At its Oct. 13 meeting, the Gunnison City Council heard an update on the efforts to grow community and connections in Gunnison through the Resiliency Project.
The update was delivered by City of Gunnison Community and Policy Liaison Ricardo Esqueda; Alicia Holt, director of community impact at the Community Foundation of the Gunnison Valley; Heidi Magnus with Sanctuary Somatics yoga studio; Gunnison Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Leora Wallace and Western Colorado University representative Adam Collins.
Esqueda explained that the Resiliency Project was formed during the COVID-19 Pandemic with the goal of combating social isolation in the Gunnison Valley and building community connections.
He said that the initiative has continued to evolve since then and that the project team, consisting of the people presenting the update and local resident Maryo Ewell, recently refined its mission and vision.
Esqueda said that the updated vision, drafted as a working agreement between the organizations involved in the project, was “A resilient Gunnison Valley where strong ties among neighbors help us meet current and future challenges, and where people feel connected, supported and proud to call this place home.”
“The Resiliency Project will strengthen ties among neighbors by creating low-barrier, inclusive opportunities for connection, public joy, shared experience and participation in community life,” said Esqueda, quoting the updated mission. “Through collaboration, we help build belonging, strengthen social networks and connect people with one another and with community resources.”
He said that the project’s long-term goals include encouraging local governments to recognize strong social ties as participation opportunities and key components of community culture, and strengthening community members’ sense of belonging and building bridges between people of different ages, income levels, ethnicities and neighborhoods.
The project also aims to cultivate public joy and a sense of place by creating fun events deeply tied to the valley and to lead through collaboration by working with various organizations in the valley and encouraging resource sharing, Esqueda said.
He said that the organization’s near-term goals include expanding the Music Cruise, deepening partnerships, improve measurement of the project’s impacts, improve the Resiliency Project’s Neighborhood Connection Micro-Awards and enhance the project’s marketing and social media use.
Magnus said that the Music Cruise was a “perfect example of how a city greets a very weird, troubling situation and made something really beautiful happen out of it.”
She said that the Music Cruise began as a way to provide entertainment to the community, with a band playing on a trailer towed by a city truck as it drove through the streets. From there, Magnus said the cruise grew, with increasing numbers of bikes following the trailer. “It’s gotten bigger and bigger each year and it’s just one of the best community gatherings I’ve been a part of over the years in Gunnison and I love that it’s a total Gunny thing,” she said.
Magnus said that, in recent years, the event has grown to include a shared meal and celebration at the end of the cruise that features community resources and organizations, something which she said the project hopes to organize and expand for the end of all future Music Cruises.
The project also hopes to expand participation in the Cruise, she said, including by encouraging more people to join the ride and encouraging people to sit along the ride route or set up things like lemonade stands or bake sales along the route.
Collins explained that the Neighborhood Connection Micro-Awards provide up to $400 reimbursable awards that can help support community events like block hosted by local organizations.
“This, in conjunction with what else we do with the music cruises really helps to bring that community piece together,” he said. “People get to celebrate, it’s low-stress and it really just breaks down those barriers between neighbors.”
He said that, next year, the project aims to add two $1,000 awards to help support larger projects, like art fixtures, that can help benefit the community.
Esqueda added that funding for these larger awards was included in the project’s 2027 budget request.
Holt said that three examples of community connections and traditions supported by the micro-awards are the Six Points annual picnic, the Gunnison Creative District Roundtable roundup and Gunnison Rotary Christmas Caroling at the Gunnison Valley Health Senior Care Center.
“These are three really great examples of traditions we hope will continue and that’s kind of the point of the awards, again, is to start to create an opportunity for people to pilot programs that they might not otherwise have done, and then to continue these wonderful community traditions,” she said.
Wallace explained that building resiliency benefits Gunnison’s economy by enhancing the close community that draws many people to Gunnison.
She said that work by Harvard researchers, which was brought to the project by Ewell, found that greater connections across income groups, community cohesiveness and participation in volunteer and civic organizations were tied to increased income levels, especially for low-income children growing up in highly connected communities.
Wallace said that Gunnison scores highly in many of these metrics but there is room for improvement and growth of connections.
“Programs like Music Cruises and mirco-awards create opportunities for people to meet, participate and build relationships outside of their usual social circles,” Wallace said. “That’s directly connected to our long-term goals of strengthening belonging and building bridges. So we’re not just maintaining the sense of community that Gunnison already has, we’re creating new opportunities for connections to develop. I would argue, and we would all argue, that these connections matter not only to the people who make them, but to Gunnison’s long-term economic resilience.”
Councilor Loren Ahonen said that he appreciated the inclusion of the public joy in the presentation and that it was “the highlight of my week thus far.”
Mayor Pro Tem Marisela Ballesteros thanked the group for their work on the Resiliency Project and expressed her appreciation for the research and information on outcomes and feedback that the presentation included. “That way … we can be reminded of why it started, why we need to continue it and why it’s important,” she said.
Councilor Audrey Zahradka said that events supported by the project have been key in helping her get to know her neighbors and community. “I really, really appreciate all of the work that you do in connecting people in Gunnison,” she said. “It’s hugely important.”
“I think it’s really great to see new Gunnison community traditions coming out of this process,” said Councilor Matt Schwartz said. “And we’ve got some really great ones so far and I can’t wait to see what comes next.”
Mayor Diego Plata said that an international student he was hosting over the summer enjoyed participating in one of the Music Cruises. “It’s internationally known now,” he said.
Ballesteros said that she appreciated the project’s interest in expanding the Music Cruises since that was a desire she frequently heard this summer in the community.
Esqueda highlighted the importance of city staff’s participation in facilitating the Music Cruises, including the city clerk’s office assisting with permitting and city police providing security. “It really is a whole organization effort that makes sure that we can get this done, so wanted to say thanks to everyone,” he said.
Ewell said that project is also planning a post Music Cruise dessert event at the Senior Care Center.
“Thanks all,” said Plata. “Greatly appreciate all your efforts and I’m very glad that we can continue supporting this.”
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here