Yard Crashers 2.0?

 

For those of you that may be unaware, Yard Crashers is a television show on the HGTV DIY Network that provides surprised homeowners with a brand-new yard. The basic concept is that their host would ambush homeowners while they were home improvement shopping in the garden section, then follow them back to their homes, tear apart their yards and help them do a complete backyard makeover. They do the complete renovation in two days.

This got me to thinking of the days back when I was involved with the BP Civic Club [now defunct]. In short, our previous code officer contacted me about an elderly resident who was having troubles with several code issues. As I remember it this was brought about due to being overwhelmed with health concerns and medical expenses. As such, her property fell into disrepair.  

 

I met with our neighbor and started to design an action plan of not only how to help her get back into code compliance, but also to see what else we could do, as a community to help her through this difficult period in her life. First on the list of priorities was deteriorating exterior house paint.

I negotiated with a local company (hat tip to Miller Paint- a great and helpful staff) to donate us the paint, and all other associated supplies. Next was to approach an equipment rental outlet for use of a pressure washer (sorry, but I have forgotten who this was. What is it they say about memory?) Lastly was to post our little community story in the Miami Heralds Neighbors section.

As is the theme of Biscayne Park and volunteer help, we had over 15 residents show up on the day of the event. We had our Mayor, Commissioner’s (plural) and volunteer residents ALL working together towards a common goal – that of Community… not partisan politics. [ASIDE] Now, did I take some small pleasure in cracking the whip, so to speak, with our Mayor and Commissioners? Answer, you betcha! [END ASIDE]  

But then we had an unexpected surprise.  Two men drove up (not residents of BP), telling us that they had seen our story in the newspaper and wanted to help. They brought with them several pieces of lawn equipment to include a small backhoe. They went to work removing both downed trees and several stumps that were left as a result of a previous hurricane. They also, on their own, trimmed all of the shrubs, mowed and cleaned up the entire yard.

So, by the end of the day she had a fresh coat of paint, clean exterior trim and her yard (and code issues) were all cleared up. She treated us to a pizza party and was nearly in tears thanking us for our help.

I feel that I can speak for all that were present – in that we were filled with a tremendous sense of community pride.

I have had conversations, on and off since with several residents of how we could possibly do something like this again. Of course, there is no longer a Civic Club to host such an event and we have no budget to speak of for supplies, etc. Also we have gotten stuck on both how and who to offer assistance to.  So, at this point, I am reaching out for ideas and assistance to help us brainstorm this concept into a reality.

Basic Improvement Ideas:  [Ideally we would focus on front yards]

·         Simple tree and hedge trimming

·         Weeding

·         Basic cleanup of exterior- i.e. bleaching mildewed awnings and/or exterior trim. Front doors get dirtier than you think

·         Possible painting

·         Mulching areas where no grass is present

And that’s about as far as discussions have gone to date. As mentioned previously, my smallest concern is that of sourcing the volunteer help from our neighbors. We have had great turnouts when asked for the MLK cleanup days and various other Village planting projects. Such as the recent one by the bridge on 6^th Ave. and Griffing Blvd. Or the butterfly garden created by the railroad tracks… and others.

So, let's get thinking about this and see if we can come up with a plan of action. I greatly appreciate your ideas and input at this time. 

Standing Watch,

Milton Hunter

The Biscayne Parker

miltonhunter@gmail.com