For Immediate Release

October 12, 2007

 

Valley Springs.  On Wednesday, October 24, 6:30-9:00 p.m. and Saturday, October 27, 9:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m., the Local Government Commission will lead a two-part Community Design Workshop for greater Valley Springs area residents and stakeholders at the Valley Springs Elementary School, 240 Pine Street, Valley Springs.  Admission is free and food and refreshments will be provided for each meeting.  MyValleySprings.com is sponsoring the event.

 

Wednesday evening, Paul Zykovsky, Director of Land Use and Transportation Planning at the LGC, will present an overview of community design possibilities followed by issue prioritization activities.  The Saturday workshop will include a walking tour, a training presentation that addresses the priorities identified on Wednesday evening, and small group design tables, which will allow participants to discuss their ideas and draw solutions on aerial maps.

 

Joyce Techel, President of MyValleySprings.com, said, “It is our sincere hope that representatives from all interested groups will be in attendance.  We want to see ranchers, realtors, business owners, developers, county officials, school officials, child and senior advocates, religious leaders…everyone, especially the ordinary citizens who make up this community.”  MyValleySprings.com is a local non-profit organization that promotes responsible planning for growth and public participation in the community planning process.  “This is an opportunity for people to come together and begin to communicate with each other about what they want for the future Valley Springs,” Techel added.

 

The LGC is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization whose members include local elected officials, city and county staff, planners, architects, and community leaders who are committed to making their communities more livable, prosperous, and resource-efficient.  The LGC will facilitate the workshop and help participants identify and prioritize community values, issues, and design possibilities.  For purposes of the workshop, the greater Valley Springs study area boundaries are Toyon/Highway 26 to the east, Paloma Community boundary to the north, Rancho Calaveras/Hogan Reservoir to the south, and Burson Road to the west. 

  

A follow-up report summarizing the workshop process and results will be provided to Calaveras County as input into the update of the Valley Springs Community Plan and the county’s General Plan.  Copies of the report will be available from MyValleySprings.com for the cost of reproduction and will be posted on www.myvalleysprings.com. 

 

Funding for the workshop was provided by the C.A. Webster Foundation and the California Wildlands Grassroots Fund of Tides Foundation.  Additional support was provided by The Foothill Conservancy and the Northern California Environmental Grassroots Fund.  The Calaveras County Community Development Department provided maps for use at the workshop.  Lynn O’Connor, the Calaveras County General Plan Coordinator, will attend the two meetings and address the Wednesday evening audience.

 

For additional information contact Joyce Techel, 772-1463, info@myvalleysprings.com or Josh Meyer, (916) 448-1198 ext. 310, jmeyer@lgc.org.