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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 22, 2018)
6A | WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2018 | SIUSLAW NEWS VISION from page 1A “One thing that happens across the board with these projects is that you get people who want to look at a little area and not look at the bigger picture,” Sarles said. “That’s happened with several areas in Parks and Rec. If it’s your passion, of course that’s where your focus is, but I think we’ve had some trouble gathering a team and leadership that really wants to look at the over- all recreation issues in the commu- nity.” In the case of the Siuslaw Vision, there were representatives from Siuslaw Youth Soccer Association (SYSA), the Mapleton swimming pool and the picklers. Each organization was having varying levels of success, the most advanced being SYSA, which has built up a rather sizeable system of players and partnerships with edu- cational organizations. Still, the group of soccer volun- teers have broader ambitions in mind, including creating a soccer center and hosting tournaments that could bring in players from across the country, even interna- tionally. That’s what the picklers have in mind with their project. “They’re not just throwing up some goal posts,” Sarles said. “They’re looking at a pretty major project.” But these projects, different in scope and goals, were disparate, the visions too narrow. “The energy was divided,” Sarles said. So, the Siuslaw Vision Parks and Rec program went to the wayside. “If you only want to do one thing, and you’re not inviting people into your fold, you’re going to fall on your face, eventually,” Beaudreau said. “You can get something going, but if you’re not including other people, your vision is going to die out. Nobody’s going to help because you’re narrow-minded. It depends on what you’re doing, but I still think it’s super sustainable if you work together and invite people in the fold.” For these projects to really be- come successful, Sarles and Beau- dreau believed looking at a broader project could really get the pickle- ball rolling again. “I would like to see some sort of indoor recreational facility, and that’s personally as a parent of a young child,” Sarles said. “When it starts raining, there are not a ton of indoor opportunities to burn off energy from a crazy five-year-old. I grew up in a large city, and our rec centers had ceramics classes, paint- ing, drawing, fencing, karate.” She also envisioned a center that could host child care, while Beau- dreau saw possibilities for bringing education from schools and the li- brary system into the mix. Commerce could also take off. Food kiosks, like a juice bar, could be introduced. Even the local farm- ers market could get involved, selling directly to a “local produce only” health conscious restaurant. There could even be a satellite clinic that could help treat sports related injuries, among other needs. “If you’re inclusive on all of those areas, you can get more people do- ing more cool things and having a really cool experience and having an educational experience,” Beau- dreau said. Going big would also get big funding, Sarles suggested. “For example, someone threw out that maybe we could get a health improvement district and look at it from a healthcare point of view, instead of pure recreation,” she said. “That changes how we can look at that program. We could go through different healthcare providers, dif- ferent grants.” But getting to that grand vision will take some organization and leadership from the community — and thus far, no vocal leaders have come to the forefront. Champions “We’re looking for communi- ty champions,” Sarles said. “We’re wanting volunteers who have a pas- sion for a particular area and can jump in, gather a team and make something happen. That’s how the farmers market and our cooking skills education programs were both started. Someone saw that need in the community and decid- ed to do it.” Finding these people can be dif- ficult, however. The picklers were finding issues gathering those with the know-how and wherewithal to take on even their own, smaller project. But with so much public interest in these types of programs, why is it so difficult to find people willing to take the reins? “That’s a loaded question,” Beau- dreau said. “There’s a lot of factors. They work full time.” “Or they volunteer at 10 other places and tend to do everything,” Sarles added. “They burn out.” Sarles and Beaudreau believe there are large pockets of individ- uals out there with the willingness, knowledge and connections to get these types of programs off the ground, but their voices aren’t be- ing heard. “That’s a challenge because we want more people involved,” Sarles said. “One phrase I liked from our gathering was the concept of ‘pro- found inclusion.’ We’re wanting to make sure we’re talking not just to the usual suspects that are involved in everything in the community, but the people who may not be hanging out at the coffee shop or the library or involved in volunteering.” To get a recreation center going, organizations need to organize, plan, and then search out new voic- es to help out. At that point, the team would have to decide to move forward, including designing the facility, settling on a place to build it and finalizing what will go in it. For something as potentially massive as a community rec center, it may seem like an overwhelming task. The solution to that is to take it slow, with the help of as many peo- ple as possible. “Take the bigger picture and make it doable,” Beaudreau said. “Break it into steps.” Sarles used the newly developed Florence Farmers Market as an ex- ample, an organization that grew out of Siuslaw Vision. In that case, the market had dif- ferent teams take on aspects of the project. One team talked to local farmers about getting enough pro- duce. Another team took on adver- tising, while another looked into hiring a market manager. “It’s just breaking it into steps to see exactly what is happening. You have things you get to check off and you feel like you’re moving — and that prevents burnout,” Sarles said. But all the planning in the world won’t mean anything if funding for for when deciding a project’s worth. The larger the group of people work- ing on a project that affects a broad- er population of people, the more likely it is to get investors interested. Once an organization, funding structure and overall plan is put into place, proposals can be given to a city or county to create a partner- ship in furthering the project. Gov- ernments are more apt to take on a venture if the legwork and planning are done by those who already have a proven passion. “The government helps make a foundation to help everyone do things with, but it’s the people that make a community livable,” Sarles said. And it’s livability that makes projects like a recreation center so vital to a community like the Siu- slaw. “Do it” Sarles pointed to ongoing com- plaints from young professionals that resources such as childcare recreation and options for food are limited in the community, which can scare off potential residents, in- cluding doctors and business own- ers. “To have our community be able to survive in the next 50 years, we need to build a good foundation for professionals to be able to stay here,” Beaudreau said. “For the young- er people, what do we want when we’re older? We want healthcare, we want more job opportunities. We may not go to the doctor frequently now, but 10, 20 years from now, we will want to go to the clinic and get an appointment right away with our doctor. We can make changes now to help people who are currently needing help or services, and make it continue into the future.” The future is what the Siuslaw Vision is most concerned about. While many of the projects it is working on take a relatively short period to accomplish, like the Farmer’s Market, Vision is also ready to help out with more ambi- tious goals, like a recreation center. The Vision has multiple resourc- es, including partnerships with state and local government agen- cies, schools, the Florence Area Chamber of Commerce and busi- ness generating projects such as the Oregon Regional Accelerator and Innovation Network (RAIN). It can also look at other projects in the community, and match orga- nizations with each other to ensure a greater chance of success. “We don’t need four different groups trying to accomplish the same thing,” Sarles said. “Visioning is about trying to build all those players and attempting to get every- one to work together.” Siuslaw Vision has also been working with other communities around the state, recently hosting a statewide event in Florence to listen to challenges other cities have been facing and the solutions that are be- ing implemented to fix them. “Even though each community is different and has different needs, we can still learn from each other and have a resource,” Sarles said. In that session, the Vision found the Siuslaw region is not unique in its challenges, as other communities face housing shortages, employ- ment difficulties and issues with getting sustainable projects off the ground. However, through listening to each other and building off ideas, the communities are finding unique ways to create a livable and sustain- able future. But to make that happen, mem- bers of communities need to band together and make it happen. “If you want to do something, do it,” Beaudreau said. “If you have an idea, think of ways you can connect with your neighbors, family and friends to make something happen.” Whether or not the picklers, along with any other communi- ty interest group that wants to put their stamp on the Siuslaw region and make it sustainable for gener- ations to come, band together to make their dream sustainable is un- known. The pickleball is now in their court. To learn more about Siuslaw Vision, visit rivercal.org or call 541- 590-2425. Buying or Selling? I can help. 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In addition, it will take long- term funding through endowments to make it sustainable — “No foun- dation wants to fund you forever,” Sarles said. Of course, there’s always taxes which could be used to fund a rec- reation project. “People want these things, but are they willing to fund them and sup- port them?” Sarles asked. “It’s really easy to say, ‘I want this, but just don’t raise my taxes.’” But the more people get involved and search for funding sources, the less likely the need for a tax burden. “I think that the more you can involve different people who invest in something, they’re more likely to value it and use it. I do think that the community investment piece is im- portant,” she said. It’s also important to expand such projects beyond city limits. While many recreation groups go straight to the City of Florence to help fund their dream projects, the city’s re- sources are limited in the best of cir- cumstances. “If you’re limiting everything to just the city, you’re missing a lot of people who are integral to our com- munity,” Sarles said. “The people that we know and interact with don’t necessarily live in Florence. There are tons of people in Mapleton, Swis- shome, Deadwood and Dunes City. There’s people in unincorporated pockets of the region.” “And many people come here to visit, shop and work,” Beaudreau added. Getting community support can also help with “collective impact,” which funding organizations look 541-991-3405 FACEBOOK.COM/PETERSENAUTODETAIL 1749 Highway 101 • 541-997-1200 Local Eats Your guide to great locally owned restaurants. Surfside Restaurant PRESENTS a New Menu! Handcrafted Sandwiches Created to mouthwatering perfection! 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