Citizen Engagement Survey

Dear Indianapolis Citizen,

As Mayor, I take great pride in the opportunity to listen to you, the citizen, and learn more about what you need to make your neighborhood and this city more livable. That's why I invite you to take a moment to complete this survey by IUPUI to let us know how we can best serve you.

The purpose of the survey is to get citizens' input. All responses to the survey will remain anonymous and will be analyzed by professional researchers as we work to determine the most efficient ways to bring better services to those who call Indianapolis home.

The survey will take approximately five minutes to finish. Thank you for your help and I look forward to hearing from you. Please respond to this survey by Friday, June 26 at the following link: http://survey.indygov.org/makingindybetter.

Best Regards,

Gregory A. Ballard

Mayor

City of Indianapolis

INDY PARKS SUMMER FOOD SERVICE PROGRAM TO DELIVER 160,000 FREE MEALS

INDIANAPOLIS – (June 4, 2009) The City of Indianapolis Department of Parks and Recreation will deliver an estimated 160,000 free meals from June 1, 2009, through Aug. 14, 2009, during its Summer Food Service Program.

This summer marks the 10^th consecutive year Indy Parks is participating in the Summer Food Service Program, funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and administered locally through the Indiana Department of Education. Indy Parks anticipates about 160,000 meals will be distributed this summer to at least 85 locations in economically challenged areas, up from 140,000 meals served last summer. Breakfasts have been added to several park locations this year.

“Healthy, well-balanced meals year-round are essential to a child’s physical and emotional well-being,” said Leslie Power, Indy Parks School and Family Programs Administrator. “Indy Parks provides opportunities for nutritious meals during the summer months when school cafeteria lunches and meals offered through the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs are not available.”

The meals are available free of charge to youth ages 18 and younger, or to persons over 18 who are determined by the state or local public education agency to be mentally or physically disabled.

Please visit www.indyparks.org or call (317) 327-PARK for the most current list of locations. For more information on Indy Parks Summer Food Service Program, contact School and Family Programs Administrator Leslie Power at (317) 327-7015 or lpower@indygov.org.

“Indy Parks & Recreation is participating in the Summer Food Service Program. In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability. To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410, or call toll free (866) 632-9992 (voice). TDD users can contact USDA through local relay or the Federal Relay at (800) 877-8339 (TDD) or (866) 377-8642 (relay voice users). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.”

PARK IT WITH INDY PARKS DURING SUMMER KICKOFF WEEK JUNE 10-JUNE 14!

INDIANAPOLIS – (June 4, 2009) Park it with Indy Parks during Summer Kickoff Week June 10-June 14 and learn how to make Indy Parks your summer destination! Splash into pools, listen to live music, watch a movie in the park, ride at the Velodrome, shop a Farmer’s Market and shimmy at the annual Egyptian Dance Celebration. You will find all this AND MUCH MORE during Indy Parks Summer Kickoff Week!

Kick off the fun at Indy Parks on The Circle from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, June 10, 2009, on Monument Circle in Downtown Indianapolis. The free event features live music, giveaways, whiffleball and soccer demonstrations, our new Waters Education Trailer, special announcements, Indy Parks partnering organizations and more. Indy Parks staff will host interactive booths highlighting everything from environmental education, golf and playground programs to greenways and aquatics. Joining in the fun will be Indiana Pacers mascot Boomer, Indianapolis Indians mascot Rowdie, and Indiana Ice mascot Big E. Foot with the team’s Clark Cup trophy. Come check out everything Indy Parks offers!

Summer Kickoff Week June 10-14 also features:

• Concerts at Eagle Creek Park, Holliday Park, Garfield Park, Willard Park Pool and Watkins Park
• Farmer’s Market at Ellenberger Park
• Egyptian Dance Celebration and Workshops at Garfield Park
• Friday Night Racing at Major Taylor Velodrome
• Pleasant Run Splash ’N Ride Bike Parade and Dedication of Spray Grounds
• Pack-The-Pools Party

Please see attached media kit for dates, time and locations of these events and more. For additional information, visit www.indyparks.org or call (317) 327-PARK.

Bike Indy. Swim Indy. Run Indy.

PLAY INDY!

INDY PARKS, LIVE NATION PARTNER TO PROMOTE COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

INDIANAPOLIS ­– (June 5, 2009) LIVE NATION and Indy Parks & Recreation encourage Indianapolis residents to volunteer at a special community service event to earn free concert tickets to the O.A.R. concert at The Lawn at White River State Park on June 17, 2009.

Persons interested in volunteering must sign up in advance. Visit www.indyparks.org to register for the cleanup at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Park, 1702 N. Broadway St., which will take place from noon to 3 p.m. Thursday, June 11, 2009. The first 75 registered volunteers will receive one free ticket to the June 17 O.A.R. concert at The Lawn at White River State Park. Volunteers for the June 11 cleanup will be spreading mulch on the playground, painting picnic tables and fences, sweeping curb lines, raking grass and leaves, and picking up trash.

"This is a great partnership with LIVE NATION that will definitely help energize volunteerism in the Indianapolis community," said Ashley Richards, Community Partnerships Senior Manager.

About Indy Parks & Recreation

The mission of Indy Parks & Recreation is to create fun, safe, engaging and sustainable parks that enhance the quality of life for individuals, neighborhoods and communities. Indy Parks will be a national model of excellence and destination for facilities and programs, protecting parks, greenways and open spaces and championing environmental initiatives.

About LIVE NATION

LIVE NATION is the largest producer of live concerts in the world, annually producing more than 16,000 concerts for 1,500 artists in 57 countries and selling more than 45 million concert tickets a year. Headquartered in Los Angeles, LIVE NATION is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, trading under the symbol LYV. Additional information about the company can be found at http://www.livenation.com/investors.

Call to ARTISTS -- Fountain Square Art Fair

WHAT: Fountain Square Art Fair! We Need Artists!
WHERE: Historic Fountain Square public parking lot at Shelby and Morris Streets
WHEN: Saturday. September 19, 2009 10:00-6:00
SPECIAL EVENTS: * Also happening is Masterpiece in a Day, in and around the Fountain Square Village

The Fountain Square Art Fair (FSAF 2009) is in its 3rd year, and growing fast! Climb on to this fabulous fair and sell your wares!

All artists wishing to sell their works to an already-assembled art-appreciative public should be here! We are expecting to fill booth space for about 100 artists in 10x10 spaces.

Booth rental is still just $50 this year! That gets you the 10x10 space. You supply the tables, chair, tent and of course your creations.

Again this year, we will have the FSAF Entertainment Stage going all day with our very own eclectic blend of music and performance. We still run a non-juried show. And as usual, artists can participate in Masterpiece in a Day from their booths! Sell art, create art, maybe win cash prize for your art! What could be better?

Please go to http://www.discoverfountainsquare.com/artfair.cfm for more information and to sign up for a booth. Deadline for booth registration is FRIDAY, July 17, 2009**. Thanks and hope to see you at the Fair!

CONTACT:
Sarah Adams, AV Framing Gallery—Fountain Square Merchants Assoc.
317.356.3776
avframing@gmail.com

Access to online Sheriff Sale information

Good afternoon! Earlier today Clerk White announced a way for registered neighborhood organizations to request free access to online Sheriff Sale information available at www.indygov.biz. There are two steps:

1. Make sure your neighborhood organization, community development corporation or homeowner/condominium association is registered with the city of Indianapolis. If you aren’t already registered or need to update your information, you can do so by going here: http://imaps.indygov.org/RegOrgs/ The forms are available in the tool bar to your left. You’ll submit the registration form via mail or fax to the contact on the form.

2. Submit a fee waiver request for Sheriff Sale information. Attached is a packet that outlines these instructions and also includes both the registration form and fee waiver request. You’ll submit the fee waiver request to LoGO Indiana via mail or fax. The Enhanced Access Review Committee reviews the waiver requests at its bi-monthly meetings. (A good rule of thumb is to have your waiver request submitted by the first of the month to reduce your wait time.) This packet is available on the Clerk’s Web site www.indy.gov/clerk and will be posted on indygov.biz in the near future.

Incidentally, government agencies or Hoosier-based not-for-profits with 501(c)(3) status can request a fee waiver for most of the information available on indygov.biz. To learn more, visit www.indygov.biz, click ‘Subscriber Center’ in the upper right tool bar and then click the link for the waiver. You’ll be asked to complete a short survey to determine whether your group is eligible to submit the waiver request. Waivers are reviewed at the bi-monthly EARC meetings and your organization is notified after whether the request was approved or denied.

Please do let me know if our office can be of assistance to you.

Angie Nussmeyer

Public Information Officer | Marion County Clerk Beth White

o. (317) 327-5099 | anussmey@indygov.org

200 E. Washington St. | Room W-122 | Indianapolis, IN 46204

CITY SEEKS PUBLIC INPUT FOR 2010 ACTION PLAN

INDIANAPOLIS - The Department of Metropolitan Development will hold two public hearings to seek input on housing and community development needs in Indianapolis and to distribute its 2010 Neighborhood Survey.

Meetings will be held on the following dates:
* Thursday, June 11, 2009 at 6 p.m. Indianapolis Marion County Public Library, Central Library, One Library Square, 40 E St. Clair Street
* Monday, June 15, 2009 at 10 a.m. Indianapolis Neighborhood Resource Center, 1802 N Illinois Street

The Annual Action Plan is the framework for allocating federal funding; the Community Development Block Grant funds that benefit low and moderate income people, eliminate slum and blight or meet an urgent need; the Home Investment Partnerships funds that provide affordable housing for low and very low income people; the Emergency Shelter Grant funds that provide shelter, essential services and homeless prevention; and the Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS funds that provide housing and supportive services to persons with AIDS.

People who can not attend the meeting are asked to complete our 2010 Neighborhood Survey at http://www.indy.gov/eGov/City/DMD/Pages/home.aspx
The survey will be available June 8-July 2, 2009.