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College Place youth advisory commission weighs project options for 2026, defers adoption
Summary
At its Nov. 19 meeting the College Place Youth Advisory Commission reviewed potential 2026 projects — from adding street lighting to creating a teen center and community events — but decided not to adopt a project and will prepare a presentation to City Council instead.
College Place — The Youth Advisory Commission on Nov. 19 reviewed several possible projects for 2026, including installing additional street lighting in a dark neighborhood, a supervised teen center or student life space, a public mural and art exchanges tied to the farmers' market, and a community talent show. Chair Everett opened the discussion and Miss Garcia outlined the commission’s founding goals and how projects should align with them.
Miss Garcia, presenting the commission’s objectives, said the group can “find solutions for local youth problems and report these to City Council” and encouraged commissioners to consider producing a presentation for council and the city’s social channels. She also urged members to gather student feedback and talk with school administrators before pursuing projects.
Commissioners detailed possible site-specific work on East Whitman Drive — between College Avenue and nearby university-owned apartments — where they said street lighting is sparse. A commissioner named the apartment complexes involved as Mountain View Apartments and Birch Street Apartments and suggested the public works director would be the first city contact for any lighting requests; Miss Garcia said she had already discussed the matter with the public works director and would follow up.
On the concept of a teen center, commissioners said they wanted a low-cost, supervised space with seating, games and modest supervision to address the lack of shared youth spaces. Several commissioners pointed to ongoing cafeteria renovations at Walla Walla as an example of a student life space and tied the idea to the city’s 20-year comprehensive plan, saying the commission could include long-term proposals in a council presentation.
Other ideas discussed included showcasing youth artwork at the Lions Park farmers’ market, creating sister‑city art exchanges to display at community venues, and hosting a talent show with sign-ups and age categories. Commissioners agreed these concepts could be developed further rather than adopted as a formal commission project at this meeting.
No formal project adoption vote was taken. Chair Everett noted that the commission had a quorum but not all members were present — in particular David Sample was absent — and suggested that the group develop specifics and return prepared to adopt or recommend a project. The commission directed Miss Garcia and members to gather more feedback, refine their proposals and prepare a presentation, possibly for the City Council, at a future meeting.
