A week of conversations, presentations and hands-on work with community development expert Jeff Siegler has left Marysville with a clear message: communities get stronger when they focus on how a place feels and the pride people take in it.
Siegler spent March 23 through 26 in Marysville, meeting with residents, business owners, students, nonprofit leaders and elected officials in a series of public presentations, roundtables and working sessions organized by OneMarysville.
From his opening session to the final wrap-up, a consistent theme emerged.
“If a place doesn’t make you feel good, why would you care?” Siegler said. “The things we care about define who we are.”
Throughout the week, Siegler challenged participants to simplify their thinking and focus on decisions that build pride.
“When making a decision, ask: will this make residents proud?” he said.
A focus on getting better, not bigger
Siegler emphasized that strong communities are built through intentional improvements, not expansion for its own sake.
“Be better, not bigger,” he said, encouraging leaders to prioritize quality, maintenance and experience over growth alone.
He pointed to the importance of standards, describing them as “the guardrails” that shape how a community looks and feels.
Discussions repeatedly returned to the role of the built environment — from storefronts and sidewalks to vacant properties — in shaping perception and behavior.
“We will never be healthier than our built environment,” Siegler said.
People, connection and ownership
Across sessions, Siegler stressed that relationships and local ownership are central to long-term success.
“Trust comes from being together,” he said, encouraging more opportunities for people to connect across groups and generations.
He also urged the community to invest in their own people, particularly young entrepreneurs, and to highlight the individuals who make a place unique. Participants discussed ways to strengthen connection, including more informal gathering spaces, small recurring events and project-based volunteer opportunities.
Downtown and development priorities
During a downtown walking tour and multiple roundtables, Siegler reinforced the importance of reinvesting in existing assets.
“The best place of the city is the oldest part,” he said, encouraging continued focus on downtown buildings, upper-floor use and walkability.
He also addressed development patterns, urging the community to balance incentives with accountability and to prioritize reinvestment over sprawl.
“Encourage investment and discourage decline,” he said.
From conversation to action
The visit concluded with a community-wide cleanup and a wrap-up session focused on next steps. Students from Marysville Junior Senior High School joined residents and volunteers to complete projects across town, reinforcing one of Siegler’s key ideas: visible care leads to cultural change.
“Clean things up and the culture will change,” he said.
Siegler also encouraged participants to act without overcomplicating the process.
“Stop waiting until you get everything right,” he said. “Just do it.”
Looking ahead
OneMarysville will use the momentum from Siegler’s visit to shape next steps into an action plan. Early priorities include keeping the conversation going, focusing on the beauty of town, organizing regular community cleanups, involving youth more intentionally and publicizing loan opportunities and other resources that can help move projects forward.
The action plan also calls for a Welcome Wagon packet, clearer ways to help people navigate town, work on getting downtown to function the way it was designed and a group focused on growing entrepreneurs and working toward a Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Longer-term ideas include a youth gathering space, another communitywide cleanup with the school, updated city website information and a business plan competition to encourage new ventures.
Siegler’s visit was organized by OneMarysville with financial support from the City of Marysville, Union Pacific, USD 364, the USD 364 Foundation, Marysville Community Foundation, Guise-Weber Foundation, Walmart and Marysville Dental Care.
For more information, to share an idea or to get involved in the next steps, contact Wayne Kruse, executive director of OneMarysville, at 785-562-3101 or wayne@onemarysville.com.
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