OSCNA Is Waiting To Hear Award Results

On April 1, the Old Speedway City Neighborhood Association will find out if they are still in the running for the nation’s Best Neighborhood Program Of The Year Award. The top three finalists will make a presentation at the national conference over Labor Day weekend in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The presentation will determine the winner.
Nita McCormick of Indianapolis Neighborhood Resource Center explained the OSCNA was nominated for this national recognition in the social revitalization and neighborness division as a result of winning the INRC’s Collaborative Spirit Award last year.
McCormick explained the OSCNA won the INRC’s Collaborative Spirit Award for its partnering method with other groups to become a historic designation at the state and national level.
OSCNA drew the recognition because of Speedway Junior High School History Teacher Charles Bennett and his students’ efforts to identify the architecture styles in the neighborhood. The infomration was submitted to the federal government as part of the qualifications to receive the designation. Bennett and the students involved neighbors and students from Ball State to join the in the project. The project did not happen overnight. It started several years ago and is continually being improved.
Bennett explained his students were tested over the architectural styles, so it was not simply a project of walking around the neighborhood looking at homes. The students sent out historical surveys to homeowners and received about 100 responses from people writing about the history of their homes. “Mrs. Grande wrote a four-page letter,” he said.
Bennett credited Mike’s Photo Shop with providing at cost the special photo requirements to be able to submit the project to Washington, D. C. He estimated that about 1,050 people were involved at the end to help the neighborhood receive its historic designation in 2005. Bennett said this cooperative effort saved the neighborhood association members about $10,000 because they did not have to hire professional services to accomplish the task.
The students have created a website to show the different categories of houses. The students will do a presentation at the May 7th OSCNA meeting.
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