The Greenbelt Community Foundation recently announced its newest grantees, which include an eco-education program at Greenbelt Middle School (thanks to CHEARS) and a 75th anniversary exhibition at the Greenbelt Museum.  Great causes!  But what struck me is the plebian nature of the other grants, which teaches us that sometimes support takes the unsexiest of forms – like new doors and signs.

To wit: the Greenbelt Arts Center was awarded money for an automatic door-opener, to replace the non-ADA-compliant door that currently exists.  This harkens back to an equally humble project supported by a Foundation grant in 2010 – for renovation of its bathrooms, also to comply with the Americans With Disabilities Act.

And a grant of particular interest to me was the $5,000 to enable the Greenbelt Farmers Market to replace its rather shabby-looking signs with official, Maryland DOT-provided permanent signs along Kenilworth Avenue and Greenbelt Road.  The application called the proposal “Risk Reduction and Signage Improvement” because it wasn’t just about improved aesthetics, but just as importantly, about eliminating the need for volunteers (and I’m one) to cross major roads lugging these surprisingly heavy signs before and after each market.  So safety, aesthetics, and the chance to use the four volunteers required to handle the signs each week for some other purpose – better serving the vendors and customers, perhaps.  I trust that Market Master Nancy Solomon will think of some good project for us.