CPRD Launches New Website
NEWBERG, Ore. — The Chehalem Park and Recreation District launched a new website platform on Monday as part of a transition led by its web host, CivicPlus.
The district has used CivicPlus, a provider that hosts municipal websites nationwide, for about a decade. Following the retirement of its previous platform, CPRD has spent recent months working to develop a new site with updated navigation, design, and functionality.
CPRD Public Information Director Kat Ricker said the redesigned website offers a more modern look and is intended to improve usability across devices, including desktops, phones, and tablets. The platform also introduces potential new features, such as expanded online forms and enhanced park imagery.
Staff are continuing to learn the new system and ask for patience as they adjust, noting there may be temporary delays in posting content during the transition.
Despite the update, CPRD officials said staff remain available to assist residents directly and encouraged community members to reach out if they have trouble finding information online.
Interior Design Students Available For Summer Projects
NEWBERG, Ore. — Community members planning interior design updates this summer can get help from students at George Fox University, who are offering services on real-world projects.
Students are available to assist with a range of needs, including design drawings, sourcing finishes and furniture, and providing guidance on paint colors and overall concepts. Services are open to both residential and commercial projects.
Organizers said students can also work virtually, allowing them to support projects outside the Newberg area.
Those interested can contact Casey Martin at martinc@georgefox.edu to discuss potential projects.
Tree Felled Outside of Newberg Public Library
NEWBERG, Ore. — On Friday, March 27, the Newberg Public Library removed a large fir tree on the southeast corner of the library’s property.
“Today we are saying goodbye to a beautiful library tree,” wrote Library Director Korie Jones Buerkle. “Please know that if it wasn’t an imminent danger of coming down, we would have left it standing.”
Jones Buerkle said a large limb fell a few months ago, prompting the city to investigate the tree’s health. The examination found the tree was in poor condition, and the city scheduled its removal for several weeks later. Last week, Jones Buerkle said she determined the tree posed “an imminent danger” and accelerated plans to remove it.
The library said it plans to plant another tree on the property in the future.
Yamhill County Writing Festival Returns May 2 at Stoller Estate
Registration is open for the Terroir Creative Writing Festival, an all-day event scheduled for Saturday, May 2, at the Experience Center at Stoller Family Estate in Dayton.
The festival, now in its 14th year and a program of the Arts Alliance of Yamhill County, runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is open to writers at all experience levels. This year’s program includes genre-specific writing workshops, a self-publishing panel, a keynote address, and an open-mic session.
Workshops will cover memoir, personal essay, cozy mysteries, historical fiction, screenwriting, and poetry. Leaders include memoirist Paul Warmbier, Melissa Hart, Emmeline Duncan, Kirsten Hall-Geisler, Mike Haukom, and poets Alex Dang and Margaret Chula. Literary agent Elisa Saphier will also lead a session on pitching to agents.
Author Daniel Pollack-Pelzner will deliver the morning keynote on his experience writing the official creative biography Lin-Manuel Miranda: The Education of an Artist. Pollack-Pelzner has contributed to The New Yorker, The Atlantic, and The New York Times.
Early registration, available through April 12, is $75 for most adults. Discounted tickets at $65 are available for students, veterans, seniors 65 and older, and current Arts Alliance members. Tickets may not be available at the door.
To register, visit aaycor.org/terroir-writing-festival.
