase that aging and disability impact everyone. One in three households in the USA is home to a person with a varying ability. Universal design principles should be considered whenever and wherever possible, for the benefit of each and all. Infrastructure, transportation, and the environment should be considered from conception through execution; programs and services developed and implemented with all in mind.  Anyone seeking additional information may contact Jessica Renslow, via (818) 294-4240/ millerspotlight@gmail.com, or follow Miller Spotlight on Facebook or check out accessmiller.org 


Outcomes?
500+ people attended/ participated in the event
The National Lakeshore (NPS) purchased a set of Freedom Traxx and a portable adaptive mat for events. 



Please help us prepare for next year's event by taking the OAE Survey:

Press about the project so far:


Take Bike The Streets Part 3: Zagster


What is Zagster?
We obtained our Zagster Bikeshare contract this year and secured the funding for June 2017-June2018. Zagster is the leading provider of bike­share programs for cities, univer­sities, businesses and properties. Both Fort Wayne and Evansville have recently launched Zagster fleets. Zagster simplifies bike sharing through a full ­service model that covers everything involved in planning, building and operating a system. By using right­sized infrastructure and app­based technology, Zagster bike­sharing programs are flexible and affordable for both communities like Gary’s Miller Neighborhood and the riders within them and attracted to them. 

Why Zagster? 
Acquiring a national brand such as Zagster has put Gary’s Miller Community on the map for other ecotourism companies and environmental education programmers. Zag­ster covers the planning, hardware, technology and operations to run a bike­share in a community the size of Miller. (They have 5 different adaptive bike options.) The community fundraised for an adaptive hand cycle that will be installed on September 1st as a part of September’s First Fridays on Lake Street. Zagster focuses on transportation infrastructure with a tangible return on investment. All profits from in­vesting in Zagster are going to run various Miller Spotlight projects. 



Outcomes?
In its first month of opperation our bike share has had 35 regulars and 25 one-time users join the program. 


Press about the project so far:




So far the most common rental zone area is The Stage Gary Small Business Incubator/ CoWorking Space. It will be interesting to see how this project evolves. We are seeking sponsors for the 2018-2019 contract. Please email Jessie Renslow (Community Builder) via millerspotlight@gmail.com for more info.

(To Learn more about Take Bike The Streets click here.)



Take Bike The Streets Part 2: Ken Parr Build-a-Bike

Why do a build-a-bike? 
With 8.8% of our community solely depending on public transportation, biking is more than a recreational activity in Gary’s Miller footprint. We estimated in 2015 that there were between 1500-1600 people solely riding the bus/train in the 46403 zip code. In a city of 77,000 and 54 square miles Gary doesn’t have a bike shop! 

How did we get started? 
By training volunteers of varying ages in these workshops, we are providing a constructive activity that promotes biking and capitalizes on fostering local leadership. 

How does this work? 
We meet 10am-noon every Saturday from June-October 
Each build-a-bike crew member works on his/ her bike 

Do you charge for your services? 
Once a bike is ready to ride, the build-a-bike crew member donates 4 hours of service with our Miller Garden Club volunteers to receive it. 


Outcomes ?

In it’s ninth week, the Ken Parr Build-a-Bike has had 7 graduates. So, far the popup shop has had 32 participants. 

(To Learn more about Take Bike The Streets click here.)


Take Bike The Streets Part 1: What is Take Bike The Streets?


Take Bike The Streets is a comprehensive program that involves community engagement, economic development and intergenerational environmental education. As a Neighborhood Spotlight Community, our volunteers have committed to organize, decide and act upon projects that will profoundly change our community’s future. Take Bike the Streets is just such a project. Gary’s Miller Community has been described as "an island of integration and natural beauty.” This diversity extends to modes of trans­portation. The goal of Take Bike the Streets is to capitalize on the community’s diversity and implement a multiphase project that makes cycling an accessible and enjoyable activity for all our community and our visitors. Take Bike The Streets is a comprehensive program that involves community engage­ment, economic development and intergenerational environmental education. It has three phases: Planning, Educating, Implementing. With 8.8% of our community solely depending on public transportation, biking is more than a recreational activity in Gary’s Miller footprint. Our community conducted forty­-two bike tours in 2016. They promoted community rapport, tourism, litter cleanups and healthy ­living. They were attended by 9 regulars (plus an upwards of 30 additional peo­ple depending on the weather/ ride’s theme).


During our information gathering phase (2015), we conducted a SWOT study and cre­ated a community plan. Promoting biking activities and universally designed facilities became a high priority for our volunteers in 2016. We received grant funding for 11 bike racks. We held a workshop where the community chose the 11 spots for the racks to be installed, as well as four additional universal design workshops for our local businesses/ non­ for­ profits. In the summer of 2016 we started conducting monthly build­-a­-bike popup shops at our local farmer’s market. We also ran weekly bike tours May­-September and monthly tours from October­-April. Our dedicated riders cycled through all types of weather! During these ten­ mile tours, we realized there was a need to have bike repair stations, way­ finding signs, bike rentals and inclusive events based around universal design in our community. The objective of these facilities/ activities is two­-fold. Firstly, they provide needed amenities for local tourists, recreational cyclists and those community members that use bicycles as their primary means of transportation. Secondly, our vol­unteers will also be able to expand their outreach/ educational efforts to a larger popu­lation. Additionally our volunteers We received a Legacy Foundation Neighborhood Spotlight Grant to help us move Take Bike The Streets to the next level.

(To Learn more about Take Bike The Streets click here.)


Access Miller’s Original Community Goals (created in 2015, Implemented in 2016 & 2017)


Goal 1: Identify and engage at least ten (10) key regional partners involved in development, improvements and funding of transportation infrastructure to advocate for and find means to achieve our short and long term goals beginning 10/31/2015. 

Since October of 2015, we have identified more than 10 regional partners (City of Gary, City of Gary’s Parks & Recreation Department, National Lakeshore, City of Gary’s Council, City of Gary’s Department of Redevelopment, Gary Public Transportation, Coastal Grant, NICTD, NIRPC, RDA, Indiana General Assembly, Ped-Pedal-Paddle) and have been working with them from the planning stage to implementation stage on several projects. Little by little we are advocating and working with those who are helping us become a universally designed community/city/region. 
                    
Goal 2: Increase number of residents biking, rolling and walking in Miller 500% by 2025. 

We are well on our way with our Take Bike The Streets initiative read all about it here.

Goal 3: Bike Share and Car Share programs will increase from zero users to a combined twenty (20) users per day by 2019. 

We launched our Bike Share program in June as a component of our Take Bike The Streets initiative. Read all about how we partnered with Zagster here.

Goal 4: Provide shuttle bus services to 500 Miller residents on weekends and for special events by summer 2016 and increase numbers by 10% each year until the beginning of 2018. 

This service actually launched a year early in the summer of 2015! We have been working all summer to up the ridership and market this amazing service/ partnership with the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore.

Goal 5: Develop a website tracking physical obstacles to accessibility in Miller and improve the 10 public sites identified as least accessible by 2020. 

Access Miller has partnered with Barrier Free Beach 2020 and The City of Gary on this project. We ran 6 workshops on this subject and received a 2016 ADA Indiana Community Grant. We created a multi platformed educational series on accessibility. Access 4 All premiered as part of the Directed by Women Global Film Festival this September. A portion of the series Access 4 All: Progress in our Parks was featured in the Indiana Dunes Film Festival.  

It is now available here: Access 4 All

Please watch the series, take the survey and encourage others to do so too.

Goal 6: Make all Miller Spotlight web content accessible by 2019. 

We have designed our content to be as universal as possible and continue to do so. Please email any notes/ recommendations to millerspotlight@gmail.com 


Gary's Miller Spotlight 2017 Spring & Summer View Update

What is Neighborhood Spotlight?

Neighborhood Spotlight provides a framework for capacity-building, planning and implementation block by block. It is modeled after successful community development work in Indianapolis and Chicago.
Neighborhood Spotlight guides a cross-section of community members to work collaboratively and collectively on improving quality of life. A convening organization, usually a community-based organization, spearheads the coordination of neighborhood relationships. With support from Legacy Foundation staff and consultants, Neighborhood Spotlight communities organize, decide and act upon projects that can profoundly change their future.

Gary’s Miller Spotlight is part of quartet of communities chosen by Legacy Foundation to participate in the Neighborhood Spotlight (a placed-based initiative for reinvesting in Lake County). 

The Miller Beach Arts & Creative District wrote and received the grant for the community in 2014. The original focus of the initiative was hyper local and to build capacity. The perimeters were set between County Line Road to Clay Street to Rt 12 to Lake Michigan. Anyone who lived, worked, worshiped, studied, or played in area specified for the grant was welcome to participate. 

Methodology 
The Legacy Foundation conducted trainings over the course of 2014, in which community members from neighborhoods teamed up with a local non-for profit (Convening Organization) to learn about and apply to the Neighborhood Spotlight initiative. The Legacy Foundation then selected two communities to pilot the program in Northwest Indiana. The Legacy Foundation granted Gary-Miller’s Convening Organization, Miller Beach Arts and Creative District, one of two Neighborhood Spotlight distinctions. Gary-Miller hired a community builder, Jessica Renslow. The Miller Spotlight Steering Committee was then formed to help carry out their community quality of life study. 

How the Community was Chosen
Gary’s Miller Community was chosen by Legacy Foundation for the following reasons: Gary-Miller’s proximity to the lakefront is a notable asset as is the renovation of its Marquette Park and the historic Pavilion. Several Gary-Miller structures have historical significance with a number of them on the National Register. Collaborative bodies are working in the community and include those focused on civic engagement, professional development, philanthropic resources, and safety concerns.
Source: www.legacyfdn.org/neighborhood-spotlight 

Legacy Foundation awarded Gary-Miller’s Convening Organization, Miller Beach Arts and Creative District, a Neighborhood Spotlight distinction. Gary-Miller’s proximity to the lakefront is a notable asset as is the renovation of its Marquette Park and the historic Pavilion. Several Gary-Miller structures have historical significance with a number of them on the National Register. Collaborative bodies are working in the community and include those focused on civic engagement, professional development, philanthropic resources, and safety concerns.

Gary’s Miller Spotlight hired community builder, Jessica Renslow in February of 2015. Our Steering Committee was then formed to help carry out their community quality of life study. Our all volunteer-run Steering Committee members included: Zully Alvarado, Terry Cera, Susie Galantee, Sue Kallimani, Richard Leverett, Rasheedah Muhammad, Terry Payonk, Derreka Rollins, Meg Roman, Tim Petrites and Councilwoman Rebecca Wyatt. The eleven-person, all-volunteer group, are very invested in the Neighborhood Spotlight process. Along with the community builder, they’re working to build relationships with local community groups, businesses, residents, and leaders. The steering committee began conducting one-on-one resident interviews of those in the spotlight area in February of 2015. Together the Steering Committee and Community Builder conducted 203 one-on-one interviews, asking community leaders to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in Miller. The feedback was presented in a kick off in June 2015 and used as a basis for the vision statement written in July. Local volunteers delivered their findings on the seven themes that merged from the Community Quality of Life Conversations Report at the kick off. The Community Quality of Life Conversations Report, detailed the 4,013 comments collected from 203 resident interviews.

  • Access Miller (Transportation and Infrastructure)
  • Area Context
  • Education, Youth and Child Programming
  • Environment and Ecotourism
  • Jobs and the Economy
  • Property Improvements 
  • Safety and Code Enforcement
In July of 2015 attendees of the Visioning Session helped construct Gary’s Miller community vision  for 2025 and signed up to join Action Groups to assess the themes presented in the Report.

Our Community Vision for 2025:
Miller is a beautiful, high density, universally designed neighborhood in Gary, Indiana, known as an active arts community and a destination for beach and waterfront recreation. Miller provides quality education and programs for its youth and a variety of activities for residents of all ages. Inviting gateways and transit options make Miller accessible to visitors from throughout the region, and Miller’s inclusive community design make it easy for residents and visitors alike to enjoy the area’s activities and natural environment. A vibrant downtown supports a strong business community and provides quality employment opportunities. Resident leadership and initiative create a thriving, safe, and inclusive neighborhood with government, philanthropic, and business support enriching those initiatives. The Miller neighborhood is a vibrant and functional community to live, work, and play in. 




Seven action groups were formed based on themes identified in the report and vision in the June of 2015. Each action group recruited volunteers from all sectors of the Miller footprint to discuss their goals within the respective themes. Groups used the kickoff report, the vision statement, census data, area statistics and other feedback to ensure that they addressed the needs and priorities of the whole community. After identifying goals, the groups wrote action steps to lay out how the goals would be achieved. The 7 groups reached out to a variety of partners and got their commitment to support the community plan and participate in the action steps. 

The goals and action steps presented in Gary’s Miller Community Plan in November of 2015 were just the beginning of our work to create a stronger, more vibrant community. You can read and download the entire 76 page document here for free. 

Our original 29 goals we created in 2015 included steps that were to take place over the next five years. From the beginning our volunteers understood that a community plan is a living breathing entity that could over time, have new ideas and priorities that emerge as the original goals are accomplished and checked off the list. Our volunteers continue to revisit the 2015 plan, adding new partners, goals, and strategies, and celebrating the work that has already been successful. 

In 2016 we had 28 of our 29 goals funded and/or implemented. So, in January of 2017 we hosted a celebration and added new goals/ focus to our Community Plan. The updates will be listed in a series of blogs here at millerspotlight.blogspot.com. A major addition to the community plan is that we officially included Aetna and Glen Ryan into our Neighborhood Spotlight perimeters. As the original grant capped area population for Neighborhood Spotlight communities, we couldn’t include all of the 46403 zip code, but are happy to report that our block by block approach is working.
We have started to conduct cross-Neighborhood Spotlight events with our Sister Spotlight Communities (NW Hobart, Gary’s Downtown-Emerson and Griffith). So, adding all of the 46403 into the community plan’s goal updates made perfect sense. Our outreach now goes from County Line Road to I-65 to the Edge of Lake Station to Lake Michigan.
We have some exciting projects drafted for Aetna and Glen Ryan for the fall of 2017 and are working to implement them with our 73 community partners (businesses, organizations and clubs committed to the Miller Spotlight initiate) and our amazing volunteers. As of the summer of 2017 we have had over a 1,000 volunteers donate time to Gary’s Miller Spotlight and over 7,000 people participate in our activities. If you are interested in joining the fun please contact Jessie Renslow at millerspotlight@gmail.com. All are welcome to join the process. 



Community Kickoff Presentation can be accessed here:


2015 Community Plan can be accessed here: