A June 2042 Stroll Through Independence, Oregon
Bill Henley
Out for my daily constitutional on Saturday, June 14, 2042, I take in the astonishing changes in the town that I have called home for twenty years. With a combined population of 34,000 in the 2040 census, Monmouth and Independence have dodged the usual perils of rapid growth. The foresight of city and county leaders and the growing tax base accommodated the heavier traffic by widening several roads, including Stapleton Road, which has become a second east-west artery to support the extensive new incorporated neighborhoods straddling Talmadge Road from Highway 99W to Corvallis Road.
I turn south on Talmadge from now-connected Chestnut Street, every quarter mile passing half-acre greenbelts populated by native vegetation, requiring no watering or fertilization, and negligible maintenance. Local ordinance for all new development since 2030 requires these, as well as similarly spaced quarter-acre neighborhood produce gardens. Volunteer Boy Scouts, WOU fraternities and sororities, and high school students mentored by senior citizens variously tend the gardens. On-site underground cisterns, filled by gray water from residential downspouts and storm sewers, supply water for the gardens. The M-I Gardener position established in 2030 coordinates volunteers and oversees maintenance and priority distribution of produce to lower income residents and homeless with the assistance of local churches.
As I continue south, all the newer homes built after 2032, by ordinance, feature passive solar design, all-electric HVAC and appliances, roof solar panels and electric vehicle (EV) chargers. As required, one in ten of the homes were built, with Habitat for Humanity’s help, as affordable homes, sold for 67 percent of the cost of other similar homes to income-qualifying families. Similarly, some of the older, dangerously degraded properties in town have been renovated, or razed and either rebuilt as new affordable housing or converted to neighborhood produce gardens.
About half of the cars passing me are EVs. Nearly as many bicycles as cars pass me, a dramatic change over the last decade. Most area businesses have responded to these trends by installing bike racks, and both cities have added several EV charging stations. Consequently, people seem healthier and fitter on average compared to twenty years earlier.
At the intersection of Talmadge and Stapleton Roads, I pass MI-RECY, a startup business converting locally collected recyclables into water shoes, doormats, garden pavers, outdoor furniture, etc. Its rapid growth into a profitable and sustainable thirty-employee business caught the attention of many small Oregon towns that now replicate the model.
My octogenarian legs not being up to the round-trip walking challenge, at Stapleton and Corvallis Road I hop aboard one of the frequent, fully-EV MI shuttles. The only charge is of the electric variety. Its silent acceleration is, well, electrifying. The widespread adoption of EVs from Portland to Eugene has noticeably improved Willamette Valley air quality. Smoke haze in the Valley from Cascades wildfires seems to have decreased somewhat in the last five years as well. Perhaps the numerous fires over the previous two decades reduced the fuel load, making fires spread more slowly. The long-term trend remains to be seen.
Riding north on Main Street, I take in the vibrancy of downtown Independence and its many successful small businesses. Riverview Park now features many formal and informal events year-round, and attendance has increased steadily over the last decade. Visitors from Salem, Dallas, Corvallis, and Albany frequent these events, making M-I a regional tourist destination. On this Flag Day, numerous individuals and groups are proudly letting their favorite flags fly beneath Old Glory, an eye-popping colorful display of every imaginable cause – freedom at its finest. Such events appear to be improving community pride and interactions among residents and visitors of all socio-economic groups.
Given the beautiful day and having nothing better to do, I continue riding past the five-year-old constructed wetland on the edge of town. It substitutes for municipal tertiary sewage treatment: the vegetation absorbs excess nutrients and beneficial bacteria break down harmful household drugs and chemicals before the water returns to streams and groundwater. As it seeps out of the wetland, it is clean enough to feed directly into a domestic water treatment facility, which is currently under consideration by both city governments. This would represent local sustainable water recycling, reducing costs and environmental impacts. Secondarily, the wetland serves as wildlife habitat and recreation with hiking/cycling trails. Dozens of locals of all ages are out for walks and bike rides today. Maybe I’ll ride tomorrow!
Finally home and ready for a Parallel 45 IPA followed by a power nap, I feel deeply proud of my adoptive hometown and its forward-thinking citizens and government. We’re making the best of a warming climate and contributing sustainable solutions to reduce future impacts. Things other than temperature are finally looking up.