Blighted buildings, poor lighting at night and a history of crime make an area of New Kensington near Valley Points Family YMCA unpleasant to visit.

Unkempt sidewalks, problems with traffic and unclear crosswalks make walking there challenging, a survey of residents conducted this summer found.

And yet, residents say they see potential in the area along Constitution Boulevard.

An upcoming event aims to spruce it up, if only temporarily, to highlight that potential and tap residents’ imaginations for ideas.

Beginning Wednesday, volunteers will start working to ready a vacant lot next to the YMCA for an event hosted by Better Block New Kensington on Saturday, Sept. 21.

It will include painting murals on the YMCA building and the side of a building across the lot, and painting in the crosswalks on Constitution Boulevard at Eighth Street.

Volunteers can sign up online for morning and afternoon shifts.

“It’s going to be a lot of fun to put together,” said Sarah Snider, a YMCA board member. “The day of the event will be a time to get together with people and see the fruits of our labor.”

The event will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 21. The 800 block of Constitution Boulevard will be closed from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. for it.

The temporary transformation will include activities, art, food trucks, vendors, an area for kids, a splash zone and entertainment. Those attending can get a free ticket that is good for up to $10 to spend at the food trucks, Snider said. Quantities of the free food tickets are limited.

“We really want the community to come out, and we really want their feedback,” Snider said. “I hope this is a baby step that leads to something.”

The event in New Kensington is one of four Better Block projects the Richard King Mellon Foundation supported with a $500,000 donation. A space was created in Downtown Pittsburgh on Penn Avenue at Eighth Street this summer, and events are upcoming in Hazelwood in October and McKeesport in November.

New Kensington had its first Better Block event in 2015. At that time, it was used to spark redevelopment of the city’s downtown by showing what improvements can look like in one block, getting people interested and encouraging business development to spread.

What is being done next to the YMCA is different, said Krista Nightengale, executive director of the Better Block Foundation in Dallas, who plans to attend the upcoming event in New Kensington. The nonprofit has undertaken projects in 90 cities, mostly in the U.S., but also in Australia, Ireland and Canada.

“Our goal is to work alongside neighbors to reimagine spaces in a short amount of time,” she said. “We’ll be looking at: What does the YMCA mean to the community today and what they would like it to be, and what would they like it to mean in the future?”

In the survey this summer, a few of the things residents said they’d like to see in the lot are a space for local businesses to pop up, live music and a community garden.

New Kensington Mayor Tom Guzzo said the event will be a way to showcase the property and the work done by the YMCA.

“The overall thought is that by having different events on the 21st, and throughout the months following, people can share their visions for what might be there permanently in the future,” he said. “The Better Block program that we had downtown several years ago was successful because it provided people and possible business owners an opportunity to see the potential of our downtown. I believe this event can do the same for this property.”

After the event, the space will be available for other groups and organizations to use for their own events through Oct. 20.

Snider said that will give others a chance to test ideas and see what works.

“It’s for them to be creative and use that newly revitalized space for their own event and bring more people out,” she said, noting it’s across from the city’s new basketball courts and playground on Barnes Street. “We want to make that area more vibrant. We hope to really spark that whole area.”

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