ENID — Organizers of the Garfield Neighborhood Initiative are seeking volunteers and donations for the next phase of their efforts to clean up the neighborhood surrounding the new Garfield Elementary School.

Enid First Church of the Nazarene teamed up with D.C. Bass & Sons Construction Co. last year to take on cleanup and renovation efforts in the community to be served by the school, which is under construction at 400 N. 7th. The new school is expected to open its doors to students this fall.

Volunteers have been working since last January to clear debris and overgrown trees from around homes in a 72-square-block area surrounding the new school.

Bass President Bob Berry approached First Church of the Nazarene pastor Bruce Johnson in January 2011 to suggest the church apply for a Community Development Block Grant to help fund the cleanup effort.

“The area has had a fairly challenged past, it is a low socio-economic neighborhood, and the thought crossed my mind, ‘If we’re ever going to do anything on the east side, we need to start here,’” Berry said. “It’s not enough to build a new school there, you need to change the whole neighborhood. It was just critical that things be cleaned up.”

Johnson and the First Church of the Nazarene congregation accepted the challenge and began cleaning up yards and alleys in the neighborhood.

“We were already working on the neighborhood before we got any funding,” Johnson said. “We’ve had a work day every month since then, and it’s been unreal all the work that’s been done.”

In the past 12 months, volunteers have removed more than 2,500 tires, replaced front porches and roofs, trimmed and removed trees, cleaned up graffiti and helped neighborhood residents correct city code violations.

Volunteers also have cleared debris from yards and alleys, moving it to street rights of way, where it can be picked up by city of Enid solid waste disposal crews.

“We are assisting homeowners and renters with projects that will promote a safer and more beautiful neighborhood,” Johnson said. “Volunteers have worked hard to complete these projects, but there’s still more work to do. As the residents let us know of their needs, we will continue to send out teams of volunteers.”

The next phase of the project will use the remainder of the $50,000 in CDBG grant funding to have contractors remove items too heavy or bulky to be handled by the volunteers. Berry is coordinating contracts for the work.

“The volunteers from the church do a great job of cleaning up, but some of this stuff is really heavy, so we have contracted with predominantly minority contractors from the neighborhood to move the really heavy items,” Berry said. “When the neighborhood sees guys from the neighborhood being contracted to do this work instead of some outside company, it’s a big deal for them, and we’ve tried to do that as much as possible.”

Berry hopes to have the heavy trash items removed and tree stumps ground by spring.

“We want to have that done by green-up, so when the leaves come out and the grass comes up, it’s going to be a completely different-looking neighborhood,” Berry said.

Berry and Johnson also have been working to identify residences that still have city code violations so volunteers can help clear the violations before the school opens.

Berry sent letters this week to all neighborhood property owners with identified discrepancies, offering volunteer or free contractor services to help clear the violations.

“We want to get everybody on the same page, and if anybody needs anything hauled off, now would be the time to get it on one of the debris piles,” Berry said. “If you can drag anything to the curb, we’ll try to find a way to get it hauled off.”

More aesthetic improvements in the neighborhood are planned for this summer.

Community Development Support Association has arranged for two church youth groups coming to Enid this summer to help paint homes in the Garfield Neighborhood Initiative.

“Between the two camps, we expect to be able to paint 60 to 80 homes,” said CDSA housing coordinator Mike Biggers. “We need projects for the kids, and that’s a good project over there, cleaning up that area.”

Berry and Johnson are hoping more volunteers will step forward to help residents in the area clean up their neighborhood.

“We want to get this school opened with the best possible outcomes for these kids and their families,” Berry said. “We’re trying to encourage everybody to pitch in with all the church people taking care of this, and let’s get everything ship-shape before next summer.”

Johnson said the Garfield Neighborhood Initiative will go beyond just cleaning up yards and alleys.

“If we just go in and clean up properties and don’t try to clean up lives, things aren’t going to change,” Johnson said. “I hope it gives them a better feeling about their neighborhood, and I think cleaning up the neighborhood and making things more presentable for them is nothing but positive.”

For information or to volunteer, contact Johnson at First Church of the Nazarene, 234-4781.