Sustainable City Year Program
Through year-long partnerships, the Sustainable City Year Program (SCYP) helps communities solve the problems of today and lay the groundwork for a sustainable, livable future—all while helping students prepare for the workforce through applied learning. The 2021 Sustainable City Year Program focuses on the City of Hermiston. Resources: https://sci.uoregon.edu/hermiston
UO’s Sustainable City Year program heads east to Hermiston
City of Hermiston
The City of Hermiston is partnering with SCYP to study and provide guidance for city-wide visioning, planning, and a site-specific development project. Students in the Green Cities course will conduct research, organize public participation activities, prepare a composite report, and produce informational videos. Program materials, the final report, and informational videos will be published on this website when completed. Researchers will undertake two separate projects: Community Visioning and North Hermiston Site Planning and Design.
City of Hermiston Visioning, Planning and Design Report
The Hermiston Visioning, Planning and Design Report is a compilation of projects associated with the SCYP/Hermiston partnership.
Hermiston Visioning Plannnig Design
Community Vision and Focus Group
A focus group is a group of people assembled to participate in a guided discussion about a particular issue, or to provide feedback on a project. Focus groups are a great way to connect with the community and seek feedback. People typically appreciate the opportunity to share their opinions, and they are generally not shy about sharing them especially in a smaller group setting. Focus groups allow us to:
- Collect opinions, beliefs, and attitudes about issues of interest to the community
- Check our assumptions
- Encourage discussion on specific topics
- Build excitement about a topic
- Provide opportunities for the facilitator and participants to learn more about a topic or issue
Focus groups yield valuable information, and they can also build good rapport with the community. (Judith Sharken Simon)
Focus Group Questions
- How do you see Hermiston 20 years from now? Describe your vision for the community.
- What are the top 1-2 issues that you think need to be addressed in Hermiston?
- We received many ideas regarding more activities and attractions in Hermiston, especially for youth. What do you think would enhance the community?
- Building an indoor pool or covering the existing pool has been one of the top ideas submitted for improving Hermiston. Would you rather see the existing pool covered or a new indoor pool altogether? If you would like to see a new indoor pool built anywhere in the city, where would it be and why? How should we fund it?
- Another top suggestion we have received is a recreation center. Would you enjoy having a recreation center in your community? What amenities would you like it to include? Would you prefer it be connected with the pool? Where would you like to see it located in the community? Would residents and businesses be willing to pay for it? What other ways could it be funded?
- To promote continued prosperity in Hermiston, we want to offer year-round, family-wage jobs. Which businesses or types of industry should we consider recruiting to provide these jobs?
- Affordable housing is in high demand in our community. What options should we explore to provide more affordable housing options to meet employee preferences? Where should this housing be located?
- Providing a great education is critical to economic success and prosperity in our community. How can we improve or upgrade Hermiston’s schools, including early childhood education, to enhance the overall education experience for our youth?
- The Hispanic/Latino community is growing with nearly half of all residents identifying as Hispanic/Latino. What can we do to better serve all residents in our community? What ideas do you have to celebrate our diversity?
- We have received many concerns regarding increasing congestion and traffic in Hermiston, especially along Highway 395. How can we improve mobility in our community?
- Like many communities across the country, Hermiston is dealing with the issues of homelessness. One of the actions suggested is to develop programs or services to work with transients. What are 3 programs, services, or policies we could explore to address this issue? What agencies could we partner with?
- We have received many comments regarding revitalization of the downtown area. Do you agree this should be a priority? How could you see a revitalized downtown serving both residents and tourists?
- We have received many comments asking for more options for dining, shopping, and entertainment. We have also received many comments on keeping Hermiston’s “small town” feel. What are your thoughts on this topic? Do you have ideas for how to balance these (sometimes) competing interests?
[embeddoc url=”https://blogs.uoregon.edu/experientialplanning/files/2021/11/2021-11-07-Hermiston-Focus-Group.pdf” height=”700px” download=”all” viewer=”google”]
North Area Site Planning and Design Charrette
A specific site is identified for further analysis, site planning, and design. [see below] The Design Team will conduct a design charrette to provide specific implementation actions for this site with an emphasis on sustainable development, urban resiliency, and regenerative design.
[embeddoc url=”https://blogs.uoregon.edu/experientialplanning/files/2021/11/2021-11-06-Hermiston-Design-Charrette.pdf” height=”700px” download=”all” viewer=”google”]
Site Visit Itinerary
November 6, Saturday
- 08:45 Meet at Hendricks Hall, 1408 University St, Eugene, OR 97403
- 09:00 Depart from University of Oregon
- 11:00 Rest stop in Portland
- 12:45 Rest stop in The Dalles & boxed lunch
- 15:00 Arrive at Hermiston Library Conference Room, 235 E Gladys Ave, Hermiston, OR 97838
- 15:15 Eastern Oregon University and University of Oregon Faculty
- 15:45 Depart for Ixtapa Restaurant, 115 E Oregon Ave, Hermiston, OR 97838
- 16:00 Welcome and orientation
- 16:15 Design Charrette, Ixtapa Restaurant
- 17:15 Reporting
- 17:45 Prioritization
- 18:00 Closing remarks and dinner
- 18:30 Vans to Eastern Oregon Trade and Event Center, 1705 E Airport Rd, Hermiston, OR 97838
- 18:45 Focus Group Preparation
- 19:30 Mannequin Challenge / Drone
- Daylight Savings Time – Set clocks back 1 hour
November 7, Sunday
- 08:30 Breakfast and preparation
- 09:30 Vans to Hermiston Library Conference Room
- 10:00 Welcome and orientation
- 10:15 Focus Group
- 11:00 Summaries and refreshments
- 11:30 Prioritization
- 12:00 Closing remarks
- 12:00 Project summary
- 12:30 Lunch
- 13:00 Focus Group Discussion / Conclusion / Next Steps
- 13:30 Depart from Hermiston
- 15:30 Rest stop in The Dalles
- 16:30 Rest stop in Portland and dinner
- 19:00 Arrive at University of Oregon Hendricks Hall
(blue text are public participation activities)
Weekend in Hermiston
Video by Charlie Boiler
https://youtu.be/rSsTLGDQAmw