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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (May 6, 2015)
2 Wednesday, May 6, 2015 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon O P I N I O N Cloverdale Fire District responds to critics Jerry B. Johnson, President Cloverdale Rural Fire Protection District Letters to the Editor… The Nugget welcomes contributions from its readers, which must include the writer’s name, address and phone number. Letters to the Editor is an open forum for the community and contains unsolicited opinions not neces- sarily shared by the Editor. The Nugget reserves the right to edit, omit, respond or ask for a response to letters submitted to the Editor. Letters should be no longer than 300 words. Unpublished items are not acknowledged or returned. The deadline for all letters is noon Monday. To the Editor: Rob Malone cares about fiscal responsi- bility. The Cloverdale Fire District recently passed a large bond measure and it is impor- tant that we have the right people in place to manage it wisely. I am grateful to the existing board for their years of service and dedication to the district, but can’t help thinking that the time is right for renewed attention to district oversight. Rob Malone is a strong leader both in business and community. His ideas are well- thought-out, and he is interested in driving toward solutions not merely arguing and pos- turing to make a point. I have worked with him on an SPRD committee as well as in his professional life at the golf course and can say through both experiences that he makes solid arguments and participates in vivid discussion as the situation prescribes and freely admits when ideas contrary to his own have merit. I feel strongly that Rob can add value to the Cloverdale Fire District and will serve this community well with his strong fiscal and management background. Please join me in casting a vote for Rob Malone. Jeff Campbell s s s To the Editor: After last week’s letters regarding the Cloverdale Fire District election, I felt com- pelled to write and clarify a few things. I was one of the founding members of the Cloverdale Fire Department in 1963 and have served as both a volunteer and board member at various times since then. The chief and volunteers are doing an excellent job, and our exceptional insurance ratings are proof of that. Over the past few years we have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars and upgraded three water tenders, bought two new light brush engines, bought an interface engine, and installed new office and See leTTerS on page 15 Sisters Weather Forecast Courtesy of the National Weather Service, Pendleton, Oregon Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Chance showers Mostly sunny Mostly sunny Mostly sunny Mostly sunny Partly sunny 54/32 62/32 67/33 69/33 68/38 63/na The Nugget Newspaper, Inc. Website: www.nuggetnews.com 442 E. Main Ave., P.O. Box 698, Sisters, Oregon 97759 Tel: 541-549-9941 | Fax: 541-549-9940 | editor@nuggetnews.com Postmaster: Send address changes to The Nugget Newspaper, P.O. Box 698, Sisters, OR 97759. Third Class Postage Paid at Sisters, Oregon. Publisher - Editor: Kiki Dolson News Editor: Jim Cornelius Production Manager: Leith Williver Classifieds & Circulation: Teresa Mahnken Advertising: Lisa Buckley Graphic Design: Jess Draper Proofreader: Pete Rathbun Accounting: Erin Bordonaro The Nugget is mailed to residents within the Sisters School District; subscriptions are available outside delivery area. Third-class postage: one year, $40; six months (or less), $25. First-class postage: one year, $85; six months, $55. Published Weekly. ©2015 The Nugget Newspaper, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. All advertising which appears in The Nugget is the property of The Nugget and may not be used without explicit permission. The Nugget Newspaper, Inc. assumes no liability or responsibility for information contained in advertisements, articles, stories, lists, calendar etc. within this publication. All submissions to The Nugget Newspaper will be treated as uncondition- ally assigned for publication and copyrighting purposes and subject to The Nugget Newspaper’s unrestricted right to edit and comment editorially, that all rights are currently available, and that the material in no way infringes upon the rights of any person. The publisher assumes no responsibility for return or safety of artwork, photos, or manuscripts. In response to last week’s letters from Rob Malone and Todd Williver concerning Cloverdale Rural Fire Protection District, the following information is available as public record: • Foundation for the new sleeping quarters While digging the foun- dation for the new build- ing, a large vein of rock was encountered. The cost to hammer the rock and break it up to dig out the foundation was an extra cost in the contract. The contractor handling the excavation could not quote a cost or time for this extra work. The cost would be figured based on actual time needed to excavate the rock. Estimates for time from the contrac- tor ran to several days of hammering. At this point alter- natives were studied to determine the best, most cost-effective solution to the problem. After consultations with the county building inspec- tors and the contractor, the District decided that installing the foundation on top of the rock would be the most cost-effective solution. After the foundation was poured and prior to the building being installed, the contractor told the Fire Chief that the cost of the building would increase due to the need for a lon- ger ADA ramp. The Cyrus family volunteered to come in on their own time and expense, with larger equipment than the con- tractor had available, and hammer out the founda- tion and rock. The cost of the ADA ramp was slightly more than it would cost to tear out the foundation and re- pour it. The building’s current expenditures are under the budgeted amount. • Moving of apparatus building The existing apparatus building at the fire sta- tion on Cloverdale Road does not meet the needs of the district. The doors are too small for modern fire engines to fit through due to their narrow width. The layout of the build- ing requires that trucks be stacked one behind the other. This presents a safety hazard to firefight- ers if one of the trucks should move when some- one is between them, and slows response time for the trucks that are parked in the rear. The Sisters Rodeo Association has offered to remove the building at no cost to the District. Without this offer the District would have to pay for the demoli- tion and removal of the building, an estimated cost of several thousand dollars. • Surplus of Engine 644 644, the 1998 International Fire Engine, w a s pur c ha se d a s a replacement for a 2003 Ford Type 6 brush truck that was lost as a result of an electrical fire. The International Pumper was purchased as an upgrade to the Type 6 brush truck, as the International quali- fies as a Type 2 pumper. The upgrade facilitated a safer vehicle than our then-current pumpers, as it has an enclosed cab and three-point restraints for all seating positions. Additionally it provided four-wheel-drive capabil- ity for response to a struc- ture fire. The purchase price for the used vehicle was $99,050. Insurance cov- ered $75,603 and the dif- ference was provided by the District’s reserve fund. The current “fair market value” is $89,000. • Management of District Funds The fire district’s recent Moody’s bond rating of AAA+ is a testament to the excellent fiscal man- agement of the taxpayers’ money. Opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the writer and are not necessarily shared by the Editor or The Nugget Newspaper.