Do you live in Arcata? Better yet, do you live in Arcata’s Valley West neighborhood? Do you enjoy community classes? Group exercise sessions? Gardening with your neighbors? How about increased access to social and health care services? 

If you answered “yes” to any of those questions, take a few minutes to complete this survey and let the City of Arcata know what types of programming and services you’d like to see at the new community center slated for Valley West. 

The survey is a part of the city’s ongoing effort to revamp Valley West, Arcata’s oft-overlooked neighborhood. In recent years, the city has allocated funds for numerous beautification and community improvement projects for Valley West, including REBOUND’s basketball court murals, new fruit trees at Valley West Park and infrastructure upgrades at Carlson Park. A new community center is next on the wish list.

Last year, the City of Arcata started leasing space for a community center at Valley West’s Woodsman Hall but Comunidad Unidad del Norte de Arcata/Community United of North Arcata (CUNA), a bilingual grassroots project aimed at improving Valley West, took over the lease for its resilience hub and family resource center.

Asked whether the City of Arcata is looking to lease an existing space or build a brand-new facility for the community center, Jennifer Dart, the city’s deputy director of community development, said staff is “open, at this point, to all options.”

“We’re in the early planning stages so we don’t have any mock-ups or locations planned out yet,” Dart told the Outpost. “Based on some previous engagement that was done by Cal Poly [Humboldt] students in 2021, there was a desire for space for recreational activities for youth and adults as well as classroom spaces for adult education. There was also a need expressed for a food pantry and mobile medical/dental care. The current survey will help provide additional clarity on what needs a Valley West Community Center could fulfill.”

The city is planning an in-person visioning session early next year to discuss the survey results with the Valley West community and go over next steps.

“We’re really looking forward to working with the Valley West community to develop a center that meets their needs,” Dart added.

Click here to take the survey. More information about Valley West improvement projects can be found at this link.

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