City grants helping beautification projects

Heather Cory

A banner hangs at Desert Shores clubhouse saying, “Desert Shores: Celebrating Twenty Years of Community Pride.” Desert Shores community recently received a neighborhood grant for their 20th anniversary celebration party, which is on Sept. 7.

By Jenny Davis (contact)

Thursday, Sept. 4, 2008 | 5:09 p.m.

With the 20th anniversary of Desert Shores coming up, a lot of preparation, hard work and volunteerism is needed from the community for the Sept. 7 celebration.

Money is also needed for the celebration and community General Manager Rita Peterson knew where to find some.

She applied for a Neighborhood Partners Fund Grant from the city of Las Vegas Neighborhood Services Department and received $2,500. Overall, 18 neighborhoods received a total of $55,000 in grant money, including the Cottonwood Terrace Community Association in Summerlin and Lone Mountain Vistas Community Association and Lone Mountain Vista V Community Association.

The program is about more than just giving money away. The Neighborhood Partners Fund grants help beautify, protect and bring unity to the Las Vegas residents who are willing to work for it.

The recipients of the grant money must match the money received in labor and donations to improve their neighborhoods. All together, the neighborhoods have pledged more than $153,100.

This is the third year Desert Shores applied for a grant and received it. In previous years, the community received money for the new signage found around the community that specifies the different neighborhoods and informs people about the different types of birds and their migration patterns that culminate around the four lakes in the neighborhood.

In the past, the community received $4,000 for the projects, and although this year the amount was less, Peterson said she is happy to receive anything with the economic slowdown and budget cuts.

“We are really grateful that the city continued to do this,” she said.

Most of the money will be used to offset the cost of magnets that will be given at the celebration that can be put in the back windows of cars. The magnets are meant to create a sense of unity among the Desert Shores residents.

“It’s to say we’re from Desert Shores, and it’s a nice way for folks to know where we come from,” Peterson said.

Desert Shores volunteers pledged 145 hours of volunteer work.

“It’s nice that this gets the community to work together and volunteer,” Peterson said. “Matching funds is a great part of the program.”

The Lone Mountain Vistas Community Association received $1,000 to install a barbecue and a park bench in an open grassy area near the homes.

“I saw that a lot of people would go out there and socialize, but there was no place to sit,” said Terri Knight, secretary of the association. “We wanted people to mingle more and get to know each other.”

The volunteer hours pledged for the money came from residents volunteering to install the barbecue and bench.

The Cottonwood Terrace Community Association is having a Celebration of Life Multi-Generational Project and received $2,300. The event will include a dinner and will allow residents to get to meet each other.

The Lone Mountain Vista V Community Association received $3,800 for a neighborhood entrance beautification project.

Jenny Davis can be reached at 990-8921 or jenny.davis@hbcpub.com.