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It’s now easier to keep Allen beautiful because everything needed to beautify the city is available free of cost, thanks to a program of the Allen Parks Foundation.
The APF officially began its tool trailer lending program last week, which provides everything necessary for park beautification projects to community groups.
Ford Middle School, anticipating its 25th anniversary, hosted a Family Clean Up Day June 21 that marked the program’s debut.
Principal Sandra McCoy-Jackson said the whole school, including past, present and future students and faculty, along with the Allen Garden Club, spruced up the campus with the help of the APF tool trailer.
“The community really embraced this effort,” McCoy-Jackson said. “The experience was wonderful.”
McCoy-Jackson said the Allen Parks Foundation and city of Allen workers stayed for the whole event and helped by giving suggestions and orchestrating the garden supplies.
The tool trailer was the brainchild of Jim Waldbauer, president of the Allen Parks Foundation board of trustees.
Waldbauer said the board has been working with the city for about a year to orchestrate the program, which is a partnership between the two groups.
“We just try to do whatever we can in addition to everything the city does for the community,” Waldbauer said. “This program was put in place to enhance the community and to bring it all together.”
Waldbauer said the APF is able to add the different elements of other groups in Allen to make beautification possible. The city, mostly through the Parks and Recreation department, provides public parks and ordinances to help keep the parks viable and works with other groups in the community that are dedicated to keeping the city clean. The last step, Waldbauer said, is for the APF to provide the tools.
The APF will lend its 6 feet by 12 feet by 6 feet trailer full of tools to any group in the community hosting a project approved by the Allen Foundation. It will not be available to for-profit organizations, Waldbauer said.
Cyndi Baldwin, vice president of APF board of trustees, said this program comes at the right time for many people in the community that are going green in an effort to be more environmentally-friendly but said it also helps provide for the future of the city.
“It’s more than just going green,” Baldwin said. “It’s about planning and making sure everything’s there for the future.”
Baldwin said the APF was able to use part of its donation funds to purchase the tool trailer, which will ensure Allen’s parks are well-preserved for the future.
Waldbauer said the program aims to keep people in the community healthy and give them the ability to get outdoors.
“There was a strong response at Ford [Middle School] and this project is helping the community work together,” Waldbauer said.
Community groups interested in checking out the tool trailer must fill out a reservation request form and a release. Baldwin said since the program just recently hosted its first event, it is still trying to get started in terms of scheduling groups. The tool trailer has two upcoming events, one with the Allen Garden Club and one with a Boy Scout troop. Ideally, Baldwin said, groups should contact APF two weeks in advance to reserve equipment.
“The event at Ford Middle School was relatively short notice and went really smoothly,” Baldwin said.
At each event, Baldwin said the APF plans to have at least one representative from the Parks and Recreation department and one from APF.
“We’ll bring the trailer to your group, wherever you’re working, plan to have at least one representative from the Parks and Recreation department there to keep track of supplies,” Baldwin said.
The group will provide trash and compost bags, along with rakes, shovels, masking tape, pliers, or many other supply community groups might need. The city will take compost bags and it is the group’s responsibility to dispose of the trash.
“We’re just bringing the tools to make every community project successful,” Waldbauer said.
More information can be found at APF’s Web site at
http://www.cityofallen.org/parks/Parks_Foundation.htm
