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Things to celebrate…
On Wednesday, June 28, the Oakes Area Chamber of Commerce broke ground on their huge collaborative project to develop the greenspace on Main Street next to Sweet n’ Stories to be a beautifully designed outdoor community gathering space. The design was created by our very own, Philip Homan, of Homan Design Group, and features a paver path and patio, outdoor seating, a covered outdoor stage, and water features. We are so excited to bring a space like this to Oakes that’s open and available to all with no barriers to access. Our Main Street is amazing and a space like this will encourage people to hang around a big longer! If you want to learn more about how to get involved with this amazing project, contact Kausha at the Chamber at 701.742.3508 or Rebecca at Growing Small Towns at 701.799.1115.
News to know…
Many people have asked about the Hometown Housing group and how it’s going. Currently, they’re working on a plan to present a pilot project to our community given what they’ve learned from both their in-person site visits and the data they’ve collected through surveys. They’re reviewing the open/available/undeveloped lots within city limits to see where the best options might be for this pilot project. So, this is the part where work is being done but it’s not so readily seen. As soon as the project presentation occurs, we’ll continue to keep the public informed of the progress. It’s very exciting to be working with such a diverse group of people who understand the challenges of rural housing like this group does.
Ideas to spread…
Never underestimate what a small, dedicated, and passionate group of people can accomplish in a community like Oakes! It’s so common for us to think we have to get someone’s specific “permission” to do great things—and yes, sometimes, depending on the nature of the idea, you do need to get proper authorization from certain people/groups—but often, that’s not entirely necessary. Giving is always personal; people give to projects/ideas based on their alignment with it. Full stop. If they feel it’s important, they’ll support it. If they don’t, they won’t. Once we realize that we’ll never win everyone over and frankly, that’s not the goal anyway, it’s easier to roll with the punches as you work towards a big goal. Got an idea you want to see happen? Find one other person who loves it like you do. Then start.