Gilliam Co. Court holds community town hall in Condon

What do people value, and what do they want to see improved in Condon? That was the question posed during the Gilliam County Court's first town hall in Condon on January 15. The event was well attended, with approximately 40 people present. Pizza and iced tea were provided.

Cori Mikkalo of Fair Winds Consulting LLC organized the event and gave a brief introduction of the agenda.

To start, Judge Cris Patnode explained the purpose of the gathering, and asked those in attendance to think about the goals, strategies, and direction that the county should pursue in the years to come.

"We want to allow the majority of people in the community to help the county court," Judge Patnode said.

Condon city administrator Kathryn Greiner gave a brief presentation about the strategic plan that the city had embarked on with support from Rural Development Initiatives. The plan, known as Condon Can! took eight months to complete and utilized surveys, community meetings, and one-on-one sessions.

The final product was a report that focused on three areas: people, place, and prosperity.

"All Roads Lead to Condon," was approved as the slogan for the Condon Can! effort. The study is available on the City of Condon website.

From there, participants were counted off and went into a "world café" style, that Mikkalo said she had learned from Rural Development Initiatives staff. Groups went from table to table where they were tasked with discussing five topics: The current strategic plan; Future development projects; What is going well/what is not; and Childcare and Early Education.

The conversations were kept brief, with five minutes allotted to each topic, before participants packed up and went to the next table and topic.

The final step was for each participant to return to the table that they wanted to talk about further and to flesh out ideas. Finally, participants were given stickers to identify the points that were of the highest importance.

Several themes emerged, which Cori Mikkalo went over with the larger group.

The topic that got the most votes and support was for the Condon Swimming Pool, which got 18 votes. Participants varied on whether it was best to keep the pool in its current location or move it, potentially to the old Condon Grade School. But the consensus was that the swimming pool is a vital source of recreation for kids in Condon and the wider area.

The Liberty Theatre proved to also be a priority. Fourteen participants voted for the Liberty Theatre restoration project. The Condon Arts Council purchased the Liberty Theatre in 2022, which marked the 100th anniversary of the building. Beyond the Liberty Theatre, several people voiced support for more arts and culture in the community.

Other topics that were popular were the development of the old Condon Grade School, improving livability with activities in the parks and at the Liberty Theatre, the importance of first responders, green spaces, maintaining and growing green spaces, options for more fruits and veggies, and more activities at the fairgrounds.

But the topic that was discussed the most was childcare, which was identified as the biggest priority in the Stategic Plan session.

Last year, the Gilliam County Court created a Childcare Enhancement Fund, which was designed to help fund the county's childcare needs and to rely less on grant funding from the county court.

Judge Patnode floated the idea of establishing a line item in the Gilliam County budget to help the childcare facilities in Condon and in Arlington. While the fund matures, which will take approximately ten years, the line item funds would help meet critical needs of facilities in Condon and Arlington alike.

Several staff and board members from the Condon Early Learning Center were in attendance, and spoke about the potential for consistent funding while waiting for the fund to mature.

Commissioner Leah Watkins said that $11 million of unappropriated funds could be used to help the enhancement fund mature quickly.

Kathryn Greiner asked if doing something similar for housing might be possible, such as an investment fund dedicated specifically to housing, as some of the Strategic Investment Program funds from windmills, commonly known as SIPs, are set to twilight in 2027.

But with other renewable energy projects in the works, the expansion of Waste Management, and the potential of a data center coming to the county, Judge Patnode said that the county was well positioned for the future.

In all, the discussion was productive and cordial. Judge Patnode, along with Commissioners Wilkins and Watkins, thanked those in attendance.

The second town hall will be held in Arlington on Tuesday, February 1 at 6 PM inside the Gronquist Building. The court is expected to take findings from these meetings to establish priorities for the coming years.