What does Smith River need? Stay tuned

Residents discuss community needs

The small community of Smith River has some big plans.

Residents of Smith River met  Thursday night to discuss community concerns and how they might be addressed.

“Last night was the beginning of something monumental happening in Smith River,” said Noemi Hernandez, the Smith River community organizer for Building Healthy Communities.

Smith River Elementary School Principal Paige Swan said the purpose of the meeting was to identify community needs.

Participants mentioned things they see as lacking in their community like a public park, street lighting, sidewalks, public transportation to Crescent City, a Catholic Church, a strong police presence, and a school kitchen for healthier meals.

“Once we get consensus on those needs, we write proposals to the California Endowment to fund those needs,” Swan said.

Hernandez has had one-on-one conversations with more than 75 people from Smith River over the last few months to identify those needs. She thinks a public park would be the solution for many of their issues. The exploratory meeting was a larger venue with the same goal.

Many in the audience praised  Swan’s work in Smith River.

“His presence is so important because he’s so supportive of the community,” Hernandez said.

The meeting was mostly conducted in Spanish, but wireless headsets were passed out to listen to English translations.

The next meeting Dec. 7 at 5:30 p.m. at Smith River Elementary School will try to identify the most important need and move forward.

Smith River has been successful lobbying for projects in the past, raising over $200,000 from the community for Smith River Elementary School’s planned gym, which could be completed next fall, Hernandez said.

Smith River’s work reminds Swan of a favorite quote:

“You can never underestimate the power of a small group, because it’s small groups that have changed the world time and time again.”