Current News

By Emilia Shoup, RARE Alum

As a young professional who has lived and worked in Sisters for nearly four years, I have been invited to share my story for C4C’s Community Forum about local housing challenges, “Who Gets To Live Here? The Search for Local Housing Affordability.”

It was spring 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown was in full swing in Portland, when I graduated with a degree in urban planning. It was important for me that I get a job in my field as soon as possible, but as uncertainty from the ongoing pandemic continued, fewer job openings remained available.

Luckily, I was able to find a position through the University of Oregon’s AmeriCorps program called “RARE” (aka Resource Assistance for Rural Environments). Through this program, a cohort of young professionals are assigned to serve in rural communities throughout Oregon and provide technical assistance on community projects.

Once I found out that I was assigned in Sisters, I had six weeks to find housing and relocate.

I was given a living stipend of $1,700 per month — which is quite generous for an AmeriCorps program. For perspective, this stipend was comparable to a person’s income working full-time for minimum wage in 2020.

It was July when I began searching for rentals in Sisters, and units were quickly disappearing from the market. I found myself in an increasingly competitive housing market when there was an influx of “urban refugees” seeking solace in the beautiful region of Central Oregon, where COVID shutdowns had not yet fully gone into effect. I likely could have found more housing options if I chose to locate in Bend or Redmond, but I wanted to be fully immersed in my AmeriCorps experience in Sisters.

I applied for what felt like the last two apartments available in Sisters and was accepted for a 600-square-foot two-bedroom unit that cost $1,200 per month. I was hoping to get a one-bedroom unit that would have been more affordable for someone living by themselves — but regardless, I was grateful that I got a place in Sisters.

So, let’s take a moment to talk about what is typically considered “affordable” housing. The general rule of thumb is that a household should not allocate more than 30 percent of their monthly gross income to housing costs (i.e., rent, utilities, insurance, etc.). By that definition, a rental unit that costs $1,200 per month would be affordable for a household with a gross monthly income of $4,000 per month. In my case, with a $1,700 monthly living stipend, I was spending around 75 percent of my monthly income on just housing costs. What would have been an “affordable” housing unit had to be less than $510 per month – which may have only been possible by renting a room in a house with multiple roommates in Bend or Redmond.

I stayed in that apartment for two years, and in that time, it served my needs and allowed me to establish myself in Sisters. I was able to financially improve my situation after the AmeriCorps service year when I was hired into a full-time position with the City of Sisters, where I continue to work as a planner to this day. When the COVID pandemic subsided, I made local connections and found myself able to move into a house with multiple roommates in Bend, where I now technically have “affordable” housing. However, that came with the additional costs associated with commuting (i.e., gas, wear and tear on a vehicle, loss of personal time, environmental impacts, etc.).

I think many aspects of my story remain true to today’s context. The Central Oregon housing market is still relatively competitive, and there are limited affordable housing options for minimum wage and early-to-mid-career professionals. These individuals make up a significant amount of the local workforce.

Gaps in available and affordable workforce housing impact the local economy and community livability. The quality of restaurant services may decrease due to not being able to retain enough staff. Grocery stores may increase prices to provide more competitive wages. School districts may struggle to retain and recruit teachers that are essential to providing quality education. And frequent turnover of staff in government agencies may delay permitting and programs that help to bring more housing units to the market. Affordable housing is basic infrastructure – just like water, sewer, roads, and parks.

In Sisters, there are agencies, organizations, and local businesses working together to find solutions to support workforce housing needs. Currently, the City of Sisters is issuing grant funds for affordable and workforce housing projects and beginning the process of evaluating an urban growth boundary expansion which could include approximately 150 acres of new residential lands. You can learn more about local housing efforts at C4C’s May 5 Community Forum at Sisters Fire Hall’s community room from 4 to 5:30 p.m. or online at https://citizens4community.com/events/spring-forum-24.

This article first appeared on The Nugget and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

Oregon Outback Dark Sky Network takes home the Governor’s Award for their work to certify the Oregon Outback as the world’s largest Dark Sky Sanctuary

On Monday, March 11, 2024, the Oregon Tourism Commission (dba Travel Oregon) announced the recipients of the 2023 Oregon Travel and Tourism Industry Achievement Awards at the 2024 Oregon Governor’s Conference on Tourism at the Salem Convention Center. More than 500 tourism industry professionals gathered for the event to share learnings and align to ensure not only the delivery of exceptional visitor experiences, but that tourism improves quality of life for residents, advances equity, respects the diversity of ecosystems, cultures and places of Oregon and strengthens economic resilience for communities around the state. Hosted by Travel Oregon in partnership with Travel Salem and Willamette Valley Visitors Association, this year’s theme, “Stewarding Oregon’s Future,” calls upon attendees to collectively shape a sustainable visitor economy.

The Governor’s Award: Oregon Outback Dark Sky Network
The Governor’s Award represents the culmination of our industry’s deep appreciation for the long-time service and accomplishments of an individual or individuals who have enhanced the Oregon visitor experience and elevated the travel and tourism industry. Governor Kotek was in attendance to address the industry and honor the Oregon Outback Dark Sky Network (ODSN) with the 2023 Governor’s Award for their collective work to designate 2.5 million acres of the Oregon Outback as the world’s largest Dark Sky Sanctuary by DarkSky International.

A volunteer grassroots initiative comprised of community members, businesses, local governments, ranchers, state and federal agencies, tribes and Oregon Outback night sky enthusiasts, the Oregon Outback Dark Sky Network came together in support of shared principles resulting in mutual community benefits and the long-term conservation of Oregon’s starry night heritage. The designation—announced yesterday—acknowledges the area’s impressively dark starry nights along with its pristine scenery, rich geological and cultural heritage, diverse recreational opportunities and abundance of public lands.

“Dark Sky tourism is a meaningful and sustainable way to experience a destination while providing positive environmental, cultural and economic benefits to local communities,” said Governor Kotek, who visited the proposed Sanctuary in October, as a part of her commitment to visit all 36 counties in Oregon during her first year in office. “The commitment of the Oregon Outback Dark Sky Network to the protection and stewardship of our starry night skies—and today’s designation of a portion of the Oregon Outback as the world’s largest Dark Sky Sanctuary—is truly inspiring.”

Leadership Award: Rebecca Bond, Albany Visitors Association
The Leadership Award recognizes individuals, DMOs or businesses that champion the value of tourism and whose exemplary vision and commitment help improve visitor experiences in our communities, regions and state, and whose leadership contributes significantly to the recognition and impact of Oregon’s travel and tourism industry. This year, Travel Oregon honors Rebecca Bond, the Executive Director of Albany Visitors Association for her tireless work promoting the City of Albany and ensuring its local tourism businesses thrive. From the Willamette Valley Food Trail to her work on a website that provided up-to-date information for local lodging properties and restaurants during the pandemic, Travel Oregon recognizes Rebecca’s incredible efforts to support Albany as a premiere Oregon destination.

Partnership Award: Travel Southern Oregon Coast
The Partnership Award recognizes that creative partnerships can be an effective way to enhance the visitor experience and promote a region or destination. By leveraging traditional and non-traditional partnerships, organizations and businesses can maximize budget, capacity and skill sets to create an increase in efficiencies and a higher-level aligned outcome. In 2023, Travel Southern Oregon Coast (TSOC) did exactly this during their year-long promotional campaign aimed at raising awareness for Whiskey Run Trails. By bringing together mountain bike influencers, media and passionate riders from across the Pacific Northwest and Northern California, the campaign was a collaborative effort between tourism, cycling and private business partners who rallied around promoting Whiskey Run as the Oregon Coast’s most epic mountain bike (MTB) system.

Diversity, Equity, Accessibility and Inclusion Award: Campfire Hotel
The DEAI Award is presented to a business or destination that has demonstrated leadership in raising awareness or facilitating change to build a more inclusive and welcoming environment for visitors to Oregon. Since opening in 2020, this year’s award winner, Campfire Hotel in Bend, has taken pride (literally) in being a safe and welcoming destination for all. With events like Drag Bingo, celebrations of live music and performances, hosting events and media during Winter PrideFest and much more, visitors and locals alike are encouraged to come and celebrate as they are.

Hospitality Award: Jalét Farrell of Spoke’n Hostel
The Oregon Hospitality Award recognizes a person, company or organization that has made significant contributions to delivering excellence in hospitality for Oregon’s tourism industry. Travel Oregon is thrilled to honor Jalét Farrell of Spoke’n Hostel in Mitchell, Oregon—a beacon of warm welcome and exceptional hospitality and service for cyclists and explorers of rural Eastern Oregon. The Spoke’n Hostel extends its embrace to support large-scale events such as Cycle Oregon while maintaining the same level of warmth and generosity for individual travelers. Jalét Farrell’s unwavering commitment to hospitality has not only elevated the Spoke’n Hostel but also placed Mitchell, a hidden gem in rural Eastern Oregon, prominently on the map of sought-after destinations for travelers seeking genuine warmth and authentic experiences.

Stewardship Award: Nez Perce Wallowa Homeland
The Stewardship Award recognizes an activity, event, project or program that utilizes a stewardship approach to positively impact Oregon’s economy, cultures and natural environment.  Travel Oregon is proud to honor the Nez Perce Wallowa Homeland, a nonprofit organization charged with stewarding land that belongs to the original homeland of the Wallowa Band of the Nez Perce. The organization’s small team does impressive work in sustainable agriculture, agritourism and invasive species management with a mission “to deepen the connection between the al’áwa country and all those who care about it” as they “strive to inspire a way of working together as wé·tesne qicxnew̓é·t (caretakers of the earth) to rekindle relationships and welcome people home.”

The Gene Landsmann Gemütlichkeit Award: Jeff Kohnstamm
The Gene Landsmann Gemütlichkeit Award honors an individual of the Oregon Ski Community (Industry/Sport) who embodies the spirit and effect of Gemütlichkeit. A German-language word used to convey the idea of a state or feeling of warmth, friendliness and good cheer. Other qualities encompassed by the term include coziness, quality of life and a sense of belonging and well-being.

You could say that Jeff Kohnstamm has skiing in his blood. He was raised at Timberline Lodge and has been the general manager and operator since 1992 when he assumed the role from his father. He has served on the boards of numerous regional and national ski organizations including as President of the Pacific Northwest Ski Area Association. Jeff ensures the sense of Gemütlichkeit flows freely and plentiful on the mountain, as always.

Oregon Tourism Rising Star Awards
The Rising Star Awards are presented to individuals who are new to the tourism industry within the last five years in which time they have shown exemplary leadership, commitment and passion for Oregon’s tourism industry. This year, Travel Oregon honored seven Rising Stars.

Central Oregon | Brandie & Larry McNamee, Antelope Market
The owners of Antelope Market in rural central Oregon, Brandie and Larry McNamee’s vision is to establish Antelope’s tourism economy in an accessible and sustainable way by rehabilitating the Antelope Market, creating camping and accessible lodging options, and leading an effort to get the small town (population 38) certified as a Dark Sky Community with DarkSky International. Tourism has the potential to be transformative for the under-resourced town and community thanks to Brandie and Larry’s leadership, creativity and resourcefulness.

Oregon Coast | Finn Johnson, Oregon Coast Visitors Association
Finn Johnson, the North Coast Destination Management Coordinator with Oregon Coast Visitors Association, has just completed his first year in Oregon’s tourism industry. In that short time, he helped create and launch a Travel Impact Calculator to measure emissions and suggest ways for travelers to offset the impact of their travel to the coast. He helped create the North Coast Transit plan to lower carbon emissions from day trippers and reduce traffic and parking congestion; connected communities like Gold Beach and Port Orford to major capital for electric vehicle (EV) charging development; and co-wrote a $500,000 federal grant for a transportation feasibility report that could provide equitable and low carbon transportation options for visitors, coastal residents and workforce.

Eastern Oregon | Catie Boucher, Eastern Oregon Visitors Association
In Catie Boucher’s brief but impactful two years as Special Projects Coordinator for Eastern Oregon Visitors Association, she has demonstrated remarkable leadership and commitment to advancing the region’s tourism industry. Catie’s focus on cultural heritage, diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility initiatives set her apart as the Rising Star for Eastern Oregon. Catie has passionately championed accessibility in tourism, working to ensure that Eastern Oregon becomes a welcoming destination for all. Her tenaciousness around upleveling accessibility and learning from other RDMOs and partners who are doing accessibility work inspired Travel Oregon’s Accessibility Learning Community convenings.

Mt. Hood and Columbia River Gorge | Kent Krumpschmidt, Sasquatch Shuttle
Kent Krumpschmidt is a Rising Star because of his passion for public service and support of inclusive, safe and informed visitor experiences in the Mt. Hood and Columbia River Gorge region. A former Multnomah County Sheriff, Kent founded Sasquatch Shuttle in 2021 to create an accessible and inclusive car-free system for accessing the outdoor recreation opportunities along the Historic Columbia River Highway. Kent is an active member of the CGTA Gorge Car Free Action team and helped create a downloadable guide to the Waterfall Corridor for wheelchair users and visitors with disabilities.

Portland Region | Shatrine Krake, Business Recovery Center for Lake Oswego + West Linn
Shatrine Krake resides in the Portland region and serves as the Director of Business Development and Resources at the Business Recovery Center for Lake Oswego + West Linn. Shatrine’s goal is to reach, impact and support all small businesses and her belief that we are “stronger together” shows in everything she does. Shatrine collaborates with Mt. Hood Territory and other tourism partners on may projects, including the Wander Willamette website, where she incorporated interactive map filters that allow users to locate women-owned, veteran-owned, minority-owned, LGBTQIA2S+, Latinx, BIPOC and AAPI businesses. She also set up two seasonal Wander Willamette programs—a holiday passport and an August dining passport and works tirelessly to secure media for local businesses.

Southern Oregon | Megan Pugh, Illinois Valley Chamber of Commerce
Megan Pugh, the Executive Director of the Illinois Valley Chamber of Commerce, is committed to community-building and has been instrumental in transforming the tourism economy of the Illinois Valley. A champion for both the Destination Ready and Downtown programs, Megan has led local initiatives including Main Street, local signature events and critical collaboration with the Oregon Caves & Chateau. She has successfully fostered collaboration and unity among local businesses, residents and organizations to work toward common goals. Megan’s resourcefulness has been a key driver in implementing innovative solutions for the benefit of the Illinois Valley and specifically Cave Junction through compounding crises including COVID & closures of Highway 199 with wildfires. Her ability to leverage limited resources effectively has not only enhanced the Chamber’s operations but has also created new opportunities for local businesses and individuals.

Willamette Valley | Jessy Fabrizio – Stover, Willamette Valley Visitors Association
Jessy joined Willamette Valley Visitors Association as a RARE AmeriCorps member in 2021 and has shown exemplary growth and development, enthusiasm and dedication to the tourism industry during her short tenure. Jessy has continued to take on more challenges and excel at achieving projects and moving things forward for WVVA, particularly in the arena of global sales and destination development.

2023 Industry Achievement Awards Artist
The 2023 awards were designed by local artist Kris Kirkman using salvaged and locally sourced materials that connect each handcrafted piece with the local environment and community.

This article first appeared on Travel Oregon and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

by News Staff

Fri, February 16th 2024 at 2:04 PM

ROSEBURG, Ore. — Roseburg Public Library is hosting a free resume-building workshop at 4 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 29, for people who have limited experience with creating a professional resume, the City said in a media release.

Led by Christian Sala, the library’s Resource Assistance for Rural Environments (RARE) AmeriCorps member, the workshop will share tools and knowledge to help participants generate resumes that will stand out to potential employers – even if the participants have little work experience.

Learn how to highlight your skills and abilities, showcase your education and extracurricular activities, and present yourself in a professional manner.

The workshop will be interactive, giving participants the opportunity to work on resumes with Sala’s guidance.

You will receive feedback and suggestions on how to improve your resume, and you will leave with a better understanding of what makes a great resume.

Sala recommends bringing a laptop computer or USB drive that contains your current resume. The library will provide laptops if necessary.

Registration is required to attend the workshop, which will be held at the library, 1409 NE Diamond Lake Blvd.

To sign up, email csala@cityofroseburg.org, call (541) 492-7052 or visit the library’s front desk.

For nearly 45 years, the Economic Development Administration’s (EDA) University Center program has empowered leading colleges and universities to become champions of regional economic ecosystems. These centers provide small businesses and local governments with research-informed technical assistance leading to job creation, business expansion, and the development of highly-skilled talent pools.

EDA’s 73 University Centers (UC) have positioned themselves as critical players supporting technology transfer and commercialization, innovation, and high-growth entrepreneurship—including University of Oregon’s Resource Assistance for Rural Environments program, and Washington State University’s Manufacturing Roundtables, among many other outstanding examples.

To better address the growing needs of this dynamic network, EDA’s Research and National Technical Assistance (RNTA) program is announcing an award of $250,461 to Civic Roundtable to create the UC Hub, an innovative project designed to maximize the impact of the UC program.

The UC Hub will provide a digital platform for connectivity and cooperation between University Centers and regional stakeholders, allowing these economic development leaders to share and access resources such as whitepapers and datasets; interact with each other through a facilitated discussion forum; and identify opportunities for collaboration. Built on the Civic Roundtable platform, the UC Hub will finally provide a centralized location for participant interaction.

“Our University Center program is vital to the transformation of economic development knowledge from theory to praxis and we anticipate the UC Hub will invigorate and accelerate this process,” said Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development Alejandra Y. Castillo. “EDA is dedicated to boosting regional economics through place-based, locally-led strategies, and our nation’s University Centers play a crucial role in connecting data, resources, and expertise to making those strategies work best for everyone.”

“EDA’s University Center program has a documented, decades-long history of successes,” explained Austin Boral, Co-founder of Civic Roundtable. “However, promising practice knowledge is not being effectively shared across participant institutions, leading to lost opportunity. The UC Hub will help solve this issue.”

The UC Hub will debut in mid-2024. Receive updates on this, and other EDA programs, by subscribing to EDA’s Impact newsletter.

This article first appeared on The EDA and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

By Nitish Verma

Patrons of the Roseburg Public Library will soon have personalized technology assistance at their fingertips. The library has announced a new initiative to host drop-in tech time sessions, which will begin in February and last through July. These sessions aim to provide individualized tech help to community members and are a direct response to the demand highlighted by the success of computer classes in the past.

Personalized Tech Assistance

The brains behind this venture is Christian Sala, a Resource Assistance for Rural Environments AmeriCorps member. He will host these sessions twice a month, on the first Thursday and first Friday from 12-2 p.m. To accommodate the diverse community, a Spanish interpreter will be present during Thursday sessions. The participants are encouraged to bring their own devices, although the library will also provide desktops and laptops for those without portable devices. No appointments are necessary, and the service operates on a first-come, first-served basis.

The Uncertain Future

The only caveat to this promising initiative is that Sala’s term ends in July. The library has not yet confirmed whether the service will continue after his departure. This brings an element of uncertainty to the future of this well-intentioned venture.

Reviving the Maker Space

In addition to the tech time sessions, Sala is also rebooting the maker space at the library. This space boasts a 3D printer, button maker, sewing machine, and a Cricut cutting machine. A small fee is required for materials, and users must sign an agreement to use the equipment. Minors will need parental consent. The library is currently seeking volunteers, particularly teenagers who can earn service hours, to help run the maker space.

Through these efforts, the Roseburg Public Library is reinforcing its commitment to the community, providing valuable resources and opportunities for learning and growth. Despite the uncertainty surrounding the future of the tech time sessions, the initiatives reflect a positive step towards making technology more accessible to all.

This article first appeared on BNN and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.