Joseph Newton
Role: Planning Volunteer, Technical Advisor
Community and Planning Activities
Oregon Country Fair
Board of Directors from 2004-2006, 2007-current
Land Use and Management Planning Committee—this committee oversees initiatives related to development of the Fair site as a whole. These include keeping the LUMP Manual current, developing management plans for newly acquired land, and implementing ecological initiatives as mandated by the Board of Directors.
Vision Quest Task Force—this ad-hoc work group has managed the organizations long-range planning process over a period of 3 ½ years. This effort involved eliciting input from a broad array of stakeholders. These included the craftspeople, volunteers, entertainers and staff who comprise the membership base, daytime attendees of our annual event, and representatives of neighboring communities and partner organizations.
The process has included surveys, public summits, smaller work sessions, and a great deal of processing of input generated through the foregoing means. The OCF Vision Quest reached its culmination on April 7, 2008, when the Board of Directors passed a Statement of Goals outlining goals distilled through the process. The task force has some remaining work to do in order to archive the records of the process, and to transfer responsibility for implementation to other, ongoing committees and crews.
Fern Ridge Strategic Planning Stakeholders Group
This effort was sponsored by the City of Veneta, Oregon, but embraced the larger region in the vicinity of Fern Ridge Reservoir. The initial process included a series of four public meetings during the spring of 2006 to develop and prioritize goals for the region. In addition to participation in the public process, I collaborated in writing the Vision Statement for the Strategic Plan.
Oregon Bioneers Conference Planning Group 2006, 2007
The Oregon Bioneers Conference, held at the Lane Community College Center for Meeting and Learning, was one of 18 “satellite” conferences linked to the Bioneers Conference held annually in late October in San Rafael, California. Morning sessions included video feeds of plenary speakers. Afternoons were devoted to local programming. I attended planning group meetings weekly, took part in subcommittee work, and developed Web-based systems for submission of workshop proposals and conference registration.
Formal Education
AAS Computer Programming, AAS Computer Network Operations
Lane Community College, Eugene, Oregon, 2000
Workshops, Seminars and Informal Education
Humanitarian Intervention Trainers Workshop, 2004, Oregon Country Fair
Mediation Workshop, 2003, Oregon Country Fair
Arbitration Workshop, 2003, Oregon Country Fair
Technology workshops on Red Hat Linux, Windows 2000, and Macintosh OS X, Lane Community College [employee training]
Crisis Counseling Training, 1982, Headquarters Inc., Lawrence, Kansas
Occupational History
Information Technology Support, Lane Community College, 2001-2006
Custom Software Development, Cryptogam Research Associates, 2000-2001
Web and Publication Design, self-employed, 1998
Natural Foods Production, Golden Temple Bakery, Eugene, Oregon, 1984-1998
Personal Statement
My interest in the Energy Village Project for Downtown Eugene springs from three factors: concern for the revitalization of Downtown Eugene, admiration for and desire to support the efforts of the young people who have organized this project, and a shared vision to provide a connection point for the many cultural, intellectual, and civic activities that contribute to the vitality of our community.
As an almost-lifelong citizen of this community, I can still remember playing on the newly erected Broadway-Willamette fountain in front of J.C. Penney’s. Over the years since then, I have observed the debates raging over the fate of Eugene Downtown. For fourteen years, from 1984-1998, I lived in the downtown neighborhood. I intend to move back to that neighborhood in the future. I see the project under development by our group as one of the most innovative initiatives to address the problems of this neighborhood since the original construction of the Eugene Downtown Mall.
I had earlier become acquainted with three of the core planning group members through the Bioneers planning process and through Culture Jam, a youth program sponsored by the Oregon Country Fair in partnership with the City of Eugene Parks and Recreation Department. All three demonstrated insight, talent and deeply-held values. I have seen these qualities also in the others I have met through participation in the Energy Village project.
The Energy Village Project for Downtown Eugene brings together minds from across the spectrum of the community in at least two ways. In the process of developing this proposal, we are reaching out to members of the community from small business to large-scale developers and financiers, from youth empowerment organizations to arts groups, scientists, architects, and design specialists, as well as municipal planning staff and city officials. Once the new building[s] are finished, they will not only feature a broad spectrum of the community as tenants or co-owners, but will have integrate into their design facilities for symposiums, lectures, discussions, and interdisciplinary exchange of every kind. The new community center will also feature a referral and connection center to help steer visitors towards resources and activities that mesh with their individual interests and talents.
I am proud to take part in this pioneering effort to revitalize our downtown core and highlight the creative ferment that makes Eugene a unique place to live.
Role: Planning Volunteer, Technical Advisor
Community and Planning Activities
Oregon Country Fair
Board of Directors from 2004-2006, 2007-current
Land Use and Management Planning Committee—this committee oversees initiatives related to development of the Fair site as a whole. These include keeping the LUMP Manual current, developing management plans for newly acquired land, and implementing ecological initiatives as mandated by the Board of Directors.
Vision Quest Task Force—this ad-hoc work group has managed the organizations long-range planning process over a period of 3 ½ years. This effort involved eliciting input from a broad array of stakeholders. These included the craftspeople, volunteers, entertainers and staff who comprise the membership base, daytime attendees of our annual event, and representatives of neighboring communities and partner organizations.
The process has included surveys, public summits, smaller work sessions, and a great deal of processing of input generated through the foregoing means. The OCF Vision Quest reached its culmination on April 7, 2008, when the Board of Directors passed a Statement of Goals outlining goals distilled through the process. The task force has some remaining work to do in order to archive the records of the process, and to transfer responsibility for implementation to other, ongoing committees and crews.
Fern Ridge Strategic Planning Stakeholders Group
This effort was sponsored by the City of Veneta, Oregon, but embraced the larger region in the vicinity of Fern Ridge Reservoir. The initial process included a series of four public meetings during the spring of 2006 to develop and prioritize goals for the region. In addition to participation in the public process, I collaborated in writing the Vision Statement for the Strategic Plan.
Oregon Bioneers Conference Planning Group 2006, 2007
The Oregon Bioneers Conference, held at the Lane Community College Center for Meeting and Learning, was one of 18 “satellite” conferences linked to the Bioneers Conference held annually in late October in San Rafael, California. Morning sessions included video feeds of plenary speakers. Afternoons were devoted to local programming. I attended planning group meetings weekly, took part in subcommittee work, and developed Web-based systems for submission of workshop proposals and conference registration.
Formal Education
AAS Computer Programming, AAS Computer Network Operations
Lane Community College, Eugene, Oregon, 2000
Workshops, Seminars and Informal Education
Humanitarian Intervention Trainers Workshop, 2004, Oregon Country Fair
Mediation Workshop, 2003, Oregon Country Fair
Arbitration Workshop, 2003, Oregon Country Fair
Technology workshops on Red Hat Linux, Windows 2000, and Macintosh OS X, Lane Community College [employee training]
Crisis Counseling Training, 1982, Headquarters Inc., Lawrence, Kansas
Occupational History
Information Technology Support, Lane Community College, 2001-2006
Custom Software Development, Cryptogam Research Associates, 2000-2001
Web and Publication Design, self-employed, 1998
Natural Foods Production, Golden Temple Bakery, Eugene, Oregon, 1984-1998
Personal Statement
My interest in the Energy Village Project for Downtown Eugene springs from three factors: concern for the revitalization of Downtown Eugene, admiration for and desire to support the efforts of the young people who have organized this project, and a shared vision to provide a connection point for the many cultural, intellectual, and civic activities that contribute to the vitality of our community.
As an almost-lifelong citizen of this community, I can still remember playing on the newly erected Broadway-Willamette fountain in front of J.C. Penney’s. Over the years since then, I have observed the debates raging over the fate of Eugene Downtown. For fourteen years, from 1984-1998, I lived in the downtown neighborhood. I intend to move back to that neighborhood in the future. I see the project under development by our group as one of the most innovative initiatives to address the problems of this neighborhood since the original construction of the Eugene Downtown Mall.
I had earlier become acquainted with three of the core planning group members through the Bioneers planning process and through Culture Jam, a youth program sponsored by the Oregon Country Fair in partnership with the City of Eugene Parks and Recreation Department. All three demonstrated insight, talent and deeply-held values. I have seen these qualities also in the others I have met through participation in the Energy Village project.
The Energy Village Project for Downtown Eugene brings together minds from across the spectrum of the community in at least two ways. In the process of developing this proposal, we are reaching out to members of the community from small business to large-scale developers and financiers, from youth empowerment organizations to arts groups, scientists, architects, and design specialists, as well as municipal planning staff and city officials. Once the new building[s] are finished, they will not only feature a broad spectrum of the community as tenants or co-owners, but will have integrate into their design facilities for symposiums, lectures, discussions, and interdisciplinary exchange of every kind. The new community center will also feature a referral and connection center to help steer visitors towards resources and activities that mesh with their individual interests and talents.
I am proud to take part in this pioneering effort to revitalize our downtown core and highlight the creative ferment that makes Eugene a unique place to live.