Philomath’s Harriet Hughes celebrated the completion of her organization’s newest affordable housing with a blessing ceremony last weekend at an accessory dwelling unit at the corner of Pioneer Street and North 16th Lane.
The ADU marks another step in Hughes’ mission to house some of Philomath’s most vulnerable residents. The new unit will house three residents — a woman who has been with Harriet’s Housing for about three years along with a working couple.
The single woman in the unit “has been with us for about three years and had a hard time at first in the housing because she really needs more help than we could give her, but we couldn’t get her into assisted living,” Hughes told folks at the event. “Now life is happening OK and she has two caregivers who come every day and keep her company. She’s lost a lot of pounds and she has one of those things that dings when she’s supposed to take a pill — and life is good.”
The couple is employed at two local businesses.
“I would think two people, unless they really like each other, will have a difficult time in these small quarters but they made the decision,” Hughes joked, and then continued, “The cost of the one studio is $650 and with an extra person, it goes up to $750. We pay all the utilities. We’re saving a garden space for anybody who wants to garden.”
With the latest additions, Hughes estimates her organization now houses close to 100 people across multiple properties in the area. She carefully screens potential residents and runs a self-sustaining operation supported primarily by rent payments and some donations rather than grants.
“This works — and we are self-sustaining,” Hughes said. “We set it up so that there’s enough money to pay the employees. I’m not paid because I don’t need it as God gives us enough.”
During the blessing ceremony, Hughes recognized contributors, the management team and board members. Folks in attendance sang a house blessing song and Pastor Mike King offered a prayer.
Hughes said another ADU could be constructed on another property next year.
2. Philomath City Park project
City Manager Chris Workman revealed at the Feb. 9 City Council meeting some interesting plans for a Philomath City Park project that will apparently be constructed during the summer of 2027. You know those deep dips in the road at Newton Creek? They will apparently be going away if everything falls into place. Oh, and fish passage through those spots will be improved.
The Marys River Watershed Council approached Workman about 18 months ago with interest in improving stream and fish habitat through the park. The project will replace the existing culverts on both sides of the park’s loop with bridges that will provide better fish passage year-round.
“It’s kind of a cool project,” Workman said, noting that National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration funding will cover the work with minimal cost to the city beyond staff coordination time.
The project is currently in preliminary engineering phases. The park will require full or partial closures during construction, though Workman said the city may be able to keep some areas like the pavilion accessible.
Once complete, the new bridges will eliminate the dip that currently requires closing gates to restrict park access during high water. The improved access will accommodate larger vehicles including RVs, fire trucks and tractor trailers.
“We had a coordinating meeting earlier and sketched out a timetable and when applications and all that are due but it sounds like the funding’s pretty much in hand and ‘yep, we’re approved, this project’s a go,’” Workman told councilors.
As part of the preliminary work, Workman said engineers are taking a look at where Philomath City Park’s new exercise equipment will be installed to make sure there are no issues.
The Marys River Watershed Council announced in 2024 that several sites in the mid-Willamette Valley were recommended to receive over $8.7 million in funding from the Department of Commerce and the NOAA to restore fish passage.
3. Coaching legacy lives on
Former Philomath volleyball coach Denee Newton joined her high school coach, Crook County’s Rosie Honl, in a recent episode of the “Coach Your Brains Out” podcast.
Over a 22-year coaching career in Prineville, Honl led the Cowgirls to 17 playoff appearances, a run that included an incredible eight straight state titles. Newton discussed Honl’s impact on not only her coaching but life in general.
At one point, Honl asked Newton, who graduated from Crook County in 2001, if she remembered the team’s “scavenger hunts.” She gave an example involving finding and ripping apart a “Lava Bear” — which was Bend’s mascot.
“Then they’d give me the tail and anytime in the game it got intense or looking bad, I’d bring the tail out and wave it at them,” Honl said. “They’d all crack up laughing, so we tried things like that. We did that for years and years — they’re still doing it now.”
The story sparked a memory that Newton had while coaching Philomath.
“I did that with my Philomath varsity girls the year we won third place at state (2021) and we got … basically it was a sportsmanship award, and they took a team picture,” Newton said. “And what we realized later was one of my players was holding the tail of a stuffed animal that we had just hunted down in a scavenger hunt to get them like fiercely game ready.”
Newton also mentioned the “Boot Scootin’ Boogie” — a performance-based exercise that instills “a sort of fearlessness in a mindset and also the chemistry amongst players.”
“One of my former players that went into the Air Force and became a pilot taught the ‘Boot Scootin’ Boogie’ to her entire cohort,” Newton said. “It’s just like this juxtaposition of intentionality around learning and the pursuit of joy. You know, just two things simultaneously happening.”
Ella Skinkis played for the Warriors under Newton and graduated in 2019. She went on to become a pilot in the U.S. Air Force.
Newton resigned as Philomath High’s coach in 2021 after five seasons to pursue school administration endeavors. She led the Warriors to a 70-40 record with the team winning third-place trophies in 2019 and 2021.
(Brad Fuqua is publisher/editor of the Philomath News. He can be reached at News@PhilomathNews.com).
I do not know Mrs. Hughes, but what blessing she is for Philomath.