Welcome to the Northport, Washington Horizons Community Blog

Senior Meals

2011-06-03T10:34:00.001-07:00

We are blessed to see this program thrive as a true community partnership. The school makes available a cook and their kitchen for meal preparation. The Lion’s Club, Presbyterian, Baptist and Assembly of God churches all donate dollars to the sustainability of this project, as do the seniors themselves. The meals are served at the Presbyterian Church twice a week, with some meals being delivered to those unable to attend. We have had anywhere from 10 to 28 seniors in attendance. Our average since we started has been about 19. We look forward to continuing these partnerships into the future for our senior population.

Back to Basics/Preparedness Classes

2011-06-03T10:16:00.000-07:00

The Community Connections Center has been hosting a series of classes in the Annex Building starting last summer. A series of classes centered on Growing Healthy and Eating Healthy. BZ Israel educated us on how we are all Toxic Guinea Pigs; The Unsustainability of our Food System; Gardening in a Changing Climate; Seed Starting, Sowing and Saving; Growing Vegetables for Seed and Seed Cleaning. Bill and Janice Berman taught us Raw Foods Preparation, Basic Bread Making, Soy and Nut Milk Recipes and basic Natural Water Treatments for Health. Ruth Davis taught us Simple Herbal Remedies, Jael Regis taught us How to Make Rice Milk and Tomi Stark taught us How to Cook with Home Storage and How to Cook in a Dutch Oven over an Open Fire. Master Canner/Preserver Bonnie Stichart taught us food preservation with a Pressure Canner. Marlece Hart gave a presentation on starting a Gleaners Club in our area. This promptly enabled three different families to stop and ask people with trees of nuts and fruit if they were willing to share. Walnuts, Asian Pears, Apples and Chestnuts were harvested that would have otherwise gone to waste. This year we will be meeting with the Colville Chapter and starting our own Gleaner’s Club in Northport. We have been so excited to have so many community members share their expertise with others. The next classes centered on Basic Preparedness in case of natural disaster. Bob Garrow from Life Preservation Institute in Hunters hosted two classes that had us look at the possible disasters that could affect our area, what their likelihood is and what can we do to prepare. He facilitated a frank discussion about the basic lack of preparedness of most individuals to handle any disaster from an extended power outage to the possibility of one of the many dams above our town failing. He gave us much food for thought. Next in this series will be hosting a Community Meeting with our Town Council to look at our plans or lack of plans in case of disaster. This class along with the others has been attended by 35 to 40 people showing the desire and pertinence of the subjects. Finally, Smokky shared with us the idea of starting an Alternative to Money System, thus enabling many including those without a job to acquire the items and services necessary to survive and thrive. He will be hosting a workshop for further discussion and hands on experience April 10, 2011 at 2 pm. For any further information about upcoming events or to get involved contact Kathy Jones, President of NCPR (509) 732-4061.

Canner Co-op

2011-05-05T19:22:00.001-07:00

Sixteen families have joined together to purchase a Dry Pack Canner/Sealer for use at the Community Connections Center. The machine is a Senior Master Flywheel with a hand crank. Currently we can only use the #10 cans (approximately the size of a 3 lb coffee can). This enables us to preserve extra harvest that is dried. For instance, I had an abundance of cabbage this year that I ended up drying for additions to soup. I had about10 Ziploc bags full that would take me awhile to use. When I preserve the dried cabbage in the #10 cans it gives me a shelf life of approximately 20 years. Buying in bulk is another way to save and help our meager dollars go farther. Not all of us have large families and perhaps we could not use it up before the shelf life expires. Sealing the product in #10 cans increases the shelf life of many products up to 30 years. So far we have sealed about 800 cans through our machine. It is available for use by anyone in the community for a small donation of .50 per can for upkeep of the machine. Contact Sandi Everson (509) 732-8847 for availability of the machine.

Association of Washington Cities Conference

2010-07-01T17:11:00.000-07:00

The Association of Washington Cities asked us to come and speak at their annual conference in Vancouver, Washington on June 23rd. We were able to share about Partnerships, Communication and working with your Town Council. We had approximately 60 Mayors and Town Council members attend our workshop. There was great feedback from the attendees. As a bonus we were able to attend any of the workshops for free. WOW! They had a sign up at the conference that has embodied our philosophy as a Horizon Community; “Never miss an opportunity to learn something new!” What a wonderful opportunity it was. Not only to share the Horizon model and process we have been through, but also the opportunity to learn. I have uploaded my notes from one of the workshops on The Physiology of Leadership by Robin Rose. They are available on the blog under Horizon Project Links. What a wealth of information and one of those Ah-Ha moments to give insight into our town and working with people. You will have to read the notes (5 pages) to find out more. All of the Power Points and handouts should be available on their website (http://www.awcnet.org/) soon. If you want to see what we presented at the conference our title was Partnerships in Economic Development – Why Relationships Matter. I just want to encourage everyone, “Please take advantage of each and every opportunity to learn. You never know what connection you might make, insight you may gain or skill you may develop. Never Stop Learning!

Community Connections Center Staying Connected to our Community and World

2010-07-01T16:52:00.000-07:00

We have officially been open 4 months. That is hard to believe. It was just yesterday we were gutting the buildings and hauling the stuff to the dump. Since we opened March 1st we have seen a steady increase in usage. In March we had 409 computer usages, in April 510 and in May 794, mid-June was at 546. Total signed up users since the middle of June are 204 with 130 adults and 74 students. We have 15 trained volunteers that help keep the center open 7 days a week. New people are signing up every day. Since opening we have had approximately 30 people take beginning computer classes. Just today a young gal came in to type up a resume, of course there are the kids that are not getting into trouble on the streets because they hang out here, people checking e-mail, watching TV, doing homework, researching, keeping up with the world news, doing their e-bay business, home-based businesses and more. Two ladies from Canada have stopped by and needed to print a receipt in order to cross over the border. Printing income tax returns and the list goes on. What did we do before we had the Community Connections Center?

So what about that second building? Has it been used? Glad you asked. It has held a gun safety class (30 attending), an after school Kid’s club for 3 months (average 8 kids each week), weekly Narcotics Anonymous Meetings (growing from 2 to 8), Growing Healthy/Eating Healthy Workshop (35 in attendance), Food Sustainability and Healthy Eating Workshop (34 in attendance), Rural Resources Medical Insurance Counseling, SCORE Counseling (Retired Business Executive counseling new entrepreneurs), an Artisan and Craftsman organizational meeting (20 attending) and an Artists Unveiling. I would say that covers about A – Z. If you have a use for the building, just call Sandi Everson at (509) 732-8847 or (509) 690-7548.

I think a huge thanks is due again to the USDA, EcliptixNet, and Art and Nina Grobben for this beautiful facility. On the horizon we want to fence the back yard for future events. It is just $50.00 a section which includes a plaque acknowledging your donation posted on the fence. If you want to donate a section of fence contact NCPR (509) 563-4502 and leave a message or call Sandi Everson at the above numbers.

Community Garden is Alive and Growing Photos

2010-07-01T16:46:00.000-07:00

Community Garden is Alive and Growing!

2010-07-01T15:35:00.000-07:00

This year has gotten off to a slow start. Too much RAIN! One would wonder if you can have too much rain. Yes you can! Seeds die in the ground and it is hard to work when you are being drenched with water. On the brighter side so much is happening.

Just before school got out we had a tour of the garden by the Kindergarten through 3rd grade students. They wandered through the paths wondering what would be growing in each of the beds. Some said they would be back later in the summer.

We were accepted to get another VISTA (Volunteer in Service to America) position for the community garden. William Berman will be working between the Community Garden and the Northport Schools educating and training up young gardeners. He will also be working with our Homeschool group as they want to grow herbs and flowers for Christmas, Easter and Mother’s Day. We are all very excited about his addition to our town. He has a two year degree in Agriculture and a wealth of knowledge about Greenhouse Gardening. Even though his year does not start till October 1st he has been actively working in the Garden and with a youth, Austin Dombrowski. Together they have built boxes for our raised beds.

The wood for the beds has been graciously donated by Robert Raught. George Snodgrass donated a day and built several boxes for us also. A $10,000.00 grant was accepted with Hidden Valley Ranch to develop the relationship between the Garden and the School. We will be putting the finishing touches on the greenhouse, vent, electricity, heater and water system. All the supplies have arrived for the drip irrigation system and Thursday July 1st we will be meeting with a Master Gardener from Colville to begin the assembly. (Yahoo, no more hand watering!)

We met with the President and CEO of the Washington Health Foundation (they gave us a grant for our greenhouse) in June. He came out to review our Greenhouse and visit with us. What an encouraging meeting. We asked him if he could give us any advice. He told us we are doing it. What intrigued him to come and visit us were the lessons we have learned. He said in our yearly review that came across loud and clear. I cannot say enough about those lessons learned. What we as a community have been through during the entire Horizon Process and working with WSU has given us the tools we needed to succeed.

Again, partnerships are the word of the day. Thank you to the ladies group at the Baptist Church for purchasing two plots for a single lady with children in town. As we were choosing her site her daughter told us “My mom has a green thumb!” Another single mom in town purchased two plots; the neighbor who graciously gives us our water purchased 4 plots to grow corn. Then said he will donate it to the senior meals program and/or the Food Bank in town. Another lady joined us purchasing 4 plots, someone bought a plot as a memorial to her and her husband’s moms, a family who just moved to town and is renting while they prepare their house purchased two plots, and the list goes on. Numerous plots have been planted some anonymously others by individuals who have said they are for those in need. What a giving spirit this little town has. So the garden is alive and beginning to thrive. With William and the students at the school it should continue well into the winter with some extended gardening practices and the use of the greenhouse.

Come by and see the progress. Hint, look in the greenhouse, we are growing Tomatoes vertically up to the ceiling. I am told they can grow 9 feet or more. While there check out the huge apple boxes. They were started with a lasagna gardening practice (layers of stuff to nourish the seedlings and then they have been companion planted. Soon we will have a poster up describing both processes. Finally, if your spirit just needs a little rejuvenating come, sit and just enjoy the smells, sounds (bees and growing plants) and sights.

Senior Meals Update

2010-06-30T12:52:00.000-07:00

In the first month 146 meals were served to the community of Northport. 34 senior citizens have joined for an average of 18 per meal. The last meal in May had 21. A cook and helper have each been hired for 8 hours a week. We were pursuing funding through Rural Resources but that does not look promising. Funds through the Northport Schools end July 15th. A few members of the community have stepped forward to assist with the funds to keep it going. Comments in the positive have been numerous. "The food is great." "I am so glad we have a place to get together again." These comments were shared at our last Town Council Meeting. One couple had not been out of their house since a stroke and they have not missed a meal yet. Donations have covered the food costs, but not the Cook and Helper. We have a new Northport School Superintendant coming July 2nd. We will be meeting with him shortly after he arrives to see if he is willing to allow us to continue using the school kitchen for food preparation and whether or not funds will be available. If you would like to help fund this worthwhile endeavor you can contact Nina Grobben at 675-5073. Till then...

Boat Launch Successfully Completed

2010-06-30T12:30:00.001-07:00

The Boat Launch Grant has been successfully completed. Our Boat Launch has been expanded to allow for two boats to launch or come in at the same time. New paving so that the boats are not launching on the bottom of the river, paving of the entire parking lot, floating dock to rise and fall with the river fluctuations, new roof on the pavilion and ADA accessible bathrooms. What a beautiful upgrade to our town. Just the other day there were 20 vehicles and trailers parked at the city park. A huge THANK YOU! to the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office for selecting our grant. This is a huge boost to the economy of our town. We are the only year around Boat Launch for approximately 100 miles (due to the fluctuations in the river during the spring months). The floating dock has allowed for locals without boats to successfully fish for trout, thereby increasing the variety of their diets. Thank you to our Town Council for completing the project. Please come and visit us!

Community Connections Center

2010-04-08T23:48:00.000-07:00

Well, we have successfully completed our first month. Approximately 90 people signed up the first month to use the center. Rural Resources trained 8 new community members in basic computer literacy, Microsoft word and excel in the center at no charge. We have 13 trained volunteers to monitor the center and keep it open 7 days a week. We have not been totally full yet, but close. Our current hours of operation are:
Monday 3:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Tuesday 12:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Wednesday 10:00 am - 6:00 pm
Thursday 12:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Friday 9:00 am - 9:00 pm
Saturday 12:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Sunday 12:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Come and see what the Community Connections Center is all about? We always can use more volunteers. The center is only open as there are willing volunteers to staff it. See you there!

Youth Center Update

2010-04-08T23:45:00.000-07:00

The Bethel Board along with Dave Sitler from Coldwell Banker viewed a building on mainstreet to access its feasibility for a future Youth Center. Communication between the owner, NCPR, Bethel and Dave Sitler are proceeding. Everyone is positive about the site being used for Youth! Details remain to be worked out. We will keep you all posted.

Update on Senior Meals

2010-04-08T23:34:00.000-07:00

Senior meals will begin the last week of April. We will be working with the Northport Schools in providing meals for dinner two days a week. The Vocational Tech Students will be working with the School Lunch Superintendent to prepare meals, deliver to the CE Building at the Presbyterian Church and serve the meals to the senior community on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 4:00pm. We received 16 surveys back with an overwhelming "YES!" we need and want meals provided. At this time a donation of $3.00 will be asked for each meal, but no one will be turned away if they cannot afford the donation. We will be meeting with Rural Resources on Monday April 12th to see if they can pick up part of the funding starting in June. We do have a couple of needs if anyone can help. We need a cart that keeps the food warm for transport between the school and the CE Building and disposable containers to put take home meals in. We are hoping on Thursdays to possible send the seniors home with a frozen meal to help cover one more day of the week. And we have a couple of seniors who need meals delivered to their homes as they are housebound. Any volunteers to deliver or donations to help with these other needs are most welcome.

Senior/Youth Meals in Northport

2010-03-24T17:38:00.000-07:00

Let’s hope so. We have been working in conjunction with Kamiah Goodwin, Coordinator of School Lunch Program and Dr. Leroy Key, School Superintendent to restore the senior meals program to Northport. At the request of Rural Resources we have sent out a brief survey in our local water bills to see what the response from the senior community was. At this point we have received 10 responses from seniors.

It is our goal to get the funding restored through Rural Resources. The Northport Schools would prepare and deliver the meals to a set location in town. We are also researching the possibility of delivering meals to set locations for those unable to travel to Northport. For example Terri Charbonneau has graciously offered to stage at the Onion Creek Store for those in the Onion Creek Area. The location for Northport meals would either be the CE Building at the Presbyterian Church or the Community Connection Center Annex.

We are also exploring the possibility of one meal a day for the youth during summer months.

If you know anyone who might be interested in participating in the senior meals or who would like to volunteer, please contact either Kamiah Goodwin at the school 732-4430, Nina Grobben 675-5073, Sandi Everson 732-8847 or Connie Long 732-4128. Let’s work together to make this happen!

4th Annual Town Cleanup April 17th and 18th

2010-03-24T17:34:00.000-07:00

Please come and join us for our 4th Annual Town Cleanup and Beautification. We will be assembling at the Community Connections Center at 9:00am on Saturday. Assignments will be passed out and we will begin collecting around town, then staging and sorting on the lot behind the CCC. We will gather at lunch time for sustenance and hit the streets again after lunch.

Please be saving and/or collecting your cans and batteries. This annual town cleanup effort is the proven true definition of the saying “many hand make light work”.

If you have need of our services or want to volunteer, contact either Nina Grobben at 675-5073 or Ed Nichols at 675-4466. Look forward to gathering and serving together in April.
See you then!

2010-03-24T17:25:00.000-07:00

Our Community Gardening Project

US Border Patrol, Local Business Custom Home Organization,
Rural Resources, and another Local Business - BushHock

NEW Alliance Counseling Drug Prevention Table

Our Local EMS and new Ambulance for Northport

Grand Opening of the Community Connections Center

More Pictures from the Grand Opening!

2010-03-24T17:21:00.000-07:00

Mario Villaneuro USDA Rural Development Director

Grand Opening Community Connections Center

Grand Opening of the Community Connections Center a Huge Success!

2010-03-24T17:11:00.000-07:00

Saturday, February 27th dawned a beautiful, sunny winter day. As people began setting up for the day, there were more vendors than space. It was an exciting situation to have. Tables and space were made out front of both buildings where the Schwann’s Truck, Sheriff’s Mobile Command Center, Sheriff’s Expedition and Boat, and the local EMS brought Northport’s new Ambulance and all set up. Med Star, Community Garden, Lazy-Daze Retreats, New Hope Assembly, Seventh Day Adventist, Presbyterian Church, Early Head Start, US Border Patrol, Tri-County Economic Development, SCORE Business Consultant, Rural Resources, Steven’s County Rural Libraries, Northport Medical Clinic, Old Dog Computer Tutoring, Shoshanna Pottery, American Legion, NEW Alliance Counseling Drug Prevention, WSU, Merle Door and Windows, Bushhock Distributing, Sister’s Second Hand, Northern Ales Brewery, Kuk’s Tavern, SMOSS Outdoor Survival School, Eagles Wings Jujitsu, Northport Schools Homelink Program, Custom Home Organization, VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America), Northport’s Historical Society, Northport Hardware, and I may have missed a few. Stedy’s coffee, locally produced, provided coffee for all of the guests, Margaret Phillips made a beautiful cake for all to enjoy and Klaus Peters donated his locally grown and produced wine. What a fantastic cross-section of our community!

Opening ceremonies were performed by Jeff Tamietti of EcliptixNet and Mario Villanueva USDA Rural Development Director. Mario Villanueva read a letter from US Representative Cathy McMorris-Rodgers and presented it to Cindy Knapp president of NCPR. Well over 200 people turned out for the festivities. People seemed to truly enjoy themselves and stayed to visit till past our scheduled closing. Overall the buzz is it was a huge success. Thank you to all our community, businesses, organizations, churches and emergency support services for making the opening of the center such a success.

Youth Center Dream or Reality?

2010-01-29T11:39:00.000-08:00

Since before the beginning of Horizon there has been an effort to begin a Youth Center in Northport. During the Study Circles and Visioning Phase this was again brought to the forefront of discussion. We have met and partnered with Bethel Youth Centers on different fundraisers and events. Well, due to some unforeseen events the Chewelah Center closed 3 months ago. Bethel has offered Northport all of the items we would like from that center. Items include 3 pool tables, air hockey, pinball machine, Frogger machine, ping pong table, weight equipment, TV’s, X Box, Play station 2, games and so much more. We have everything needed at this time to open a center. What we lack is a location and sustainable donor base. The cost to operate the center right out of the starting gate is $100.00 a month insurance, $26.00 a month to assist with the newsletter, monthly donations needed for rent of a space, and utilities.

Many Volunteers Art and Nina Grobben, Ed Nichols, Gary and Kathy Jones, Dean and Sandi Everson, Terry and Linda Gunderson, Lloyd Ward, and 8 people from the Chewelah Center all helped load up in Chewelah. Six trucks, three trailers and 5 hours later tired bodies were heading towards Northport to try and unload by dark. In Northport, Jesse Anderson, Chuck Wilson, Adam Baird, Candy Baird, Jim Dowd, Rob Miller, Abrahm Lynn, John Corcoran, Dusty Rieckers and Jared, helped us unload in record time and before dark.

This was a huge undertaking. I believe the realization of a Youth Center is within our reach if we can find a suitable location. Chuck and Diane Wilson have currently donated a storage unit for us to use till we can find a location in which to begin operation. This was a major part in us being able to accept the donation of equipment. Thank you to Bethel Ministries for believing in us and giving us this opportunity to provide a safe place for the youth of our town to come, gain skills, make friends and match up with mentors. If you know of a location to rent please call Sandi Everson at (509) 732-8847. If you have a donation please make payable to NCPR, PO Box 967, Northport, WA 99157. Please mark what it is for. Thank you, Northport Community!

Community Connections Center Grand Opening

2010-01-29T11:33:00.000-08:00

The Grand Opening of the Community Connections Center is Saturday, February 27th, at 3pm. We are hosting an Informational Fair in the Community Meeting Hall. Businesses, Organizations and others have been invited to bring flyers, displays, etc. to let the community know what is available in our town. Also scheduled will be an opening ceremony by Ecliptixnet and the USDA. Refreshments will be served and all are invited to attend. This marks a momentous milestone in our community. Please join us!

Community Center Almost Here!

2010-01-29T10:56:00.000-08:00

It is about time for an update on the Community Center. We are scheduled for a grand opening of February 27th at 3 pm. It has been a whirlwind time of remodeling. The carpenter/contractors George Snodgrass and Dean Hotchkiss have been amazing. Our electrician has met many obstacles and persevered through, Jesse Anderson building our counters and desk, many volunteers working anywhere from a few hours to days have been invaluable. And to Art Grobben the overseer, fill-in worker, plumber and electrical assistant, and …… go-fer to Spokane and beyond it would never even be a reality without his over seeing the project and spurring everyone on.

The computers are due to arrive and be installed the end of January. Volunteers are in place to open the center at least 3 to 4 days a week. More volunteers are welcome to take more hours, other days or be on call for filling in. The Community Connections Center is open only as volunteers are available to man it. The Center will house 15 computers with wireless internet available for use free of charge. Secretarial work will be available to the community for a nominal fee, i.e. fax, copies, brochure/letterhead/flyer/business cards, creating business letters and letters of communication.

A separate building will be available for rental at a nominal fee. A laptop, screen and projector will be available for meetings, movies, games, etc. We are hoping to fence the back yard and landscape for outdoor events this next spring and summer. An outdoor courtyard will be available with wireless accessibility for those who just wish to sit with their laptops and hook up. More ideas are in store if funds become available. Stop in and see what it looks like! See you there! If you are interested in volunteering your time please call Sandi Everson 732-8847 or e-mail ncprboard@yahoo.com.

Northport Schools to Begin Virtual School

2010-01-29T10:52:00.000-08:00

Exciting things are taking place in the small town of Northport. On Tuesday January 19th Dan Benjamin, of FutureEd, presented an opportunity to Northport Schools to create a Virtual School. The School board unanimously voted for Dr. Key, Northport Schools Superintendent and Daniel Benjamin to begin drawing up a contract to be reviewed by the Northport Schools attorney. By the February 9th School Board meeting this agreement should be signed and our community will be well on the way to opening a Virtual Academy by September of 2010.

NCPR designed, addressed and sent out about 600 flyers to local residents advising them of the meeting. Approximately 70 people attended, listening to Mr. Benjamin’s presentation and asking numerous questions. At one point our new mayor, Mike Lamb, stood up and said “OK, I want to know, how many are for this?” Overwhelmingly the crowd was supportive of the proposition.

The Virtual School has the possibility of creating 2 non-teaching jobs per 100 students. This is a much needed boost to a dwindling economy in our area. We just want to acknowledge the leadership and visioning of a few individuals. Four teachers, Leesa Ewen, Don Baribault, Terri Carlson and Heidi Leaden for hours beyond measure; researching and taking the administrative classes necessary to successfully lead this school. To Eric Middlesworth, TECH extraordinaire, for his leadership in setting up the new school and the technical basis for this project to get off the ground. To Dr. Leroy Key, our interim school superintendent, who has vision and drive to move this school forward into the technology age. I am sure there are more individuals who have donated time and to you we are also grateful. Each one of these individuals has embarked on an ambitious timeline to see this project come to completion. What an awesome opportunity for our little town!

2010-01-03T14:09:00.000-08:00

Take a look at this years
Northport Community Garden.

Looks good enough to eat!

Wow! look at all the volunteers!

Heres our green house!

June Blast Off

2009-09-17T16:49:00.000-07:00

Enjoy the photos

Community Clean-up

2009-07-14T08:37:00.000-07:00

On April 18th and 19th, NCPR and other community members came together to participate in the Northport Community Clean – up. There were a total of 47 people who showed up to help, ages ranging from 7 year old first graders to senior citizens who understand and care about the community.

All participants gathered at the old gas station to receive their assignments. People with trucks were assigned to be section leaders. From there, volunteers were divided into three groups. The ‘green group’ picked up branches, leaves, etc… the ‘garbage group’ picked up trash and other recyclables. And the ‘metal group’ gathered all metal and appliances. The section leaders then divided the 47 different houses amongst the volunteers for stopping and cleaning up.

Around noon, all helpers returned back to the old gas station to be treated to a barbeque of hot dogs and hamburgers to eat and rest while section leaders deliberated on what was still left to do. When the barbeque came to a close, the groups gathered together to continue the community clean – up.

At the end of the day, the garbage was divided into piles for the garbage truck to deliver to the dump. We ended up with 7 tons of trash and over 100 tons of metal! (Which is quite an improvement compared to the 30 tons we collected in the previous two years). All expenses were paid for by the 5078 lbs of vehicle batteries, the 835 lbs of aluminum cans, and by the cash donations.

We would like to offer a thank you to all the participants who donated their entire day for the benefit of the community, and a special thanks to the Godes family for the use of their property for the purpose of disposing several tons of green waste, Bob Baird for Operating ‘Old Faithful’, Candy Baird, Lloyd Monroe, and Art Grobben who spent the better part of a week completing all the little finishing touches, hauling, separating, loading, etc., Ron Sauvola for letting us once again stage on his property, as well as have our barbeque there, Tony’s Market for their thoughtfulness of donating donuts to jump start our day, to KUK’s Tavern and the Mustang Grill for always being so generous and supportive, to Rebecca Middlesworth, for the case of water, and to Ray Fitzgerald for the use of ‘Old Faithful’ the dump truck.

Americorps*VISTA Update

2009-06-11T20:42:00.000-07:00

NCPR was awarded an Americorps*VISTA project for the EMS program. Ed Nichols will be attending VISTA Volunteer Training in Seattle, WA in early July. Sandra Everson will be attending VISTA Volunteer Supervisor Training in Dallas, TX July 21 - 24th. We hope to kick off the project with an information booth at the "Whole Darn Town Garage Sale" June 24th and 25th. Ed will be working with students from the school who would like to take on the EMS for their senior project. Campaign will consist of signage of our rural area for easier location by our EMS Volunteers in emergency situations, education in the Public school about Fire Safety and Fire Safety assessment of your home. More details will be posted after the training.

Community Greenhouse Grant

2009-06-11T20:33:00.000-07:00

Norhtport recieved a $12,000.00 grant from "The Washington Health Foundation Healthiest State in the Nation Campaign" for a community greenhouse. The greenhouse was ordered on June 11th, 2009. It will be built at the Community Garden on mainstreet. We are excited about the opportunity to extend our growing season and provide greens late into the season and vegetable starts early in the year. We are linking with the School to assist with their fresh food program and mentoring a couple of students for their senior projects. We will be posting updates as they become available.

Northport Community Center Update

2009-06-11T20:18:00.001-07:00

Friday June 5th we had a community meeting at the CE Bldg in Northport. In attendence was the NCPR Board, Town Council and Mayor, Ecliptixnet, Builder and Electrician, and community members. Ed Nichols facilitated the meeting. Ed presented the obstacles we are encountering with the school site. Out of the $97,250.00 we have to build we would need to put in septic and electrical, that would leave us with approximately $85,000.00 to build. Several builders were contacted and none felt they could build the building for that amount. At the meeting Art and Nina Grobben generously volunteered a site on main street that we could remodel. After much discussion, everyone voted unanimously to proceed with the new site. Sign up sheets were available for volunteers to donate time to the project. A walk through is scheduled for Monday, June 15th. For more information contact Art Grobben at 675-5063 or 732-0443.

Update on the Community Center

2009-06-11T20:11:00.000-07:00

As most of you know the School Bus Barn burned to the ground in early February. This put a hold on determining whether to build the community center on the possible School property location. At this point it seems that the Bus Barn will be rebuilt on the same location across the street from the school. The next school board meeting is scheduled for March 24th and Ecliptixnet has been requested to attend and answer any questions the board may have concerning the project.

We were aiming for a decision by the end of February, but the school sent a letter to Ecliptixnet and the USDA asking for an extension due to the unforeseen fire. Other news behind the scenes, Amanda McKerighan from Steven’s County Rural Libraries submitted a request to the recent stimulus package that was passed by congress asking for $500,000.00 to add unto the existing Community Center. This would allow us to at least add a section for the Library, Youth Center and possibly the commercial kitchen. If you want to keep an eye on this portion of the Community Center go to www.stimuluswatch.com check out the town of Northport. While there you can also vote on whether this is a good/needed project. Our partners in this project are:
· USDA/Ecliptixnet
· Steven’s County Rural Libraries
· Bethel Youth Centers
· TEDD (Business Incubator, Commercial Kitchen)
· WSU
· Community Colleges of Spokane
· Northport Medical Clinic
· Northport Schools

The first phase of the Community Center is due to be up and running by October. If anyone would like to donate or volunteer time to the project you can contact Art Grobben at 675-5063 or Sandi Everson at 732-8847. When the first phase is done we will need volunteers willing to keep the center open for public use.

Northport Community Garden is Coming Soon!

2009-06-11T20:07:00.000-07:00

Spring Fever is in the air! If you doubt it you should have attended the Herb Class at WSU on Thursday, March 5th. The Rendezvous Theater had about 75 eager gardeners listening to Al Kowitz share his passion and expertise for growing and cooking with herbs. Well onto the Community Garden Project.

We are in the planning stages of developing a community garden and greenhouse for Northport. Several people have been spending time brainstorming to make this a reality. Wendy Lantzy has stepped forward to take the lead on this project that was birthed out of the Horizon Grant. Last year the ground was prepared, organic matter added to the soil and some raised beds started, but no one was available to take charge of the project until now. Thanks, Wendy!

Rebecca Middlesworth started writing a grant to fund the startup costs of fencing, a drip irrigation system and green house. Community members Kamiah Goodwin, Sandra Everson, Art and Nina Grobben and Rebecca Middlesworth met to discuss some of the particulars. The location for the Community Garden has been donated by Art and Nina Grobben. The property is located on Main Street next to Buck Jennings, CPA. The location is ideal for access to marketing, proximity to school and community members to use.

Our goal is to link with the school for mentoring via the JR/SR projects and/or perhaps an elective class. The goal of the greenhouse is to give students an opportunity to raise starts for sale in the spring and perhaps to provide fresh greens all winter to local community members and businesses. Space may be made available at a small fee (to cover the costs of heating and water) to interested community members who wish to grow their own fresh greens or garden starts.

If you are interested in participating in gardening, mentoring, weeding, building a fence or setting up an irrigation system, etc. please contact Wendy Lantzy at
732-4249 or Nina Grobben at 732-0443.

Americorps*VISTA Volunteer to Assist Northport in Three Possible Projects

2009-06-11T20:03:00.000-07:00

At the February NCPR meeting, Ruby Page from Americorps*VISTA spoke. She shared about the Americorps*VISTA program and suggested we submit a project idea. Cindy Knapp, Gary and Kathy Jones, Sandra Everson, Art and Nina Grobben, Marti Rosenstiel and Melissa Kahee met at the Grobbens to begin brainstorming projects that we could submit. Three projects came immediately to mind; a recycling station, community garden and an address identification project with the volunteer fire dept.

Marti Rosenstiel and Melissa Kahee have begun investigating the possibility of a recycling center for profit to provide jobs for students and disabled/handicapped workers. It is just in its infancy stage but the following are the ideas submitted for a three-year project:
· Begin a Recycle Center
· Educate the community and school
· Develop a volunteer base
· Develop mentoring program with the school (JR/SR Projects)
· Create Job opportunities for students/disabled/seniors
· Create a Recycle Web Site for local classified ads
· Build a Recyclable Building Supply Center
· Clearing house for tearing down structures

The Community Garden is forging ahead, but some of our ideas for an Americorps*VISTA in this project are as follows:
· Identify End Users of the garden produce
· Develop Volunteer base
· Identify and apply for grants to fence, build greenhouse, etc.
· Develop mentoring program with the school (JR/SR Projects)
· Identify possible partners beyond the school
· Develop ongoing educational program for the school
· Seed Saving Program
· Develop and identify plants hardy to our area
· Plant starts from the greenhouse to sell to the community
· Educate and develop bio-intensive gardening methods
· Survey community on knowledge/needs/volunteers/etc.

The Volunteer Fire Dept. project idea was for the development of a sign identification program. Our firefighters have a difficult time locating fires and emergencies due to the lack of proper signage on driveways in the outlying areas. A similar program was started in Newport and with grants and selling of signs it has been sustainable. At this time we have no one within the Fire Dept willing to take the lead on this project. We were looking to partner with the Northport Volunteer Fire Dept. and Fire District 11 (Onion Creek) to work on this project simultaneously. At this point it looks like Fire District 11 might submit an Americorps*VISTA project of their own. We will gladly assist them in anyway we can.

2009-04-11T14:55:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Northport in historically rich northeastern Washington. Northport is located on the magnificent Columbia River. Northport was a wild west boom town. Kuk’s Tavern, opened in 1888, is still in business and claims to be the oldest tavern in Washington state. Today Northport is a quiet town with about 340 residents. It is surrounded by some of the most beautiful country in the world. Northport is an outdoorsman's dream with year around recreation. We invite you to visit our beautiful part of the world.

Northport Community Preservation and Restoration Introduction Letter

2009-03-05T14:47:00.000-08:00

February 20, 2009

Hello,

We would like to take this opportunity to introduce ourselves. Northport Community Preservation and Restoration (NCPR) was created in May of 2008 through the commitment and perseverance of a group of community members. As NCPR we are committed to:

Building relationships and partnerships between Town Council, Northport Schools and existing groups in our community and other communities to educate, improve infrastructure and our economy.
Focus on community leadership, identifying and developing the activities of citizens to strengthen and move our community forward.
Build a foundation of success under the youth that they would not continue in the cycle of poverty of previous generations.

Our mission statement is to “Empower the community with leadership skills, to enhance the quality of life and sustain a healthy community”. At this time we have partnered with:

The Town of Northport on a RCO Boat Launch/Facilities improvement grant. It was applied for in 2008, awarded in November and will begin construction in the summer of 2009.
The Northport School District to host a community informational meeting on the School Levy.
The Northport Chamber of Commerce in building a website (www.northportwa.us) to promote the town, area and businesses of Northport.
Ecliptixnet/USDA to bring high speed Internet to Northport along with a community center.
The Northport Chamber of Commerce, Men of Valor Ranch and the Northport Community to host an annual town cleanup and beautification, which is going into its third year.
Men of Valor Ranch for graffiti removal on the Frazier’s Mill Building

Our goals for the future are:

To establish relationships with the existing organizations in town in order to assist in furthering the sustainability of our community.
We are awaiting the finalization of our 501C3 status from the IRS in order to be a conduit to funnel funds to educate and improve infrastructure in our community.
Addressing the needs from the Senior Surveys, including helping to establish transportation to Colville/Spokane.
Work with AmeriCorp/Vista to establish a mentoring program for the youth working in the following areas: community garden, recycling center, and fire department.
Continue to seek partnerships to expand on the USDA Community Center footprint to include the Steven’s County Rural Library, Community Colleges of Spokane, Bethel Youth/Senior Center, Business Incubator with TED and more.
The continuation of P.A. Jarre Jarret’s goal of educating the community on health related issues such as obesity, diabetes, drugs and alcohol.

We welcome your input, concerns, suggestions and involvement. Community members are welcome to attend our meetings, which are held the Thursday following the monthly City Council meetings. We meet at City Hall in the American Legion/Volunteer Fire Dept. room at 9:30 am. Please let us know how we can assist you as we all move forward to see Northport become a healthy and thriving community.

Respectfully Submitted,

Northport Community Preservation and Restoration (NCPR)

NCPR Board and members: Gary Jones, Art Grobben, Rebecca Middlesworth, Nina Grobben, Cindy Knapp, Sandi Everson, Kathy Jones, John Corcoran and Ed Nichols

Northport Community Preservation and Restoration
P.O. Box 967 * Northport, WA 99157

www.northportcpr.org

NCPR and Northport Chamber of Commerce Work Together for Northport

2008-12-30T13:38:00.000-08:00

Continuing our fight against poverty and encouragement of business visability and tourism, members of Northport Community Preservation and Restoration (NCPR) and the Northport Chamber of Commerce(NCofC) participated in a hands on class to redesign and implement the Northport Chamber of Commerce Web Site. Brendon Michael Hall, a web savy relative, worked with 9 community members to create the site using Dreamweaver and Fireworks. The maintenance of the website will be left to the Chamber of Commerce. The web site is scheduled to Go Live by 1/5/09. The address is http://www.northportwa.us/

The class was squeezed into the holiday break. Designing a web site "by committee" is sometimes a challenge, but we perservered. The new web site should serve the needs of tourists and locals alike with local business information along with vacation ideas and resources.

Art and Nina Grobben hosted us. Nina provided LOTs of Coffee, goodies and lunch. Art even took off my tire chains!

Thanks go to our hosts, Art and Nina, and to Brendon for making himself available to support us.

2008-12-10T14:25:00.000-08:00

NCPR Brings Community Together for Schools

2008-12-10T08:55:00.000-08:00

Poverty comes in many forms. The higher fuel prices and few local jobs have moved more families out of the area. The fewer children and a mandate from the state governor to cut 10% from the already stretched budget has created a financial decision point for our schools.

Last night Mr. Baribault's 5th grade classroom had standing room only. More than 50 people from the school district got together to discuss the upcoming school levy. The audience included school board members, teachers, staff, volunteers, parents, grandparents and other community members. Mrs. Guglielmino, Northport Schools District superintendent and principal, gave us a comprehensive presentation about the history of the school district and the choices for the future. The community then discussed options and a levy committee was started.

NCPR had a couple of pivotal roles in this. Sandi Everson, NCPR member, worked extensively with Share Marks, financial director of the school, Mrs. Guglielmino, and Julie Simmons, administrator of the school district, to create the PowerPoint presentation. Nina Grobben, NCPR treasurer, called over 900 phone numbers to invite the community to have a part in the discussion. Nina also provided a beautiful drinks and snack station.

Big THANKS! go out to Mrs. G, Share, Julie, Sandi, Nina and any others I am not aware of that helped put this together.

Northport Horizon History/NCPR

2008-11-20T19:46:00.000-08:00

To view the history of our Horizon Project and the transition to NCPR go to http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dcsw7397_40dg79wjhk

4-H Mentoring Program

2008-07-24T15:26:00.000-07:00

Three adults received training as 4-H leaders from WSU Stevens County Extension 4-H educators recently as they explored the idea of forming a 4-H club as part of the Youth Mentoring Project. It looks like we will start a 4-H club!!!

An additional training will be scheduled for September. If you are interested in attending please contact Sandi at 732-8847.

NCPR Meetings

2008-07-24T15:08:00.000-07:00

Thank you to Northport City Council!! We are now able to hold our meetings for NCPR (formerly Horizons) free of charge at Town Hall. This is a great partnership as we work together on projects to benefit the community.

Grant Application

2008-07-17T15:12:00.000-07:00

Community members are working tirelessly on a application for dock upgrades. Our current dock and recreation area could be greatly improved with additional funding, making the area more attractive users and tourists. We have beautiful and usable spot!

They have met with the Recreation and Conservation Organization and have a grant manager they are working very closely with, who is advising and assisting in the preparation of the grant.

LeadershipPlenty

2008-06-15T15:38:00.000-07:00

Over the past school year 24 High School students attended and completed LeadershipPlenty as an elective during school. The course was taught by a youth trained in the LeadershipPlenty curriculum as part of the Horizons project.

Northport Community Preservation and Restoration

2008-06-15T13:04:00.000-07:00

The Horizons Steering Committee is undergoing a transformation. This dedicated group of volunteers are in the process of becoming a recognized non-profit called Northport Community Preservation and Restoration.

Our mission will be to empower the community with leadership skills to enhance the quality of life and sustain a healthy community. The group will build relationships with existing groups to education, create infrastructure, and improve the economy. As we look for grants one focus will be to fund projects to combat poverty.

Updating Chambers Website

2008-06-01T12:18:00.000-07:00

The Northport Horizons group is offering computer classes, including building, designing, and maintaining websites. Please contact Sandi at 732-8847 if interested.

In partnership with the Northport Chamber of Commerce, we will be revamping the community website.

USDA/Ecliptixnet Highspeed Internet Grant

2008-05-25T12:00:00.000-07:00

Remember the informational meeting last fall about getting a grant for high speed internet access??? The town has been selected!!! This grant will provide our town with a small community center and 1o computers for use, especially by those who do not have access otherwise. The grant also provides high speed internet to Northport and opens up opportunity for homebased businesses, online classes for furthering education, and the possibility of expanding a call center job location for our town and decreasing existing commute times.

WSU Students in Northport

2008-04-28T11:30:00.000-07:00

Ten Washington State University students presented an assembly to all the High School students on April 21. The spoke about going to college and how to make it happen. They talked about admissions, financial aid, and opportunities to take advatage of while in college. High School students were able to interact with and ask questions of the WSU students. Several students came up after the assembly to ask questions personal questions. This opportunity to interact with WSU students made college seem more real and possible.

WSU Service Learning Project

2008-04-24T11:42:00.000-07:00

A group of 25 Washington State University Human Development students worked with the Northport Youth Mentoring Horizons group to develop a life skills curriculum that can be used in an high school elective course. The curriculum includes information on applying to post secondary education, writing resumes, financial aid, and more. They also did some fundraising and donated $400 to the school. The money can be used to buy materials to supplement the curriculum.

The school is planning to integrate the curriculum into a leadership course this fall.

2nd Annual Town Clean Up

2008-04-07T12:11:00.000-07:00

The second annual town clean up will be held April 20 and 22!!! New this year is our partnership with Chamber of Commerce. We hope to lift a few of the faces ofpoverty...depression, lack of self-worth and self-pride helping people unbury themselves and give them a starting point again. Breaking the patterns of behavior and lack of caring.

Remember last year when we rid the town of over 15 tons of trash, recycled 478 pounds of aluminum cans and 177 vehicle batteries??? Let's do it again.

Grant Writing Workshop

2008-03-03T14:58:00.000-08:00

Wow! Over 30 people attended the two-day Grant Writing Workshop held in February at the school. We now have a whole group of potential grant writers just waiting for a grant to write. Do you have any ideas?

We have built capacity among our citizens to seek funding for projects that will reduce poverty.

Town Signs

2008-02-20T15:24:00.000-08:00

Don't forget you can find out about the latest meetings and events by watching for the information at each end of town.

These signs were put up by the Horizons group to make sure everyone had a chance to find out about upcoming events.

What Horizons did in 2007...

2008-01-23T15:45:00.000-08:00

Here are some of things a committed group of volunteers accomplished in 2007

Community event signs
LeadershipPlenty being taught in the high school
A community-wide clean up
High speed internet access
Increased communication within the community

November 29 Community Visioning

2007-12-10T15:07:00.000-08:00

Wow! Over 50 people attended the Community Visioning Meeting. Three groups met to work on plans for the top three concerns identified in the community survey.

The largest group was the group working on plans to Improve the Economy. The two areas they focused on were tourism opportunities and shopping local.

Youth Activities was the next group. They would like to provide youth mentoring programs in Northport.

And the third group focused on More and Better Jobs. They are hoping to provide classes for current and potential business owners.

Let's Start Blogging

2007-07-31T22:54:00.000-07:00

Hello Northport!

It is time to get with the times and begin blogging!!

At this site you can enter information and have fellow neighbors, friends and loved ones respond to your entrys on the BLOG site.

Have fun!

Making progress!

2007-04-11T11:28:00.000-07:00

Northport is shining with hope and an awakened sense of who we are.

2004-08-06T01:37:00.000-07:00

2004-08-06T01:35:00.000-07:00

2004-08-06T01:34:00.001-07:00