Boulder Community Development Forum
Meeting Notes: Boulder Community Development Forum.
February 6, 2006
A wonderful pot luck dinner was enjoyed by all.
The meeting was chaired by Eric F. who did a quick review of the activities and accomplishments resulting from the activities of this group (Formerly: The Local Economy Forum) last year.
The Friends of the Library:
This was by far the most successful offshoot of this group.
Accomplishment included:
1. Continuation of Saturday and Wednesday hours; a trial of Tues. evening hours was discontinued due to lack of interest.
2. A core of dedicated volunteers was established.
3. Saturday afternoon readings developed into a general “show and tell” including other media.
4. Wednesday noon story reading were established for children from the school.
5. Tutoring has been provided by Diane for some students.
6. There is an on-going book club meeting the last Tuesday of each month.
7. The library had a fall cookout and a Christmas celebration.
Future plans and challenges:
1. Spring clean-up for the library and town hall.
2. The possibility of applying for a grant to video tape long term residents of Boulder for stories of town and people.
3. Community scrapbook.
4. Soliciting books, volunteers and $.
Community Food orders:
Accomplishments:
1. A program of bulk orders for dry goods was started this year. A notice is periodically listed on bulletin boards by the library and at Hills and Hollows calling for orders.
Future plans:
1. Fresh produce orders are problematic due to the need to organize a 15 case minimum order.
BAAA (Boulder Animal Agricultural Assoc.):
Progress: A group organized around the desire to have a local cow for raw milk production. Although there is a family that offered to maintain the animal and produce milk, they have other priorities at this time (building a new home) and have yet to start this project. This project is still viable and in the works.
Local Agriculture Initiatives: This was this most significant topic of the evening. Several considerations were discussed including:
1. Many fields in town were once used to grow alfalfa but now lie fallow. How can this land be brought back into production?
2. Local concern with agriculture that began with the food buyers’ coop last year is now moving toward attention to local production for local consumption and sale outside the area. Who would work these fields, maintain irrigation, etc.? What crops would be profitable?
3. Possible items for local production include garlic, beef, wool, and crops for production of Bio-Diesel. Finding connections with outside organizations (ex. Gary Young of Young Living Essential Oils) for things such as Lavender might provide a market. There is a possibility of connecting with indigenous peoples (Hopi) was discussed as a means of obtaining seeds of native plants for food items.
Bio-Diesel: Communities across the country are beginning to develop B.D. infrastructure. Hills and Hollows could be a local source for B.D. fuel if there was a local demand. Ted Wells (a local land owner who lives in Idaho) is involved in organic gardening and bio-diesel.
Challenges: How to change the local mind-set to use fields for growing a different crop? Who would do the work of farming and coordination? A press would be needed to extract oils from whatever crop was grown.
Garden Club: Last year the garden club was part of the general discussion, but did not become a consistently functional group. This could be a valuable component of local agriculture. Suggestions for use of this group included:
1. Long time gardeners from this area could assist new-comers in adjusting to local growing conditions.
2. Local seed development through “open pollination” with seed saving and sharing mechanisms.
3. Trying seeds developed for high and dry environments. Maintaining heirloom or seeds adapted for local conditions; two sources are “Native Seed Search” and “Seeds of Change”.
4. Garden tours can be organized with notices posted by e-mail, www.boulderutah.com and the local bulletin boards (Post Office/Hills & Hollows). This is a good method of sharing successful gardening techniques.
We welcome your minutes and meeting notices
E-Mail: info@boulderutah.com
The Boulder Business Alliance | Boulder Utah
84716 | www.boulderutah.com
