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About Illinois Valley news. (Cave City, Oregon) 1937-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 11, 2002)
Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, OR 97523 September 11, 2002 Page 11 CJ Council covers lots of ground in meeting The first meeting of the I.V. Fire Recovery Task Force will take place this week. The group is a loose coalition of organiza- tions, tourism and wood industry business people, and agencies coming together to deal with the aftermath of the Biscuit Fire. In the spirit of making lemonade from lemons, the group feels that there are opportunities for economic development that will bene- fit Illinois Valley in terms of tourism and rehabilitation -- if we pursue them in a united manner. Consequently, membership in the task force covers the spec- trum, including environmental organizations and lumber industry workers. The common bond is the belief that even with our differ- ences we can work together for the benefit for the valley. The task force will be a planning and coordinating body. Al- though each member may pursue different projects based on in- terest and expertise, there is enough overlap that collaboration and dialogue will be useful. There may even be projects under- taken together. One example project the CRT is pursuing is to facilitate the local manufacture of soil erosion-controlled structures called FlowCheck, patented by Forest Concepts (a Washington firm) and approved by the forest service for fire rehabilitation. Job crea- tion could be three-fold: removing the small-diameter material from which they are made, their manufacture, and their subse- quent placement in the forest. I am hoping to arrange a demon- stration by Forest Concepts with the Burned Area Emergency Rehabilitation Team currently developing the rehabilitation plan. Although there will be regular reports in future “Insights” on the work of the task force, people should feel free to phone the CRT office for information, or if they are interested in joining one of the working subcommittees. Tourism Conference Coming The CRT is organizing a tourism conference for late October or early November. Although designed primarily for the valley, invitations will be sent to key tourism organizations at both ends of Redwood Hwy. The purpose of the conference is for local tourism businesses to strategize on how to work together to make Illinois Valley a tourism destination site, including taking advantage of the na- tional exposure and interest the fire has brought us. Dr. William McLaughlin, chairman of the Resources, Recreation and Tourism Dept. at the University of Idaho, will be the primary speaker and resource. McLaughlin, one of the nation’s leading experts on rural tour- ism, brings a wealth of experience to this assignment, which should be extremely beneficial as we come to grips with the chal- lenge of improving our tourism competitiveness. This is not in- tended to be just an academic exercise, where participants listen while experts tell them what to do. Instead, there will be a number of working sessions where participants apply new information and come up with workable plans to make next season a tourism success. A detailed agenda is being prepared and will be distrib- uted soon. Oregon Caves Outfitters Update Operations at the Caves Concession have been extended. Originally, plans were to only provide accommodations in Sep- tember on weekends. but demand has remained high. We are staying open on an as-needed basis during the week. So far, between reservations and walk-ins, we are renting an aver- age of seven rooms per night. The gift gallery and coffee shop remain open during the day, and the dining room continues to serve overnight guests and visitors in the evening. Bill Hunt, who has managed residential educational programs and owned a tour booking business in Medford, has taken over as manager. Bill’s background should help us develop new programs to better market the Caves and draw more visitors next year. We appreciate “Chas” Davis and Robbie Hanson for making the cur- rent season such a success, despite the fire. High-Speed Internet Access In preparation for a grant application to U.S. Dept. of Agri- culture, to fund high speed internet access, the CRT -- in conjunc- tion with the Southern Oregon Telecommunications & Technol- ogy Council and Rogue Community College -- is mailing surveys to local businesses, homes, and community facilities. The purpose of the survey is to document current internet ser- vices and the interest/demand for more advanced services. The sample being surveyed has been selected randomly. Should you receive a survey, please take a few minutes to fill it in and drop it in the mail. If we are successful in obtaining this grant it would mean two years of free services for community facilities, a community/ business services center, and wireless access for residential users. CRT Budget Adopted The CRT Board of Directors adopted its 2002-03 operation budget during the business meeting last Thursday. The annual budget of $155,456 covers the period from Oct. 1 2002 to Sept. 30, 2003 and is $1,500 less than the current budget. Copies of the budget are available at the office or by e-mail. Cougar Booster Club is serving burgers at football games. By SHERRI HOPPER Cave Junction resident Tony Paulson became the newest member of the Cave Junction City Council during its Monday, Sept. 9 regular meeting in city hall. Paulson’s application was reviewed by the council, ap- proved unanimously with a 4- 0 vote, and he was sworn into service with the panel by City Recorder Jim Polk. Filling the council posi- tion two spot, vacant since the June 10 resignation of Doug Blair, Paulson will hold the position until a new councilor is elected in the coming elec- tion. He has filed for election to the council in November. Mayor Ed Faircloth in- formed the council that instal- lation of new lighting at Jubi- lee Park will allow for the gates to be left open after dark. Park gates currently are closed at dark. The extended hours will allow for the park to be patrolled by city contract deputies from Josephine County Sheriff’s Office. An application to partition a piece of property at 615 N. Old Stage Road was ap- proved, providing it meets the conditions established by city planning staff. Applicant Max Hull applied to divide the lot into three lots. Councilor Rita Dyer ques- tioned the possibilities of fur- ther dividing the parcels, and circumventing municipal code for subdivisions. Debi Bu- chanan, of Oregon Mountain Real Estate, testified on behalf of the proposal that because of the placement of high-tension electrical lines, further lot par- titions would be unlikely. The council voted 5-0 to approve the partition, as long as the plans acquire fire ser- vice approval of plans for emergency access and include an agreement with the city and county regarding frontage im- provements in the future. City councilors agreed to “workshop” two issues. The city will meet with the Kerby Water District Formation Committee regarding the pos- sibilities of connecting Kerby residents to the Cave Junction water system. The workshop is set for Tuesday, Sept. 17 at 6:30 p.m. in city hall. The city also will sched- ule a workshop to discuss pro- vision of water at developer John Costanzo’s mobile home park on Laurel Road. The city has completed three grant applications. A Community Development Block Grant is being sought from the Oregon Economic and Community Development Dept. (OECDD) for handicap accessibility improvements at Jubilee Park and city hall. The city also seeks OECDD fund- ing for infrastructure neces- sary for the Employment/ Light Industrial Area. And the city has applied for Oregon Dept. of Transpor- tation funding to install a bike lane, curb gutter and sidewalk improvements on the east side of Hwy. 199 from River Street to the future site of Siskiyou Community Health Center. The same grant applica- tion requests grant funding for similar improvements on Caves Hwy. from 199 to Junc- tion Avenue. City councilors voted 5-0 to declare as surplus two par- cels of city-owned property: the Schumacher-Berard well site, and property at 656 Old Stage Road. By establishing the properties as surplus, the city can sell them. The city also received a Continued on page 12 COUGAR FOOTBALL SCENE - Football season has arrived with the usual atmosphere that results: the Cougar Pep Band, led by T. Lund, always lends a festive and spirited touch to the proceedings. And the Cougar Rally Squad works hard to keep the cheering and good spirit going. The varsity football team will play Gold Beach in Gold Beach on Friday, Sept. 13 at 7 p.m. The frosh/soph game set for Cave Junction on Thursday, Sept. 12 has been canceled.