Resident works to keep neighborhood looking its best

For a man such as Tony Keep, a local talent representative, real estate broker and publicist, projects are part of his job. When he moved into his Sunrise Manor neighborhood two years ago with his fiancee Angela Porras, he undertook a bigger project: rebuilding the area.

After moving into the area, they noticed how many houses looked worn down. In order to help combat the problem, Keep started the Ponderosa Unit 3 neighborhood beautification nonprofit project, called Pride Zone. The project focuses on neglected and damaged properties in efforts to improve the area.

“We don’t have a financial interest,” Keep said. “Our interest is that we just want to see beauty in front of our eyes. Before, you could see people getting together and helping each other out. That’s what we’re trying to rekindle, that feeling of neighborliness.”

Keep lived in Green Valley for 10 years before moving to Sunrise Manor in 2011.

He started taking evening walks with Porras when they first noticed how unkempt some of the houses were around the area. Keep decided to renovate his yard first to lead by example, hoping others would soon follow.

He started Pride Zone in January 2012. The group covers the area bordered by Bonanza Road on the north, Christy Lane on the east, Cedar Avenue on the south and Betty Lane on the west.

Keep’s goals are to eliminate dirt yards, convert grass yards to desert landscaping and finish and maintain landscaping. Keep also urges his neighbors to avoid storing trash where it can be viewed from the street and to avoid parking vehicles on yards.

One day after taking one of their evening walks, the couple met Nellie Johnson, who said she was one of the first homeowners in the area and had been living in her corner house since 1979.

“In the beginning, we had grass, and all of the houses looked really nice, but then something happened to the grass and it went bad,” Johnson said. “Pretty soon, I had patches all over my yard.”

Johnson said she wanted to renovate her yard, but after her husband died and after developing cancer, she knew she could not afford to pay for it.

Without expecting anything in return, Keep decided to provide her with enough financial help to remodel her yard. In July 2012, Keep added rocks and palms trees in the yard for an improved appearance.

“My house looks fabulous now,” Johnson said. “I’ve been wanting to do this for the longest time.”

Keep continued to move the project forward and started pairing up with Porras to cover graffiti in the neighborhood. Keep said graffiti and tagging have been on the decline since they started.

Keep added that Clark County has taken notice and has since provided 30 gallons of paint and rollers for them to use.

One day while covering graffiti, they met fellow neighbor Larry Kinne.

Kinne also lives in a corner house and is unemployed. He said he has a wife who has trouble walking because she is diabetic. They have three children.

After knowing each other for seven months, Keep donated a wheelchair to Kinne’s wife and helped the family financially so they can renovate their yard. He had people take out the dirt and add rocks, palm trees, a walkway and security lights.

“I’ve lived here for 32 years, and I’m overwhelmed by what Tony and his fiancee did to help us,” Kinne said. “They’re a godsend. The neighborhood has been improving quite a bit since they started all of this. There’s even been less graffiti.”

Since starting the project, Keep said he has spent $7,000 to help his neighbors with landscaping, house painting and signs. He believes his efforts have resulted in the improvements of more than 20 houses in the neighborhood.

“I’m worried that I just cannot continue that kind of spending, but of course I will continue to push forward, even without outside donations,” Keep said.

Keep hopes his efforts will result in higher property values and pride of residency.

“I think pride of ownership is very important,” Keep said. “For the most part, many neighbors have responded well. Yet, surprisingly, I have received some negative feedback from people.”

Keep believes that neighbors think that he is trying to start a homeowners association. The couple have been confronted on their evening walks and have received fliers regarding pesky neighbors (them) trying to stir up trouble.

“We both were a part of homeowners associations back when we lived in Green Valley,” Keep said. “While the houses there looked nice, that’s not what we’re trying to start here. I’m not a big fan of homeowner associations.”

Keep, who is also on the Sunrise Manor Town Advisory Board, has reached out to County Commissioner Lawrence Weekly, who is helping him push to repave the roads, which was scheduled to happen within the next two weeks.

Keep also advises his neighbors to get the smartphone application that Weekly built, called My District D, which allows people to report violations.

Keep said he understands that financial hardships, such as unemployment and bad landlords, may be an obstacle for some people, so he has negotiated discounts with local vendors to provide landscaping, tree trimming, fence repair, painting and labor.

A list of the discounted services can be seen at ponderosaunit3.org.

“This used to be a dreamy-looking subdivision,” Keep said. “I want to bring back that dream. I’m interested in seeing if I can get the whole neighborhood looking this good.”

Contact Sunrise/Whitney View reporter Sandy Lopez at slopez@viewnews.com or 702-383-4686.