June 16, 2012
Work on the Stokes Avenue Community Pocket Park continued on Saturday, June 16th, 2012. The park is starting to take shape – the picket fence is now complete, mulch was spread, additional landscaping was planted, and two raised beds were planted for a community herb garden. The work was rounded off with a picnic in the new park!
To view more photos of the Stokes Park work day please visit our Westview Facebook page.
June 5, 2012
On Tuesday, June 5, 2012 the groundbreaking of KIPP STRIVE Primary School took place. KIPP STRIVE Primary will join KIPP STRIVE Academy Middle School on the grounds of the former J.C. Harris Elementary School as part of a $10 million investment. The new school building will be built behind the existing building and will face Ralph David Abernathy Blvd.
Under the leadership of Principal Mini’imah Shaheed the Kindergarten class will start with the 2012-2013 school year in the middle school building and move into the new building for the following 2013-2014 school year.
For more information about the KIPP Charter Schools you can visit their website at www.kippmetroatlanta.org.
To view more photos of the KIPP STRIVE Primary groundbreaking please visit our Westview Facebook page.
May 31, 2012
Time: 9:00am
Location: KIPP STRIVE Academy, 1444 Lucile Avenue, Atlanta, GA 30310
Details: KIPP Strive Primary will be breaking ground on Tuesday, June 5th at 9am. This will kickoff the start of a $10+ million dollar project to construct the new KIPP Strive Primary school building adjacent to the existing KIPP Strive Academy. As many of you know, they’ve been working towards this for quite some time, so lets help celebrate this fantastic investment in the education of the area’s youth and our neighborhood!
May 30, 2012
Time: 9:00am
Location: Meet at the Westview Community Garden (South Gordon Street)
Details: Trees Atlanta will be mulching around the trees in Westview this Saturday. If you can help out please meet at the community garden (on South Gordon) on Saturday at 9:00am.
May 29, 2012
What better way to spend the height of summer than at the Westview Summer Solstice Celebration! Come hang out for an afternoon full of fun activities for the whole family!
Information about the day’s events:
This year we’re doing things a little differently because our neighborhood school, KIPP STRIVE Academy, is expanding to add a new primary school! While we’re sad not to be able to host the event in our regular spot we’re super thrilled about the addition, so please bear with us this year while we host the event in a new environment. That being said…
Join the Westview Community Organization for an afternoon of music, art, crafts, and food on Saturday, June 23rd, 2012 from 2:00pm to 8:00pm along Muse Street (next to the BeltLine path) as part of Westview’s Summer Solstice Celebration!
Bring your lawn chairs and dancing shoes – we have both live music and a DJ playing at the Summer Solstice Celebration.
Are you ready to sample a taste of southwest Atlanta? On the day of the event purchase your "passport" and taste what our grill masters have created! The "passport" will allow you to sample the different foods (chicken and pork) plus a drink for $7. Last year there was so much food most people were too full to taste everything – what a deal! Once you have tasted all the different categories submit your vote for "the best of…".
2012 Grill-Off Participants
2011 Grill-Off Winners
Contestants: Are you the master of the grill? Come out and prove it in the Westview Grill-Off! Entries in the Grill-Off are $20, but we will supply you with the food to cook! Individuals, organizations, and restaurants are all allowed to participate. $100 worth of prizes to the winners of the contest!
Between eating and dancing browse our artist/vendor market!
Vendors: The application fee is only $25! We’ll supply you with a 10×10 space. You bring the tent, table, and other displays. Space is limited, so don’t wait! The deadline is Friday, June 15th, 2012.
Come bring the kids!
The Westview Summer Solstice Celebration could not happen without the generous donations from:
Interested in sponsoring the 2012 Westview Summer Solstice Celebration? Please email us at info@westviewatlanta.com for sponsorship opportunities or submit a donation via PayPal below!
We can’t make this event happen without donations from you! In addition to buying a grill-off passport on the day of the event you can help support the Westview Summer Solstice Celebration by making a donation. Small or large – we appreciate it all!
Curious what prior year’s were all about? Check out our Facebook album’s from 2011 and 2010!
May 22, 2012
Source: Atlanta BeltLine
Date: Saturday, July 14, 2012
Time: 7:30am to 10:00am
Location: Gordon-White Park, 1350 Ralph David Abernathy Blvd., Atlanta, GA 30310
Details: The second annual Atlanta BeltLine Southwest 5K will take racers through Westview and West End. All the details can be found at http://beltline.org/events/atlanta-beltline-southwest-5k/
May 21, 2012
In April fence construction was started on the Stokes Avenue Community Pocket Park. On Saturday, May 19, 2012 neighbors came back together to continue work on the park-to-be. One crew continued work on the fence while another crew planted shrubs and perennial flowers. The fence is funded thanks to an NPU-T grant and the landscaping is funded thanks to the “Love Your Block” grant.
Keep your eyes peeled for future work days at the new Stokes Avenue Community Pocket Park!
To view more photos of the Stokes Park work day please visit our Westview Facebook page.
May 15, 2012
Westview’s commercial area continues to see development along Ralph David Abernathy Blvd. The newest addition to the Westview neighborhood is The Big Apple Inn, a take-out restaurant making headlines for its pig ear sandwiches.
However, The Big Apple Inn brings more than just a new business to the neighborhood, it brings family history. April Patton, the owner of The Big Apple Inn, is a fourth generation family member of the business that originated in Jackson, Mississippi. April’s cousin, Geno, still runs the family restaurant in Jackson. To watch more about the history behind The Big Apple Inn watch this video: http://vimeo.com/7439544
To view photos of the opening of The Big Apple Inn please visit the “Development Photos” folder on our Westview Facebook page.
April 3, 2012
Date: Saturday, April 7th, 2012
Time: 9:00am
Meet-up: KIPP STRIVE Academy, 1444 Lucile Avenue, Atlanta, GA 30310 or 1556 Stokes Avenue
Details: In addition to the tire clean-up, Westview residents are also encouraged to help construct a picket fence at the new pocket park at 1556 Stokes Avenue.
March 31, 2012
Sometimes progress appears slow, but patience and hard work show that good things come to those who wait.
A property at 1556 Stokes Avenue, commonly referred to by neighbors as “the blue box,” was an eyesore for years. The 1980s infill construction was a bland looking two story box with a faux roof, siding falling off the walls, and overgrown grass. As with many code enforcement issues, the owner of the property was hard to track down, but was eventually found and a court date was set for March 2010.
The story turns out to be quite a bizarre one. When members of the community showed up in court to fight against the owner it became known that the property, among others, had been left in the woman’s name by her estranged husband. Only recently being made aware of the properties she was quick to come to an agreement of signing the property over to the community so the house could be torn down and turned into a pocket park.
With the help of the University Community Development Corporation (UCDC) the property was demolished in October 2011 and turned over to the community. And thanks to two grants, the “NPU-T” grant and the “Love Your Block” grant, the land will be turned into a pocket park for neighbors to enjoy!
Stay tuned for updates on how this sad house will be turned into a community spot.