City Seeks Public Comment on Draft Community Investment Strategy for Arts, Culture and Heritage

Community Stakeholders meet at the Library to discuss the City's strategy to support Arts, Heritage and Cultural programming.

January 3, 2019 — The City of Wilsonville is seeking public comment on a draft “Community Investment Strategy for Arts, Culture and Heritage” until Jan. 28.

The draft plan, with a questionnaire seeking feedback on the plan’s findings and recommendations, is available at ci.wilsonville.or.us/ArtsStrategy.

Discussed by the City Council during the Dec. 3, 2018, work session, the draft “Community Investment Strategy for Arts, Culture and Heritage” plan makes several recommendations to foster activities and programs of benefit to the community, including:

  • Establishing an arts and culture commission to advise the City Council.
  • Providing assistance to help new and existing organizations coordinate activities, find suitable venues and promote events and programs.
  • Creating a City staff position, tourism and culture affairs coordinator, to advance the goals of the tourism promotion committee and proposed arts and culture commission.
  • Exploring construction of a joint community-use performing arts center with the school district.
  • Creating an arts and culture fund to facilitate community support, including increased sponsorship from the business community.

The City collaborated with the Clackamas County Arts Alliance and community stakeholders to develop the strategy. Funded by the Wilsonville-Metro Community Enhancement Program in 2017, this project seeks to address citizen concerns regarding the capacity of local nonprofits that sponsor arts, culture and heritage programs and events, especially as long-time or aging organizational leaders seek engagement by new community members and local businesses.

Managed by Taylor Consulting, the development the draft plan is informed by extensive community engagement, including interviews with more than two dozen city officials and community members, in-person and online surveys and an October community meeting to discuss initial findings and potential recommendations.

The project team is incorporating public comments into a final version of the Community Investment Strategy, which it is presenting to City Council for adoption this spring.

“An attractive, vibrant community with a high residential quality of life, visitor amenities and business development opportunities is accompanied by cultural activities and events,” Wilsonville Mayor Tim Knapp said. “This Community Investment Strategy offers Wilsonville the opportunity to more purposefully devote public and private resources that support arts, culture and heritage.” 

For more information, contact Mark Ottenad, Public/Government Affairs Director, at 503-570-1505, ottenad@ci.wilsonville.or.us.

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