The City of North Plains welcomes Rowan Maiorano as an AmeriCorps Resource Assistance for Rural Environments (RARE) Volunteer. Rowan started with the City in September 2023 and over the next 11 months will primarily serve as the Downtown Coordinator implementing the Downtown Improvement Plan.

Rowan will focus on connecting downtown business owners to resources to improve their businesses, facilitating the improvement of currently underutilized downtown spaces, creating new and more frequent downtown community-building events, and working on a cohesive streetscape for the downtown district. These projects are intended to attract residents, tourists, and investors alike to downtown North Plains and create a more vibrant downtown district.

"We welcome Rowan's talents and positive approach to helping us strengthen and enhance our downtown," said City Manager Andy Varner, "Our community can expect some exciting new things happening in Downtown."

Rowan will also add planning support to the City's newly formed Planning Department.

Rowan is an Oregonian and was born in Newberg. While attending university, they also co-owned/operated a family restaurant in the rural town of Calvert, Texas. Experiencing difficulties with this small town sparked a passion for local government, urban design and planning, and community development. Recently, Rowan spent 5 months traveling to Australia, Asia, Africa, and Europe living with locals to experience different lifestyles around the globe. They are most excited to help connect businesses and people and build community in North Plains.

The goal of the AmeriCorps RARE program is to increase the capacity of rural communities to improve their economic, social and environmental conditions. Doug Kean served as the City's first RARE volunteer from September 2022 to August 2023 and made a significant impact with the initial Downtown Improvement Plan implementation, community events, and the City's new food service grant assistance program.