Month: February 2014

Stories from the Field: A RARE AmeriCorps Perspective

Posted on by Julia Havens

Gold Hill Has (Olympic) Gold Dreams

Gold Hill Oregon The Rogue River Valley RARE Resource Assistance for Rural Environments

The City of Gold Hill in Southern Oregon is attempting to transform their town into a mecca for world-class Olympic athletes by constructing a whitewater park along their stretch of the Rogue River. Long a destination for serious rafters, kayakers and stand-up paddlers, Gold Hill hopes to facilitate an experience for recreation-minded visitors and serious athletes alike. The City sees this to be a catalyst for improvement projects and future economic growth for the city while still staying true to their rural, small-town charm.

Just up-river from Powerhouse Rapids.

Gold Hill Oregon The Rogue River Valley RARE Resource Assistance for Rural EnvironmentsPlans for a kayak park have been in the initial stages for years, spearheaded by local resident and former Olympian rower Steve Kiesling (King of the Rogue). But this past November the city took a step forward by backing a project to map the river bottom; a prerequisite to the planning of a full-scale park. This map, which measures elevation as accurately as 2mm, allows engineers to understand the hydrologic functions of the river to better predict its flow changes seasonally as well as potential effects of intervention (i.e. moving or placing a rock). The process involved the arduous task of holding a raft stationary in the rapids while a GPS meter (which looks like a shorter pole-vault pole) is placed in contact with the bottom, yielding a single data point. Taking the hundreds of data points together reveals previously un-realized channels, dips and rocks, which will be instrumental in designing the park.

Folks from the River Design Group working on mapping the Rogue River

Engineers say that this site is well-equipped as-is to construct such a park; with a 25-foot drop and an average summer flow of 1,978 cubic feet/sec (CFS), the canvas is perfectly white. For reference, most other whitewater parks around the world have a vertical drop of around 18-21 feet an a flow of around 450-600 CFS, and the US National Whitewater Park in North Carolina boasts a modest flow of 530 CFS over 21 feet of elevation loss.

With the minimal options for kayakers in the region, Gold Hill hopes to capitalize on what makes this place truly special: The Rogue River. It’s wet, wild, wonderful and its tons of fun. To learn more about the project and get involved:

Gold Hill White Water Center

Could Gold Hill Become A National Whitewater Destination?

Nicolas Lennartz RARE Resource Assistance for Rural EnvironmentsAbout the Author: Nicolas received a Bachelor of Science in Urban Planning and Environmental Policy with a Minor in Sustainable Design from Western Washington University. As a student, Nicolas participated in the Sustainable Ithaca Study in Greece where he analyzed and recommend policy routes for locally based sustainable development.

Nicolas is serving with the City of Gold Hill, where he is building upon a wide array of planning related projects. Using existing momentum, he is helping administer and implement a newly adopted Surface Water Management Plan as well as working with a local consultant on the development of a Parks Master Plan with an extensive portion being focused on water quality. During his year with the RARE AmeriCorps Program – Resource Assistance for Rural Environments, Nicolas hopes to broaden his depth of experience while building a relevant skill set that will make help him succeed throughout his career.

Effective Meetings Take Preparation

Posted on by Julia Havens
photo source: http://www.german-business-etiquette.com/30-efficient_meetings.htm
An example of what we do NOT want our meeting to look like!

Our Community Planning Workshop (CPW) team is currently preparing for our first meeting with our client and Technical Advisory Committee (TAC). It will be the first time we meet our client in person as well as the first time the TAC is convened.

Our primary goals for the meeting are to explain the project to the group and to set expectations of what they will get from us and what we are expecting to get back from them. I am purposely not mentioning our project because it does not matter what the content is; preparing for a meeting like this will be the same regardless of the project.

Leading up to this meeting, we have had just three weeks to wrap our heads around the project. This included figuring out who all the different players involved are and hashing out our game plan for this meeting and the next two terms. An important realization for us was that we are going to continue learning about all of these elements and tweaking things right up until the end of the project. Acknowledging that fact has already helped our group as we prepare for this meeting.

Our first step was to determine the purpose of the meeting. Once that was determined, we needed to decide on the elements, length of each section and who was going to present each part. The attendees at the meeting, including ourselves, will have a varied level of knowledge of the subject matter, so starting with the basics is essential so everyone is on the same page with the content. We have created multiple drafts and have run through the presentation four times. I think we’re to the point where anyone of the five of us could present each other’s parts.

Even so, we are certainly a bit nervous about facilitating the meeting. Some good advice was given to us from our project advisor to simply remember the one point that cannot be forgotten in each section and on each slide.

Other important logistics to consider which are sometimes forgotten include:

  • What will be the layout of the room and do we have any control over the set up of tables and chairs?
  • Is the order of the presentation and meeting elements logical?
  • Are the activities appropriate and culturally sensitive to the audience?
  • Do we have all the materials checked out and are they available?
  • Are our presentation skills perfected and professional? We don’t want to be like the guy in the cartoon above who has his back turned to the audience.

This is our first of three meetings with the TAC but an important one since it sets the stage for the project. By having a clear understanding of the information and running an effective meeting we aim to leave a good impression with the group. We intend to be honest about who we are (first year graduate students) while proving that even though we are not seasoned consultants, with the support of the CPW faculty, staff, and the University of Oregon, we intend to deliver a product worthy of an expert.

UPDATE: Our meeting had to be postponed due to the current snowstorm in the Willamette Valley and mountain passes during the week of February 3, which means we will not be able to safely get to the meeting. I know I did not mention the topic of our project earlier but I’ll mention now that it is related to natural hazard planning so it is ironic a natural hazard cancelled our meeting!

Ross-Peizer CPW Community Planning Workshop Madras Hazard Plan Integration

About the Author: Ross Peizer is a first year Community and Regional Planning Graduate Student at the University of Oregon. Originally from Seattle, Ross had been living in New Orleans the past three years prior to moving to Oregon. He is interested in sustainability related to transportation and natural disasters.