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January 15, 2002
By Janelle Holden Ordinary citizens can make a difference. That’s the refrain repeated by a small group of Dolores residents whose mission is to improve the area, and who are looking for new recruits. "Anybody can be a change agent. Anybody can make things happen; it’s not as daunting as people think it is," said Marianne Mate, the chairperson of Greater Dolores Action, a not-for profit organization that has changed the face of Dolores over the past few years. Since its inception in 1995, GDA has finished projects ranging from town-park improvements to providing the basis for the Dolores Land Use Code. For its action plan, the organization received the governor’s Smart Growth Award in 1998. "The initial reason we started is that there were grants through the Forest Service for various community projects, but a town would have to have an action plan in order to apply for the grant," explained vice-chairperson Linda Robinson. An action plan, said Robinson, was the group’s document that listed various projects, what the needs were in the town, what the goals and resources were for each project, and then what the gaps would be that the grant might be able to meet. But it hasn’t been as easy as just writing a grant. The group had to persuade the community and Dolores Town Board that a citizens’ group could make a difference. "I think the main concern really at that time was from the town and the town-board members who asked, "Why should we give them money to write grants? Why can’t we just write grants?’" explained Mate, who said the group convinced the board by pointing out that they had the energy, enthusiasm, commitment, and expertise to do work that a small-town staff did not have time for. "You just have to stay after it," advised Mate, adding that that is especially true if you’re working with any form of government, because even if they tell you no, attitudes and people can change. Because of its broad vision, the organization’s members can pursue a range of projects, basically whatever piques their interest and fits with the organization’s mission and vision. "People work on things that they want to work on — they don’t get involved in things where they want to be in the spotlight, typically," said Mate. For instance, Mate was instrumental in helping the town acquire Joe Rowell Park from the Forest Service, and even traveled to Washington, D.C., to testify in front of Congress. Robinson helped complete fish-habitat improvements on the section of the Dolores River that runs past Riverside Park, as well as improvements to the park itself through a Fishing is Fun grant from the Colorado Division of Wildlife. And one member, Wendy Mimiaga, is helping to build a playground in Joe Rowell Park this year, which recently was awarded a $100,000 grant from Great Outdoors Colorado. But according to Mate and Robinson, all of this was accomplished by ordinary people. "We’re just people who got in there and did it," said Robinson. "I didn’t know anything before I got involved in GDA and it helped me to become a much better community member," said Mate. Not only has the town benefited, but the county as well. It was a GDA workshop on land conservation that helped start the Montezuma Land Conservancy, and Robinson said that joining GDA could be an opportunity to "make huge differences" in the community. "We in the Dolores community want to sustain our small-mountain-community atmosphere. We want to enhance and beautify the community with projects and recreational opportunities that harmonize with our small-town character, heritage and the natural environment. We should seek complementary development, find appropriate places for different types of development and manage growth where necessary. We should improve communication and encourage everyone to be involved, responsible citizens," reads the GDA vision statement. Now the group is looking to revive community interest. It will host a meeting on Jan. 30 at 5:30 p.m. at the Dolores Bookstore and Coffee House for anyone interested in working on a project. "This year we need to reinvigorate the group or we’re not going to survive," said Mate. The group has a goal list that they hope will attract new participants. The list includes:
"Our idea is to have it before town-board elections so that people can keep tabs on who is really interested," said Robinson.
A second Fishing is Fun project that GDA has already applied for would provide trail improvement from the Dolores post office boundary to the middle of Sixth Street. The group would like to extend the existing river trail around the sewer-treatment facility over the old cemetery. Fish-habitat improvements would also be completed in the section of the Dolores River from the Fourth Street Bridge to Lost Canyon. Mate said the organization is interested in ideas to develop more trails throughout the area.
For information on GDA, call Marianne Mate at 882-4899. |
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