Westpark Preserve’s neighborhood mini-grant funded a community gathering place. (Matthew Smith)

For the 28th year, Hillsborough County is doling out $5,000 mini-grants to neighborhood groups for community projects.

With last year’s grant, the Westpark Preserve neighborhood in northwest Hillsborough built a community gathering space on the edge of a pond. Volunteers put down pavers and built a double-pergola with a swing and a sitting area with Adirondack chairs.

“We wanted to develop an area where people could stop and talk to their neighbors or plan a little evening social. We have it by our front pond. People go up and read books. Some people watch the sunset over the pond,’’ says Matthew Smith, president of the Westpark Preserve Homeowners Association.

With its grant, the V.M. Ybor Neighborhood Association produced a two-part documentary on the historic neighborhood just north of Ybor City. The grant also funded a walking tour led by a local historian and an interactive map with landmarks, historic sites, and stories.

“We have a fair number of folks that live in the neighborhood that are second- and even third-generation within the neighborhood,’’ says Kim Headland, president of the neighborhood association. “There’s always been a lot of great stories of what the community was like back in the ’30s and ’40s or even ’50s. We wanted to document some of those stories.’’

Neighborhood associations, homeowners associations, neighborhood civic associations, and condominium associations are eligible to apply for the mini-grants. The deadline to apply is 5 p.m. on Nov. 12th at 5 p.m.

The Hillsborough County Commission started the program in 1998 to support neighborhoods and bring the communities together, says Hillsborough County Division Director for Customer Engagement & Support Stephanie Agliano.

“I tell you, the mini-grant program is probably one of our favorite programs,’’ she says. “Each year, neighborhoods get more creative and innovative. It’s interesting to see what’s popular and important throughout the years. At one point, bat houses were very big, so we did have people putting up bat houses to help with mosquitoes and all that.

Stephanie Agliano (Hillsborough County)

“One neighborhood, believe it or not, in the pond with their fountain, they built a duck house for their ducks that roam and are part of that neighborhood,’’ Agliano adds.

Fitness trails and community bulletin boards are also popular projects. 

“One of the things that we do require is that you bring volunteers to the table,’’ Agliano says. “We want to make sure that you have volunteers who are engaged – and these are community volunteers – people who live there, so that everybody can come together and work hard.’’

The county doesn’t just hand over a check, she says. 

“We need to know what you are purchasing. What is the price?‘’ Agliano says. “We reimburse them or we might buy something for them, but it isn’t like, ‘Here’s a check. Have at it.’’’

It’s a competitive process. The county has just $75,000 to give out in mini-grants.

Smith, of Westpark Preserve, says his association applied for grants twice before with no luck.

“I guess third time was the charm,” he says.

Community volunteers did all the work, Smith says, and everyone seems pleased with the results.

“It’s been a hit,’’ he says.

The documentary about the history of the V.M. Ybor neighborhood was shown in July in historic Centro Asturiano’s theatre. To view it, go to VM Ybor YouTube

“We’ve had lots of positive feedback on the documentary, and it’s kind of inspired people to tell their stories,’’ Headland says.

For more information or to apply, go to neighborhood mini-grant