City residents (pictured above at past cleanup events) promoted a sense of community by doing community service for Good Neighbor Day on Saturday.
Public safety is the main motive for this year’s day of city beautification projects.
At the forefront of Good Neighbor Day — the April 6 event dedicated to cleaning up College Park — project coordinators will unveil a community mural in an effort to detract from vandalism and graffiti, according to Office of Community Engagement officials.
The idea for a mural comes from the broken windows theory, which states a community in physical disrepair will attract criminal activity, said Community Partner Project coordinator Emily Adams. She said criminals perceive people who let their environment deteriorate as less vigilant and less likely to try to stop crime.
Research from the office, which seeks to develop and maintain relationships with local and regional communities, suggests public art is an effective way to stop graffiti. It improves the look of the community and helps residents take pride in their city.
“It sounds like a good idea,” said Kate Gentile, a freshman history major. “If a garden is well-tended, a passerby is far less likely to tread on it. Community involvement and events draw people together — if you know your neighbors, you are more likely to look out for them.”
The mural, created by city residents as well as university students and employees, targets an underpass near Lake Artemesia where vandalism and graffiti frequently occur, Adams said.
“We hope that people will think twice before defacing the path that leads to the Lake Artemesia recreation area,” Adams said.
Community muralist Helina Metaferia developed the mural’s design based on sketches from artists with personal ties to Lakeland as well as archived images of the neighborhood provided by the Lakeland Community Heritage Project, a College Park nonprofit. More than 40 area residents helped paint the mural in December and January.
Lakeland’s history is an integral part of the history of the city, Adams said. The accomplishments of the first Lakeland residents — such as the neighborhood churches’ operation of some of the only schools allowing black students when other schools were still segregated — are achievements city residents can also celebrate, she said.
“Painting this mural has given current and former community residents the opportunity to reflect on the contributions to society that their forebearers made,” Adams said. “The mural helps our community honor its founders, who taught the sons and daughters of Lakeland lessons that are still relevant and useful for instruction to us today.”
The diversity and inclusion office gave Metaferia a $4,000 grant as well as several thousand dollars more for additional supplies for the project, Adams said. The community engagement office also received a $740 grant from the Pepsi Enhancement Fund for painting supplies.
“I like the idea of beautification projects and things like that,” said Danielle Leopold, a freshman communication major. “It’s a good way to get the people involved in the community. But I’m not sure how much I buy the ‘broken windows’ theory in this case, and I don’t know how worth $4,000 it is.”
But other students find the costs minimal in comparison to recent university-related endeavors.
“It’s a very small fee compared to the recent purchase of iPads for all of the athletes,” said Scott Arey, a sophomore criminology and criminal justice major, who added it’s important for students to pay attention to the surrounding city and county, which have gained a reputation as a crime-ridden area over the years.
“Recently, the media has only had negative issues to fixate on,” Arey said. “This is a positive idea that will bring the community’s attention elsewhere.”
Adams said she hopes the mural and the community service day will enhance the personal relationships that make up a strong community.
“Good Neighbor Day is all about teamwork,” Adams said. “Everyone who participates in a GND project will work together with neighbors who they may or may not know to accomplish something that enhances quality of life in our city in a very meaningful way.”
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