San Antonio MLK March Route...Has a New Look!

2.75-mile route is being spruced up for the event.

By Vincent T. Davis, vtdavis@express-news.net

The sound of jackhammers rumbled along Martin Luther King Drive on Wednesday as the city finished its beautification project in time for Monday's 25th anniversary Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative March.

City crews cleaned vacant lots, mowed curbside lawns, removed graffiti and painted crosswalks along the length of the 2.75-mile march route. Banners, bearing sayings such as “Love is the key,” flapped in the wind from street posts above the crews and the orange cones that blocked traffic from street repairs.

The office of District 2 Councilwoman Ivy Taylor, the City's Department of Planning and Community Development and the Center City Development Office teamed with Spurs Sports and Entertainment to coordinate the project.

“The 2012 City of San Antonio MLK Jr. March is momentous for many reasons,” Taylor said in a statement. “And preparations have taken place at various levels to help beautify the March route and the MLK Drive corridor. This is one way to help ensure this tradition truly honors the legacy of Dr. King and is preserved for future generations.”

Taylor has also partnered with San Antonio for Growth on the Eastside, Home Depot, Dream Center SA, the George Gervin Academy and Eastside Fellowship Community Services to paint homes along the route this weekend.

Park Police and organizers scoured march sites on a map, spread across the hood of a car at the parking lot at Palmetto and Iowa, designated as the hub for the cleanup initiative.

Nathaniel Davis, San Antonio Martin Luther King Jr. Commission march coordinator, was among the group making final preparations.

“We want it to have a little bit better look for the 25th anniversary,” Davis said. “The work of the volunteers, entities, dedicated people and sponsors is all to raise funds for scholarships.”

The last components of the project should be in place by Friday, said Janet Martin, assistant director of the San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department.

“We're making sure it's safe and fun,” Martin said. “We want everybody to walk away with a rewarding experience.”

The cleanup effort extended to residents like George Bernal, who takes pride that his home is near New Braunfels Avenue and MLK Drive.

For the past six months, his friend Jaime Solis has dedicated many hours to enhance Bernal's home, painting and repairing the porch, weeding his garden and installing new windows.

One of Bernal's biggest pluses, Solis said, is that he lives on the historic route.

“I'm excited; it's something we need to do every single day,” Solis said. “And not just one day of the year. I'm glad they're cleaning up; it's just what we need over here. My work is just a backdrop to the main idea of celebrating Martin Luther King.”

Source: San Antonio Express News
Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/article/City-prepares-for-historic-MLK-March-2474717.php#ixzz1jUfLWQWK