Lithia Arts Guild of Oregon If the creative process is awakened by inspiration, it is manifest in culture. The Pictures 1. Looking southwest from where the Foot Bridge reaches the east bank provides a good view of the stepped structure leading down to the stream (planted primarily with red willow), the West Slope area yet to be completed, and a line of white rocks bordering the path to Ashland Creek. Picture from late March of 2002. 2. Deanne Ragnell: As Guild Chair; I had been deeply involved in negotiations with Parks, Calle Business Owners, & the Architectural Team assigned with the task of developing a Master Plan to rebuild Calle Guanajuato; for at least a year following the flood. Construction had already begun. I believe it was in 1999? Deanne decided that to truly gain the respect of all parties involved, Lithia Artisans Market & the Lithia Arts Guild needed to donate a sizable sum of money toward the reconstruction effort. To accomplish this Deanne & her team found a Rug Auction Dealer and rented the Banquet Hall at the Ashland Hill Inn (I believe the name has changed?), for the soiree. Personally, I had my doubts, but the auction raised over $15,000! Although it took over 2 years to finally settle on where to invest the funds, in April of 2002, we presented Parks with $13,000 in seed money, and a plan for the Western Slope Gathering Area & Connecting Paths. Thanks to Deanne's determination, we earned the respect of all parties involved. 3. From this point we are looking down slope toward the Foot Bridge, then on to the Front Lawn of Lithia Park, with the Shakespeare Theaters in the far background. Picture from late March of 2002: 4. In the foreground we see Sheri & David White, with Mayor Alan DeBoer during the Calle Foot Bridge Dedication. It is April 6, 2001. There was not enough money to finance the Foot Bridge in Phase I of the Master Plan, but thanks to the donation of Sheri & David White the bridge was completed during the initial phase of construction. Sheri and David were also major investors in Deanne's Rug Auction! Later, Alan DeBoer became a major supporter in our efforts to open the ArtWing. He was one of the first to contribute money for the construction of the fire wall separating us from OCDC. 5. This design for the Western Slope Gathering Area & Connecting Paths was developed by myself & Peter Hoyt. It was adopted, for the most part, by Parks in their final plan. I am interested in your feedback, you can email me here. ~ JRY