Take a virtual tour of the Willamette Activity Center

July 20, 2023

By TRISHA MAXFIELD/for The Herald  —  The Willamette Activity Center (WAC), a legacy community building, is anticipated to undergo renovations to serve as a hub for activities and services once again.

How are renovations being funded?

In February 2022, the Oregon State legislature allocated $1.5 million in the Rural Infrastructure Funding Package to renovate the WAC. Additional money was obtained through grant writing by the WAC Funding Committee (more on this group later). An additional $86,000 was secured from the Oregon Community Foundation and Oregon Department of Energy. While this sounds like a lot of money, it will only cover the Architecture Feasibility Study (you can read it here), Renewable Energy Feasibility Study, roof upgrades, electrical upgrades, and community outreach.

Additional funding—to the tune of $4M – $7M—will need to be secured for structural integrity repairs, efficiency upgrades, resilience upgrades, interior renovations, and landscape upgrades. We’ve heard several people ask why the City of Oakridge is choosing to renovate, rather than build something new. Long story short, grant funding organizations and agencies aren’t so keen on funding new construction. (New construction just screams “luxury”—doesn’t it?) Since the City does not want to burden the community with the expense of building something from the ground up, they are reliant on grant funding and appropriations from grant organizations and agencies.

A real shame we don’t have another Secret Millionaire running around!

Without community partnerships, this work wouldn’t be possible!

Grant writing is no easy feat. It requires a lot of time and technical skill to craft a winning proposal. It should be no surprise that grant writing is very competitive, as many underfunded communities are also competing for their high priority projects too. Which is to say, not all proposals receive funding. Once a project does get funded, it’s not just free money. It requires meticulous tracking and reporting, as grant funders want to see organizations do what they said they were going to with the money they’ve provided.

For the reasons mentioned above, the City has partnered with local non-profit, South Willamette Solutions (SWS). SWS is helping to provide the strategy and technical support needed to make the grant writing efforts successful. The City, in partnership with SWS, has formed the WAC Funding Committee to help support the funding effort. The committee is a volunteer-based group, chaired by Mayor Bryan Cutchen, alongside City staff, partners from the Food Box, Senior & Disability Services, Orchid Health, the schools, local businesses, volunteer citizens, and other non-profit groups. Without their diligent work to secure funding, the WAC would remain in its current condition.

The City of Oakridge is working toward their strategic goals

The initiative to renovate the WAC and restore community services aligns with 7 out of 11 of the City’s Strategic Goals for 2020-2025.

Community Livability: Work with community partners to provide recreation, education, and enrichment opportunities for citizens and youth. Seek opportunities to revitalize the City’s business corridors and neighborhoods to provide safe and beautiful places to live and work.

Safe Community: Create a safe community by partnering to protect people, property, and the environment. Provide efficient, sustainable, and equitable public safety services including police, fire, and emergency medical services.

Responsive Government: In an open and transparent manner, effectively deliver services that citizens need, want, and support. Provide facilities and infrastructure that support current and future needs.

Strong Economy: Improve the City’s economy by focusing on increasing living-wage jobs, training, and education opportunities for Oakridge residents.

Take a Virtual Tour of the WAC

If you’d like a walk down memory lane, check out the WAC Virtual Tour. Throughout the tour you’ll get the chance to see the current state of the building, how big the building is, and why it’s going to take some serious grant writing to get it up to snuff. Watch the video here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2kg3pDcRF8

Take the 5-minute Community Survey

Have you taken the survey yet? It closes at the end of the month on July 31. By taking the survey you’re making your priorities for the future use of the building known. All Oakridge and surrounding area residents are invited to participate. The City will use your input to create a recommendation list for services and programs to recruit to the WAC.

Visit a Blue Box location to drop off complete surveys or take the survey in-person: Oakridge Pharmacy, Orchid Health, Oakridge City Hall, Oakridge Fire Department, Oakridge Library, and Westfir City Hall. You can also take the survey online here: www.surveymonkey.com/r/BYP38TC

Learn more and stay tuned in on the project

You can learn more about the history of the building and get the most current information about the project as it becomes available by visiting the WAC webpage: www.ci.oakridge.or.us/community/page/willamette-activity-center