4 Spring 2013 Applegater
First phase of McKee Bridge restoration starts
by RobeRT e. van HeuIT
The first phase of the McKee Bridge
restoration has begun.
The McKee Bridge Historical Society
(MBHS) commenced raising matching
funds when Jackson County agreed to
apply for a grant to restore the bridge. The
grant was made by the federal government
on August 2, 2012. It totaled $547,250, of
which 10.27% must be raised as matching
funds ($56,202). MBHS is committed to
raising all of the matching funds. Of that
amount, $12,000 was needed by January
2013 in order for the initial engineering
work to begin.
By the beginning of December
2012, only about $8,000 had been raised.
The Mid Rogue Independent Physician
Association and CareSource/Mid Rogue
Health Plan came to the rescue with a
commitment to match up to $2,000
in contributions. Spurred on by this
generous commitment, MBHS received
almost $3,000 between the beginning of
December and the first week of January.
MBHS was able to deposit $12,000 with
Jackson County in January 2013.
The State of Oregon administers
the grant and was able to proceed with
qualifying engineering firms and then
selecting the best-qualified firm to
design the repairs for the bridge. Late in
January, the state selected Oregon Bridge
Engineering Company (OBEC) to do the
engineering work. A fee for the work will
be negotiated with OBEC in February
2013. Now that the matching funds are
in place, the federal government’s share
of the funds will be sent to the state. It
is expected that the design of the repair,
review by environmental organizations and
the Department of Fish and Game, will
take most of 2013 to complete.
During 2013, MBHS will be working
hard to raise the remaining $44,202. We
hope to raise that amount of money by
January 2014. If we do, the restoration
project will go to bid in the spring of 2014
and the construction will take place during
the summer of 2014. If we don’t raise that
amount of money by then, the repair will
be delayed until the matching funds are
raised. The board of directors of MBHS
will be asking a number of charitable
foundations to help us with the needed
funds. However, all friends of McKee
Bridge will need to help also. Look for
our fund-raising thermometer next to the
Ramsay Realty sign in Ruch and the one
at the bridge.
Your contributions can be sent to
MBHS, P.O. Box 854, Jacksonville, OR
97530 or through PayPal at our website
(www.mckeehistoricalcoveredbridge.org).
MBHS is a 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation.
We would like to thank all of the generous
people who have already assisted in raising
the initial $12,000. Without your help we
couldn’t start this phase of the restoration.
If you have questions or comments,
please call Bob at 541-899-2927 or email
rvanh2000@yahoo.com.
Robert E. Van Heuit
President
McKee Bridge Historical Society
541-899-2927
rvanh2000@yahoo.com
firefighTers
What’s in those alarm statistics? The
lion’s share of responses is medical—a
traumatic injury, a motor-vehicle accident,
a heart attack, or a broken leg several miles
down a trail. Wildland and structure fire
protection alarms include homes and other
buildings, chimney flues, and power-line
hazards. Mutual aid is the many federal,
state, county and rural agencies that the
AVFD cooperates with in emergency
response for our safety. Thankfully there
are very few false alarms.
To celebrate the successes of these
exceptional men and women, each year
there is an awards banquet hosted by the
Friends of the AVFD. The Friends have
been providing family events and raising
additional funds to support our firefighters
for over 30 years. They, too, are always
looking for new recruits with fresh ideas
to support our firefighters. Chief Fillis
honored this year’s award winners at the
Friends banquet on February 1 (see box
at right).
In the beautiful Applegate Valley, we
live in wildfire country. This adds urgency
from page 1
to our responsibilities to protect our homes
and be prepared for emergencies. This time
of year, most of the calls for help to AVFD
are related to flue fires or escaped pile
burns. We can support our community
fire team by ensuring our homes and
surrounding properties are as fire safe as
possible.
There is a very useful safety checklist
on the AVFD website at www.applegatefd.
com. Take the time to review it and
consider your family’s preparedness. Be
sure you have a current list of prescription
drugs that each family member takes so
that this can be handed to the emergency
medical technician when aid is needed.
Being prepared truly is your best defense.
Perhaps you have time to pitch in,
help your community in times of need,
support the Friends of the AVFD (they
could use your help), or just stop by and say
thanks to our firefighters. We salute them.
If you have any questions, call Carey
Chaput at 541-899-1050.
Suzanne Olson
osoozer@aol.com
Tree School Rogue helps
small-acreage owners
Registration opens on March 4
for Tree School Rogue, scheduled for
Saturday, April 27, at Rogue Community
College in Grants Pass. Tree School is a
one-day mini-college for family forestland
owners, small-acreage landowners,
forestry contractors, and all natural
resource enthusiasts interested in trees
and forests. We’re featuring 27 classes this
year, including several perennial favorites
and some new offerings, all taught
by experienced resource-management
professionals. Classes vary in length from
1.5 to 3.5 hours and you can participate
in up to four over the course of the day.
Tree School attendees have enjoyed
the wide variety of class choices offered in
a single event. This is a chance to learn
from experts while rubbing shoulders
with like-minded landowners. You’re
guaranteed to pick up some practical tips
and come home with something you can
use on your own property.
The cost of Tree School Rogue is
$40 per person, or $49 with lunch. The
registration deadline is April 17. There
is no walk-in registration. The Tree
School program brochure is available
online at http://extension.oregonstate.
edu/sorec/Forestry/, or pick up a copy
at the OSU Extension Service office at
215 Ringuette Street, Grants Pass, or
569 Hanley Road, Central Point.
Among the classes this year are:
• All about Water Rights
• Insect and Disease Problems of
Southern Oregon Conifers &
Hardwoods
• Managing Shrublands and other Non-
conifer Plant Communities
• Log Sales: Maximize Revenue,
Minimize Risk
• The Biscuit Fire—10 Years Later
• Floral Greens to Edibles: Non-timber
Forest Products from your Woodland
• Small-scale Forestry Equipment and
its Uses
• Commercial Truffle Cultivation in
Western Oregon
• Noxious Weed Control: Yellow Star
Thistle, Knapweeds & Thistles
• Revegetating Ground Disturbances
with Native Plants
For more information, contact
Max Bennett at 541-776-7371 x221 or
max.bennett@oregonstate.edu.
Friends of the AFVD
2012 Awards
Dick Rodgers
A.J. Zanitsch
Cody Goodnough
Dick Rodgers
Bill Dunlap
Tailese Goodnough
Randi Martin
Brad Barnes
William Schmidt
Greg Gilbert
Anthony Ryan
Bob Ziegler
Pattie Bakke
Ed Temple
Carey Chaput
Richard Goodnough
Bob Ettner
Landon Nistler
Jack Lynch
Firefighter of the Year
Rookie of the Year
Emergency Medical Technician of the Year
Most Alarms District Wide (142 alarms)
Most Drills District Wide (91% drills)
Officer of the Year
Junior Firefighter of the Year
District Employee of the Year
Fire Prevention/Public Education Presenter of the Year
Instructor of the Year
Annual Maintenance Award
Annual Maintenance Award
Spouse of the Year
Spirit Award
Hall of Flame (Long-term dedicated service to the
fire district and the citizens we serve)
Chief’s Award
Century Club Response to Alarms (115)
Century Club Response to Alarms (104)
High Drill Award (89%)
Poetry Corner
Near Chehelam Pass
by Paul Tipton
Cows come down from red barns
Into the black mud of the swale.
Gray pine clapboard houses.
Berry fields and nut orchards.
Small squalls of rain
Move up the wide valley.
Small arrowheads of geese
Point across the large gray sky.
And all this green
Replaces an old woman’s life
Whose hair has turned to snow,
Her mind into the poem.
(Previously appeared in West Wind Review in 1985)