By LYNDA KAMERRER/for The Herlad — If you are a member of the greater Oakridge community, your ideas are needed at the “Build Your Dream Downtown” workshop on Thursday, April 25th. The gathering will take place at the Pioneer Museum, 48238 East First Street, Oakridge, starting at 4 pm and finishing by 7 pm. The event is free and refreshments will be provided. Please RSVP, (text and email below), since space is limited.
This is an opportunity for all interested residents to contribute their hopes and dreams regarding the future development of our historic downtown neighborhood in Oakridge. Many are nostalgic about what First Street once was, and others have a desire for innovation in how our town adapts to current population numbers and buying habits. Do we need more or less of this or that? Come to this workshop and contribute your thoughts and listen while others do the same.
Cayla Catino from Rural Development Initiatives, (RDI), is leading the workshop. Facilitator costs are supported by the Ford Family Foundation. A light dinner will be served courtesy of RAIN (Rural Accelerator Innovation Network) and a local caterer. The Uptown Business and Revitalization Association Board (UBRA) made the request to bring this free workshop to Oakridge. As an affiliate of the Oregon Main Street program, UBRA’s mission is to promote a sustainable and vibrant downtown with a focus on economic vitality. In order to continue the momentum of property development and new businesses over the past couple of years, UBRA is inviting the local community to contribute ideas to help achieve that vision of long-term success.
The meeting room at the museum has a limit of 50 guests. If you are not already on the confirmed to attend list, your RSVP* is needed to secure a spot at this fun workshop. All ages are encouraged to attend. The facilitator will welcome participants and then set the stage for the evening with some brief comments. Most of the time will be spent in small groups with interactive tasks to literally build a dream scenario for downtown Oakridge. The creative input from the community will be summarized into common themes and later shared with the UBRA Board and other key leaders in the community. With the guidance of the facilitator, the job of the key leaders will be to select priority projects and implementation strategies. A written report will be produced by RDI and shared by UBRA with the community.
* Please text 541.915.1212 or email with RSVP in the subject line, including your name(s) by Monday, April 22nd to: [email protected]
George Custer lives in Oakridge with his wife Sayre. George is a former smokejumper from his hometown of Cave Junction, a former captain in the U.S. Marine Corps. and ran a construction company in Southern California. George assumed the volunteer duties as the Editor of the Highway 58 Herald in 2022. He loves riding his Harley-Davidson motorcycle, building all things wood, and playing drums on the weekends in his office.
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