NEW! Neat Neighborhoods Competition
The Neat Neighborhoods competition – now concluded for 2024 – is a contest organized by the City of Springfield and the Neighborhood Advisory Council. The competition is supported by the presenting sponsor The Hatch Foundation and many other agencies.
The competition involves participating areas being rated on all aspects of their local environment and prizes awarded to the best under many different categories. The overall winner in each of the four City Council Zones is deemed “Neat Neighborhood” which is announced at a ceremony each year.
With progress monitored and detailed feedback, most participants initially enter the competition to generate interest about the environment in their community and create a solid platform on which to raise issues with relevant stakeholders. Over time, the areas attain a standard where competing for major prizes is within reach. As such it is very much a community development program across the City.
Different aspects of the competition are explored in this section, from the types of areas that enter to the assessment criteria used.
Please download the official Neat Neighborhood Competition Handbook for full details about all aspects of the competition. We strongly recommend reading the Handbook prior to creating a team.
The following list will be updated regularly during the competition as teams are created and during the days after the closing date. We request that all groups check this list to ensure their entry has been received and registered. One week after the closing date, if you do not see your entry appearing on this list, please contact the Neat Neighborhoods coordinator.
Zone 1
Bisset: Pete Radecki, ppradecki@gmail.com
Grant Beach: Jamie Tatum, jtatumgbna@gmail.com
Heart of the Westside: Glenn Gohr, archives_guy@hotmail.com
Westside: Sharon Brooks, dcwms@mchsi.com
Woodland Heights: Jan Hutcherson, jananhutcherson@att.net
Zone 2
Delaware: Nancy Williams, delawareneighborhood@gmail.com
Doling: Nicholas Robinson, squirr3ltactics@gmail.com
Oak Grove: Lena Guminski, lenaguminski@gmail.com
Rountree: Peggy Wise, wise1peggy@gmail.com
Zone 3
Greater Parkcrest: Michael Brittain, mikkbritt@gmail.com
Phelps Grove: Vicky Trippe, d.trippe@mchsi.com
West Central: Rusty Worley, rusty@itsalldowntown.com
Zone 4
Bradford Park: Janet Wall, fourwallsathome@aol.com
Brentwood: Brent Rinker, b19rinker@yahoo.com
Galloway Village: Melissa Green, melissa@bluemorphosllc.com
Seminole-Holland: William Cooper, cooperwl@gmail.com
The Neat Neighborhoods competition is free and open to all registered neighborhoods in the City limits of Springfield. Entrants are the ‘ambassadors’ for their neighborhoods and therefore are the primary contact in relation to correspondence. Ideally, entry should be made by a broad-based group that represents the entire neighborhood.
However, it is not expected that these structures have to be in place before entering. Entry from a credible body, such as a neighborhood association, school or business will also be accepted. Nonetheless, in all cases, it is expected that participation will be used to generate wider interest in the effort within the community. Progress on encouraging broader community involvement is a major part of the Neat Neighborhoods assessment criteria.
Each year, the main winners of the Neat Neighborhoods competition are announced at the annual NOVA Ceremony.
Representatives of award-winning Neat Neighborhood committees are invited to attend the awards ceremony. In addition, sponsors, representatives from each Council Zone and the Neat Neighborhood adjudicators are invited. It is a great social occasion and an opportunity to meet with other committees from across the city.
Prizes totalling $40,000 are awarded, courtesy the Hatch Foundation.
| Category | Points |
|---|---|
| Community – Your Planning & Involvement | 25 Points |
| Public Places / Roads, Streets & Alleys | 25 Points |
| Green Spaces | 25 Points |
| Tidiness & Litter Control | 25 Points |
PRESENTED BY
