Our Project Activity

The East King Street Gateway and surrounding neighborhoods are bustling with activity. At any point during the year, energy and enthusiasm are pouring into this neighborhood! The following activities are examples of the way new life is coming to the Historic East Side.

1. Transformation of Eastern Market Plaza – With funding support from the Elm Street Program managed by the Inner City Group, we have worked together with the community to develop a plan to transform the little pocket park at Shippen and E. King Streets. Now we are raising the funds together with the City to implement the plan to make it safe and more beautiful.
   
2. Eastern Market – A seasonal market open Saturday mornings from June through October. The market provides ethnic foods, a wide variety of locally-grown produce, fresh cut flowers, live music, and more. Eastern Market
   
   
3. Community Fresh Food Initiative – This project emerged from a clear need for easy access to fresh, nutritious foods in Lancaster City. Studies show there is an extraordinary opportunity to strengthen existing food stores to provide more fresh foods within City neighborhoods.
   
   
4. New Litter Receptacles – We installed 25 Historic East Side litter receptacles during 2006 along the corridor and surrounding neighborhoods to help keep our streets and sidewalks clean.
   
   
5. Elm Street Façade Improvement – A matching grant program was intiated for homeowners in the 200 & 300 block of East King Street.
   
   
6. East King Gateway Façade and Beautification Project – EKID will provide funds to assist property owners in corridor improvements to the rest of East King Street in the Spring, 2007 –including facades, sidewalk repair, house lighting, street lighting, trees, and additional litter receptacles.
   
   
7. Neighborhood Assessment Team – A group of neighborhood residents that meet together monthly with City officials from the police, housing, trash, and fire to track problem properties and develop an action plan to deal with these “hot spots."
   
   
8. New Mini-park at Fire Station #3 – We supported the fire station to obtain its original fire bell and install it in a new mini-park in front of the station.
   
   
9. Friends of Reservoir Park – A group of residents who meet monthly to work together to revitalize Reservoir Park and ensure that it is a safe and friendly neighborhood park.
   
   
10. Monthly clean-ups – Join us the second Saturday of each month at 10 a.m. in Reservoir Park for a little extra tender loving cleanup throughout the park – gloves and bags are provided.
    
    
11. Positive Neighborhood Marketing – An effort to promote the neighborhoods of the Historic East Side as an even greater place to live, work, and invest. We recently installed colorful banners along the corridor that declare “Welcome to the Neighborhoods of the Historic East Side."
    
    
12. Lancaster Living – We partnered with several City organizations to launch a coordinated City-wide marketing initiative to promote the benefits of Lancaster City living to increase the rate of homeownership and home improvement. www.lancasterliving.org
    
    
13. Flower Boxes, Etc. – This is our annual project to beautify the homes in the area. Look for this next spring!
    
    
14. Bookmobile – Lancaster County Library’s bookmobile stops in our area the second and fourth Thursday at 4:00 p.m. and provides easy access to books for children and families in the Historic East Side. The new stop will be in front of the King Theatre Apartments at 419 E. King.