By CHERYL ROMANO/YachatsNews
YACHATS — As the downtown core blooms with visitors and flowers, not many people realize that the bountiful daffodils and decorative shrubs along U.S. Highway 101 have an unlikely origin — construction mess.
The mess stemmed from the installation of sidewalks and bike lanes in 2017, a project of the Oregon Department Of Transportation. Intended to make it safer and easier to walk and bike in Yachats, the improvement was mostly welcome — but not so the construction debris left in its wake.
“After the sidewalks were done, the area looked like crap,” remembers Shelly Shrock.
Bare earth pocked with gravel, tar and discards dulled Yachats’ image as the “Gem of the Oregon Coast.” Joan Davies, city manager at the time, “got someone to donate lots of flats of pansies, and a lot of people showed up to plant them” for that year’s Fourth of July celebration, says Shrock.
The next year, inspired by an idea from her friend Rose Valentine, the duo dug in. They got to work tidying up the dirt strips lining the west side of the highway, and recruiting others to “adopt” various beds. Shrock became the de facto leader of the group.
As volunteers paid out of their own funds for plants and materials, Shrock felt compelled to inform the city council of the effort.
“The council said all the plants should be the same. I said no, ‘This is Yachats’,” Shrock says now. “We agreed that all the wood bark would be the same, and that the city would pay for that.”
Grant money, volunteer labor
Since then, the city has paid out some $4,000 for beautification, all carried out by volunteers. The funds came from a grant tied to the sidewalks project. The work included a major “terracing” job on the big strip between West Third and Fourth streets, including gravel removal, installation of pressure-treated boards, soil, plants — including 600 daffodil bulbs and numerous heathers — and wood bark.
“It’s a beautiful display of volunteer efforts,” says city manager Heide Lambert. “What is exciting about Shelly is, this was a need she saw, she took initiative, and she’s led this for years now.”
For those who might have a related beautification project in mind, Lambert advises “Anybody can propose a project to the city. If the cost is less than $5,000, I have the authority to approve it and push it forward.” Projects above $5,000 may go through the city’s Capital Improvement Plan process.
Shrock notes that Lambert (like her predecessor, Shannon Beaucaire), has been supportive of her group’s work.
“I don’t think people realize how long it takes to do all this,” says the former massage therapist and computer operator, who is also a board member emeritus of View the Future, a local land conservancy non-profit. “That one section between Third and Fourth streets took at least four years.”
While many of the beds adopted by volunteers for beautification are small, the big ones like the stretch in front of the Sea Note restaurant and Midtown Guitar are daunting. Another big area is in front of C&K Market.
“I knew no one was going to adopt that, so I contacted the owners of that center, Jerry Clark and Cheryl Templin,” Shrock said. “Rose and I showed them a diagram of what we wanted to do with that area, and they said ‘Go for it.’ They have paid for everything that has gone into that big area.”
While Shrock is the leader of what’s called the “Highway 101 Beautification Project,” she’s quick to credit all the other volunteers who pitch in, especially a reliable core group. “I can put out an email saying I want to do some weeding, and they’re there. They’re amazing.”
That core group includes Valentine (who also volunteers at the Yachats Library), Michael Hempen (who also volunteers with View the Future, plus the Parks & Commons Commission), husband Dean Shrock (who also serves on the Parks & Commons Commission), Sharon Christensen, Lynn Schellhase, and Mary and Phil Lumley.
“Shelly really organized the whole thing,” says Valentine, who has an impressive garden on her home property. While the volunteers are stooping and kneeling to mulch, fertilize, plant, water and weed the beds, passers-by inevitably comment on the work.
Happy people
“It makes people happy and joyful to see a place that’s taken care of and loved,” says Valentine. “If we’re together in a group, they see we’re not city employees, and they always thank us.”
Hempen said when they’re out working “people frequently stop to say thanks. Almost everybody demonstrates some kind of appreciation; we get lots of great support.”
While volunteers drop in and out of the project, Shrock’s leadership is like plant food that keeps things going and growing. “When Shelly sets her mind to something, pretty much it’s going to get done,” said Hempen. “She’s so organized, so damned likable, it’s hard to say no to her.”
The look of tended plant beds along heavily-used pedestrian areas “sends a message that people care,” says Hempen. “It demonstrates that Yachats is a strong volunteer community, without doubt.”
To those who might be interested in joining the project, Hempen advises, “It’s not just doing the work; it’s a social event, building relationships.” Typically after working for two to three hours, “most of us go over to the Green Salmon, have coffee and treats. It’s fun.”
For her part, Shrock has two messages, one specific and one general. Specifically: “What I want people to understand is that the main reason we’re working so much in front of the Sea Note and Midtown Guitar has nothing to do with the businesses or the city. It’s a big stretch of land and I want it to look beautiful.”
Her general message: “This whole town runs on volunteerism. I want our town to look beautiful.”
Anyone interested in joining the project may email her at Shelly@DeanShrock.com
- Cheryl Romano is a Yachats freelance reporter who contributes regularly to YachatsNews.com. She can be reached at Wordsell@gmail.com
It’s folks like this, with their enthusiasm and dedication, that make such a difference. Many thanks to you all.
Great job, Shelly and crew … very much appreciated, Yachats volunteers.
cheers and thanks to these lovely people