By Arla Holzschuh

Executive Director, Sumner Downtown Association

We, the Sumner Downtown Association are excited about this new opportunity, provided to us by the Sumner and Bonney Lake Courier-Herald, to share information on the exciting future of downtown Sumner.

The SDA is a private, nonprofit corporation licensed in Washington state and registered with the Department of the Treasury as a 501c6 corporation with a 501c3 application pending. The association works in partnership with the city of Sumner but it is not a part of the city structure and is not operated by the city.

We have a nine member board of directors, a full time executive director, a 10-hour-per-week assistant and numerous volunteers. Our office space is provided by the city, as an in-kind contribution, and we receive additional in-kind services from the city for our activities and events.

Our mission is to “Promote the preservation and revitalization of our downtown as the heart of the Sumner community.” We operate according to the “4-Point Approach” to downtown revitalization, developed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Main Street Center. We are also an “affiliate level” in the State’s Main Street program.

Our program is divided into four, equally balanced, structured committees. All committee work is done by volunteers under the guidance of the executive director. Each committee is charged with the development and bringing to fruition specific activities to achieve our work plan’s goals and objectives.

Apart from the day-to-day operation of SDA as a business, the association has additional responsibilities and projects for the downtown and community’s benefit. Some of our activities are:

Design: Ownership, maintenance and financial assistance of the SDA float, known to most as the “Community Float.” Originally, the float was created to not only participate in local parades but also travel to other parades, but thorugh the years, due in part to the hundreds of hours of volunteer effort required, now it is primarily used for the Grand Floral Daffodil Parade and the SDA’s Santa Parade. Our special thanks to the volunteers for the Daffodil Float – Rotarians, REI employees, and members of the community for the more than 300 hours you invested to not only win two awards for the fifth time in six years but provide an in-kind service with a value in excess of $6,000.

The association is looking to rekindle the excitement of this float as, if you will, Sumner’s Goodwill Ambassador. As an individual on the board of directors of the Lady Washington in the early 1990s, who along with all board members looked at the captain in disbelief the day he asked for permission to take the Lady to California and try to get her in the movies, I can vouch for having a Goodwill Ambassador.

The design committee will also be working on our first four-hour “Clean Sweep” project from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday. This is a downtown and community clean-up of the public areas: all streetscape elements, trash receptacles, sidewalks, alleyways, and all areas where there is moss or weeds. We’ll have trash bags, coffee, doughnuts and other goodies, along with prizes in litter and other surprises. Please be sure to bring gloves and whatever tools you may have. Pushbrooms or household brooms and dustpans are a great help as we clear away the winter’s debris. Private property and business owners will be cleaning the private spaces and when it’s all done not only will you see the difference your help made but I assure you it will make you feel even more a part of the community.

We hope to see you on Saturday or someday soon as you spend some time in downtown Sumner.