4 Summer 2014 Applegater
Community Calendar
Alcoholics Anonymous. Open meeting
every Wednesday at 7 am at the Williams
Community Church Fellowship Hall
on East Fork Road in Williams. This
meeting is open to those who have a
drinking problem and have a desire
to stop drinking, and also to anyone
interested in the Alcoholics Anonymous
program of recovery from drinking.
American Association of University
Women (AAUW) Grants Pass Branch
meets monthly from September through
May. Days, times, and locations vary.
All those who hold an associate of arts,
baccalaureate or higher degree from
an accredited college or university
are welcome to join. Contact Velma
Woods at woods@grantspass.com or
541-956-5287, or Marianne Dwyer at
readandshop@yahoo.com or 541-479-
4041. Visit http://aauwgrantspass.org
and see us on Facebook.
Applegate Christian Fellowship. For service
times, call 541-899-8732 24 hours/day.
Applegate Fire District Board of Directors
meets on the third Wednesday of each
month at Station 1, 18489 North
Applegate Road at 7:30 pm, except
for the months of March, April and
May, which are held at Headquarters,
1095 Upper Applegate Road. For more
information, call 541-899-1050.
Applegate Food Pantry, located behind
Ruch School, is open most Mondays
from 11:30 to 1 pm. Call Arlene at
541-951-6707.
Applegate 4-H Swine Club meets on
Tuesdays following the third Wednesday
of every month at 7 pm. For more
information, contact Charles Elmore at
541-846-6528 or Barbara Niedermeyer
at 541-846-7635.
Grants Pass Nordic Ski Club meets on the
first Thursday of the month, November
through April, at Elmer’s, 175 NE
Agness Avenue, Grants Pass, at 6 pm.
Ski outings are on Saturdays. Listings
are on the snow phone at 541-592-4977.
Greater Applegate Communit y
Development Corporation meets the
second Wednesday of January, April,
July and October at 6 pm at Applegate
Fire District Station 1, 18489 North
Applegate Road. For more information,
go to www.gacdc.org.
Jose phine Count y Soil and Water
Conservation District (SWCD)
meets Thursdays at 6 pm. For meeting
information, call 541-474-6840.
Ruch Library is open Tuesday from 11 am
to 5 pm, Thursday from 1 to 7 pm, and
Saturday from 12 to 4 pm. Storytime is
Tuesday at 11 am. 7919 Highway 238.
Sanctuary One is open to the public
for farm tours every Wednesday and
Saturday, 10:30 am to noon. Minimum
donation is $10. Reservations are
required. Call 541-899-8627 or email
info@sanctuaryone.org.
Siskiyou Audubon Society ( free program)
meets the second Tuesday of each
month, September - June, at 6:30 pm
at Grants Pass High School cafeteria
(Room 611), 830 NE 9th Street, and
features expert birding scientists and
bird biologists. Refreshments served.
More information: John Taylor 541-
476-9846.
Southern Oregon Beekeepers Association
meets the first Monday of each month
at 7:30 pm at the OSU extension.
For more information, please contact
sobeekeepers@gmail.com.
Applegate Friends of Fire District #9
meets on the third Tuesday of each
month at the Fire Station at 1095 Upper
Applegate Road at 6 pm. New members
are welcome. For more information, call
Bob Fischer 541-846-6218.
T.O.P.S. (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) meets
every Monday morning at Applegate
Church, 18960 North Applegate Road
(at the corner of Highway 238). Weigh-
in starts at 8:30 am; the meeting starts at
9:00 am. Come join us!
Applegate Library is open Tuesday and
Friday from 2 to 6 pm and Saturday from
10 am to 2 pm. Storytime is Tuesday at
2:30 pm. 18485 North Applegate Road.
Williams Creek Watershed Council meets
the fourth Wednesday of each month
at 7 pm at the Williams Fire Station.
The public is welcome. For more
information, call 541- 846-9175.
Applegate Neighborhood Network (ANN)
meets the last Wednesday of every month
at the Ruch Library. All interested
persons are welcome to attend. ANN
is a community organization dedicated
to protecting, preserving, and restoring
the Applegate watershed. For more
information about ANN, call Duane
Bowman, 541-899-7264.
Applegate Partnership and Watershed
Council meets the fourth Thursday of
the month at the Applegate Library. For
more information call 541-899-9982.
Applegate Valley Community Grange meets
the second Sunday of each month for a
potluck and a business meeting. Call
541-846-7501 for times. 3901 Upper
Applegate Road.
Applegate Valley Garden Club meets at
1:30 pm on the third Wednesday of the
month from September through May.
For meeting locations and programs, call
Sandra King at 541-899-9027 or Betty
Lou Smith at 541-846-6817.
Food & Friends Senior Nutrition Program
invites local seniors (60-plus) to
enjoy a nutritious, hot meal served
at 11:30 am Monday through Friday
at the Jacksonville IOOF Hall at the
corner of Main and Oregon Streets. A
donation is suggested and appreciated.
Volunteers help serve meals or deliver
meals to homebound seniors. For
information about volunteering or
receiving meals, call Food & Friends at
541-664-6674, x246 or x208.
Friends of Ruch Library Board of Directors
meets on the first Thursday of each
month at 6:30 pm at Ruch Library. All
are welcome. 541-899-7438.
Williams Grange Pancake Breakfast,
second Sunday of each month, 8:30 to
11 am, followed by the Bluegrass Jam,
11 am to 1 pm. Closed July and August.
20100 Williams Highway near Tetherow
Road. For more information, call 541-
846-6844.
Williams Grange #399 Business Meeting,
second Tuesday of each month, 7 pm.
20100 Williams Highway near Tetherow
Road. For more information, call 541-
846-6844.
Williams Library is open Tuesday,
Wednesday and Saturday from 1 to 5
pm. Stories, crafts and skill-sharing
every Tuesday at 3:45 pm and Saturday
at 2 pm. All ages welcome at free
programs by local volunteers. Free Wi-
Fi 24/7. 20100 Williams Highway near
Tetherow Road. For more information,
call Danielle Schreck at 541-846-7020.
Williams Rural Fire Protection District
meets the fourth Wednesday of the
month at 7 pm at the Williams Fire
Department.
Women Helping Other Women (WHOW)
meets the second Tuesday of the month
at 10036 Highway 238 (Gyda Lane) at
6:30 pm for a potluck meeting to plan
work parties at each other’s homes.
New members are welcome. For more
information, call Thalia Truesdell at
541-899-8741 or Sioux Rogers at 541-
846-7736.
Wonder Neighborhood Watch meets the
second Tuesday of each month, 6:30 pm,
Wonder Bible Chapel, 11911 Redwood
Highway, Wilderville.
Send your calendar information to gater@applegater.org.
One more hurdle
for McKee Bridge
by RObERT E. VAN hEuIT
The McKee Bridge Historical Society
(MBHS) has raised the $56,000 needed
as matching funds for the federal grant to
restore the bridge. The plans are completed
and the restoration project was scheduled
to go to bid early in April. However, a
few weeks prior to releasing the plans to
bidders, the final engineer’s estimate was
received and it was about $20,000 more
than the total amount of the federal grant.
After discussions with MBHS, the
County Road Department and Oregon
Department of Transportation (ODOT),
it was decided that an additional $60,000
was needed for the project. ODOT
requested that amount so that they could
award the contract even if the low bid was
more than the engineer’s estimate, and
to allow for a small reserve in case of any
needed extra work not included in the
plans and specifications.
When we looked for possible
funding sources, we found that there
is a Transportation Enhancement (TE)
Fund for projects that enhance areas
near highways and main roads, such as
construction or restoration of bike paths,
waysides, and historic structures. We
contacted the TE committee to see if our
project would qualify, and, yes, it does.
The county prepared and submitted a
grant request for about $62,000, with
MBHS being responsible for the matching
funds (about $6,200). The TE committee
approved the request for the grant and has
forwarded it to the Oregon Transportation
Commission (OTC) for review and,
hopefully, approval. ODOT will release the
plans for bid if and when OTC approves
the grant application. The completion date
will still be July 31, 2015.
We’re hoping this is our last
financial hurdle and would appreciate
any help with the last $6,200. Send
donations to MBHS, P.O. Box 854,
Jacksonville, OR 97504. Please specify
“Donation for Restoration Fund.”
Thanks to everyone who helped us
get this far. With a little luck, restoration
will begin soon.
On another note, the MBHS Board
of Directors has decided not to hold McKee
Bridge Day this year. We will celebrate
on June 15 at Applegate Valley Day at
Cantrall-Buckley Park where we will be
selling ice cream floats and sundaes, baked
goods and other items. Come see us there.
Let’s plan to have a big celebration at the
bridge in June of 2015.
Tax-free contributions to MBHS,
as well as memberships, can be made
to MBHS, P.O. Box 854, Jacksonville,
OR 97530. Memberships are $10 for
an individual and $15 for a family. All
funds are used for the maintenance
and repair of the bridge and operation
of MBHS. Visit our website at www.
mckeehistoricalcoveredbridge.org . We
appreciate your support!
Robert E. Van Heuit • 541-899-2927
President, McKee Bridge
Historical Society
Ed. Note: Good news! Paul Tipton just
informed us that the TE grant has been
approved and the project should go out to
bid soon.
Breaking News
HOTEL HELL
and the
Applegate River Lodge
At long last, what we’ve all been waiting for...
Watch the episode on
the Applegate River Lodge
during HOTEL HELL’s second
season beginning on Monday,
July 21 (9 -10 pm on Fox).
Gordon Ramsay is back and
hitting the road to fix some
of America’s most horrendous
hotels, troubled inns and struggling resorts, many of which
are on the brink of closure.
Ramsay will travel to locations including Applegate,
OR; Las Cruces, NM; Longview, WA; Murphys, CA;
Pipestone, MN; Starkville, MS; West Dover, VT; and
Woodbury, CT.
At press time, Fox had not set an official date for the
Applegate River Lodge episode, but we will keep you alerted
through our Facebook page.