Volunteers clean up city’s back gate neighborhood
As house painting and the neighborhood cleanup continue behind him, Billy Huegel, 18, a Palomar College student, does a little dance during a work break Saturday during the SUN (Supporting Urban Neighborhoods) Project on Arthur Avenue. (Photo by Bill Wechter)
A renewed sense of hope and community pride was born as the sun rose Saturday in an Oceanside neighborhood still recovering from recent gang violence.
An estimated 1,000 people turned out for the eighth annual Oceanside SUN (Supporting Urban Neighborhoods) Project. The partnership between the city and community residents, volunteer groups, and corporate sponsors gave participants the opportunity to paint homes, replace fences, remove trash and debris and make other minor enhancements.
Donning old clothes and bright smiles, the larger-than-average throng of volunteers got busy transforming the 500 to 700 blocks of Arthur Avenue just off North River Road.
“This back gate area is one of the most critical neighborhoods in Oceanside,” said Councilwoman Esther Sanchez.
Lt. Shawn Murray said he and his fellow officers were “ecstatic” to see the SUN Project come to Arthur Avenue.
“This is exactly what the neighborhood needs,” said Murray. “This is a great opportunity to reach out and build relationships with the normal, hardworking folks of a neighborhood normally claimed by a particular gang.”
Speaking for the group as they all nodded and beamed with pride, Talo, a sixth-grade student at Cesar Chavez Middle School, said that he and his 10-year-old sister Ella, 10-year-old cousin John Cruz and 8-year-old cousin Jahsaiah Toluao had “a lot of fun” making their neighbors’ houses “beautiful.”
Just down the road, Fono Atiga said he was overwhelmed by the job the volunteers did on his house.
“All I can say is how appreciative I am to the city and the volunteers,” said Atiga, as he pointed to his home. “They’re not even experts, but just look at the job they did, just look.”
“We should do this more often,” said Talo’s older brother Faatauvaa Wong. The 17-year-old senior at Oceanside High School said he really liked how people came together for the good of the community and that he was happy to see lots of familiar faces from school.
“I think it’s going to make a big difference,” added Faatauvaa.
Neighborhood services officials said funding for the project came from donations and Community Development Block Grants, and that no city general fund money was spent.
Read the full story: OCEANSIDE: Volunteers clean up city’s back gate neighborhood. By Elena Christiano