By JAN McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Now comes the heavy lifting. After gathering hundreds of ideas on improving housing and transportation options in Bowling Green, the BG Save Our Neighborhoods Group is moving from ideas to action.
Last month, approximately 75 people met to brainstorm for solutions to community issues. They narrowed the priorities down to a handful – revitalizing older homes, creating new affordable housing, improving transportation, and preparing for climate change.
On Thursday, a followup meeting was held, with local residents asked to select actions that can be accomplished in six months to a year. More residents are gathering Saturday to work on the same exercise.
Though the work may seem daunting to some, BG SONG President Rose Drain gave Thursday’s group a little pep talk.
“You are the people that will make the action happen,” she said.
“We’re not solving the world’s problems here,” added Kathleen Dennis, of BG SONG.
After Thursday’s meeting, Drain said she is optimistic about improvements to housing and transportation in the community.
“It feels good to have people engaged,” she said. “It’s comforting to have more people to do the lifting.”
Small groups of people on Thursday selected the issues they wished to tackle, and narrowed down some initial actions to improve each.
Housing revitalization
This group discussed choosing one block of a neighborhood to improve visually, using sustainable plantings, landscaping, and sprucing up the exterior appearances of houses.
It was suggested that the volunteers working on this make face-to-face connections with people who rent or own houses in the block to assess if people are amenable to the project.
Then efforts would be made to locate resources for the improvements, through grants and “sweat equity” of landowners and residents.
New housing
People in this group discussed the possibility of having architecture students at BGSU make a request for proposals to remake the Woodland Mall into a mixed use site for housing and commercial uses. The mall was put up for auction last month, but was not sold.
It was suggested that the group also sponsor an architectural design contest for creation of a “university village” or a “small house community.”
The group discussed collecting information on property available for building in the city – including private property, plus land owned by the city, the university, and churches.
Transportation
The group decided to focus energies on gathering data on transportation options currently available in Bowling Green. Those include rides provided by the city transit system, Bowling Green State University, various agencies, and apartment complexes.
Once that information is compiled, the group plans to study the options to see if better coordination is possible.
The transportation group also discussed a focus on other types of mobility than just motorized vehicles, and talked about the importance of good sidewalks.
Climate change
This group decided to focus on making more recycling available for downtown businesses. They talked about the vast amount of glass and cans being landfilled from downtown bars, and the amount of food waste from restaurants.
Another focus selected was the planting of more trees, shrubs and perennials in the community to decrease greenhouse gas.
