At the third and final meeting of Boulder’s Reimagining Rural initiative, attendees proposed small-scale revitalization projects – an animal educational event, a board game, nonprofit networking gatherings – and began to brainstorm larger-scale efforts for later this year.
Returning to town for the third time in five years, Reimagining Rural’s first order of business, before applying for up to $10,000 in additional grant funds, is deciding how to spend its expected $2,000 seed money.
The four Boulder residents who attended the Feb. 18 City Hall gathering suggested an animal training event at Animal Shelter & Care (ASC) to boost local awareness of the new shelter, increase understanding of animal care and potentially drive fundraising.
The shelter could also offer a dog-washing station and lead a dog treats-making workshop. ASC board member Jackie Colombe suggested Boulder’s 4-H Outlaws could use their knowledge to teach others to train their pets.
Another widely supported idea was regular “happy hour” gatherings, hosted by the Boulder Area Chamber of Commerce, at which organizations could present projects, connect with fellow activists and generate public interest. Colombe liked the idea of nonprofits supporting each other.
“I really don’t want that to fall through the cracks,” she said. “We can get to know each other.”
Becky McCay and Deb Brown, founders of SaveYour.Town, which works to revitalize small towns, and guest speakers at the Feb. 18 event, advised Boulder to incorporate what they call “generosity lists” into their small-scale projects.
These are publicly posted to-do lists that provide quick answers to locals looking to pitch in. “You’re letting them feel like they’re involved and they’re a part of the community,” said McCay.
Other small-scale ideas included flag football, a new downtown mural, and human foosball (which is exactly what it sounds like). Mary Eder, a graphic design graduate of Montana State University who runs an online crafts business, came up with perhaps the meeting’s most inspired idea: a Jefferson County board game based on the wildly popular Settlers of Catan, now called simply Catan. Eder said she could make maps, pieces, and cards for the game.
“That would be so fun,” someone gasped, kicking off the night’s most lively discussion. Attendees started talking over one another, suggesting a Catan night at the library, envisioning the pieces, and wondering if the $2,000 grant would be enough.
“My mind’s been spinning with ideas since that conversation,” Eder said a few days later, unsure whether the board game could be created with only the seed money. “I might do it anyway.”
Lindsey Graham, chamber of commerce community organizer and Boulder’s Reimagining Rural lead, encouraged attendees to focus on projects that could be done within a year. “It’s so that people can see our success,” said Graham, adding that bigger projects can be saved for the larger grant, which becomes available in July.
The likeliest candidates for those funds were an art, music, and chalk walk featuring local artists, and improvements to Boulder’s baseball fields, including renovating the concession stand. Reimagining previously worked on the ballfields and now hopes to get locals out on the green.
Getting locals out may be increasingly urgent. Volunteerism has declined significantly over the past decade-plus, especially in rural areas, according to U.S. Census data and the Do Good Institute. Three Boulderites turned out for the first of Reimagining’s three events this month, followed by a relatively robust 12, then just four last week.
Locals had already expressed concerns about engagement fatigue at recent Community Heart & Soul events. Reimagining aims to address such gaps by developing achievable projects that foster town identity and pride. The initiative did provide Eder with the perfect space to launch her civic engagement.
She’d been wanting to get more involved since moving here five years ago with her husband, Boulder native Josh Eder. They’d discussed outings at the dinner table, like art walks and farmer markets. But Eder felt terribly intimidated by the idea of walking into a town meeting and making suggestions.
Yet when she heard about Reimagining Rural, that “seemed to open that door,” she said. “It’s like, ‘Hey, this is going to be a group of people having a conversation about what we would like to see in the community.”
Unable to attend the first two meetings, she turned out last week and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. “I was just really excited to meet other people from Boulder who are also really excited about doing some new things around here,” Eder said. “Not huge culture-shifting things, but things that are really practical to the people that live here.”
Despite the project’s smaller scale, Kathy Schmitt, who attended all three meetings, believes Reimagining Rural can improve Boulder’s look and feel – which is important.
“Does it attract people to stop and take advantage of our shops?” she asked. “Does it look appealing, and people take pride in it?”
Inspired by her conversations at Reimagining Rural, Eder thought she might be starting down a new path. “I got to see their passion for those projects,” she said. “And when you see people who are passionate about things, it tends to stir something in yourself as well.”
