Most of my working life has been spent developing community-based projects or coordinating services for various non-profit organizations. All these efforts have been grassroots, people-centered, and action-oriented. It can be so energizing and creative to respond to the needs of a community in innovative ways and involving others in the process. Community buy-in is key to the success of any effort, and can also be the most exciting aspect of the design and development process. This is the major reason I began following the Project for Public Spaces organization years ago. They understand the benefits of a "people-centered" approach. They also offer great information and techniques about how to turn a place around.

For the past couple of months, a group of us Wallkillians have been meeting monthly in our V.O.W. (Vision of Wallkill) workshops to discuss PPS' "placemaking" concept and figuring out how to apply it here in the hamlet. This is an organic process that examines how a community works and is organized, and implements "lighter, quicker, cheaper" approaches to jumpstart efforts. Using concepts that can make a place more attractive, pedestrian-friendly, and improve the overall quality of life of a place with simple but strategic design concepts.

Placemaking focuses on creating public spaces as vital community places - with programs, uses, and people-friendly settings that highlight local assets, spur social and economic rejuvenation, and serve common needs.

We all know the challenges we face in this community: our downtown/main street struggles to keep businesses afloat; there are many vacant storefronts and there is no sidewalk appeal; there are few pedestrian-friendly aspects of the area; one of our greatest natural assets - the riverfront - is blocked by buildings; there are few cultural/entertainment venues; public art and places to sit and gather are virtually non-existent; attractive landscaping is minimal; and the area is very spread out and uninviting. These challenges make community-building difficult...but not impossible!

The focus of V.O.W. is positive, upbeat, hopeful, and focused on the now and the future opportunities. I am so encouraged by the optimism of our group and the dedication to see where change is possible and to determine how we can make it happen. Would you like to join us?

Our next workshop is Saturday, March 22, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in the community room of Town Hall. We will be bringing our ideas and compiling our thoughts to create our community vision - something we can imagine and articulate well. Then, we will be examining how our downtown currently functions and how people actually move through the five zones we selected to examine:

1. The Riverfront

2. Garrison Park/Town Hall

3. Library/Rail Trail

4. Main Street/the business area

5. Main Street/the residential area

Form follows function, so then we'll look at how to connect these zones. A great place offers many things to do, all of which enhance each other and add up to more than the sum of the parts.

Please join us! We are asking that everyone bring an expert with them. Someone with ideas, creativity, a particular talent or skill, and an open mind. Kids are welcome, too - this is their community and they have great ideas to share.

If you would like to explore placemaking some more, I encourage you to log onto the PPS website (www.pps.org), like V.O.W. and follow us on Facebook and take a look at these resources to see how it all comes together:

 http://www.placemakingchicago.com/cmsfiles/placemaking_guide.pdf.  

                                                            -Mary Lou Carolan, director, Wallkill Public Library

                                                            845-895-3707 or email: mlcarolan@rcls.org