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About Appeal tribune. (Silverton, Or.) 1999-current | View Entire Issue (June 12, 2019)
SPONSORED BY BROUGHT TO YOU BY: SUPPORTING SPONSORS JUNE 15 th -23 rd • 2019 • Turn-By-Turn Directions • Complete Listings & Photos • Download at www.tourofhomes.net WEEKENDS NOON-6pm • WEEKDAYS 6pm-9pm FREE ADMISSION WWW.TOUROFHOMES.NET WEDNESDAY, JUNE 12, 2019 ❚ SILVERTONAPPEAL.COM PART OF THE USA TODAY NETWORK D-Day: Salem’s Band of Brothers connection Don Malarkey, Bill Wingett and Leo Boyle were there on that fateful day Capi Lynn Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK Property developer Gene Oster stands on the property he plans to build a 40-parcel subdivision on in Silverton on June 6, 2019. MICHAELA ROMÁN / STATESMAN JOURNAL Silverton developer wins subdivision appeal And he was right. Oster was one of the few appeals upheld by LUBA. He's now prepping to start building homes. Bill Poehler Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK In over 20 years working in real estate in his life long home of Silverton, Gene Oster has learned a lot about land use. The step he and every other property developer want to avoid is taking a case to the state Land Use Board of Appeals as the odds of winning in that arena aren't great, less than 5%. But when Silverton officials rejected a subdivision proposal of his, effectively suggesting he would need to spend more than $2 million on roadway intersec tion improvements, Oster figured the appeal was worth the risk. Salem once was home to three members of the famed Band of Brothers who parachuted into France, fought across the Netherlands and Belgium and oc cupied Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest in Germany during World War II. They lived, worked and retired in this community under the radar — a real estate broker, a carpenter and an educator — until their unit was immortalized by Stephen Ambrose’s bestselling book and HBO’s awardwinning miniseries. Don Malarkey, the real estate broker, was the best known. He consulted on the miniseries and wrote his own book about his military service. Bill Wingett, who owned a woodworking business, attended reunions but preferred to avoid the public ity. Leo Boyle, a high school teacher and then special Applying to develop a subdivision See D-DAY, Page 2A Except for his college days at Oregon State, Oster has spent his entire 66 years in Silverton. After graduating college with a business degree, he was the coowner and operator of an insurance agen cy in Silverton for 30 years, but before he retired from that line of work, Oster dabbled in real estate. “Like I say, I love the community,” Oster said. “I’ve just been fortunate over the years to be able to live in See LAND, Page 3A Clock ticking on solar farms Bill Poehler Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK Oregon Legislature overhauls dam safety rules Tracy Loew Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK The Oregon Legislature has approved updating Oregon’s nearly centuryold dam safety regulations. House Bill 2085 rewrites the laws governing con struction, inspection and enforcement authority for stateregulated dams. It now goes to Gov. Kate Brown for her signature. The bill increases the state’s authority to force owners of aging, dangerous dams to do maintenance and make repairs. It requires state approval and oversight of new dam construction and old dam removals. See DAM, Page 3A Crews work to drill and test soil samples for a proposed new dam at the Big Creek Reservoir near Newport. ANNA REED/STATESMAN JOURNAL Online at SilvertonAppeal.com Vol. 138, No. 25 Serving the Silverton Area Since 1880 A Unique Edition of the Statesman Journal News updates: ❚ Breaking news ❚ Get updates from the Silverton area Photos: ❚ Photo galleries QEAJAB-07403y ©2019 50 cents Printed on recycled paper The clock is quickly ticking away on dozens of so lar farms approved, but not yet built in the Willam ette Valley. The state Land Conservation and Development Commission adopted new rules prohibiting solar farms being built on highvalue farmland, and many previously approved solar farms are nearing the ex piration under their conditional land use approvals. If they don’t go forward soon, they won’t be able to. “Anything that was approved in 2017 has to have a permit in 2019,” said Marion County planning direc tor Joe Fennimore, “and a lot of those are coming due and I don’t know how many of those are going to go forward. As far as I know, none have applied.” In Marion County, there are 32 photovolatic solar arrays proposed to be built on highvalue farmland. Of those, five have been completed – locations outside Gervais, Silverton, Turner, Salem and Wood burn – and four more have received permits. Fennimore said the ones that have received per mits may still build under the old code as long as they show progress. But that leaves 23 solar farms in the county that must get permits in less than a year to fall under pre vious rules, and seven of those must be done by the end of the year or will never be able to go forward. “This is basically a prohibition of solar in the Wil See SOLAR, Page 2A saturday morning NEVER TASTED So GOOD! BREAKFAST Made Fresh on the Grill Every Saturday Morning 7:00AM to 10:30am Saturdays Only $ 99 5 EA. TWO FRESH EGGS, TWO STRIPS OF BACON OR TWO SAUSAGE LINKS OR ONE SLICE OF COUNTRY HAM, YOUR CHOICE OF HASHBROWNS OR HOME-FRIED POTATOES AND TOAST. MAKE YOUR SATURDAY MORNING BREAKFAST AND GROCERY SHOPPING ONE CONVENIENT STOP! HAVE YOUR BREAKFAST READY WHEN YOU ARE. ORDER AHEAD ONLINE AT WWW.ROTHS.COM/ORDERS