Local REALTORS® showed their community spirit when they helped the city of Oregon transform an empty parking lot into a community plaza.

The NorthWest Illinois Alliance of REALTORS® secured a $7,500 Placemaking Grant from the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) to help pay for picnic tables and construction materials to refurbish the interior of the shelter at the Sarah Phelps Community Plaza, at 5th and Washington, in Oregon’s beautiful downtown historic district.

The city held a grand opening in late September for the plaza, which was named after the wife of the city’s founder, John Phelps. Representing Northwest REALTORS® were President Natalie Mulhall, Secretary-Treasurer Marcia Williams, Immediate Past Presidents Ginger Sreenan and Brad Marinelli, CEO Conor Brown, local Governmental Affairs Director Neeley Erickson, Vicky Turner and Patty Spratt.

The plaza provides a green space in downtown Oregon that can be used for special events and informal gatherings, Erickson said. The shelter is now designed to better handle food service during events.

In addition to the NorthWest REALTORS®, other contributors to the project were: the Lions Club of Oregon, Oregon Together, the Oregon Rotary Club, Hagemann Horticulture, Aegis Construction and County Line Designs, LLC.

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