HERRON-MORTON — One north side neighborhood is doing its part to keep its streets clean, ensuring its community stays beautiful, vibrant and thriving.
If you walk around Herron-Morton, every block is clean as can be.
“It says the first neighborhood in Indianapolis to have 100% of our blocks adopted... and that's something that we’re very proud of," Mike Achacoso, president of the Herron-Morton Neighborhood Association, said.
Herron-Morton is part of the Adopt-A-Block program, a partnership between Keep Indianapolis Beautiful and the City of Indianapolis. The goal is to empower neighbors to help beautify their community, starting with the city’s smallest unit — the block.
“[It] showed the pride we have in our neighborhood," Achascoso said.
Herron-Morton is the first neighborhood in Indianapolis to have all of its streets adopted, meaning every block has a team of neighbors dedicated to keeping that specific road clean throughout the year.
It's an achievement that Achacoso said the neighborhood was focused on.
“We want to accomplish three things," he explained. "We’re a historic neighborhood, but we want to be a safe neighborhood, a very friendly neighborhood and a clean neighborhood. And this helps us achieve that clean objective.”
"Every single block is being taken care of," Jeremy Kranowitz, President and CEO of Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, stated.
Through the program, KIB provides free tools and resources for neighbors to use throughout the year to keep those blocks litter-free. Kranowitz said it's all about making a difference.
“If there are blocks or segments where it is clean, it shows that people care, and that demonstration of care creates all kinds of good outcomes," he explained.
It may not seem like a big deal, but if you compare Herron-Morton to some of the streets nearby, the difference is apparent. WRTV went just a couple of blocks outside of the neighborhood and found a block with various pieces of trash all over the ground.
“If there’s a lot of litter, it shows that people don’t care," Kranowitz stated. "And those are the places that actually start to spiral down, and trouble tends to start to happen.”
Herron-Morton is the first neighborhood to get 100%, but they hope it's not the last.
“We want to set an example for the rest of Indianapolis, ‘Hey, if we can do it, other neighborhoods can follow suit,' and pretty soon, maybe the whole city will get it done," Achacoso said.
"There are plenty of other neighborhoods that could use more neighbors who could do a little bit," Kranowitz said. "Do a little part to make the city as a whole a cleaner and greener place for everyone.”
To adopt a block in your neighborhood, or to see which blocks have already been adopted, you can go to KIB's website here.
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Casey Zanowic joined WRTV as a multimedia journalist in July 2025. She has a passion for storytelling and is ready to showcase impactful stories that make a difference in her community. Share your story ideas and important issues with Casey by emailing her at casey.zanowic@wrtv.com.
