Ever since getting an email from the city asking for my input on Durham's 2021-22 Capital Improvement Plans, I can't stop thinking about how much grant funding is out there for exactly the capital improvement projects Durham needs, if we can just connect and assist community members and the nonprofits required to apply for them.

So here's what I think:

We need to make more existing outdoor spaces and playgrounds -particularly those at public schools - environmentally sustainable in terms of stormwater management. Too many of them, particularly in underserved schools/communities are being flooded or washed away in ever increasing rain events, polluting our streams, rivers, and lakes, which effects low-income citizens far more than those who can afford to drink bottled water.

If a public elementary school doesn't have a playground (and some don't!), we need to ensure that one is built for them with environmentally sustainable stormwater management at the forefront. This can no longer be assumed to be the sole responsibility of the School District - it is much bigger than that, and both the county and the city should be helping. After all, the city is in the county, and most historically underserved school playgrounds are in the city.

In exchange, the city should require that DPS make it an official policy (and inform their principals as such) that its playgrounds are open to the public when they aren't otherwise being used by the school, as this often seems to be an unspoken luxury of schools in higher-income neighborhoods. If there are schools where this isn't safe, then the city should pay staff to organize weekend story times, playgroups, or other child-friendly activities at these locations, providing police or other security if it is deemed necessary. People need to see for themselves that the outdoor spaces available to their families are welcoming and safe.

The components of the stormwater control measures installed can and should be incorporated into publicly accessible areas of each playground, so that children (and adults) can experience them up close and personal. And signage in language most people can understand should be put up to explain just how and why the area was designed as it is, as this provides public education regarding the work/jobs/science involved and available to them. [A good small-scale example of what I'm talking about is the recent playground redesign at EK Powe Elementary School: http://www.melissarooneywriting.com/blog/2021/10/thanks-durham-i-needed-that-ek-powe-elementary-school-playground-dedication/.]

School PTAs, Booster Clubs, and other nonprofits should be invited to the table by a real Durham staff member (by phone or in person) - not just for their input, but for their buy-in. And DPS staff should offer to work with/train just one volunteer from the school or community to write just one grant (local, state, federal or private) for the project being implemented, even if it's only for $200 and help them partner with a local nonprofit organization to apply. This will connect the community with at least one Durham organization that can help them moving forward. Perhaps more importantly, it also enables the community to literally buy into the project, empowering them as well as teaching them how to find and apply for grant funding (something everyone should know nowadays).

I am convinced that if we can help community members, particularly of underserved communities, locate and apply successfully for just one small grant, it will increase community input and use of public school and other community amenities, regardless of demographics or average income. And this, in turn, will enable neighbors to meet one another and strengthen their school and neighborhood communities.

Synergy and Collaboration is KEY - not just among government departments, but among Durham community members, nonprofits, and schools.

In essence, we need to provide the Durham staff necessary to hold these volunteers' hands, not just dump bureaucratic contracts and restrictions on them.

DPS (Durham Public Schools) is beginning to facilitate community involvement and outside funding sources, and it seems the city is accompanying them. I feel the tide is turning. But is it turning fast enough to catch the wave of funding that is becoming available due to Covid relief and other initiatives?

Oh, and we are really missing the boat if we don't put solar panels on every south/south-west roof installed in non-shady areas, including picnic shelters and bus stops (for lighting if nothing else). Solar energy should be a part of all new construction plans/costs/etc., for the hands-on education it provides as well as the long-term environmental benefits.

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If you have the opportunity via social media, email, Internet surveys, whatever, to provide your input regarding maximizing the best long-term bang for Durham's bucks, please take the time to do it. It often doesn't seem like it makes a difference, but community input is the foundation of good government.

For more info related to Durham's Capital Improvement Plan, see:

City: https://durhamnc.gov/223/Capital-Improvement-Plan-CIP

and

County: https://www.data-dconc.org/dashboards/capital-improvement-plan.

Thanks for caring and sharing,

Melissa (Rooney)

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