Prepared by Corum Ketchum, Jan. 2018 – AmeriCorps RARE Participant ’17 – ’18

PACKET VENETA ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 10TH, 2018 – 2:00 P.M. Veneta Administrative Center, 88184 8th Street, Veneta, Oregon

2:00 I. CALL TO ORDER

2:05 II. PUBLIC COMMENT

a. Speakers will be limited to 3 minutes each.

2:10 III. ADMINISTRATIVE

a. Approval of Minutes for November 8th, 2017 – pg. 2

2:10 IV. BROADBAND UPDATES

a. Middle Mile RFP process – Ingham

2:25 V. RURAL OPPORTUNITY INITIATIVE GRANT STATUS

a. Description of activities to be funded – Ketchum

b. Timeline of next steps – pg. 7

2:40 VI. SBAC AND BCC UPDATES

a. Changes in RAIN mentor-in-residence program - Ketchum

b. Showcase updates

2:50 VII. NEW PARTNER, NEW PROJECT: OREGON BY DESIGN

a. Oregon, By Design Overview – pg. 8

b. Determine workshop date (March 3rd, 10th or 17th)

- Veneta, By Design: Hwy to Downtown – pg. 9

c. Design Workshop Agenda - pg. 13

d. Placemaking Guide – pg. 14 (final page)

3:10 VIII. INNOVATE OREGON UPDATES

a. Updates from IO community conversations - Osibov

3:20 IX. OTHER

a. Reminder: BRE interview training Wednesday, Jan. 31st 4 – 5 pm

3:25 X. NEXT MEETING

a. February 14th, 2018 at 2:00 p.m. and the Second Wednesday of Every Month

3:30 XI. ADJOURN

To access Veneta Economic Development Committee meeting materials please go to http://www.venetaoregon.gov/meetings

Times are approximate. This meeting will be digitally recorded. Location is wheelchair accessible (WCA). Communication interpreter, including American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation, is available if notice is given at least 48 hours prior to the start of the meeting. Contact the Economic Development Specialist, Corum Ketchum, via phone (541) 935-2191: 316, email cketchum@ci.veneta.or.us, or TTY Telecommunications Relay Service 1-800-735-1232.

EDC Minutes - November 8th, 2017 – Page 2

MINUTES VENETA ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8TH, 2017 – 2:00 P.M. Veneta Administrative Center, 88184 8th Street, Veneta, Oregon

Present: Jason Alansky, Tom Cotter (Council Appointee), Dave D’Avanzo, Ryan Frome, Len Goodwin (Chair), Ron Osibov, Herb Vloedman (Vice Chair) Absent: Gina Haley-Morrell Others: Marina Brassfield (Urban Renewal Specialist), Ric Ingham (City Administrator) Corum Ketchum (Economic Development Specialist) Matt Michel (Lane Electric Cooperative)

2:00 XII. CALL TO ORDER

Chair Goodwin called the meeting to order at 2:02 pm.

2:05 XIII. PUBLIC COMMENT No public comment. Phone message to Economic Dev. Specialist Ketchum from a

member of the public was shared to the Economic Development Committee [EDC] after

the meeting: Commenter stated the importance of calming traffic on HWY 126 and

clearing sightlines to downtown, which in his opinion, are vital to getting visitors to

participate in and grow the local economy (edited for length and clarity).

2:10 XIV. ADMINISTRATIVE

a. Approval of Minutes for October 11th, 2017

Brassfield corrected the Oct. minutes: “Resource Assistance for Rural Economies1”

should be “Resource Assistance for Rural Environments”

Vice Chair Vloedman made a motion to approve Oct. minutes as corrected, Alansky seconded, passed unanimously (7-0).

2:10 XV. PROJECT UPDATES

a. Broadband – Ingham

Ingham states that Business Oregon should return the status of the City’s grant

application for funds ($35,000) to complete the design and engineering phase of the

Veneta Middle Mile project2 within the next week3.

NEXT STEPS: Request for proposals [RFP], advertising the RFP then following up from

submitted proposals. Ingham stated that telecom (and fiber specifically) is a priority for

the state of Oregon, and that there are multiple funding opportunities that are open, that

the City has applied to. Ketchum will be presenting on this project to Council during

their meeting on Nov. 13th, 2017.

Chair Goodwin asked if the City submitted any letters of support with the applications,

1 A partnership between AmeriCorps and the University of Oregon http://rare.uoregon.edu/ 2 Open access, dark internet fiber deployment to Veneta – Fern Ridge, providing redundancy 3 Update: Grant awarded week of 11/27/17, prepared for Council 12/11/17

EDC Minutes - November 8th, 2017 – Page 3

and Ingham responded that the City stated on the application that they had procured

matching funds from Lane Electric Cooperative and Lane County.

b. Downtown Renewal – Brassfield

Brassfield updated the committee on the status of downtown properties. Brassfield

stated that she has updated marketing and outreach materials for the City’s business

toolkit. Finally, Brassfield called for volunteers to help conduct business interviews, as

part of year three business expansion and retention efforts [BRE], which are focused on

downtown development. Goodwin added that it is good for businesses to see that

economic development staff are engaged.

c. Business Connect and Pop-Up Feasibility – Ketchum

Ketchum gave an update about the status of small business classes or workshops to

be hosted at the Small Business Assistance Center [SBAC], which will be finalized at

the next Business Connect subcommittee meeting. Ketchum also stated that the Pop-

Up Retail4 Feasibility Study project (part of the ’17-’18 RARE work plan) is progressing.

A user survey has been constructed to assess interest and preferences. D’Avanzo

asked where the pop-ups would be sited, which will be part of the feasibility study. The

Committee offered examples in Springfield, OR as a case study. Consensus

surrounding the need for a commercial kitchen facility as being a constraint on the

project.

Chair Goodwin and Vice Chair Vloedman discussed the need to educate small

business owners and the SBAC on PCI compliance5, which most point of sales services

offer.

2:25 XVI. POTENTIAL EDC PROJECTS FOR 2018

a. CTE Programs w/ Innovate Oregon – Osibov Osibov shared his research on Innovate Oregon6 [IO] and their work in smaller Oregon

communities: IO creates opportunities for the community to engage in practical tech

projects with the local school district. IO facilitates workforce and career and technical

education [CTE] “maker projects” that have practical and economic benefits for

community members.

Osibov proposed that West Lane Tech. and Elmira High School’s drone initiatives could

be a good partnership with IO. Applications could include firefighting, real estate,

agriculture, etc. Osibov is going to follow up with Yamhill County School District’s Agile

Learning program to learn more.

4 Small, seasonal retail spaces https://www.investopedia.com/terms/p/pop-up-retail.asp 5 Security standards for personal financial information https://www.pcisecuritystandards.org/ 6 Part of the Tech. Assoc. of Oregon http://innovateoregon.org/

EDC Minutes - November 8th, 2017 – Page 4

Ingham surmised that IO seeks to bridge the divide between employers and students

surrounding tech fluency and the tech industry. The label of being an “Innovate Oregon

community” is valuable and would position Veneta – Fern Ridge well for future

economic development. Information about IO has been shared with Fern Ridge School

District (the “District”).

Chair Goodwin suggested conversations with Springfield Middle School as a case

study of this kind of educational model.

NEXT STEPS: Assess local interest from the District and the community, then inviting

Innovate Oregon to begin conversations. Ingham was directed to begin this process.

Osibov will connect with current Innovate Oregon communities to learn more.

b. Tech Projects w/ Mozilla Gigabit Fund and Eugene – Ketchum

Ketchum began by contrasting Innovate Oregon to the Mozilla Gigabit Fund: IO

provides facilitation and technical assistance for tech education projects, while Mozilla

would provide “microgrants” of between $5,000 and $30,000 to fund such opportunities.

The Mozilla Gigabit fund seeks to support the development of innovative applications of

gigabit7 internet.

The opportunity for Veneta is that Eugene has been selected as a recipient of this fund,

and the outlying communities could be eligible to receive grant dollars as a result.

Example projects: Teleconnections to Council, remote sensing agriculture, tech

projects at the library and the District, etc.

Frome asked about the current needs of local employers, and what skills they require of

their workforce. Ingham stated that current needs are more basic: Local employers

need workers that are professional and can navigate general computer systems. There

was discussion of the role of fiber internet and these organizations play in preparing

students for employment in an evolving information economy, beyond the basic

skillsets expected of workers today. The Eugene/Springfield “Silicon Shire8” is growing,

and Veneta – Fern Ridge needs to be in a position to host tech workers, if the

community wants to remain attractive into the future.

NEXT STEPS: EDC members were asked to network and develop potential projects with

community stakeholders. City staff was directed to converse with the District about

potential opportunities and to develop a letter of interest. Letters of interest for this

round of funding are due Dec. 1st, 2017.

7 Defined as 1,000 mbps up/down 8 Eugene/Springfield as a tech and innovation hub https://siliconshire.org/

EDC Minutes - November 8th, 2017 – Page 5

2:45 XVII. EDC WORK PLAN

a. Review and reprioritize revised EDC Work Plan (attached) The EDC Work Plan was updated by staff to more accurately describe the Committee’s priorities for the 2017-2018 session. The work plan has been fleshed out to include actionable items that the Committee could undertake to progress the goals set forth by the plan. Ingham gave an explanation of the ranking process, with an overview of the top 10 work plan items. Chair Goodwin added that item 13, which discusses workforce readiness, may be expanded upon, given current activity described previously, and become a more active priority for the Committee. Other opportunities include Measure 98, which provides funding and direction for workforce readiness through public schools. There is also local activity with employers hosting/facilitating CTE programs, in order to train potential employees in the skills those employers need of their workforce; notably in the construction, automotive, manufacturing, health and especially, technology sectors. Chair Goodwin notes that the role of apprenticeship and career training used to be conducted by the state, but with the decline of those programs, the private sector is providing those opportunities.

The Chair Goodwin entertained a motion to adopt the’17 – ‘18 Work Plan, moved by D’Avanzo and seconded by Frome – Adopted unanimously (7-0)

b. Select work plan item(s) for future Strategic DoingTM Process Ketchum began by describing the Strategic DoingTM9 process, which was developed by Purdue University. It was summarized as a meeting process that leverages available resources toward accomplishing practical projects over short periods of time. The outcome of a Strategic DoingTM process is that the group will have developed and selected a practical project that can be accomplished using the resources available on hand. Included in that is an action plan that is tied to individual actionable items that build toward the end goal of the project. Ketchum gave a summary of his past experience conducting Strategic DoingTM

workshops. Ingham suggested that the Committee select an item from it’s or Ketchum’s work plan and run the process. One item decided upon was the Pop-Up project. Chair Goodwin asked for more information regarding the Strategic DoingTM process to be sent to the Committee, so that the EDC would be best prepared to participate in and to facilitate future workshops. The Committee could be trained on the process by working through the Pop-Up project using the Strategic DoingTM framework. The EDC discussed other possible Work Plan items, including downtown art and zombie commercial buildings. D’Avanzo reinforced the need for this kind of process to address the problem of zombie real estate in the community.

9 Trademark process of Purdue University http://strategicdoing.net/intro/

EDC Minutes - November 8th, 2017 – Page 6

The Committee decided to move forward with the Strategic DoingTM framework, as applied to the EDC and the Pop-Ups RARE project, unanimously (7-0)

3:20 XVIII. OTHER

a. Call for Volunteers, BRE Interviews – Brassfield

Cotter, Frome, Goodwin, Ketchum and Ingham volunteered to conduct BRE interviews.

Brassfield will host trainings in January.

b. EDC Newsletter Updates Ingham shared that there was strong positive reaction to the November EDC newsletter, especially regarding the public update concerning the Fern Ridge Self Storage construction on HWY 126.

c. EDC Vacancy Ingham stated the City advertised the EDC vacancy in September. The City and Council determined that there were no applicants that were an immediate fit for the needs of the Committee. There will be another call for applicants beginning in January, 2018. Ingham encouraged Committee members to look within their own networks for applicants that they believe would add value to the work of the EDC.

d. Charter Communication Updates Frome asked the Committee for updates on Charter Communication’s recent construction. Ingham gave an update that the company is expanding and upgrading their infrastructure as part of their new franchise agreement with the City. This will take the form of a new proprietary fiber route connecting to Veneta from Creswell, and the expansion of “triple play” (TV, internet and phone) service.

3:25 XIX. NEXT MEETINGS b. December 13th, 2017 at 2:00 p.m. and the second Wednesday of every month.

Ketchum will be absent due to training.

3:30 XX. ADJOURN Chair Goodwin adjourned the meeting at 3:29 PM

To access Veneta Economic Development Committee meeting materials please go to

http://www.venetaoregon.gov/meetings

Times are approximate. This meeting was digitally recorded. Location is wheelchair accessible (WCA). Communication interpreter, including American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation, is available if notice is given at least 48 hours prior to the start of the meeting. Contact the Economic Development Specialist, Corum Ketchum, via phone (541) 935-2191: 316, email cketchum@ci.veneta.or.us, or TTY Telecommunications Relay Service 1-800-735-1232.

EDC Packet Jan. 10th, 2018 - pg.7

Item 1: Rural Opportunity Initiative Grant Status and Quick Facts

Who: Business Oregon’s Rural Opportunity Initiative – Supporting entrepreneurial ecosystems,

diagram below:

What: $25,000 to be used to support the Small Business Assistance Center and the Pop Ups

Project

When: Funds will be dispersed April 2018 and usable through January 2020. A timeline of

the application process is below, current status is highlighted:

EDC Packet Jan. 10th, 2018 - pg.8

Item 2: Oregon, By Design Summary and Project Description The City of Veneta, through RARE, has engaged OD/D and afo (afo prefers lowercase in their branding) in a collaborative, community placemaking project. This project, Veneta, By Design: HWY to Downtown (working title), is about enticing visitors to turn off the highway and visit downtown Veneta. When they get there, the project’s aim is to provide them a special place to experience. What that consists of is unknown, as it will be created by a collaboration of citizens, professionals, staff, OB/D and afo.

The Oregon, By Design (O/BD) initiative is guided by the principle that together Oregon citizens can create livable communities inspired by, and responsive to, Oregon’s natural beauty. When fully realized, O/BD will utilize the full spectrum of design disciplines to identify, educate, and articulate proposals that strengthen the common good for each community. O/BD outcomes are to foster economic opportunities that contribute to sustainable developments, borne out of the community’s relationship with its place, and through stewardship of its natural environment. Ultimately Oregon, By Design will become a statewide policy of design that promotes economic, environmental and social development. Under the leadership of Oregon Architect, Bob Hastings, in collaboration with afo [the Architecture Foundation of Oregon], O/BD is funded by the Van Evera and Janet M. Bailey Fund of The Oregon Community Foundation.

Oregon, By Design is focused on:

Sharing winning built environment solutions with others across the state

Bringing people together to learn about how design thinking can solve specific problems based on a community's unique needs

Creating an expert network of architects, planners and consultants available to communities

Forging public-private partnerships and collaborating to realize opportunities

Teaching design skills to local leaders and creating peer support networks

-afo and OB/D websites, emphasis added

O/BD has worked with diverse communities across the state, mostly in rural Oregon, to crystalize the community’s shared vision of a place, and then through a design process, guide stakeholders toward a realized outcome.

OB/D has worked on a range of projects and issues. Some of their recent projects are listed below:

Engaging the Waldport community and ODOT to redesign a favorite bridge, even after ODOT had begun the renovation process

Creating a new cultural center in Newburg

Evolving the business model of Imperial Stock Ranch near Shaniko

Building the first LEED-Platinum Certified K-12 school in the nation, in Vernonia

EDC Packet Jan. 10th, 2018 - pg.9

Design Skills Workshop – OBD Veneta Project Description

Veneta’s Left Turn to the Third Space – AKA Veneta By Design Introduction: Veneta’s downtown area is located south of Highway 126, with primary access southbound on the Territorial Hwy. The community has identified through their ‘Highway 126 Beautification Plan’ (2017) the goal to create a physical identity for Veneta. The specific goal of the Design Skills Workshop is creating a series of linkages that will attract visitors to downtown Veneta, and to leverage existing buildings to serve as ‘third space’- places outside the home where community members can meet and socialize. The scope of the Workshop would be visualizing how placemaking can energize the community to move forward with redevelopment programs and strategies. Veneta has conducted many analysis efforts to understand how their history informs their current community conditions, and what are cultural, economic, and sustainable drivers for their future. This analysis points to a significant opportunity for economic development for Veneta & the Fern Ridge communities, mitigating retail blight, leverage a ‘popup’ retail district strategy, and make the community a memorable experience through Hwy 126 beautification and effective wayfinding. The Design Skills Workshop will be held on March 3rd, 10th or 17th at the Fern Ridge Elementary School in Veneta. Participants (18-24) will be recruited from Veneta Community. The Architecture Foundation of Oregon with Oregon/By Design will produce the Workshop, bringing design professionals from across Oregon to serve as Facilitators. Significant support is being provided by the University of Oregon’s Resource Assistance for Rural Environments (RARE). Background The series of linkages between Highway 126 and the Territorial Hwy, dubbed the ‘Four Corners Connection’ project, will consider how the following will contribute to placemaking goals and strategies-

Beautifying the “Four Corners” intersection of Territorial and 126

Expanding cycling and pedestrian access across this intersection

Placing a marker or sign on the southwest corner leading into town

Right of way and wayfinding improvements on Territorial

Placing a new “welcome” sign somewhere closer to Four Corners

Strengthening the community connection to downtown by collaboratively designing a

new public place or community meeting point (Third Place)

Integrate ‘popup’ redevelopment projects

Enhancing the vibrancy of downtown Veneta by tackling retail blight

To help clarify the Four Corners concept, RARE coordinator Corum Ketchum has developed a map that illustrates:

Potential study areas

Points of interest, including dining and public spaces

Developable spaces

Opportunities for wayfinding, art or signage

Opportunities to enhance bike-pedestrian infrastructure

An illustration of the sightlines from HWY 126 to downtown

RARE is investigating if Veneta could support a seasonal “popup retail district”. This would consist of either an open plaza that has space for a half-dozen or so small (400-600 sq. ft.)

EDC Packet Jan. 10th, 2018 - pg.10

shops or a repurposed vacant building, subdivided a similar way. The City would make these low-cost storefronts available to our area’s entrepreneurs, allowing them to get a toehold in the brick and mortar market. The Workshop would explore the design of the Popup project, how it can engage the community, and how it would add to the character of downtown Veneta. The Workshop would be a good opportunity to synergize the linkage between the Popup project(s) and the Four Corners project.

More Information: Oregon, By Design website: http://www.oregonbydesign.com/home.html Architecture Foundation of Oregon website: https://af-oregon.org/ Bob Hastings, Director, Oregon, By Design – bob@oregonbydesign.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/bob-hastings-7a32987/

EDC Packet Jan. 10th, 2018 - pg.11

Veneta, By Design Study Area

Link to interactive map: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1e-iOqG2hUSmkgwx26j9Fxve-v0IeaK85&usp=sharing

EDC Packet Jan. 10th, 2018 - pg.12

The City and OB/D request that the EDC attend the workshop session that will be facilitated by OB/D, RARE and afo. That session will be ~5 hours Mar 3rd, 10th or 17th. EDC members are invited to bring other energized community members to this workshop. Ideally, we will have 18-24 people in attendance, or enough for 3 groups of 6 to 8 people, who will examine separate issues related to downtown Veneta, placemaking, entryway signage, historic remediation, economic development and the “four corners” intersection.

This will be a “design skills” workshop, similar to RARE/Purdue’s Strategic DoingTM or Innovate Oregon’s Agile Learning processes. Problem solving through design is focused on creativity and iteration to rapidly test multiple solutions before committing to one idea. This graphic illustrates the design problem solving process:

EDC Packet Jan. 10th, 2018 - pg.13

Item 4: Design Skills Workshop- Run of Show Participants: in advance of Workshop, prepared with problem brief

o Informed about context and site

o Provided with process of design thinking

o Supported by facilitator/ design professional (AFO member or ‘friend’)

Morning-

Kick-off Introductions and Welcome

o Host Community welcome

o Ice-breaking exercise (to loosen up and relax)

o Introductory Exercise to introduce the day’s activities and tools

Small Group breakout utilize the OPERA methodology (see attached description)

o Setting objectives; response to the Goals, with open ended questions

o Proposals, Group shared – honors all ideas

o Theme Drivers

Evaluate

Comparison matrix

o Convergence

Synthesize

Diagram the Group’s summation

Proposal(s)

o Actions

o Costs

o Funding

o Partners

o Specific Delivery Points- near term, mid and long term

Identify a series of small victories

Review of Group Proposals

o Presentation

o Questions? To clarify and build understanding (not to critique)

Feedback loops-

o Verify assumptions

o Test conclusions

o Validate positive choices

Lunch break; with special presentation Redesign

o Develop size, scale, essential elements

o Clarify contingent relationships

What serves whom?

o Expand important elements, enrich characteristics

o List relatable examples that illustrate the design’s salient features

Schematic Design

o Update: actions, costs, funding, partnership potentials

o Specific delivery points

Review of each group’s updated proposals

o Presentation

o Questions

o Feedback loops

Wrap-up

EDC Packet Jan. 10th, 2018 - pg.14