Sean C. Morgan
The Sweet Home Economic Development Group Board of Directors approved an increase in funding Dec. 15 for the Sweet Home Active Revitalization Effort, providing a boost to the Commercial Exterior Improvement Program.
The budget approval includes SHEDG’s budget, the 2011 Oregon Jamboree budget, the Sweet Home Rodeo, SHARE and the annual Arts and Crafts Fair at the Jamboree.
Although the money will come from a part of the 2010 budget and not the 2011 budget, SHEDG will donate cash to the Sweet Home Community Foundation as well, said SHEDG President Kevin Strong.
Traditionally, SHEDG has given 10 percent of Jamboree proceeds to the foundation each year, but the Jamboree lost about $98,000 this year.
“In light of last year’s loss, our board has already taken action to make a contribution at this spring’s chamber banquet,” Strong said. SHEDG will publicly announce the amount of the donation at the banquet, the Chamber of Commerce’s annual awards banquet.
In light of the Jamboree’s loss this year, some SHEDG board members were concerned about spending cash reserves this year, while others said that expenditures like SHARE are part of SHEDG’s overall mission and also expressed optimism in next year’s Jamboree.
“We have a good show planned for 2011,” Strong said. “And we intend to bounce back. Our organization is about economic development, and it’s important that we keep the momentum going, the good things SHARE is doing in Sweet Home.”
The SHARE budget will increase from $50,000 in 2010 to $70,000 in 2011, featuring its ongoing project to fund commercial exterior improve-ment projects.
The program provides up to $500 toward exterior improvements. Chamber of Commerce members may receive an extra $500, and SHARE may choose to fund up to 10 percent of larger improvement projects.
“The bulk of the increase is for the Commercial Exterior Improvement Program,” said SHARE President Bill Nyara. “We’re hoping to see a lot more physical improvements to downtown Sweet Home. It’s surpassed the year before. If we can keep building and improving every year, you’re going to see improvements across town.”
He noted that SHARE extends to more than just the downtown area.
“We’re about revitalizing downtown, but we’re not exclusive to that.”
The rest of the SHARE budget is continuing other programs, including events, programming and murals.
“With the budget we’ve got, I hope to see a new or replaced mural this year,” Nyara said.
Strong said SHARE volunteers and SHEDG staffers will evaluate projects “to make sure that they get the best bang for the buck.”
Nyara said SHARE will continue to be thrifty with the monies it receives from the Jamboree proceeds.
“Like we have been from the start, we’re very conscientious about how much we spend,” he said. “We’re volunteers. We’ve always underspent our budget.”
As volunteers, he said, spending it all is difficult simply because the volunteers don’t have enough time, he said.
SHARE has heard from SHEDG more than once that it needs to get the biggest bang for its buck, he said, and the organization will continue that.
This year, three or four members of the SHARE Steering Committee will visit local business owners to find out what they want and need and to tell them what SHARE has to offer, Nyara said. That contact will help determine how SHARE allocates its dollars in the future.
“We do appreciate the fact that even though they (SHEDG) lost money this year, they looked at the big picture (its economic development mission) and gave us an increase this year,” he said.