Pie and Ideas

Things got off to a rough start for us Tuesday night at the Dessert and Design event held at the Corsica Grade School. Thanks to the school district’s janitorial staff and Mr. Muckey for helping us get our disaster averted. For most attendees, it jus tmeant we got off to a bit of a late start. That just meant more time to eat pie and ice cream from Cheryl’s Bakery and the Travel Plaza! (Mucho gracias to Sylvia and Birdie for organizing and serving!!)

We introduced folks to some of the design:SD team members, talked about how the whole event will work in May, and about who will be coming. We’re still looking for a few more families willing to host a team member or two from May 16-19 (three nights). You won’t even need to feed them, just provide a bed and some hospitality. If you’re interested in opening your home to the team, contact Rose Lauck.

We heard from the CHS senior class on their survey of the community and involvement with the design:SD project, and started the local “Photo Relay” project. We also put people to work on Tuesday night. We brainstormed and shared visions for the future of the Corsica region. The 60-plus people in attendance split into eight teams, and came up with ideas like:

• a new daycare and preschool,
• an ethnic festival,
• entrepreneurial (how to start a local business) classes in local schools,
• build a wind farm,
• area towns working together
  
• improving the gateways into Corsica,
• start a come back home campaign to former residents,
• an indoor swimming pool and outdoor water park,
• new residential and entertainment development at Corsica Lake,
• replacing old homes with new affordable housing,
• make Corsica a horse owners’ vacation destination,
• build a bike/walking trail around town,
• rethink zoning in Douglas county,
• celebrate local heritage/history,

and my personal favorite:

• build the new water tower in the shape of a wooden shoe.

These are just a few, and just a start. We (the design:SD team) will use what we’ve learned from residents of the Corsica region to organize the charrette (click here to learn what hte heck a “charrette” is) in May. To see the full schedule for May 16-19, when 25-plus volunteer design and community development professionals will come to teh Corsica region, click here.

Thanks for a great turnout.

Joe Bartmann
Rural Learning Center

PS- I used a slide the other night with a picture of “Carnac the Magnificent” (played by Johnny Carson on the Tonight Show). For those who are too young to get the joke, here’s a link with video of the real Carnac. (thanks to Lindsey for the link)