If you have an idea for improvements to our neighborhood,
please feel free to submit it to us at NCIP@vpca.org. We’ll post it here.
We’re at the concept phase, so just provide us with a brief description: the
purpose of the project, location or locations for installation — and if you
have it an estimate of what it cost to install and maintain the project.
If you would like to be alerted when new proposals are
added to this page, let us know your email address and we’ll be sure to
contact you with any updates. We’ve added a forum that will allow you
and your neighbors to discuss the proposals online, so we can refine and
improve them. The forum is open to all comments, provided the comments remain
respectful and on-topic, i.e., capital improvements in Victoria Park. If not,
we’ll moderate the forum to keep it civil. Your cooperation is appreciated.
Click the button to add your comments to the forum
You may submit as many ideas as you have for the upcoming
NCIP grant cycle — although VPCA will be able to submit only one proposal to
the city. So let your creative juices flow.
NCIP GRANTS
Each year the City of Fort Lauderdale offers matching grants, up to $35,000,
to neighborhood organizations for installation of capital improvements.
Neighborhoods must match the city grant dollar-for-dollar — the neighborhood
contribution can come in the form of cash, sweat equity, or points earned in
community service programs.
It is a competitive process: neighborhoods submit a formal grant proposal,
city staff reviews and ranks the submitted proposals and recommends funding to
the City Commission based on those rankings. In the past, the city has
earmarked about $250,000 annually for NCIP projects. (There is a similar
program for businesses
— the Business Capital Improvement Project — which funded paver crosswalks,
sidewalk reconstruction and
landscaping along NE 9th Place behind Gateway. If any of our business members
would like to pursue similar
funding, let us know.)
Typically, NCIP applications must be submitted in the late
summer/early autumn, with the city finally awarding
the grants early in the following year. The deadlines for the 2012 grants are
not currently available.
Applicants must attend a workshop before submitting a proposal. Our Aesthetics
Committee has been
successful in getting grants in the past, and they have offered to guide us
through that process again. VPCA can
submit only one proposal per year, and that application must address a single
concern.
click here for full details on the city’s requirement
FUNDRAISING
NCIP grants require a matching contribution from the neighborhood. The most
common matching contribution
is made in cash, although the city will accept “sweat equity” and in some
cases, points earning through
community service projects. Currently most of VPCA’s funds are either
dedicated to past NCIP projects or
earmarked for specific uses. Our currently unrestricted funds ensure the
fiscal integrity of the association —
they make sure our bills can be paid on time. There is little available in the
bank to meet the matching
requirements of new NCIP grants. As part of any new grant application we will
have to have a corresponding
source of funds. Our current fundraisers: Art and Jazz in the Park and Cause
for Paws help to cover the cost
of maintaining past capital improvements. Another fundraiser, our Holiday Home
Tour has been on hiatus for
the past couple of years due to economic considerations. Any suggestions on
new fundraising activities would
be greatly appreciated. Please email your ideas to
NCIP@vpca.org
SIDEWALKS
A proposal to assist Victoria Park homeowners in repairing their sidewalks.
VPCA would publicize the program and coordinate the installation schedule. A
connection with the city’s Save Our Swale program is possible.
BIKE PATH
A proposal to develop a bike route to connect Victoria Park with Las Olas and
the
proposed Flagler Greenway near Searstown — would be implemented in
connection with neighboring associations.
