Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Appeal tribune. (Silverton, Or.) 1999-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 3, 2018)
Appeal Tribune Wednesday, January 3, 2018 3A Wildfire Continued from Page 1A Oregonians who headed south to help battle the blazing front lines in California. Oregon Department of Forest- ry officials reported that several hundred ODF and as- sociation firefighters from the state dug control lines and put out spot fires during their assignment. The duties were weighty and often different than those to which the local firefighters were accustomed. Assistant Fire Chief Brad McKenzie noted that in Oregon “Type 3” fires are strictly defined: firefighters tactically patrol assigned divisions while prepping and protecting structures. Reports back from California in- dicated they not only patrolled and prepped structures but interacted with other hand crews and assisted in digging and putting in a wet line around structures. Morlan said safety issues were paramount. “Thick smoke, unkept, narrow roads, potential fall- en power lines and trees — and other drivers,” Morlan described the hazards. “You just always want to be aware what is going on around you.” Morlan recalled the only constant was change. “Fire conditions changed every day. At briefing we were constantly reminded to keep our heads on a swivel Growth Continued from Page 1A greeted with open arms by long-standing resi- dents, but the trajectory was understood. “It’s because that’s where companies locat- ed,” Carter said of the Portland metro area. “It wasn’t because city coun- cils or residents wanted their towns to grow.” She noted that Silver- ton’s location – away from a major artery such as In- terstate 5 – alleviates some of the worry about rapid growth in the same vein as Portland metro communities. But not en- tirely. “I would love to see Sil- verton stay the way it is, (but) it is a regressive atti- tude to think that we can remain a 19th-century town in the 21st century,” Carter said. “We will at- tract new people. We can’t have a not-in-my-back- yard attitude toward ev- erything. We have to face the fact that we will grow.” Part of facing that is anticipating the growth and, perhaps, affecting the complexion of it. “Our residents must play an active role in shaping how Silverton evolves,” Palmer said, en- couraging residents to be active in everything from city government and com- missions to civic groups and events. “That is how we ensure that what makes us special will con- tinue regardless of any other changes.” Who pays? One issue Silverton’s city council anticipates reviewing this month is system development charges, fees paid to the city by developers to off- set costs of needed new in- frastructure. Council President Jason Freilin- ger has been the point per- son on that topic. “I am very concerned about Silverton doing it due diligence in making sure we are smart about growth,” Frielinger said. “The State of Oregon has really placed a very high burden of proof on cities to show why they would deny an application to in- crease growth through annexations, zoning changes, and building codes.” Freilinger said Silver- ton’s SDC fees are, for the most part, adequate when construction takes place in areas that are already developed. “The problem we face now is most of the push we are experiencing is for de- velopments well beyond our current infrastruc- ture limits on the fringe of Silverton,” he said. “Typi- cally when it comes to the cost to run streets and storm-water infrastruc- ture out to a development on the outskirts of town, SDC fees are only cover- ing on average 25-to-50 percent of the cost. That means that unless we do something to fix the city processes, 50-to-75 per- cent of the cost for street and storm-water are placed as a future burden on the utility rate payers in Silverton.” That issue is expected to emerge for discussion in the near future. “This is unacceptable to me as a utility rate pay- er and city councilor, which is why I feel we need to either look at our SDC methodology or cre- ating special assessment districts like we did with Steelhammer Road,” Freilinger said. Who plans? One growth question that cropped up at the Town Hall was the effica- cy of the city’s compre- hensive plan, which a new resident to the area cited as being 37 years old. That’s not entirely true as it’s been adjusted multi- ple times over the dec- ades. Community Develop- ment Director Jason Gott- getreu said those adjust- ments are ongoing, and are patterned within state stipulations that cities and counties meet manda- tory standards dealing with land-use, develop- ment, housing, transpor- tation, and conservation of natural resources. “Silverton adopted its first comprehensive plan in 1979, and updated ele- ments in 1980 and in 1989. The recent element up- dates were in 2000 and 2002 for housing and ur- banization, respectively,” Gottgetreu said. Gottgetreu said devel- opment within the city limits must conform to es- tablished zoning stan- dards and criteria, while and know your trigger points,” she said. “The winds played a major role in the fire’s behavior." ODF spokeswoman Bobbi Doan noted that a lack of significant rainfall in the area since February provided substantial dead and dry fuel that carried the fire deep into the Los Padres National Forest as well as nearby communities. That coupled with unusually prolonged Santa Ana winds spread the fire through rugged terrain in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. “With winds like that, it makes you realize just how quickly a good situation can go bad,” Morlan said. ODF officials said association firefighters from Ore- gon engaged on the Thomas Fire northwest of Los An- geles for almost two weeks. During that time, it grew to more than 272,000 acres, approaching the size of 2003’s Cedar Fire in San Diego, which to that point stood as the largest wildfire in California in modern times. The Thomas Fire eventually eclipsed the Cedar Fire. ODF reported that Oregon sent the largest contin- gent of fire engines and personnel from out of state to help California with the blaze, which began on Dec. 4. Just before Christmas some 300 Oregon firefighters deployed through the Oregon Office of the State Fire Marshal were demobilized. "We're proud of the job our firefighters did helping our neighbors to the south," said Oregon State Forester Peter Daugherty. "Other states, including California, were there when Oregon needed help over the past few years and we're glad we're able to reciprocate. "Wildfire is a common threat across the Western states, and sharing resources when they can safely be spared is a key way to meet the challenge." Doan said Oregon’s mobilization was part of a mutu- al-aid agreement that saw California firefighters travel north this past summer to help during an especially in- tense outbreak of wildfires in Oregon. She noted that at its peak the Thomas Fire engaged more than 8,400 firefighters. Wind-driven flames forced the evacuation of thousands of area residents and destroyed more than a thousand structures, ac- cording to Cal Fire. “It’s been an honor being able to work on the line with these guys,” Morlan reflected. “Everyone stepped up to help each other and worked hard every day. The con- stant willingness to teach myself and my crew new tips and tricks was amazing. I’ve never had a crew that per- sistent with teaching others. “Every day was an adventure and we did it with a smile on our faces. Despite being the only engine not from that area, it felt like home,” she added. “I’m sincerely proud of the dedication these two showed," Aumsville Chief Roy Hari said, "by taking this dangerous, 14-day assignment nearly 1,000 miles from home.” jmuch@StatesmanJournal.com or cell 503-508-8157 or follow at twitter.com/justinmuch development within the urban growth boundary, area that is anticipated be annexed by the city in the future, must conform to the comprehensive plan designation, which dic- tates what the property can be zoned upon annex- ation. Those developments are potentially wide rang- ing, including homes, apartments, commercial and industrial properties and parks or public areas. Portland State Popula- tion Research Center co- ordinates the 20-year pop- ulation figure for the state and estimates Silverton’s annual growth rate to be at 1.4 percent. That 20-year popula- tion number is used to evaluate the improve- ments and upgrades nec- essary to serve the future population. “A cost estimate is gen- erated for the improve- ments which are then di- vided by the future uses to calculate a cost per-per- son number,” Gottgetreu said. “These numbers are the basis of the (SDC fees), which are intended to collect the funds need- ed for future improve- ments to serve the future population.” Gottgetreu said public facilities plans have re- ceived significant up- dates. “The city took a more individualized and de- tailed approach during the recent public facili- ties updates,” he said. “These include the follow- ing master plans that have a 20-year planning period planning for a 2030 popu- lation of 14,418.” The updated plans are more detailed than ones they replaced. Gottgetreu used traffic plans as an example. “When estimating the amount of traffic antici- pated to be generated over the next 20 years, the land inside the UGB was divided into 35 different areas which were then looked at individually to calculate the develop- ment potential within each area, which was then estimated as a future traf- fic estimate,” he said. “Each area was then forecasted as to where the future cars may travel to during the morning and evening rush hour. This was then put into a com- puter model of the Silver- with traffic complaints and accidents, which overrun that officer’s 40- hour work week and re- quires some additional as- sistance from patrol offi- cers. “A big issue facing the police department is… we are out of space for any additional personnel in our current building,” Fossholm said. “I current- ly have three officers per desk and we don’t have any room for the officers to store their extra equip- ment or duty bags. “The (code and park- ing) officer has an office upstairs in Public Works because there is no extra space in the police depart- ment,” he added. “This does not account for the numerous and other prob- lematic issues such as a lack of evidence storage space, inadequate book- ing area with sight and sound separate between adult and juvenile offend- ers, a formal (audio and video recorded) inter- view room, meeting rooms for victims, weap- ons and ammunition ar- mory, department train- ing room in which the en- tire department can meet and train together, locker room space, area to proc- ess evidence -- to name a few from a long list of is- sues.” Fossholm said as the town continues to grow he anticipates requests for additional officers and staff will come with it. “I’m not sure exactly when or what year that might occur, but once we get there I’m sure it will be readily apparent based on the number of calls for service, not being able to provide full service or not being able to handle calls within a timely manner,” he said. “The good news is that we are not there yet, but when it’s time we will make the request and pro- vide justification for such a request.” Public school popula- tions Silver Falls School Dis- trict Superintendent An- dy Bellando said enroll- ment in the district’s 13 schools is tracked month- ly, and the district’s large- ly rural boundaries – 260 square miles – means that only about 50 percent of the elementary school en- rollment hails from Sil- verton. Bellando said a few of LOW COST CREMATION & BURIAL Simple Cremation $595 NO Hidden Costs TUALATIN SALEM 8970 SW Tualatin Sherwood Rd 412 Lancaster Drive NE (503) 885-7800 (503) 581-6265 PORTLAND TIGARD 832 NE Broadway 12995 SW Pacifi c Hwy (503) 783-3393 (503) 783-6869 EASTSIDE MILWAUKIE 1433 SE 122nd Ave 17064 SE McLoughlin Blvd (503) 783-6865 (503) 653-7076 Privately owned cremation facility. A Family Owned Oregon Business. OR-SAL0007253-14 www.ANewTradition.com ton Transportation net- work to see which inter- sections would need im- provements to deal with the increase in traffic in the future.” Who patrols? Silverton Police has 16 sworn officers funded through the city’s gener- al-fund and 17 total. “In 2015, we were able to add an additional offi- cer, in partnership with the Silver Falls School District,” Police Chief Jeff Fossholm said, noting that the school district pays for 75-percent of that officer. “They get a full-time school resource officer that is able to trav- el and handle any issues (in the district) … We get the officer back during the summer for regular patrol at time when most officers want to take va- cation time, which greatly helps with our staffing levels.” The size of the force and the facilities can be affected by growth, but the department has ad- justed to it. “As the city has con- tinued to grow over the last several years, we have been very fortunate in that crimes occurring within the city have re- mained at or about the same level as in previous years,” Fossholm said. “Silverton continues to provide its residents full police services. This is something that has not oc- curred in larger agencies such as Salem Police or Marion County Sheriff’s Office, where they are no longer able to respond to traffic accidents unless they are blocking or there is injury, as an example. “With the increase in annexations and expan- sion in Silverton’s bound- aries, additional streets, neighborhoods and the park system, it does spread us out and gives us more overall acreage to patrol and respond to problems and handle calls for service within,” Foss- holm added. “This has caused a slight reduction in being able to patrol all areas of town equally and for some parts of town have a little longer re- sponse time on calls for service.” The chief said com- plaints have been mini- mal, but the department has assigned a traffic offi- cer to specifically deal Silverton Year Population 1880 229 1890 511 1900 656 1910 1,588 1920 2,251 1930 2,462 1940 2,925 1950 3,146 1960 3,081 1970 4,301 1980 5,168 1990 5,635 1991 5,725 1992 6,050 1993 6,080 1994 6,170 1995 6,405 1996 6,565 1997 6,675 1998 6,740 1999 6,745 2000 7,414 2001 7,420 2002 7,680 2003 7,980 2004 8,060 2005 8,230 2006 8,915 2007 9,205 2008 9,540 2009 9,585 2010 9,222 2011 9,265 2012 9,290 2013 9,330 2014 9,460 2015 9,590 2016 9,725 2017 10,070 Data are compiled by Population Research Center. The source is U.S. Census Bureau for decennial Census pop- ulations; and for intercensal population estimates, the source is the Population Research Center's Population Estimates Program, Portland State Univer- sity. the district schools are at capacity, but most are not. The district can regulate enrollment by adjusting its allowed out-of-district transfers. “This will help address enrollment growth in the future,” Bellando said. “School district enroll- ment remained flat for about 20 years – between 1994 and 2014,” Bellando noted. “We experienced an average of 1-percent growth in total enrollment each of the past three years, which may indicate that growth will con- tinue." jmuch@Statesman- Journal.com or cell 503- 508-8157 or follow at twit- ter.com/justinmuch