Better Block BR looks for help to transform Government Street

The civic, government and business groups collectively hosting the Better Block BR event in April are looking for volunteers to help them prove that Government Street has the potential to be transformed into one of the city’s most vibrant locations. The idea for the event, set for April 13-14, is to take two blocks of Government Street and turn them into what organizers call a “complete street:” a pedestrian and bike-friendly area filled with pop-up businesses, kids’ activities, interactive artwork, and a greenway created by BREC. But they need volunteers and vendors to pull it off. The first volunteer registration meeting is taking place from 6 to 8 p.m. tonight at La Carreta, 4065 Government St. A second meeting will be held on March 19, and volunteers can also register online and get more details on the Better Block BR event here. “People can get plan fatigue. They burn out from only reading about what could happen in this area,” says John Price, assistant chief administrative officer in Mayor Kip Holden’s office and a member of the FuturEBR Implementation Team. “Better Block BR allows us to actually try out some of our ideas for making Government Street, in this area, a great and safer place for all users, regardless of age or ability.”