It’s easy to see Highway 9 as solely a thoroughfare for the many commuters that use it daily. However, after a moment’s consideration, it’s obviously quite more than that. Highway 9 contains so many hidden gems of San Lorenzo Valley Main Streets. Two women, Karen Edwards and Tamara O’Kelly, are working hard to polish up the particular gem of Boulder Creek. I sat down with both to hear more about their efforts through the Main Street Program. According to O’Kelly, Boulder Creek is the perfect gem to polish because, “Boulder Creek has a strong sense of place. That’s not something you can create, that’s what we’re trying to revive. The ultimate goal is for Boulder Creek to become a place for all ages, all walks of life, all people to enjoy, a place to gather. We need to polish what we have, with funding and hands.”
O’Kelly, BCBA Board Vice President and owner of The Historic Hartman House Inn, was eager to share the roots of the program with me, “It’s a continuation of the ‘90s Main Street Program. In 1993 there was a valley wide Main Street Project. We’re following in their footsteps, but focused on our town core, our historic district. They laid the groundwork and started a lot of community buy-in. The funny thing is that the things people desired for their community back in ’93, are the same things they desire now.” O’Kelly noted a big change from the past Main Street Program to the current one, “The office still exists, the program still exists, but it doesn’t have money. It’s turned into a complete grassroots movement. The steps are in place, it’s a proven return on investment, but there’s no money, so it comes down to people who really desire to make it happen.”
Last April, the program was “widely accepted,” and ever since has been garnering volunteers, funds, and ideas to help the Main Street flourish. Karen Edwards, the Boulder Creek Business Association Treasurer and Liberty Bank Manager, explained the organization of the MSP. “There are four different committees: Economic Restructuring, Promotion, Organization, and Design… Each committee has subcommittees that are working on individual projects… Many hands make light work, and everyone gets to pick their own project.” O’Kelly filled me in on the final, and vital, detail of organization, “The Main Street Program reports directly to the BCBA, which we are also both a part of… We have an extremely strong board. We get a lot of stuff done and we’ve recovered from really hard times… We’re so well connected… between all of us, somebody knows someone who has what we need.”
The has many ongoing projects, but Edwards was especially excited to share plans for the Boulder Creek Bear Welcome Sign. A Boulder Creek Scout will the Bear Welcome Sign as his Eagle Scout Community Project. He’s hoping to clean, stain, garden, and light the sign. The Valley Women’s Club is also designing a pollinator garden near the sign as well. O’Kelly grinned, “We all cross over. It’s a way to reach out to other groups, give help, and get help. Main Street brings everybody together.”
Aside from the sign, the Main Street Program’s project list is quite impressive, organized by committee and project length. They’re currently working on several projects, like electric vehicle charging, improving transportation in cooperation with the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission, getting broadband throughout town, and celebrating 831 Day (a celebration of “everything Boulder Creek has to offer” on August 31st). O’Kelly jokes, “As much as we want broadband, we still want to ride our horses to town. We want the best of both worlds and we’re going to get it.”
While O’Kelly and Edwards, as cochairs, have taken on the brunt of this huge project, they’re also calling in help. Barbara Mason, who, according to O’Kelly, “ran the Main Street Program in all of California for 17 years,” is assisting the project, as the current Economic Development Officer for Santa Cruz County. O’Kelly was surprised at all of the volunteers who have “come out of the woodwork.” Even so, Edwards expressed a great need for more, “Our search for volunteers will always be ongoing… We’re always looking for people.” Ultimately, they’d love to raise enough funds to hire a town manager to implement the program, as O’Kelly explains, “it’s more than a full-time job and we already have those.”
Before I left, the Main Street Program cochairs shared their favorite parts of the program with me. For O’Kelly, it’s all about the “broad net of community support and integration… That’s the fun part, reconnecting with people you haven’t talked to in a while. Edwards is particularly excited about creating “community pride. There’s already a lot of love for the area, but for people to drive down the street and see something they made happen, it’s exciting.”
