Now celebrating it’s fourth year of community-driven efforts to effect health policy change, Maryvale continues to make great strides.
Maryvale on the Move (MTM), is a community partnership started by a four-year Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) grant as part of its Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities initiative. MTM taps into motivated and skilled village residents backed by a network of four community partners – Golden Gate Community Center, Rehoboth Community Development Corporation, the Amigos Center of Wesley Community Center and Vecinos Unidos Siempre – and three resource partners – Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), Arizona Community Foundation (ACF), ASU Stardust Center for Affordable Homes and the Family. SLHI provides overall coordination and support for the leadership team, collaborates with the project director and facilitates connections with the broader community.
Among many achievements, those that stand out include:
- Creation of the Complete Streets Working Group that immediately secured new bicycle and pedestrian safety improvements for Indian School Road in Maryvale. It is this work that has grown beyond Maryvale’s borders with development of a city-wide policy draft.
- Collaboration among diverse community garden stakeholders and city staff to craft a Zoning Ordinance text amendment for community gardens and farmers markets. It was approved by City Council in May 2012. As part of the group’s work, a policy guidelines document was also developed to assist community gardeners and hearing officers with navigating the process of starting a community garden in the City of Phoenix.
- Establishment for the first time of a “Public Notification for Sale or Disposition of Parkland” process and procedures affording residents and park users numerous opportunities (in varying locations, formats and venues) to provide input to the decision-making process of any proposed sale of parkland. The policy was adopted by the Phoenix Parks and Recreation Board in April, 2013.
- Development of the $1.2 million Park Master Plan Update for Maryvale’s Cielito Park. Maryvale residents were able to advocate for integrating the park into a “Safe Route to School” along with other significant park improvements.
With many of residents’ efforts reverberating beyond Maryvale’s boundaries and positively influencing the broader city of Phoenix, it’s safe to say that Maryvale truly is on the Move.