There is a 100-foot-long median where Milpas and Indio Muerto streets intersect, just north of the railroad tracks. Over the past year, this slice of curb-bound dirt has sometimes resembled a landfill, or vacant lot in a dingy neighborhood. Today, it looks fairly good. It has no lush, verdant bushes like the medians on upper State Street, but with a few rosemary shrubs, some palms and wood chips blocking the weeds, it’s respectable.
The transformation didn’t happen by itself however. Sebastian Aldana Jr., the Eastside neighborhood activist, Milpas Community Association (MCA) VP, and City Council candidate, had to nurse it back to respectability. More than once, Aldana said, he went out there with tongs and garden tools to fix it up. For free. Because it was important to him, he said, because it’s a gateway to the neighborhood … his neighborhood. To read more, see homelessinsb.org.