Our Partner: Colette Ramirez-Maddock

Partner Interview: Colette Ramirez-Maddock

 Recreation Program Assistant at City of Eugene Outdoor Program at the River House

What Community Service Center program(s) did you work with

The Community Planning Workshop (CPW)

Briefly describe the project(s) you work on with the Community Service Center (CSC).

The Inclusivity Assessment was created to examine the Library, Recreation, and Cultural Services department in the city.  We wanted to analyze our service delivery and to identify how we could  improve our services. The process identified barriers for participants including physical and cultural. The assessment facilitated us using the lens of cultural awareness to make our facilities and programs as  inclusive and accessible as possible.

Why did you decide to work with the Community Service Center (CSC)?

The Community Planning Workshop has done comprehensive work for the City of Eugene. They have a good reputation for process, defining next steps and  a high level of work that comes from the CPW team. Bethany Steiner, CPW Associate Director helped us set the foundation, including developing questions for assessment, and building relationships in the community that otherwise would be difficult without them. CPW was very thorough in the work they did throughout the process.

What were the benefits of engaging the CSC program?

I enjoyed the collaboration of the process, we benefited from the shared resources that could be exchanged with the City of Eugene and the Community Services Center.

What role did CSC staff/students/members have in the project?

Bethany Steiner, CPW Associate Director was a  valued component of the project along with the  project managers and students. They facilitated the process including organization and forward momentum, this included developing surveys, survey implementation, interviews, listserv creation and data entry. After collection they analyzed the data and presented the recommendations and next steps from beginning to end, all the while being collaborative and accessible in the process.

How did the engagement of the CSC program(s) increase your organization capacity to complete the project?

The  project would not have been the same without them (CPW). We had a sense of what we wanted completed but not the experience to carry out such a comprehensive project or the capacity to do it. The Community Planning Workshop kept the process moving throughout the summer (our busiest time), they checked in, set deadlines, and built groundwork for future projects.

What advice do you have to other potential community partners about working with the CSC?

I would suggest an open mind; CPW is for those that would like to work collaboratively with a team and be involved in the process.

Plug Something!

We have so many amazing programs and services at the City of Eugene – Library, Recreation, and Cultural Services Department.   You can find more information about our programs at http://www.eugene-or.gov/index.aspx?nid=127.    We hope you get a chance to discover, create, and grow with us this year!

 More about the Community Planning Workshop(CPW)

Being a Main Street Manager in Coos Bay by Nathan Jurey

Being a Main Street Manager in Coos Bay by Nathan Jurey

Being a Main Street Manager in Coos Bay has some awesome perks.  One of the biggest perks was attending the 2013 National Main Street Conference in New Orleans.  Besides diabetes and a mild sunburn, I brought back some great ideas and inspiration from that conference.  I could not wait to get back to Coos Bay and talk about what I learned!

My board president and I attended everything from “Saving Downtown Edges” to “Creating Entrepreneurial Ready Cities.”  Every speaker had great little tidbits or a personal story about some project or event that I took back with me.  One community was able to raise over $60,000 selling old items that their Department of Transportation was going to throw in the dump!  So many inspirational stories.

However, there are 3 specific ideas that I want to see implemented in the Coos Bay Downtown Association.  First, I want to triple our budget.  This will take a bit of work, but we have a road map to get there, thanks to this conference.  Second, I want to implement the Community Driven Business Recruitment techniques that I learned in one of the sessions.  Thirdly, I want to start a March Madness tournament that will pit the best dishes at the best restaurants against each other across the city.  I can’t wait to get started; big things are going to happen!

Nathan Jurey, MRCP

Main Street Manager

Coos Bay Downtown Association

541.266.9706

nathanjurey@gmail.com

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 Nathan Jurey, RARE Extraordinaire, discusses the Coos Bay Downtown Association membership drive and street banner project.