July 8th, 2017 Dublin, GA
Visit Dublin GA and Dublin-Laurens Georgia Initiative for Community Housing (GICH) turned a quiet Saturday morning in the historic Scottsville neighborhood in Dublin, GA into a morning filled with laughter of busy hands and buzzing of mowers and trimmers, as the yard of a local disabled veteran was given new life.
During the June Dublin-Laurens GICH meeting, the issue of yard care needs for the elderly and disabled arose and from that meeting spurred members of the team to search out possibilities for a Team Up To Clean Up Day. The GICH team set to work, walking the Scottsville neighborhood, surveying overgrown properties, speaking with members of the neighborhood and partnering with Scottsville Neighborhood Watch. Once a property was decided on, the GICH team moved into action organizing a cleanup day for the location Saturday, June 8th from 8 AM to 12 PM, to which the community was also invited.
Members of various organizations including City of Dublin, Dublin Police Department, Keep Dublin Laurens Beautiful, Visit Dublin GA, and Scottsville Neighborhood Watch were on hand providing manpower, mowers, rakes, shovels, hedge trimmers and other lawn care items. A special thanks to Police Chief Tim Chatman, City Manager Lance Jones, City Councilman Bennie Jones, Code Enforcement officer James Burney, Police officer James Harden, Otha Stanley and Visit Dublin GA’s Rebecca McWilliam, Miriam Ponton & Teri Lynn Flury for participating in Saturday’s Teaming Up to Cleanup Event.
As the hours passed, the property progressed from overgrown to attractive, bringing joy and satisfaction, not only to the resident in need and the neighborhood, but also to the many volunteers dedicated to bettering the community.
Georgia Initiative on Community Housing, a program offered by Georgia Department of Community Affairs, offers communities a three year program of collaboration and technical assistance related to housing and community development. Dublin was selected through an application process as a GICH community in 2017. Dublin’s GICH team includes representatives from across Laurens County and is charged with developing innovative action steps to address Dublin and Lauren County’s housing and community needs. For more information about GICH, contact Deborah Stanley, Director of Grants and Community Development with The City of Dublin at stanleyd@dlcga.com.
