This is Floyd Wynne with THE VIEW FROM HERE     6/20/06

           How are we doing?

           There’s a great deal of discussion about the growth of the area, and a number of new subdivisions on tap…..but how are we doing?

Some eleven years ago…..an area wide study was done in this area on what would be needed by the year 2002.  Colonel Steve Harper was the chairman of the study which encompassed a great many people and committees.

Today….eleven years later, let’s review some of the top ten recommendations that were made then.

To have established a Community College by 2002.   It has been done and now is well established with an excellent enrollment.

Consolidate city and county school administration.   An effort was made but failed to get any cooperation on the effort.  Future financial needs may change that.

Beautification for entire area...much has been done in the downtown area, but much more is needed.   Main entrance to city has old creamery building been empty and dilapidated for past fifteen years at least.  Old Balsiger building needs activity.   City and county need to use condemnation procedures.

Promote Community Pride Week….fix up clean up...reinstate Chamber’s Golden Pelican Award.

Increase off stream storage of Upper Klamath Lake waters.  A number of ideas have been discussed but little done.  The need has been apparent for the past forty years at least.

Provide new expanded facilities at Fairgrounds.    This has been done mostly with county share of hotel motel tax.  New activity building...new barn s and new grandstand facilities.

Study consolidating city-county services in any new courthouse.

A large study committee was organized...did the planning for the two new courthouse structures, including the financing.  City declined to combine any services with the county.

Eliminate or streamline barriers that impede growth process for businesses.  Zoning, permits, licenses and taxes.   City needs to review their  processes to make them user friendly.

Reduce air pollution emissions.    Much has been done to lower emissions from wood burning stoves and others.  Air much cleaner.

           Survey hotel-motel owners to determine what brings visitors to the area.  Our promotion effort has been somewhat diluted by the county financing a separate body to promote tourism other than the Chamber of Commerce.  Tourism needs a concerted overall effort to succeed.

There were a number of other recommendations in that 2002 study that certainly should be studied such as better promotion of geothermal heating,  possible dredging of Upper Klamath Lake, recruiting new industries and better usage of College Industrial Park by OIT.

In the main….a number of the 2002 recommendations have been accomplished, but others certainly need attention, particularly a review of why suburbanites do not want to join the city or what can be done to bring about a consolidation that would benefit all of us in the area.

So….it’s eleven years later…..and I would give us a C for what we have accomplished of these many 2002 recommendations.

This is Floyd Wynne and that’s THE VIEW FROM HERE.