Grants of up to $900 are available to eligible property owners in Martindale-Brightwood to install fencing to deter illegal dumping. See below for more details.
Schedule for Grants:
- Application Deadline: March 2, 2012
- Awards Announced: March 16, 2012
- Fences Installed: March 17 – May 1, 2012
- Grant Money Distributed: After successful installation
Click on links below for application and rules:
Grant Rules and Application Form
Improving Kids' Environment and the Martindale-Brightwood Environmental Justice Collaborative are partnering to address 
environmental health threats in this environmental justice neighborhood on Indianapolis' near northeastside. Our work was initially funded by a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Top environmental justice priorities for the neighborhood:
- Abandoned Housing and Properties
- Illegal Dumping
- Air Pollution
- Lead Poisoning
Community Picnic & Call for Environmental Justice
Thursday, October 27
The Martindale-Brightwood Environmental Justice Collaborative and Improving Kids’ Environment hosted a Community Picnic and Call for Environmental Justice on October 27 from 5:30 – 8:00 p.m. at 37 Place Community Center.
Lead poisoning, asthma hospitalizations and illegal dumping rates are higher in Martindale-Brightwood than in other parts of Indianapolis. Residents learned about the issues and how to get involved in efforts to improve environmental conditions in our neighborhood. The meeting included:
- Music and entertainment by local artists and groups.
- "Backyard Conversations" about illegal dumping, lead poisoning, air pollution and abandoned homes.
- Information booths on testing soil and children for lead, illegal dumping, air pollution and other environmental justice issues.
- Awards to winners in the Keep Martindale-Brightwood Clean Poster Contest.
These meetings are part of the MBEJC Share the Vision Project, with financial support from Trinity Episcopal Church and The Indianapolis Foundation, a CICF Affiliate.
Highlights of MBEJC August Meeting
Illegal dumping and lead poisoning were on the agenda for the August 25 meeting of the Martindale-Brightwood Environmental Justice Collaborative. Meeting materials are available at http://www.ikecoalition.org/MBEJC_Meetings
Illegal Dumping: Improving Kids’ Environment has received a $25,000 grant from the Indianapolis Foundation to work with MBEJC to reduce illegal dumping in Martindale-Brightwood. The grant includes the following activities:
- Neighbors advocating for a stronger illegal dumping ordinance, increased enforcement and stronger penalties against those convicted of illegal dumping
- Educating the community on how to report illegal dumping
- Erecting fences to deter dumping on up to nine properties
- Promoting proper waste disposal through community-based art and poster contests
Lead Poisoning and Soil Sampling: IKE has also received a $24,872 grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to work on lead and urban gardening issues. This grant will include work in Martindale-Brightwood and the NearWest neighborhood. IUPUI will help analyze soil and air for lead and identify “hot spots” for lead poisoning in both neighborhoods. The project will also provide urban gardening advice to gardeners in Martindale-Brightwood and the Nearwest neighborhood.
Learn more about both grants at this link.
Get Your Soil Sampled for Free: Do you have a vegetable garden in Marion County? You can have your soil sampled for lead by IUPUI, with no fear of enforcement. Click here for instructions on how to take samples and where to send them. We can provide the supplies, or you can provide your own. We can also send volunteers to do the sampling. You will get the results back in the mail, along with advice on how to garden safely and protect your family from lead poisoning. Be safe. Have your soil tested before next year’s planting season. Contact Julie Zimmer at 317-253-1312 or jzimmer@ikecoalition.org.
Mayor Ballard Speaks to Community Resurrection Partnership
Mayor Greg Ballard attended the Community Resurrection Partnership Meeting on Sept. 20, where he was questioned about illegal dumping, abandoned housing and reducing crime in Martindale-Brightwood. The mayor touted his RebuildIndy program to repair roads and sidewalks with revenues from the sale of the water and sewer systems to Citizens Energy. City officials say they are working more quickly to clean up trash that’s dumped illegally, and are working on finding resources to catch dumpers. If you see illegal dumping in progress, call 911. If the dumpers are gone, call the Mayor’s Action Center at 327-4622 (4MAC). IMPD has promised to respond to calls about dumping in progress.
The mayor also said his program to tear down unsalvageable abandoned homes came at the request of community leaders, including the MBEJC. IKE encouraged the mayor to make sure that homes being demolished are sprayed with water during the demolition. Otherwise, lead dust can spread into the neighborhood and poison children who live nearby. If you see any demolitions happening without water being used to keep down dust, take a photo and send it to Jodi Perras at jperras@ikecoalition.org or call 317-677-4760.
Update on Problem Properties
In March, we asked Mayor Ballard to tear down several problem properties in Martindale-Brightwood. Below is an update on each property on our list. (Thanks to Pam Parker of the Marion County Public Health Department for providing this update.)
- 2255 Lasalle: Repair order issued (RWH10-01657); $7500 in civil penalties
- 2322 Lasalle: Demolition order (DEM11-01263); next hearing date is 9/24/11 @ 9:00am
- 2341 Lasalle: Currently being heard in Environmental Court 12 as a part of a nuisance case.
- 2362 Sheldon: Demolition order (DEM11-00462); affirmed to bid 4/20/11.
- 2317 Sheldon: No orders issued.
- 1308 E 16th: Demolition order (DEM11-01292); affirmed to bid 6/15/11.
- 1453 E 24th: No orders issued.
- 1460 E 24th: Repair order issued (RWH11-02234); $7500 in civil penalties.
- 2328 N Stuart: Demolition order (DEM10-05374); affirmed to bid 2/16/11.
- 2409 N. Dearborn: Board and Trash order pending. MCPHD determined that demolition is not warranted on this property.
- 2313 Sheldon: No orders pending.
- 1915 Yandes: House was demolished by the owner.
- 2364 Sheldon: Demolition order(DEM11-01301); affirmed to bid 6/15/11.
Note: Affirmed demolition orders have been through the hearing process and will be demolished once the demo bid is awarded to a contractor.
Repair Orders: RWH cases with civil penalties imposed have been through the hearing process. The civil penalties are placed on the taxes and if they remain unpaid, the properties will be eligible for tax sale.
Part-Time Jobs - Help Wanted
We need help to manage several grant-funded environmental justice projects in Martindale-Brightwood. Each of these jobs is part-time and temporary, but will help improve the quality of life in the neighborhood. If you are interested in any of these positions, contact Jodi Perras at jperras@ikecoalition.org or 317-677-4760.
- Healthy Home Visitors: Healthy Home Visitors will work on lead poisoning prevention and safe urban gardening. They will visit homes in neighborhoods that are lead “hot spots” to talk about safe gardening, lead poisoning prevention and the importance of a healthy home for young children. Must complete training on healthy homes issues. Must fill out a checklist and report results for each home. Healthy Home Visitors must pass a background check. Pay: $80 per home visit.
Martindale-Brightwood residents are preferred for these positions.
MBEJC and IKE Sponsor Keep Martindale-Brightwood Clean Poster Contest
June 2011 Meeting Topic: Asthma and Air Pollution
Thanks to Robin Costley of the Marion County Public Health Department for her presentation on managing asthma in Martindale-Brightwood. Do you know a coach who works with kids in Indiana? Tell them about the free Coach's Clipboard training they can receive on-line so they know how to handle student athletes with asthma.
Also, do cars and buses idle their engines while sitting outside your child's school? Ask the school to adopt an Idle-Free Zone to protect children's lungs, especially children with asthma. IKE's Smart Schools Don't Idle program can help. Call us at 317-253-1312.
Robin's presentation is available on the meeting materials page.
February and April Meetings Focused on Illegal Dumping Prevention
Share the Vision meetings in February and April 2011 focused on the problem of illegal dumping in Martindale-Brightwood. Representatives of the Department of Code Enforcement and other city agencies spoke about efforts to improve internal processes for responding to dumping. IKE and MBEJC are now working with the city to plan a pilot program for illegal dumping outreach and enforcement in Martindale-Brightwood.
Waste Haulers: In January 2011, the city began enforcing existing laws against waste haulers. The Department of Code Enforcement stopped waste haulers to make sure they have a license. According to DCE, 90 percent of those stopped in January 2011 did not have the proper waste hauler license and sticker. Do NOT hire anyone to haul waste who does not have a city sticker on their vehicle. If your name is found in trash that's been illegally dumped, you could be liable.
Waste Disposal Options for Martindale-Brightwood
Don't Dump on Martindale-Brightwood! Let your friends and neighbors know about these options to get rid of household items they no longer need or want. Click here.
Final Report Now Available
Improving Kids' Environment and the Martindale-Brightwood Environmental Justice Collaborative have published their final report on work done to prioritize and rank environmental risks in the neighborhood. Thanks to U.S. EPA for the funding that supported this work. Click here to download the report.
Martindale-Brightwood Environmental Justice Collaborative Issues 13-Point Environmental Justice Declaration
Martindale-Brightwood residents on Thursday, Sept. 23, signed an environmental justice declaration seeking local and state government actions to reduce the disproportionate burden of environmental risks faced by the community.
“Martindale-Brightwood residents face higher rates of respiratory illness, lead poisoning, abandoned properties and illegal dumping than other areas of Marion County,” said Elizabeth Gore, president of the Martindale-Brightwood Environmental Justice Collaborative. “We are seeking both government action and community action to address these issues and make our neighborhood cleaner, safer and healthier.”
Martindale-Brightwood Develops Action Plan to Reduce Environmental Risks
Martindale-Brightwood has developed an action plan to reduce environmental threats in the Martindale -Brightwood neighborhood. The action plan comes out of a risk-ranking and prioritization process that involved community members. View documents below.
Reports on Environmental Issues in Martindale-Brightwood Neighborhood: IWM Consulting has prepared several reports on environmental issues and risks in Martindale Brightwood. Some of the key findings in these reports include:
- Benzene and other air toxins are found in Martindale Brightwood at unhealthy levels above the EPA cancer benchmark.
- Levels of fine particles in the air have fallen over time in Martindale Brightwood. While outdoor air meets current particulate matter standards, it likely won't meet new federal standards designed to protect public health.
- Eight to nine percent of blood tests of children conducted in MB neighborhood show elevated blood-lead levels; lead poisoning lowers a child's attention span, IQ, and reading scores.
- The Martindale Brightwood neighborhood has 58 properties that are abandoned or underutilized and 84 additional sites are a concern. Thirteen brownfield properties have been cleaned up or redeveloped.
- Martindale Brightwood represents less than 1 percent of the land area in Marion County, yet accounts for 12-13 percent of all illegal dumping service requests for the county.
- According to the Marion County Health Department, the Martindale Brightwood neighborhood, when compared to Marion County as a whole, has higher rates of lead poisoning in children and higher rates of hospitalization for diabetes, asthma, bronchitis & other respiratory diseases.
Read or download the IWM environmental profiles by clicking on the chapter titles below.
(All files are in pdf format. Get the free Adobe Acrobat pdf reader by clicking here.)
Martindale-Brightwood is a well-established neighborhood on Indianapolis' northeast side, bounded by I-70 on the south, 30th Street on the north, the Monon Rail Line on the west and Sherman on the east. In 2004, residents came together to form the Martindale-Brightwood Environmental Justice Collaborative, whose mission is to address environmental racism and identify parties responsible for causing health hazards in the neighborhood and ensure remediation occurs. In 2008, the MBEJC partnered with IKE to apply for a CARE grant (Community Action for a Renewed Environment) from the US Environmental Protection Agency. On October 15, 2008, the USEPA awarded the partners $97,840.
Indoor Air and Your Health: Information for Martindale-Brightwood neighbors about how you can improve indoor air quality and protect your health.
