Stites, Idaho

WHAT IS YOUR PICTURE OF A COMMMUNITY CENTER IN STITES?
Join us on MONDAY, JUNE 16, 6:00 pm, at Stites Church of God on Main Street to listen, learn and express your ideas about revised concepts for a Community Center.

Hanna Persson, U of I Bioregional Planning & Community Design, will have revised conceptual presentations for discussion at the June 16 meeting. The changes suggested by attendees at the May 19 Community Meeting will be incorporated into the revised drawings. Plan now to attend this important meeting on June 16th.

Volunteers are needed to help with an activity on Stites Days, , July 12 and 13. Contact Rey Mireles, 926-4563, Josh Bradley, 926-0110, or Shilo Hall, 926-7190.

Horizons Meetings
• June 16: Stites Community Center revised site plan by Hanna Persson, U of I. 6:00 pm, Stites Church of God dining room
• July 21: Final presentation of Stites Community Center design
• The Horizons Steering Committee will meet in June. Watch for an upcoming announcement of the date, time and location

City of Stites News
• Bid notices for the city reservoir cover project have been placed in the Lewiston Tribune and Clearwater Progress. Bids will be accepted until 10 am, June 6. Contact City Hall for more information.
• Installation of playground equipment in the City Park is in progress.
• City wastewater flow and water system leakage have decreased significantly due to ongoing repairs and system upgrades by the City Maintenance Department. The City Council has asked Diane Sauer, Idaho Rural Water, to do a usage analysis/feasibility study. The study will include flow data and budget analysis.

The City council meeting will be Monday, June 9, 6:30 p.m. at City Hall, 926-7121.

Congrats to Judy of Cascade, she’s our weekly winner!  Thanks to all the new bloggers who’ve signed up.  If you’re part of the steering committee, hopefully these questions will help you work on the final report that is due June 30. Please let us know if you have any questions about the blog or the report.There is a Blogging Handbook available on our Horizons website at http://extension.ag.uidaho.edu/horizons/coaches.htm at the very top of the page… Thanks to MJ for writing this beginner’s guide! Also, for those communities that may be looking for a little more training, please contact MJ at merijoz@uidaho.edu / 208-885-8949 to see how she can help you.Rules: Post your answers on your blogsite by Tuesday, June 3 by midnight and be entered in the drawing for one of our book titles… I will be at a conference May 27-30 so this will give you a whole extra week…NOTE: Please enter your answers as either a comment to the original question OR as a brand new entry on your blog so that the answers are easy for people to find.Reflective Questions:

•  Of all the things you have done during the last 18 months in the Horizons program, of what are you most proud? 

Scavenger Hunt Question:·         Which Idaho Horizons community is working with the University of Idaho to help with their vision to “rebuild a community center to assist local families fight back against the ravages of poverty. They are looking to the future when they will have a center that provides central business offices for the city, a town library and public computers with Internet accessibility, expanded recreational facilities for youth and adults, a hall for future leadership and life skills training.”The winner will receive a copy of the book: The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People will Follow You by John C. Maxwell.

Stites by all standards is a very small community with a high percentage of community members facing issues of poverty. Geographic isolation, limited land within city limits and closure of timber related industries have all contributed to a shrinking economy. But Stites residents are looking to rebuild a community center to assist local families fight back against the ravages of poverty. They are looking to the future when they will have a center that provides central business offices for the city, a town library and public computers with Internet accessibility, expanded recreational facilities for youth and adults, a hall for future leadership and life skills training.

With the help of conceptual drawings from the architectural department of the University of Idaho, Stites Residents are catching a vision of what it will be like to have a safe, inviting, environmentally friendly facility to accommodate the needs of a forward looking population determined to provide quality of life for Stites and the surrounding area.

Now more than ever people are using ride share to access goods and services and to share the high costs of travel.  Within my extended family and friends we are calling each other to get shopping lists and doing shopping for one another in order to maximize our gas dollars.  People challenged by fixed incomes are some of the best money managers in the nation, but the senior population is often isolated by lack of transportation and failing health.  Is there someone in your community that would benefit by a friendly shopper or a ride share?  What are some things you are doing to counteract the rising costs of goods and transportation?

I thought you might find this statistic interesting.  It’s from the Center for Responsible Lending dated 2005.  “In the past two decades, the U.S. cost of living has climbed 88 percent while incomes for the bottom 60% of households have risen only 5 to 15 percent. “ The original source is Isaac Shapiro, What new CBO Data Indicate About Long-term Income Distribution Trends, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.  Also: “Over a quarter of households in the US are asset-poor—lacking the net worth needed to survive for three months at the poverty line.” This one originally comes from Robert Haveman and Edward Wolff, Who are the Asset Poor? Level, Trends, and Composition.  Institute for Research on Poverty Discussion. University of Wisconsin.

Plummer on the CDA Reservation commemorates the eruption of Mt. St. Hellens by hosting the Volcano Breakfast on May 17^th this year.  They will be serving a traditional country breakfast of sausage links, little smokies, biscuits and gravey, scrambled eggs and beverages.  Sounds like a great event.  

Congrats to Andrea of Grangeville, she’s our weekly winner!

Thank you all for the interesting responses about your community and what makes it ‘unique’ to you compared to other rural communities in Idaho.

I grew up in a small farming community in Idaho near the Utah border and I still think about it every day, the views and colors and smells and intense farm work we did (pulling rye, driving around and around in a tractor for 12 hours a day, herding cattle, etc) helped shape my life and world view. It’s that sense of place that helps define who we are and how we relate to the world around us.

I hope you’re all getting comfortable and familiar with the blogging process. Mary, MJ and I thank you for all the time and hard work you’ve devoted to this part of Horizons and know it’s just a small part of what you are all doing in your communities.

Please let MJ (merijoz@uidaho.edu) or me (dgray@uidaho.edu) know if we can help you with any questions you might have about blogging.

A ‘how to blog’ handbook is now available on our Horizons website at http://extension.ag.uidaho.edu/horizons/coaches.htm at the very top of the page…

Reflective Questions:

As we near the ‘end’ of this phase of Horizons, take a moment to look back on the past 18 months to answer these questions.

Has your community sought any additional resources outside of Horizons for your projects? 

How has your community partnered with communities and/or organizations beyond Horizons?

Scavenger Hunt Question:  Which Horizons community has an organization sponsoring a ‘Volcano Breakfast’ and what IS a Volcano Breakfast?

This week’s winner will receive a copy of:

One Nation, Underprivileged: Why American Poverty Affects Us All / Mark Robert Rank

Rules: Post your answers on your blogsite by May 20 (midnight) and be entered in the drawing for one of our book titles…

NOTE: Please enter your answers as either a comment to the original question OR as a brand new entry on your blog so that the answers are easy for people to find.

NWPSB Viewshed Workshop FlyerThe Northwest Passage Scenic Byway Advisory Team and North Central Idaho Travel Association hosted Community Marketing and Scenic Conservation Workshops in communities along Byway highways US 12 and SH 13. (See attached flyer.) The April 2008 workshops included computer-generated visual simulation of future land use scenarios by WGM Group, Missoula. WGM Group have extensive experience in development and conservation along highway and river corridors using context-sensitive design principles, scenic and conservation easements, visual simulation, 3D mapping, and other interactive tools to help citizens, property owners, developers, and elected officials plan for the future.

Stites area residents and business owners Josh Bradley, Rey Mireles, and Ruth Mohr were asked by the team of consultants about high priority community projects for Stites. The trio emphasized the need for streetscape improvements and a Community Center on Main Street. WGM utilized those suggestions for a visual concept of Stites.

The Kooskia/Stites workshop held on April 23 included illustrations of Stites’ Main Street design upgrades with a Community Center located on the current City Hall site. Following is the link to the visual simulation of the Stites concept http://picasaweb.google.com/WGMGroup/Renderings?authkey=7Y-71WHGqDk

The Byway project complements the University of Idaho project of a community center for Stites. The Scenic Conservation Workshop was a valuable sidebar to raise awareness of what is possible in Stites. Poster size copies of the visual simulations were given to the Stites Horizons attendees, and are on display at City Hall.

Questions about the presentation may bedirected to Mary Lorish Jahn, NW Passage Scenic Byway Coordinator, Jahn Studio Graphics, 208-983-9107; or Lorraine Hingston Roach, The Hingston Roach Group, 208-983-2175.

A community meeting of Stites area residents is scheduled for Monday, May 19, 6:00 to 8:30 pm, at the Stites Church of God dining room. A hosted dinner will be served from 5:00 - 5:45 p.m. The community meeting will provide a venue for area residents to learn about concepts for a community center in Stites, and plan for a successful Stites Days 2008.

Guest speaker Hanna Persson, from University of Idaho Bioregional Planning and Community Design, will present concepts and possible site solutions for a Stites Community Center. She will offer a couple of different options for how both, or either one, of the Main Street sites could be used for the community center and then give the community an opportunity to give feedback on these options.
This community meeting will enable area residents to contribute their ideas about the project concept.

Stites Days 2008 is scheduled for July 12 and 13. Group discussion at the meeting will center on activities and planning for this year’s event.

The meeting is hosted by the Stites Horizons “Building Our Community” Action Team, The Horizons program, sponsored by the Northwest Area Foundation, is about changes a rural community can make to move from waiting to leading, from decisions by a few to the participation of many, and from indifference to pride. Ultimately, it is about community leadership that can act to reverse a community’s economic and population decline and move toward prosperity and improved quality of life.

“Horizons provides a rare opportunity for rural communities to have a community-wide discussion and set their course for the future,” Mary Schmidt, Horizons project leader at Moscow for University of Idaho Extension.

For more information on the meeting or Horizons, please contact: Josh Bradleyl at 926-0110 or Rey Mireles at 926-4563.

IS ANYONE INTERESTED IN STARTING A GARDEN CLUB IN STITES?.
THE GARDEN CLUB CAN BE USED TO TEACH GARDENING AND LANDSCAPING, OR START A STITES COMMUNITY GARDEN AND GROW VEGGIES. THIS COULD HELP WITH RISING FOOD COSTS DUE TO THE HGH COST OF FUEL. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO LIVE IN STITES. IF YOU ARE INTERESTED, PLEASE CALL REY MIRELES (MAYOR) AT HOME 926-7006, OR WORK NUMBER 925-4563.

Stites Horizons News
Stites Community Center Update - Hanna Persson, U of I Bioregional Planning & Community Design, will present draft concepts for an integrated design project of a Stites Community Center on MONDAY, MAY 19, 6:00 p.m., at Stites Church of God. Plan now to attend this important meeting.

Stites Days 2008 - Gateway to the Gold Fields
We need your help!! Will you step up and contribute an hour or two of your time to help with an activity on Saturday, July 12th – or offer to coordinate an activity? We need a Parade chair person!! Contact Rey Mireles, 926-4563, Josh Bradley, 926-0110, or Shilo Hall, 926-7190.

City of Stites News
• Terry Nab, Progressive Engineering, informed the Council that bid notices will soon be released for the city reservoir cover project.
• The Council approved a proposal presented by Gerry Cathey for installation of playground equipment in the City Park.
• The city-wide Spring Cleanup was a great success!! Many thanks to Simmons Sanitation for providing the BIG dumpster!
• Thank you to Horizons coach Marlene Flynn for her donation of $50.00 to the Stites Volunteer Firefighters Assn. in memory of Stites business owner Jerry Ginn.

Horizons Meetings & Free Workshops:
• Monday, May 19: Stites Community Center presentation by Hanna Persson, U of I. 6:00 pm, Stites Church of God dining room
• May 21-22: Internet Business/E-Commerce, U of I, Moscow, contact Meri Joswiak, 208-885-8949, :merijoz@uidaho.edu for information.
• May 6-8: Idaho Governor’s Conference on Recreation and Tourism, Lion Hotel
Pocatello, Idaho. Visit www.tourism.idaho.gov website for
more information and to register.
• For more workshops & training visit
http://extension.ag.uidaho.edu/horizons/training

Congrats to Christine of Kooskia, she’s our weekly winner! Thank you to all who have recently signed up and started blogging.

Please let MJ or me know if we can help you with any questions you might have about blogging.

Reminder: MJ has created a ‘how to blog’ handbook that is now available on our Horizons website at http://extension.ag.uidaho.edu/horizons/coaches.htm at the very top of the page… Thanks MJ!

Also, for those communities that may be looking for a little more training, please contact MJ at merijoz@uidaho.edu / 208-885-8949 to see how she can help you.

Rules: Post your answers on your blogsite by May 6 by midnight and be entered in the drawing for one of our book titles…
NOTE: Please enter your answers as either a comment to the original question OR as a brand new entry on your blog so that the answers are easy for people to find.

Reflective Questions:
What is something unique about your Horizons community that you’d like to share with the rest of the world? What makes your community different from the one right down the road? Is it a strength your community can capitalize on or a burden you have to bear? Or both? For example, Sun Valley has the beautiful landscape, ski resorts, etc. but the tourism industry has also left behind many local people who are now unable to afford to live in the town they work in…

Scavenger Hunt Question: This week the scavenger hunt is a simple assignment. Find an entry on one of the Horizons community blogs (or even your own blog) and leave a comment to the author. It’s fun to give and get feedback about things we’re doing and talking about.

This week’s winner will receive:
The working poor: invisible in America by David K. Shipler
And
Building Communities From the Inside Out: A Path Toward Finding and Mobilizing a Community’s Assets by John P. Kretzmann and John L. McKnight.

  As a Coach I have learned that I can not work harder than the community I am serving.  It is a huge question of trusting the wisdom of the group to lead rather than the one.  Everything about coaching for Horizons has been an exercise in letting go of control: I am not the expert.  Several times I have been so uncomfortable by trying to stay true to this ideal that I have wanted to quit, but when it comes right down to it I believe the end result of trusting the wisdom of the group will and does far surpass the abilities and outcomes of the one.  The community wins.  

Thanks to Kooskia Horizons for hosting and paying for the Small Business Workshop that started last night in the Kamiah community center.  The house was packed with mentors and potential small business owners.  The presenters were knowledgable and gave valuable written and verbal information.  I appreciate the time we had to talk to mentors as well.  I feel impowered to persue my dream of having a web based art studio.  Putting it down on paper and then speaking it out loud turned a dream into an attainable goal. 

“It’s easy, try it you’ll like it.”  I don’t think so.  I feel cornered and confused by the experience of blogging.  Gratefully it hasn’t bitten yet.  

Congrats to Mountain Mama of Kendrick/Juliaetta, she’s our weekly winner! Even though she took me to task for forgetting about those of you in remote areas with only dial-up internet access… she persevered after many grueling hours on the scavenger hunt! I will definitely keep in mind your technology limits in the future…

MJ has created a ‘how to blog’ handbook that is now available on our Horizons website at http://extension.ag.uidaho.edu/horizons/coaches.htm at the very top of the page… Thanks MJ!

Also, for those communities that may be looking for a little more training, please contact MJ at merijoz@uidaho.edu / 208-885-8949 to see how she can help you.

Rules: Post your answers on your blogsite by Tuesday, April 29 by midnight and be entered in the drawing for one of our book titles…

NOTE: Please enter your answers as either a comment to the original question OR as a brand new entry on your blog so that the answers are easy for people to find.

Reflective Questions:
• Looking back, what is one (or more) skill or leadership trait you have developed from participating in Horizons (maybe from Study Circles or LeadershipPlenty or from the hands on work going on in your communities right now)? How has participation in the program changed you? What about your community? Are there specific examples of things happening in your community that wouldn’t have happened without Horizons?
• Bonus reflective question: How has the blogging experienced affected you? (please edit any inappropriate language, hahaha trust me, I feel your pain!!)

Scavenger Hunt Question:
• Which of the Idaho Horizons community blogs has information about April being Child Abuse Awareness month? This website also provides information about Youth Suicide Prevention.

The winner will receive:

Getting Ahead in a Just-Gettin’-By World: Building Your Resources for a Better Life by Philip E. DeVol
And

Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High by Kerry Patterson, et al

Rules: Post your answers on your blogsite by Tuesday, April 22 by midnight and be entered in the drawing for one of our book titles…

NOTE: Please enter your answers as either a comment to the original question OR as a brand new entry on your blog so that the answers are easy for people to find.

Reflective Questions:

• What’s next in Horizons for your community? Are your Action Teams planning activities in the next 2 months? How do those activities relate to the 3 legs of Horizons: Poverty reduction, Leadership Development and Community Mobilization?

Scavenger Hunt Question:

• Let’s broaden our scavenger hunt world a little… Of the other Horizons states, which one has interesting information about using Chicken Tractors to help maintain community gardens? Check out the link section of the Idaho Horizons Blog that lists the blog addresses for Montana, NorthDakota, South Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa Horizons. Feel free to explore and be inspired by other community groups just like yours!

This week’s winner will receive a copy of each of the following books:
The Working Poor: Invisible in America by David K. Shipler

Getting Ahead in a Just-Gettin’-By World: Building Your Resources for a Better Life by Philip E. DeVol

Check these out:

You will see a new business in Kooskia by June 1st!  Greg and Carol Gibler will open the Welcome Home B&B soon. 

more blogging

Our down river neighboring community just finished a Community Review focousing on City Infrastructor, Education and Ecomonic Developement/Tourism. They spent 2 1/2 days of meetings with visiting team members and local community members discussing these topics. There were also two open town meetings - one where even more people could discuss their conserns on these topics and one the following night were the visiting team gave a quick summary of their findings. A full report will be sent with all the findings fully covered.

KAMIAH COMMUNITY REVIEW

The community was very involved in discussions with the visiting teams on

On April 18th we will be holding a valley wide blog training class. The class will be held the Kooskia community center from 2 to 5 pm. Come and join us to learn about community blogging as well as personal blogs.

Check out my websiteBlog Class OutlineBlog Class Outline for more details

 Week 3’s winner is . . . Tala of St. Maries! All of the entries we read were very interesting, I thank you all for sharing some of your insights and experiences. Thankfully this is not a competition and the winner is selected randomly otherwise it would be impossible to pick the ‘best’ entry. And now here are the questions for Week 4.Rules: Post your answers on your blogsite by Tuesday, April 15 by midnight and be entered in the drawing for one of our book titles…NOTE: Please enter your answers as either a comment to the original question OR as a brand new entry on your blog so that the answers are easy for people to find.Reflective Questions:  What words of wisdom would you give to a community just starting a program like Horizons? Words of warning?  What kind of changes in their community and its leadership might they expect?What kind of changes in themselves might they expect? Scavenger Hunt Question:  
Which community’s chamber of commerce recently met with high school youth to work together to involve more youth in the community? This week’s winner will get to choose ONE of the following books:The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You by John MaxwellOrLeadership for the Common Good: Tackling Public Problems in a Shared-Power World by Barbara Crosby and John Bryson