Sean C. Morgan
Two Sweet Home Economic Development Group (SHEDG) committees will help determine where the organization will spend remaining profits from the 2003 Oregon Jamboree.
The annual festival, a three-day country music and camping festival, is a fund-raising event for SHEDG held in August.
SHEDG has transferred $20,000 to the Sweet Home Community Foundation to fund projects in the community. The winners of Community Foundation grants will be announced in March.
SHEDG also added $90,000 to a reserve fund it created to continue operations in potential unsuccessful years. The group had planned to reserve $30,000 per year for five years but instead filled the reserve fund this year, the third since it decided to make the fund.
SHEDG also will continue its economic development efforts by funding its economic development coordinator position, which has been funded by an annual $30,000 grant from the Rural Investment Board.
SHEDG paid two years ahead, $23,000, to lease community fields from School District 55 for the Jamboree.
SHEDG will have some $60,000 to spend after those expenses. It is considering funding an expansion of its downtown revitalization plan and possibly seeking property to serve as a new site for the Jamboree.
In any case, President Ron Moore wants to know “what’s going to make the biggest impact.”
SHEDG has talked about and could start some type of fund for downtown revitalization, a low- or no-interest loan program businesses could tap to improve their buildings or a program for improving the streetscape itself.
“It’s time to take the next step,” Moore said at the SHEDG board’s regular meeting on Wednesday last week. “What’s the best use for the money? In reality, the 400 volunteers (for the Jamboree) and the community want to see what we’re going to do with those funds.”
Between now and that decision, the SHEDG board will need to find out what businesses would like to see and what may be available to expand the capacity of the Jamboree so it can provide even bigger acts.
The board wants to get two committees ready to answer those questions with plans on how to achieve that goal by the time the board meets in its annual retreat in April. During the retreat, the board will discuss both issues in depth. Following the retreat, the committees will find out the answers.
It is kind of hard to spend extra money for top talent without expanding the capacity of the Jamboree, Moore said. That may be achieved by reorganizing the existing Jamboree site, or SHEDG may need to purchase property, which it would like to keep inside the Sweet Home city limits. It could take three to five years to buy property if necessary, and the SHEDG board may need to set aside some money toward potentially buying property.
In preparation for this discussion, board members visited Independence-Monmouth to see how they were successfully revitalizing their downtown areas. They learned that any downtown revitalization effort requires the support of the local municipality, particularly to help secure grants. They next met with City of Sweet Home officials.
There are not many matching funds or grants available though, Moore said, but “we felt as an organization, we need to have buy in from the city.”
The city primarily can serve as a facilitator, Community Development Coordinator Carol Lewis said. It can host meetings and help deal with other government agencies, which is one of its strengths.
“A downtown revitalization plan has got to be driven by the people who want to be revitalized,” Lewis said. “We as a city organization respond to specific types of requests for aid.”
The board is interested in spending another $18,000 to expand an existing revitalization plan, Moore said, but it does not want to spend the cash for such a project if it will not go anywhere.
At last month’s “Breakfast Club” meeting, held monthly for interested business owners, SHEDG passed out a card asking “If funds were not an issue, what would be the most important thing you would do to help your business?”
Only five of the 40 persons attending answered that question. The board started discussing ways of getting the answer. Among ideas, the board would send out volunteer board members to ask business owners that question and more face to face.
One of the things the board learned from the Independence-Monmouth visit was that “it’s the small things” that can generate energy, Secretary Beth Lambert said. That might be simply replacing garbage cans or fixing the wooden sculptures at the city limits ? Some type of small project. When SHEDG does do something like that, it should follow up with a barbecue and make a big deal out of it to build further energy.
The business community wants to see some movement, Moore said. “We’re trying to figure out what we can do to let the downtown core area know we’re serious about making a difference.”
From that point, SHEDG can figure out what its next steps must be.
SHEDG has already been involved in the beautification effort and the new Arts and Crafts Committee that helps fund it.
“These are ongoing and good projects,” Moore said. “What can we do to maybe help the businesses a little more directly?”