Representative Deborah Boone E-Update

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Success in our rural communities usually depends on partnerships and the people of the north coast have a tremendous history of working together to get things done. With the hard work and volunteerism of our community members, there are so many wonderful things happening in House District 32, and I just want to mention a very few.

 The community of Astoria is the oldest American settlement west of the Rocky Mountains, and thanks to the dedication and work of our citizens, through partnerships, we have been able to reclaim some of our most significant landmarks.

Some projects require tremendous time and investment. For example, the effort to renovate Astoria’s Liberty Theatre took 13 years, cost nearly $8 million, and included 350 individual community members, businesses and granting agencies.   This historic theater, which originally opened in 1925 is now a shining example of what can be accomplished through partnerships and hard work. 

Another case of bringing back an Astoria historic site to grandeur is the Astoria Column, which was built in 1926 and then renovated through an effort of the Friends of the Astoria Column at a cost of over $3 million. It has been beautifully restored, and is one of the most popular tourist destination spots in our area!

The Astoria community was built and thrived on its economic drivers of salmon fishing, canning, and shipping, and new efforts continue to build on that tradition. Clatsop Community College’s Maritime and Environmental Research and Training Station (MERTS) is a way to strengthen both education and the local economy by offering US Coast Guard accredited training in many areas including maritime science, mariner training and marine firefighting. CCC in partnership with the Oregon Health and Science University is growing MERTS into the most comprehensive industrial and maritime technology center in the Pacific Northwest.

 In Tillamook County, the partnerships are also obvious community builders. Historically, on nearly an annual basis, community members banded together to help neighbors recover from floods. In an effort to address the larger problem of repeated flooding, an Oregon Solutions effort was convened. The Tillamook Oregon Solutions is a case study in locally driven flood mitigation, and is designed to develop sustainable solutions to community-based problems that support economic, environmental and community objectives through collaborative efforts of business, government, and non-profit organizations. This Solutions effort continues in Tillamook to minimize flooding and flood damage throughout the Tillamook valley.

 Like Clatsop Community college’s MERTS program, Tillamook Bay Community College is also working with community partners to create employment opportunities and supply skilled labor to the workforce. In partnership with Hampton Affliates, Stimson lumber, the Tillamook Creamery, and Port of Tillamook Bay, TBCC offers technical training for millwrights and electricians, focusing on industrial apprenticeships, for young people who want to join the workforce without attending a four year university program.

 Partnerships large and small are vital to our communities, for instance, the North Coast Food Web is a coalition of people and organizations coming together to connect the dots of the local food landscape by developing the popular North Coast Food Guide. This brochure includes Clatsop and Tillamook county’s locally grown, caught and produced foods with other food and agricultural tidbits for your information. People in our community can use the directory to find local farms, farmers’ markets, farm stands, seafood at local docks, community gardens and other food related resources. The guide is a useful resource in locating and celebrating the incredible diversity and bounty of our local food system.

 These are just a few examples in our communities of people who recognize a need, then undertake projects on their own, getting help from agencies and government when available and appropriate. These partnerships do more than complete a project, they bring together people with a common interest, infuse life and creativity into worthwhile efforts, while building and strengthening our communities.

 When people visit the north Oregon coast, they are impressed by the natural beauty.   But when you have the privilege to live here, you find wonderful people with a “can-do” attitude that look at problems, enlist partners, and then devise creative solutions to benefit everyone. There seems to be no limit on what we can do when we collaborate on our cooperative efforts.

 I am so honored and proud to represent the north coast in the Oregon House of Representatives, I hope you will consider me your partner in Salem, and we can work together to continue to accomplish all kinds of projects and improvements to benefit our communities and the people who live and work here.

 Sincerely,

 Deborah Boone