Naches takes a look into the future

Residents, community leaders gather to develop common vision for town
by Mark Morey
Yakima Herald-Republic

Links
Email_black_18  E-mail           Print_black_18  Print            Talk_black_18  Comments
Advertisement

More 'Local'

  1. New concept and new look planned for State Fair Park
  2. Volunteer judges offer to ease backlog of civil court cases
  3. Hitchhiker? DNA leads to husband
  4. Home custody escapee back in jail
  5. Mabton mayor pushes to hire Selah ex-police chief
  6. Account to benefit Dale Carpenter
  7. Sunnyside hires firm to find new manager
More Stories:   Today's News | This Week

 

NACHES, Wash. -- Naches is already a great place, but more could be done and relationships between various entities could be improved with better communication and coordination.

That was the focus of a meeting Thursday night to discuss creating a common vision for the community west of Yakima along U.S. Highway 12.

Audience members suggested that the town could do more to capitalize on its role as a gateway to prime outdoor recreation opportunities, including hunting, fishing and skiing.

They tossed out a variety of ideas such as building a stadium, holding a family movie night in the park and organizing cleanup days.

Barbara Blanchard, pastor of the Church of Nazarene in Naches, said she enjoys living in Naches since moving there from Yakima eight years ago.

Blanchard said the church has held a community Christmas tree lighting for the past three years as a way to draw residents together.

She said she hopes the meeting will prompt others to become more involved.

"I hope it will bring the community together and they will work together to change this town," Blanchard said.

Formerly known for logging and farming, the Naches area still has a significant number of popular roadside fruit stands, as well as a strip of businesses bordering the highway and in downtown.

Naches also serves as a commercial center for the Nile and Wenas valleys and as a bedroom community for Yakima.

About 50 people -- representing businesses, City Hall, the Naches Valley School and several service organizations attended the session at the Cleman's View Sports Park, just east of town.

The meeting was similar to one held last month in Tieton, where the discussion focused more on economic development.

John McGowan, a member of the Naches Lions Club, organized Thursday's meeting in hopes of creating what he called a "community unity partnership."

He said that differences between service organizations have sometimes distracted from efforts to improve Naches.

"We get farther if we move down the road together," he said.

Mayor Eric Wolfe said he believes that the different entities are working on various objectives to improve Naches, although differences and personality conflicts are occasionally unavoidable.

Overall, the town is doing better economically than some surrounding communities, he said.

McGowan said he plans to announce another meeting for January.

Updates will be posted at www.nachesvalleychamber.com.



Commentsicon2
Posted by Joice at 11/13/09 08:31AM        Post ID#: #17990

Maybe the council and the mayor needs to look at getting rid of the town administrator. That would avoid a lot of personality conflict.

Report Violation
Posted by Archi at 11/13/09 09:25PM        Post ID#: #18085

I've been a long time believer that the towns of Naches, Tieton, and the community of Cowiche should unite or atleast mull over the idea and see if a communion of the areas could produce something that would benefit the whole area. We're only 2 to 3 miles apart.

Report Violation
Log in or Register to leave a comment.

Posting Guidelines - Updated Aug. 21 2009
Readers are encouraged to use these forums to discuss issues affecting the Yakima Valley. Debate the ideas presented in stories and other comments, but refrain from personal attacks and offensive remarks aimed at others; e.g., you may call an idea idiotic, but don't say the person is an idiot. The Herald-Republic reserves the right to remove any comment for any reason. Examples include material that is obscene, encourages illegal activity or stereotypes based on race, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs and other factors. Continued violation of these guidelines can lead to suspension or revocation of your ability to post comments. If you believe a comment is inappropriate, you can bring it to our attention by clicking the "report violation" link by each comment. Guidelines revised Aug. 21, 2009.

Registered User?