The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

WAITSBURG – The people, small town lifestyle, and natural resources were listed repeatedly as community treasures by Waitsburg and area residents at a Community Conversations meeting hosted by the Community Council at Waitsburg Town Hall last week. The responses were gleaned through a brainstorming workshop designed to pinpoint what area residents value and care about and to identify regional needs.

The Community Council facilitates the citizen-driven, interactive workshops throughout the Blue Mountain Region with the goal of preparing for future growth, change, and challenges. The "region" extends from Milton-Freewater, to Burbank, to Dayton, and encompasses the communities in between.

The Aug. 21 Waitsburg workshop was attended by Waitsburg, Dayton and Walla Walla residents, including local educators, law enforcement officers, health care officials, government officials and media representatives.

Attendees were asked to list and share what they considered regional treasures. "The people" was a recurring theme with individuals commenting on volunteerism, cooperation, interconnectedness, generosity, and community support.

School board member Christy House said that the Waitsburg Resource Center runs a backpack program and the Home and School Association is supplying all the school supplies for Waitsburg K-12 students this year. "The community stepping in to help like that is not something you see in other districts," she said.

The "quiet beauty" of the area, including the mountains, rivers, and native vistas, were also listed repeatedly. Farming and access to organic produce, the schools, the watershed, the Waitsburg Resource Center, the local Bluegrass program, and abundant recreational activities were among the items noted.

Attendees were then asked to think about what they saw as needs in the region. Responses ranged from youth mentorship/apprentice opportunities, to economic development, to a need for free early learning opportunities, to developing a respectful and cooperative community culture.

"We need to make sure we have an understanding and balance between the needs of the agricultural industry, economic development, and residents. We all have to live here together," said Waitsburg City Council member Kevin House.

Those needs were then grouped into themes of Natural Resources and Conservation, Education, Safety, Business, Youth Opportunties, Recreation, Family Resources/Support, Measured Growth, Generosity, and Respect/Empathy.

The Community Council has held workshops in Walla Walla, Milton-Freewater, Dayton, and Waitsburg. The resulting data will be compiled into a report by the Pomegranate Center and made available in September when another series of workshops will be held to prioritize the resulting needs.

The next Community Council meetings will take place in mid September. A Community Treasures survey is available online through a link at http://www.wwcommunitycouncil.org/community-conversations.aspx.