Morrow County was recently recognized for its transportation equity project, which culminated in the fixed route of the Loop buses earlier this year.
According to a July press release from the county, Oregon’s statewide advisory committee on equitable community engagement, the Community Involvement Advisory Committee, has awarded the Most Outstanding Project — Small Jurisdiction: Achievement in Community Engagement Award to Morrow County and its partners who researched and developed the report, “Rural Transportation Equity in Morrow County.”
The Achievement in Community Engagement — or ACE — Award recognizes organizations and individuals who have actively promoted and implemented the values of Oregon’s Statewide Planning Goal 1 through an outstanding community engagement strategy. All projects recognized with an ACE Award make innovative use of resources, build partnerships across and throughout the community, and intentionally engage historically marginalized and underserved communities.
This project’s goal was to better understand the challenges of community members who live and work in Morrow County,” said Daniel Paul Costie, assistant professor of public administration at Eastern Oregon University and lead author of the report, in the release.
The research team consisted of Morrow County, Euvalcree, Rural Engagement and Vitality Center and EOU.
“Under my supervision, and with feedback and guidance from Morrow County and Euvalcree, two outstanding students created a survey, which was then distributed by the research partners,” Costie said in the release. “We then analyzed the data for key themes, then drafted the report based on the findings.”
The press release said the CIAC was impressed by the following project elements: using demographics to understand the audience and coordination with existing community-based organizations to reach them; meeting community members where they were; coordination with Eastern Oregon University for survey development and analysis; and consideration of and future aspiration to update Morrow County’s Goal 1 plan to accommodate less traditional modalities in community engagement.
‘An ongoing commitment’
Tamra Mabbott, Morrow County planning director, said in the release her department submitted the application for the ACE Award on behalf of the organizations involved “because we felt strongly that they deserved recognition for this amazing contribution to our county.” Mabbott added that the groups involved learned a lot from the process, especially since they received high community engagement.
“The CIAC is thrilled to recognize Morrow County and their partners with this award,” said CIAC Chair Leah Rausch in the press release. “Rural engagement is a challenge, and Morrow County succeeded in ways that demonstrate an ongoing commitment to the work.”
Morrow County in 2023 received a grant through the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development to study ways to engage traditionally underserved community members to identify opportunities to improve access to transit. The county planning department’s vision also sought to learn how to engage traditionally underserved populations with planning.
DLCD transit planner Madeline Phillips engaged directly with EOU and the REV Center program staff and set up a technical advisory committee made up of businesses, special districts and the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, which provides free transit services throughout the region.
In the spring of 2024, after receiving community feedback on transportation needs through the survey, Morrow County launched a fixed route bus system in Boardman, called the Loop, that provides transportation for employees living in Morrow County who work at companies in and around the Port of Morrow. The survey results also provided insight the county’s planning department will also use in the 2024 Heritage Trail plan update.
Partners in the project included Morrow County Planning Department, Eastern Oregon University, the Rural Engagement & Vitality Center, and Euvalcree, a culturally specific organization. Each organization will be recognized with an ACE Award. The report can be found at www.revcenter.org/reports.
