Community Center Progress

Maxine Tyler with South County Alliance President Dr. John Taylor

Following the Caldor Fire, it became apparent that the community of Grizzly Flats needs a gathering place for community events and the idea to build a Community Center started to gain traction. The South County Alliance was formed and, in cooperation with the El Dorado Community Foundation, was able to secure funds specifically for building a community center. Additional fundraising is an ongoing effort.

Significant headway was made in March, 2024 with the gift of 20 acres of land from long-time resident of Grizzly Flats, Maxine Tyler.

Maxine's husband, Walt Tyler, was born and raised in Grizzly Flats and the family's dedication to the community has deep roots locally. Walt, who had been very active in Grizzly Flats and had served on the Fire Safe Council, had always said it would be great to have a community center. Maxine recalls, "He was always advocating for a community center.  He wanted a place where we could gather to distribute information, celebrate or connect in times of emergencies". In honor or her husband's legacy, Maxine came forward with a generous offer on a 20+-acre parcel of her land, which will be the site of the future Grizzly Flats Community Center. This flagship project is essential in the revitalization of Grizzly Flats.

A community input meeting was held Saturday, April 27th with about 26 community members present along with members of the South County Alliance Board and representatives from the El Dorado Community Foundation including former executive director, Bill Roby and current executive director, Amy Pooley. Valuable insight was gained from those in attendance about what is wanted in the new Grizzly Flats Community Center.

Amy Pooley, Bill Roby, Dr. John Taylor, and Candance Tyler (next to Dr. Taylor) worked together to organize the stickies into categories.

Neighbors were encouraged to write their wants and needs on sticky notes which were then organized into categories. Bill Roby, who is lending his extensive knowledge of organizing and spearheading similar projects, will begin to compile these contributed ideas into a report which will be used as we move forward with planning our community center. 

There was valuable discussion about the potential uses of the new facility; club meetings, future burger nights, boys and girl scout meetings, after school events, fire safe council meetings, a commercial kitchen which could be leased for cottage industry as well as weddings and family events were among the many options brought forth. Nothing was off the table as ideas were shared. 

Mark your calendars, as a second community planning meeting is scheduled for 10AM on Saturday, June 1, 2024 at 7802 Hermosa Vista Drive in Somerset. All members of the community are encouraged and welcome to attend.  See below for a flier you can print or share to social media to help spread the word.  Simply right click and save!

The new community center is not the only project South County Alliance is working on. We have been building a strong foundation, while setting ourselves up for future success. The South County Alliance has been working with the owner of the Grizzly Flats Cemetery to clean up the grounds in preparation for a new fence and entryway for the cemetery. Additionally, with the help of Eagle Scout Anthony Benavides, clean-up of the Grizzly Flats Pond was undertaken. New picnic tables, an entry fence and replanting took place to help make the area somewhere families can gather.

During the summer months, Burger Nights are hosted by the South County Alliance and serve to bring everyone together to share a meal, reconnect with neighbors and rebuild a sense of community.

Here is a shareable flier you can print or right click and save to then share on social media: