The Fulton Block Builders Are Having a Positive Impact Locally That is Being Noticed By Neighboring Communities

As Blocks are gathering around the city and home improvements continue, Fulton is being noticed by other communities.

In July, the Mayor of the Village of East Syracuse, Bob Tackman and the Richland Area Chamber of Commerce President, Jodie Perry located in Mansfield Ohio - contacted Linda Eagan, and asked how the Block Builders got started and if more information could be shared. Of course, Linda was more than happy to do that. After all, Paul Stewart, Executive Director of the Oswego Renaissance Association and the Executive Director of the Shineman Foundation, Karen Goetz have shared plenty of information with the Fulton Block Builders (FBB). Without their advice and guidance Linda doesn’t think that FBB would have even been born.

Fulton Block Builder volunteers Heather Crofoot, Dennis Merlino and Linda Eagan, with the Village of East Syracuse Mayor, Bob Tackman

Thursday August 3rd, Block Builder volunteers Heather Crofoot, Dennis & Kelly Merlino and Linda Eagan, met with the Village of East Syracuse Mayor, Bob Tackman and Clerk, Pat Derby. It seems that Pat is friends with a former resident of Fulton and they sent her a link to the Fulton Block Builder website https://www.fultonblockbuilders.com/info/ with a message to check out what Fulton is doing! Pat did and shared it with the Mayor.

Bob and Pat came to the August meeting eager to learn what the Block Builder project was all about and ended up talking with the volunteers for about an hour and a half. “We are proud of what is happening in Fulton and all of the volunteer’s love sharing our story every chance we get” commented Eagan. Dennis Merlino said that the Fulton Block Builder project is giving people the opportunity to see how we can improve our community and enabling enthusiasm and action for positive change. Heather zoned in on the increased sense of community that can be felt in the participating blocks and beyond. The Block Builders offered to meet again or share more in the future and the Mayor “tagged” FBB on Facebook before the volunteers arrived home!

Jodie Perry from the Richland Area Chamber of Commerce has been following FBB on Facebook since its launch in January and has been intrigued with the progress the City of Fulton residents have made in such a short time. Linda Eagan shared information about the Healthy Neighborhood Initiative and gave Jodi links to Charles Buki at CZB LLC for more information on how to rank a city and possibly hire that firm to develop a plan for their communities. “I don’t know if either community will start a program like ours, but if they do, I hope both have the same success we are feeling and seeing in Fulton” said Eagan.

Fulton Block Builders Momentum Continues as Homes are Repaired, Painted and Landscaped

Homeowners around the city of Fulton are taking advantage of the nice weather and getting to work on their house projects. Holly DeMar on Walradt Street, Vickie Smith on West 4th and Tamie Allen on West 3rd have all recently finished painting and improving their homes.

Demar Home Before

“I would like to say what a great experience this has been.  I am overjoyed to have been able to paint my house.  I have also enjoyed getting to know my neighbors better, even the ones not in our direct neighborhood.  I thank the block builders for all their hard work on this!” said Holly DeMar.  Holly took advantage of the Historical Color Schemes that have been prepared specifically for the city of Fulton by Architectural Historian, Susan Arena, who grew up in Fulton but now resides and works in the greater Boston area.  Holly chose color scheme CR-1-1A (white heron/onyx) and received a bonus match from Fulton Block Builders (FBB) for doing so.  More information on the historical colors can be found at:  https://www.fultonblockbuilders.com/find-your-color/

Demar Home After

Demar Home After

Vickie Smith

“I have been wanting to paint my house since I bought it 8 years ago, but there was so much to do inside I never got to it. I am so happy to have it painted now and have been getting lots of compliments from my neighbors. We hired the work done but everyone in the family took part, even my beautiful grand-daughter Jocelyn Vasquez. Fulton Block Builders provides countless opportunities for neighbors and families to work together” Vickie Smith told this writer.

Tamie Allen heard about the Fulton Block Builder project at work when her employer Fulton Savings Bank committed $10,000.00 to the FBB project. “That really caught my attention”, she said “If the bank is this supportive of FBB I should learn as much as I can about it. So, I did and boy am I glad.” Tammy went on to say she hopes that more of her neighbors become involved next year. There are new people in the neighborhood and she thinks it would be a great way to get to know each other better. Thanks to FBB Tamie was able to replace dying shrubbery with colorful flowering perennials and bushes. She also replaced the broken front screen door. “These small changes make the whole house look so much neater” she said.

Fulton Block Builder Positively Impact the “Sealright Community”

“All of these houses were built by Sealright for their employees around 1945. They were known as the Sealright Homes.” said Jeanette Davis, one of the most recent homeowners to be presented with a Fulton Block Builder Matching Grant check. Jeanette and George Davis moved into their home 42 years ago, where they raised their three children, nurtured five grandchildren and delighted in 5 great-grandchildren. “This has always been a nice neighborhood and I’m honored to be chosen to be part of Fulton Block Builders. It’s amazing, we wanted to fix our driveway but we weren’t sure we could do it, this program has been a big help and everyone is great!” said Jeanette.

The Sealright community is known for helping one and other, in fact people living here say it’s the “best” area of the city to live in because people are so nice. For years, it never changed said Jeanette but lately it has. People are in more of a rush, we still help each other but this program is bringing us back together - like it used to be.  Thanks to the FBB matching grant the Davis’s were able to patch and resurface their black top driveway, bringing a fresh new look to the house. They are neighbors to the Kasperek’s who also have received a check from FBB, making a nice impact in this area of the Sealright homes! Once all 23 houses have completed their exterior renovations there will be a transformation that will be noticeable to all!

Fulton Block Builder Recipients Help One Another In Many Ways

At the heart of the Healthy Neighborhood initiative (HNI) which is what Fulton Block Builders (FBB) is founded on~ is a shared sense of community.  Community is about engagement, sharing excitement and being good neighbors. All around the city you can find neighbors helping each other just as these three have done on the West Side.

Many neighborhoods in transition lack a sense of community among their residents. The HNI approach provides the foundation for building neighborly relationships. Through Fulton Block Builders cultivate an environment that is conducive to managing neighborhood change. FBB builds a sense of community by focusing on civic engagement and empowering residents to work together on their properties and neighborhoods. FBB breaks from the traditional advocacy approach to community organizing and focuses on resident engagement. FBB’s primary goal is not to organize residents to be vocal about their neighborhoods and the problems that need to be addressed, but to encourage residents to become engaged in their community and neighborhood and to take a proactive role in creating positive change. The three gentlemen seen here in this photo are living proof that this concept is taking hold around the city of Fulton.

The Work is Starting and Fulton Block Builders are Happily Writing Checks to Residents

Audrey and Chuck Avery just finished repairing their side porch and replacing the rotted floor. “Chuck and I have to say that the experience with the Fulton Block Builders was awesome.  We were so pleased with Heather, Alyssa, Penny and Linda. We were glad we could obtain the funding for our side porch, which was in desperate need of replacement. All our neighbors who are participating feel the same way about this wonderful organization. We thank FBB so much and look forward to working with them in the future. “said Audrey.

Ed Kasperek is another homeowner that recently completed his renovations. A recap of his improvements includes; resealed the driveway, stained the whole house, put up new gutters where needed, new shutters, new flowers-hanging plants and perennials, new pots, new screens on 2 front bedroom windows, caulking around garage door-found big open gaps between siding and molding saving on rotting door frames.    “I really enjoyed working with Linda and Dennis of FBB to get my home back in shape. I also would like to say thanks to FBB for helping my neighbors with their projects. I have talked to some neighbors that missed out this year and will apply next year.” remarked Ed.

The FBB Block Challenge is well under way for 2017, with 22 different neighborhoods committed to make exterior improvements and revitalize their properties.  Each awarded property owner in a Challenge Block will receive a dollar-for-dollar match on exterior improvements (approved in the application), up to $1,000. If $500 is spent, a $250 match will be made. If $2,000 or more is spent the match will be $1,000. (minus taxes).

The First Fulton Block Builders Award Check Is Presented

Albert and Ellen Zaranka are the first of 161 homeowners in the city of Fulton to receive their Fulton Block Builder – Block Challenge check. The couple have completed over $2,300.00 worth of exterior enhancements to their property, but only requested a $500.00 - match even though he could have requested the maximum $1,000.00. “I wanted to be a part of our block application and show support of my neighbors but also wanted to see the Block Builder money go as far as it could “said Mr. Zaranka. “We’re proud homeowners and like to take care of our property. I hope this program will inspire others to do so. Fulton has a long history of strong and friendly residents, I think FBB reminds us that we each have a part in where our city goes from here.”

Mike Peterson and Kelly Niccoli are the volunteer FBB Ambassadors for Zaranka’s area of the city. Mike said, ‘The seeds for reclaiming Fulton have been planted and now we are beginning to bloom.”

While talking with Albert and Ellen, FBB learned that they are new and very interesting residents of our community. They purchased their English County Cottage home eighteen months ago because of its fascinating architecture, the beautiful upstate summers and because Ellen grew up in the area. The couple moved here from Durham, North Carolina after long and varied careers in the arts and business. Ellen was a Personnel Director with offices in New York City and Hong Kong while Al was a concert pianist teaching and preforming on many stages including Broadway. “I think this program (FBB) brings people closer together. It’s good to be out front planting and getting to know each other.” said Al. “Sharing a ladder or a piece of equipment is a good way to get to know people.” said Ellen. We can already see positive changes.

The Fulton Block Builder project is dedicated to revitalizing our neighborhoods one block at a time. It is based on the Healthy Neighborhood Initiative and follows the positive lessons learned by the Oswego Renaissance Association. The core feature of this approach is to build on strengths rather than just fix weaknesses. Bringing homeowners together in one block builds community and generates confidence that their investment will financially pay off. 

Fulton Block Challenge Grant Recipients Announced, Projects to Move Forward This Summer

By Tim Lyman news@fultonvalleynews.com

Fulton Block Builders reached a pivotal moment in its first year of operations this week: deciding which blocks will receive funding for the first-ever Fulton Block Challenge.

The block challenge is a grassroots program that incentivizes Fulton property owners to perform curb-appeal exterior renovations on their homes. FBB will match approximately half of the amount that these residents invest into such projects, with a maximum reimbursement of $1,000.

Of the 178 homes that originally applied for funding in the preliminary and final applications, 161 homes, or 22 blocks, are slated to receive funds from the organization.

Fulton Block Builders (FBB) Administrative Director Linda Eagan said that, as a result of the Block Challenge, neighbors who hadn’t spoken for years have come together and gotten to know each other better, spreading the sense of community Eagan said she’s always wanted to see.

“The neighborliness is perfect,” said Eagan, adding this was her favorite part of seeing everything come together. “It’s more than I could have hoped for.”  

The awardees were publicly announced at an invitation-only kickoff dinner Thursday evening at the River Vista Center to launchFBB’s first renovation process. All work must be completed before Oct. 31.

The blocks that received funding have been separated into zones, with multiple blocks in each zone, and leaders in charge of managing each block.

The leaders whose blocks have been selected for funding are, in zone one: Stephen Cappelletti, Jennifer Scaringi and Dennis Merlino — who acts as the block leader for two separate blocks; zone two: Sandi McIntyre and Penny Halstead; and zone three: Audrey Avery, Sharlie Drake-Garcia, Deanna Michaels, Dennise Clark, Cheryl Baldwin, Dan Ritchie and Michelle Trepasso.

Zone four’s chosen block leaders are Sarah Sunday, Marty Gillard, Marion Ciciarelli and Delinda LaRock; zone five: Kathy Fitzpatrick, Heather Crofoot and Jean Ballard and Sharon Buske (the latter duo shares a role as block leader); and zone six: Michelle Narad and Pat Marino.  

Block awards range from $2,477.50 to $12,200, according to Eagan.

A staple of this program is a group of six target areas, not to be confused with the above zones, set in each of the city’s six wards. Although living in one of these target areas makes one’s application more competitive, it doesn’t guarantee funding, nor do residents need to live in a target area in order to apply.

Of the six target areas, blocks in the first five of them received funding, and two blocks near the sixth target area received money, as well.

At the kickoff dinner, awardees received a letter noting how much they received and which hardware stores, garden centers and other businesses to go to for discounts. So far, some local businesses FBB has arrangements with include Northern ACE Home Center, Ontario Orchards, and Burke’s Home Center.

“We’ve been pleasantly surprised every step of the way with this whole process,” said Eagan, who said she had initially expected everything to take more time.

She said she sent a message to block leaders, congratulating them and wishing them well.

“They are true leaders in the community,” said Eagan. “We look forward to the trends they will set.”

She said Fulton Block Builders is as much about making Fulton beautiful again as it is about creating a sense of community and pride.

“Never underestimate Fulton,” said Eagan, when asked what this experience has taught her. “They’ll surprise you at every turn.”

I Love My Neighborhood!

How are you doing with getting to know the people in your neighborhood? I’ve been working hard at talking with my neighbors and getting to know them more the past couple weeks.

This week, while my family was on vacation, I watched as my 10-year old daughter hopped in the pool at our hotel and in less than 10 minutes she had made a new friend. By the end of the day they had exchanged mailing addresses and promised to write each other. Deep down, I think we all want to be like my daughter…smiling at people we don’t know and making new friends wherever we go. She makes it look so easy!

My neighbor calls himself a loner and keeps to himself mostly. I’m an introvert, but once you get to know me, I’m a very good listener and can get someone to talk about themselves in a very short time. For my neighbor who thinks of himself as a loner, that was a nice hour-long conversation we had on your porch the other day. ☺ I learned more about him and the history of my neighborhood in that hour than I have in the 10 years I’ve lived here.

My soon to be 95 year old neighbor loves to sit on her porch in the warm weather and watch my two girls playing outside. We often join her on the porch, sipping lemonade together, nibbling on homemade cookies, and catching up on our families. Sometimes we take our lawn chairs outside on the grass and sit under the big red maple tree in her yard, and as other neighbors stroll by, occasionally they stop to chat with us.

Smile and wave to those people in your neighborhood! If you listen quietly, you will hear it…the buzz of neighbors talking and getting to know each other.