Horizons Communities Benefit from University of Idaho Interns
Friday, September 26th, 2008Interdisciplinary Partnership Sparks Economic Hope in Bovill, Rural Idaho Towns
MOSCOW, Idaho – The impoverished northern Idaho town of Bovill had a grim future due to years of economic struggle, but this summer Angie Vanhoozer took it upon herself to create ideas that will help the community thrive.
“After meeting the residents, I learned that Bovill is a community with a desire to make a comeback,” she said. “I discovered it has a lot of potential, from both a historic and recreational standpoint, and I created ideas that the residents could implement to revitalize their community.”
Vanhoozer is one of seven University of Idaho students that are helping rural Idaho communities plan for the future in an interdisciplinary approach that integrates education and community research.
The University of Idaho Extension Horizons Program, a program funded by the Northwest Area Foundation that aims to reduce poverty in northern Idaho communities through leadership development, collaborated with the College of Art and Architecture’s new Bioregional Planning Program, a university and community partnership that addresses the needs of Idaho’s growing population and development. Together, they offer internship opportunities that focus on sustainable community development in impoverished northern Idaho communities.
“These internship opportunities represent the best of what can happen when two very different colleges collaborate,” said Stephen Drown, chair of the Department of Landscape Architecture.
Interns worked to design projects that facilitated change within the community, and to provide ideas the residents themselves could sustain into the future. The projects included an oral history project in Cottonwood, design solutions for a community center in Stites and designs for a whitewater park in Cascade.
Vanhoozer, who earned a master’s degree in landscape architecture, created nine community development concepts for Bovill. Her ideas ranged from projects as simple as installing and repainting the town’s welcome signs to complex projects, such as renovating the desolate community opera house.
“Many people drive right through Bovill without taking the time to stop and see what it has to offer,” she said. “I responded to community feedback, and created ideas that the people easily could use for short-term and long-term development.”
In terms of short-term solutions, Vanhoozer said that landscaping and adding a fresh coat of paint to the “Welcome to Bovill” signs already has increased the town’s aesthetics. She also brought a proposal to the Bovill City Council to renovate the town’s early 1900s opera house.
“The 5,000 square foot opera house has been vacant for about 30 years, and the good news is that it still is salvageable. This facility is something the community already has, and with enough funding, this project could really boost their economic situation,” said Vanhoozer.
Along with other long-term ideas, Vanhoozer said the town would benefit from opening a new small business, such as a coffee shop, to attract visitors
Not only did Vanhoozer’s work in Bovill inspire the town’s community, but the community inspired her to make the Bovill project her case study for her doctoral studies in environmental science.
“I hope the interns’ work inspires the campus community to find different ways to look at the places in which we live,” she said. “These rural towns benefit from university resources and ideas since they can’t afford to hire private land planning consultants.”
Drown said the interdisciplinary partnerships, which made these internships possible, show the positive effects of the strategic changes at the University of Idaho. “It is important that faculty, professors and students work across borders to provide a human approach in preserving and sustaining communities within our region,” he said.
Student project areas include:
Bovill: Angie Vanhoozer, a graduate student in environmental science and landscape architecture from Twin Falls, proposed plans to renovate the Bovill Opera House, installed community welcome signs, and designed landscape concepts for town parks and roadsides.
Cascade: Jesson Buster, a senior in landscape architecture, worked on design options for a whitewater rafting facility and surrounding landscape area.
Coeur d’Alene Reservation/Plummer: Iris Mayes, a graduate student in landscape architecture from Moscow, continued a spring semester project on tribal housing.
Grangeville: Molly Green, a general studies major from Grangeville, worked on a recreation program for community youth.
Cottonwood: Cody Gehring, a senior history major from Cottonwood, in conjunction with Two Degree Northwest, a University of Idaho Extension program that aims to create a place based economy in northern Idaho and eastern Washington towns, worked on an oral history and folklore project for surrounding communities.
St. Maries: Kristi Overfelt worked with St. Maries to help build their parks and recreation dept., by researching tax districts to support parks and rec programs.
Stites: Hanna Perrson, a graduate student in bioregional planning and community design, designed solutions for the Stites Community Center.
For more information about the Bioregional Planning Program, contact Stephen Drown at (208) 885-7902 or srdrown@uidaho.edu, or visit www.bioregionalplanning.uidaho.edu. For more information about the Horizons Community Leadership Program, contact Debbie Gray at (208) 885-4017 or dgray@uidaho.edu, or visit http://extension.ag.uidaho.edu/horizons.