A beauty treatment for the Eastside 5.4.11

INDIANAPOLIS STAR

The last weekend of the monthlong Keep Indianapolis Beautiful Great Indy Cleanup program proved successful for East 10th Street volunteers.
Tammi Hughes, executive director of the East 10th Street Civic Association, said nearly 50 area residents, businesses and organizations, including the 2012 Super Bowl Host Committee, volunteered to help pick up debris, clean up vacant lots and help with other spring landscape cleanup jobs Saturday.
"On a bigger picture, it's more than just coming out and cleaning up -- it's looking at longevity and sustainability of keeping your buildings and your green spaces well-maintained and monitored," Hughes said.
Members of the Rivoli Center for the Performing Arts, the nonprofit owner of the Rivoli Theatre, planned their annual spring cleanup with the citywide cleanup again this year.
Regular cleanups happen about three times a year at the theater, but getting rid of winter debris during the citywide effort just helps to improve the neighborhood, said board member Mark Dollase.
The event also was a way for neighbors to help or meet one another.
Other board members helped with the cleanup at the Rivoli Theatre as well, meeting, networking and sharing their ideas for the building with volunteers throughout the day.
"Our long-range goal is to restore the theater and make it a community arts facility and be part of the overall revitalization of East 10th Street," Dollase said.
Hughes said the event was a huge success for the East 10th Street Civic Association, with all six of Saturday's scheduled projects completed. This is the sixth year in a row that the association has participated in the monthlong citywide cleanup efforts.
"One volunteer put it this way: 'It looks like someone lives here,' " she said.
http://www.indystar.com/article/20110501/LOCAL1803/105010380/-1/7daysarchives/Eastside-gets-beauty-treatment