Amador County – Ione City Council last week received a report of a grant-funded workshop by a national group helping pool local efforts to preserve the city and county. The council heard about the “Your Town” workshop, one of a handful held across the country this year with grants through “Your Town: The Citizens’ Institute on Rural Design.”

Local consultant Renee Chapman helped get the grant for the “Amador Regional Design Workshop,” which in August drew an average of 52 participants.

Chapman in a report said the workshop goal was “to collaboratively explore and discuss ways to enhance Amador County’s economic and community development through design.”

Part of the workshop was the Ione Community Program. Ione City Manager Kim Kerr said 14 people from Ione attended.

Three separate projects related to design for downtown Ione were selected by the group, and “intended to educate and inform the public about Ione and attract visitors.”

One project is to install “specialty plaques on historic properties.” It would identify 14 historic landmarks in the city, and could be incorporated into a walking tour, with plaques or signs giving brief history and showing photos of original buildings.

Another project identified would create murals in the downtown district. Chapman said the group liked the project because it could “add more murals on sides of buildings” to “tell the story of the history of Ione.” The workshop identified some buildings that could be locations for new murals downtown.

A third project would build an “iconic sign” or arch for Ione, to identify and illustrate city history and “serve as a welcome to anyone coming into town.”

Projects identified work plans that included gathering community support, identifying funding and making decisions on themes and the like.

Kerr said the workshop also made clear the value of trees, and showed how fast food restaurants can gauge their design to match a city’s preferences and architecture.

The workshop drew planners, staff and interested people from cities, Amador County government, and the county at large. Chapman said the attendees were productive, and the format was creative. She said the workshop actually had attendees designing things on paper by drawing pictures, so they all saw the same thing.

Kerr said there will be more information coming back at that next workshop in February.

Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.