LIMA — A series of public service announcements is aiming to encourage public engagement among Lima residents, specifically when it comes to neighborhood associations.
Beginning Wednesday, the “Get Involved Lima” campaign is featuring videos to run on WLIO showing Lima City Council members, neighborhood association members and Lima Police Department community police officers encouraging residents to learn more about the city and get involved with helping their neighborhoods.
Jessie Roark, a member of the Northside Neighborhood Association, maintains that being a part of a neighborhood association can help keep residents knowledgeable about happenings in their area and in the city, while also connecting them with community resources.
“Being involved in the neighborhood association helps you stay informed about what immediately affects you,” she said. “Northside has been a place to voice my concerns, to be heard and to find solutions about some of the problems that are going on in the neighborhood.”
While also helping neighborhoods, associations can also help provide input to city government, according to city of Lima Neighborhood Specialist Autumn Swanson.
“Neighborhood associations play a vital role in representing and advocating for the interests of residents,” she said. “Not only that, but neighborhood associations are an important part of the city, providing a forum for input to city planning, promoting and coordinating citywide improvement projects and developing ways to create a safer, livable neighborhood and community.”
Swanson is hopeful that the campaign will not only help bolster the nine neighborhood associations in place, but also help create new associations in unrepresented neighborhoods throughout the city.
For information on how to get involved with an association or to start a new one, contact Swanson at 419-221-5177 or at [email protected].
