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About Applegater. (Jacksonville, OR) 2008-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 1, 2017)
Applegater Winter 2017 7 NONPROFIT NEWS AND UPDATES — Pacifica — — A Greater Applegate — Cantrall Buckley Park: From community management to community involvement T h e B o a rd o f Di re c t o r s o f A Greater Applegate (formerly GACDC) has unanimously decided to transfer management, operation, and responsibility for Cantrall Buckley Park to Jackson County Parks on or before February 1, 2018. The decision was made in consultation with A Greater Applegate’s Cantrall Buckley Park Committee, which has been leading efforts to maintain and enhance the park over the years. If you have lived in the Applegate Valley for a while, you may remember how a financial crisis in 1996 led to Jackson County’s decision to close Cantrall Buckley Park. For many local residents, then and now, Cantrall Buckley Park is central to the life and history of the area as one of the few places of public access to the river. Community leadership refused to allow Cantrall Buckley to close and formed the “Parcommittee” under the Applegate Partnership to keep the park open under community operation through a Participatory Agreement with the county. That agreement was later assigned to GACDC in 1998. Now, more than two decades later, we have come full circle. The county budget has been strong for several years, and Steve Lambert, program manager of Jackson County Parks, has been working hard to upgrade the county park system. The recent construction of a large RV facility at the Jackson County Expo in Central Point was completed in-house—using county staff, equipment, and knowledge—and has been a huge success. A Greater Applegate’s board and Park Committee believe that the community can look forward to similar successes at Cantrall Buckley, including needed upgrades at the campground. In its decision to transfer the park back to the county, the board was mindful of the tremendous work of so many community volunteers who kept the park going these past two decades. It is equally appreciative of this opportunity that the county has offered to ensure that the park continues to serve the community and the region far into the future. Cantrall Buckley is a crown jewel of the Applegate Valley, and A Greater Applegate has appreciated Jackson County’s sensitivity and commitment to a smooth and participatory transition. Over the years, people throughout the Applegate Valley and beyond have done so much to celebrate and enhance the natural beauty of Cantrall Buckley by leading and participating in numerous volunteer- driven projects. If you are one of those volunteers, we expect these opportunities to continue. We envision the county, A Greater Applegate, and others continuing to work together in a strong partnership to ensure that the park remains open year- round and that environmental projects like the Monarch Wayside Garden and family projects like the playground rebuild and artwork continue to prosper. For more than 20 years, the people of the Applegate Valley have stepped up to fund, clean, plant, weed, decorate, and manage Cantrall Buckley Park. That’s an amazing accomplishment in an unincorporated rural area. So many have so much to be very proud of that it’s impossible to list all who have contributed to this effort. There are still many details to work out, and we appreciate Park Committee Chair Tom Carsten’s continued dedication to moving this transfer forward. We also wish to acknowledge Park Supervisor Rick Barclay’s many years of dedicated service to Cantrall Buckley Park, as well as his support of the transition. A Greater Applegate will work with the county on a Memorandum of Understanding detailing our ongoing role in supporting the park and ensuring that it remains a special place for all. Once the management transfer is complete, the park will be staffed year-round by a Park Host. (See message from the county on page 10.) As A Greater Applegate begins to transition Cantrall Buckley back to the county, it is also engaged in a planning process to reclaim its original vision to sustain and enhance the vitality of the Applegate Valley. One example of that is our partnership with the Applegater on the new community website, Applegate Valley Connect. Our board is currently engaged in a planning process to identify other priority projects for the new year. We will have much to share in the next issue! If you have questions or comments, please submit them on the Contact page of our website at gacdc.org. Everyone is welcome to join us at an upcoming community meeting hosted by the Park Committee. (See box at top of page 10 for more details.) Seth Kaplan Chair, A Greater Applegate sethkap55@gmail.com Paul Tipton Vice-chair, A Greater Applegate ptipton@frontier.com — McKee Bridge Historical Society — After local residents, including McKee Bridge Historical Society board members, were at Level 3 evacuation notice (“Go! Evacuate now!”) due to the Miller Complex fires, the annual meeting was postponed until October 21. Highlighting the October meeting was a very informative presentation by Jan Wright, author of an upcoming book about the life of John Beeson. Volunteers who helped with our Centennial Celebration were honored and presented with Centennial t-shirts. Centennial t-shirts are still available in limited numbers at Ruch Country Store, Tiffany’s Outpost, and the Applegate Store and Café. Get yours before we run out. In addition to supporting McKee Bridge, the t-shirts will make great holiday gifts! Coming in March, look for more information about our special event on the history of the Upper Applegate. What happened in your neighborhood 100 years ago? Or before or after? Stories of the local history from a variety of speakers will be featured in this neighborhood event, along with a sharing of food and drink. If you are interested in helping out or have a story to tell, we want to hear from you. Contact Paul Tipton at 541-846- 7501 or mckeebridge1917@gmail.com or Dolores Lisman at 541-899-9929. Paul Tipton • 541-846-7501 Chair, McKee Bridge Historical Society mckeebridge1917@gmail.com Pacifica’s Annual Winter Arts Festival is always full of interesting items from local vendors. New and in progress We finally have a new septic system… after many years of hoping! Hopefully this will be followed soon by real restrooms. A big thank you to Tony Hyde for doing such a great job of shepherding the project through “the system,” getting it constructed and then approved. Also, another big thanks to Tony for the volunteer hours he put in with his excavator to fix a drainage problem. You’re great, Tony! Irrigation and plans are forming for a Fragrant Garden with a labyrinth and for a pollinator garden with sections for bees, butterflies, hummers, moths, and beetles. It’s infinitely fascinating, so come and enjoy the interpretive signage next spring. In the meantime, we can always use help with planting and weeding. We are very excited to be making plans to offer an outdoor school in spring 2018. Outdoor School can be a three-day, two- night visit or intensive daylong field trips for one to three days. Fourteen years of experience with the Caterpillar (Pacifica’s science-nature trailer that goes to schools) will help a lot with this new program. With the patient, never-ending volunteer help of Rose Nelson (Thank you Rose!), more children’s animal costumes have been added to our collection, which now totals 20 with more to come. We have a rabbit, a worm, a squirrel, a mouse, grass, and a flower. If you like simple sewing, this is a fun, ongoing project. The costumes will be used by children in fun games and discussions about how our world fits so intricately together. Contributions It’s nearing the end of the year, when many of us think about making tax- deductible donations to nonprofits. We hope you’ll remember Pacifica in your plans. Anything and everything helps (especially for the Caterpillar program). We’ve learned that those who are 70½ years old are required by law to make withdrawals from their retirement funds. Some, or all, of the withdrawal can be donated to a nonprofit, thus avoiding having to pay tax on that income. One Pacifica board member has already done so. We thank you for any support you are able to offer, in any form and at any time. 18 th Annual Winter Arts Festival This year’s arts festival will be held on Saturday, December 2, from 10 am to 4 pm. Admission is free. Works of 30 local artists will be on display, including high- quality, hand-made jewelry, ceramics, fiber creations, leather, photographs, paintings, and more. A variety of live music will be presented by 12 groups at two sites, along with good food and a friendly country atmosphere. Children’s activities include cookie decorating, photos, birdhouse making, costumes, and more. And don’t forget: art vendors, live music, and great food can be found at the beautiful Pond House, too! Just hop on the continuous covered shuttle service between the two buildings. Pacifica is located at 14615 Water Gap Road in Williams. Peg Prag 541-660-4295 peg@pacificagarden.org — Gift ideas from the Applegate Valley — Help support the Applegater by purchasing these unique items! Book. From the Heart of the Applegate anthology of original essays, poems, and short stories contributed by Applegate Valley writers in support of the Applegater. Available now for $16 at Amazon.com and applegater.org; Applegate Valley Realty, Jacksonville; Bloomsbury Books, Ashland; Oregon Books, Grants Pass; Rebel Heart Books, Jacksonville; and Terra Firma, Jacksonville. Planter. Beautiful planters called “Applecrates,” built with donated local wood and volunteer labor, are available to purchase. See these useful and long-lasting “Applecrates” at Applegate Valley Realty, 935 N. Fifth Street, Jacksonville. A price of a stock planter box (see photo), 12” wide x 22” long x 14” deep, starts at $40. For more information, call Chris Bratt at 541-846-6988.
