Indy ES

By: Jon Clucas

In 2007, Indy ES Productions, "a full-service multimedia and video production company," set up a shop on Madison Avenue near Southport Road. Just two years earlier, the company was founded in Madrid, Spain, where the company is still headquartered. In October of 2008, Indy ES moved its Indianapolis location from Southport to Fountain Square.



According to owner Ramon Carrera, Indy ES moved their Indianapolis location because they "wanted a location that was convenient, hip and friendly. That's why we chose Fountain Square. It's also very convenient for us with its proximity to downtown and ease of access to the interstate."

Located on Prospect Street in the Fountain Square Theatre Building, Indy ES certainly has a location that is convenient, hip and friendly! Maria's Pizza is just across the street from Indy ES, and Indy ES has already produced a promotional video for our local pizzeria! The video is available to view on Indy ES's Vimeo page, http://vimeo.com/user924766. Besides Vimeo, Indy ES has its own website, http://www.indy.es, and a page on DiscoverFountainSquare.com.

Additionally, Indy ES owns and operates http://www.PetPalsTV.com. Pet Pals TV is a local pet information program, with information and episodes available online and on television with Comcast On Demand. New episodes air monthly.

Indy ES specializes in online videos. The Indianapolis office, 1107 Prospect Street, is open 10 am - 5 pm, Monday - Friday. Their telephone number is (317) 638-7833.

At the time of publication, Indy ES has been operating in Fountain Square for 6 months. We welcome the company to the neighborhood and hope they stay for many years!

Mini-parks are here to stay!

By: Jon Clucas

Last August and September, several news sources, including Indianapolis Business Journal, the Indianapolis Star, and the Associated Press, reported that Mayor Ballard was considering selling some of Indianapolis' neighborhood mini-parks. Ballard was quoted in the Star saying, “I love green space, too, but I don't make the connection between a property the size of this room and green space.” In August some reports made Ballard seem committed to selling parks; the September articles mostly reported that the Mayor withdrew his plans to sell parks, but many of the articles seemed wary.

For now, we can put our wariness aside. Indy Parks Public Information Officer Paula Freund confirmed that the City of Indianapolis "is not in the business of selling parks." In fact, Indy Parks is planning on expanding in 2009, and in working with the Indianapolis Parks Foundation, one of its four priorities is land acquisition. In addition, Indy Parks is in conversations with Rupert's Kids (a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping troubled teens and directed by Rupert Boneham) to expand the involvement of Rupert's Kids in maintaining Indy Parks properties. Rupert's Kids already maintain nine city-owned mini-parks effectively through the Park Adoption Program, saving the city park maintenance costs; the teenagers involved with Rupert's Kids are paid by the organization. Not only do Indy Parks hope to have Rupert's Kids take over maintenance of an additional thirteen mini-parks this year, Rupert's Kids may take over maintenance of two larger parks this year as well.

Keep Indianapolis Beautiful is also planning on adding parks this year. Each year KIB tries to build or improve six to nine pocket parks. As a nonprofit organization, KIB's work comes at no cost to the city. KIB's pocket parks are maintained by neighborhood associations and other project partners, also at no cost to the city. This year, KIB plans to help the Global Peace Initiative build a new pocket park on Prospect Street near Santorini Greek Kitchen.

Some parks are built and maintained without any involvement from Indy Parks or Keep Indianapolis Beautiful. If one of these parks is sold, the buyer could likely be interested in developing and maintaining the park beyond what the seller was capable of. Including regional parks, community parks, and neighborhood mini-parks, Indy Parks currently owns 206 parks, many of which are located in the Southeast Square. That number will not go down in 2009, although it might go up. In short, no mini-parks are disappearing in 2009.

Dyngus Day in the Square

By: Jon Clucas

In a country where George W. Bush was President for the first twenty days this year, we are certainly all aware of Easter Sunday, if not familiar with the traditions of dying hard-boiled eggs, eating chocolate rabbits, and going to church to celebrate the Eternal Resurrection of Christ Jesus of Nazareth. Easter Monday also has traditions, though. Traditions which are much less familiar than the Easter Sunday traditions. Also known as Dyngus Day, the day after Easter is a day that has long been celebrated in Poland by dousing significant others (or friends, or strangers) with water in honor of the god Dyngus.

The Polish Dyngus Day tradition is also practiced outside of Poland. In the United States, Dyngus Day is particularly popular in Buffalo, New York and South Bend, Indiana. Democratic politicians often celebrate Dyngus Day in South Bend to start the primary season. Notable Presidential candidates who have done so include Bobby Kennedy and Bill Clinton.

This year, Dyngus Day falls on April 13. If you are not fully satisfied with your April Fool's Day, you might try the Dyngus Day tradition of dousing someone in the southeast square with a bucket of water on the day after Easter!

Neighborhood Stabilization Program Public Meeting

By: Jon Clucas

Wednesday, February 11, 2009. 6:00 PM. Central Library (40 East Saint Clair Street). Public Meeting.

Today Mayor Greg Ballard announced the four locations where the $29,000,000 Neighborhood Stabilization Program funds will be directed. The program is quite specific and speedy. The funds must be contracted within 18 months and the funds must be spent within 48 months.

The meeting next Wednesday is a great opportunity for interested members of the public to contribute to the exact spending plan for the NSP funds.

More information is available at Southeast Indianapolis Communities and at Indy.gov

Sharing the Dream 2009

By: Jon Clucas

On Wednesday, January 14 and Friday, January 16, employees from Citizens Energy Group reported to Brookside Park instead of their regular workplaces. In honor of Martin Luther King, Jr., these employees renovated the Brookside Park Family Center at no cost to Indy Parks, and, by extension, at no cost to the City of Indianapolis.

On Monday, January 19, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Citizens Energy Group President and CEO
Carey Lykins and other Citizens representatives hosted an open house at the newly renovated Family Center. Over the two workdays, Citizens Energy Group contributed over 1,600 hours of labor and over $50,000 improvements, even providing their own supplies and materials to "refinish the gym and stage floors, update emergency exits, replace fire detection systems, perform electrical, mechanical and plumbing work, remove old carpeting, and upgrade auditorium acoustic panels." Thank you Citizens and Citizens employees!

Photos courtesy of Indy Parks

Trailsafe on Pleasant Run Parkway

Trailsafe on Pleasant Run Parkway
By: Jon Clucas



In October 2008, Mayor Greg Ballard announced new public safety initiatives for Indy Parks and Greenways trails. In southeast Marion county, the Pleasant Run trail is one of the trails planned to be safer thanks to the new Trailsafe program.

The Trailsafe program will be fully implemented by volunteers who frequent the trails. Any regular Indy Parks trail user is invited to sign up to monitor a 1 – 2 mile stretch of trail and note any vandalism, unsafe conditions, or maintenance issues. With frequent updates from Trailsafe volunteers, the Department of Public Safety will be able to deal with problems efficiently.

Pleasant Run Parkway runs 6.9 miles from Garfield Park to Ellenberger Park. Anyone interested in monitoring a section of Pleasant Run Parkway (or any other Indy Parks trail) should email Annie Brown at abrown@indygov.org . In your email, be sure to include your first name, middle initial, and last name, your full address, at least one phone number, your email address, your social security number, your date of birth, your top three choices for what section of trail you would like to monitor, and how flexible you are regarding these choices.

Indy Parks runs a background check on each of their volunteers. If you show interest in volunteering for the program and submit your information, Indy Parks may select you to monitor a segment of the trail. If you are selected, Indy Parks will contact you with further details, including training and scheduling.

The Trailsafe program allows people who actually use the trails to be responsible for keeping track of the maintenance of the trails they use. This program will thus help Indy Parks and the Department of Public Safety stay up to date with trail conditions, and will also help make sure problems are dealt with in order of importance. As the Trailsafe program gets going, Pleasant Run Parkway will become an increasingly pleasant run.

Ho Ho Ho: Santa In the Square

On December 6 from 10:00 am to 12:00 noon, Santa will be visiting with the families of southeast Indianapolis at National City Bank in Fountain Square (1059 Virginia Ave). Santa is inviting children and families to take a ride in his carriage! Guests are also invited to take a photo with Santa and/or to do some crafts at the library. Don't expect Santa to give you a new house, boat, or car, but each guest will be presented with a gift!

Santa's visit to Fountain Square is sponsored by FACT, Fountain Square Merchants Association, Friends of Historic Fountain Square, Indiana State Police Alliance, SELP Making Connections, IMCPL, White Castle, the Fountain Square Arts Council, National City Bank, and Fountain Square. Please show your appreciation to his sponsors and welcome Santa Claus to our neighborhood!