Page 5
Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, OR Wednesday, July 30, 2003
I.V. survey...
(Continued from page 1)
pen in the next year?
*Based on
the
strengths and weaknesses,
what do you want the town
to be good at, or known
for, five years from now?
Besides the 10 queries
about the overall commu-
nity, Koski also has seven
questions about the Boys
& Girls Club. The intent is
to determine the level of
support for a facility in the
valley that could cost per-
haps $1 million without
federal grants available.
Part of the assessment
is to help I.V. Community
Response Team continue
to plan and continue to
implement a strategic plan.
“We’re looking for a
baseline of activities and
issue,” said Koski, who
has been in the area since
1975.
A similar survey, he
said, was conducted in
1999 by Rural Develop-
ment Initiatives under the
Oregon Economic Devel-
opment Dept.
Once the current val-
ley assessment is finished,
it will take about another
month to compile a com-
prehensive report, Koski
indicated. The report will
be made available.
“We want to know
what folks think about
their valley and ways to
make it better,” Koski said.
Man dies in
crash with a
semi-truck on
Highway 99
On Friday, July 25 at
approximately 12:55 p.m.,
the Oregon State Police
responded to a reported
motor vehicle collision on
Hwy. 99 at Savage Creek
Road some six miles south
of Grants Pass.
An International semi-
truck driven by Lester
Washburn, 67, of Selma,
was northbound on Hwy.
99 when it crossed over the
center line and struck a
Ford LTD car driven by
Donald Hawkins Jr., 53, of
Medford.
Hawkins was trans-
ported by air to Providence
Hospital in Medford,
where he died from his
injuries. A passenger in his
vehicle, Winnie Taylor,
31, of Medford is listed in
serious condition at Provi-
dence Hospital.
Washburn was not in-
jured in the collision, OSP
said. The accident is under
investigation by troopers
from the Central Point and
Grants Pass office of OSP.
Did you find it?
The first person to bring
the ‘hidden’ coffee cup
in this issue to the ‘I.V.
News’ office will receive
one free 16 oz. beverage
at Z-Coffee.
Frick questions council...
(Continued from page 2)
look at obtaining off-street
parking property, perhaps
by trading the 40-acre “old
city park” at the end of
South Old State Road. Or,
he said, the council could
sell the site and use the
money for developing
property it owns.
The council agreed to
review the entire matter of
off-street parking and sell-
ing surplus property.
The matter is to come
before the council again
during its Monday, Aug.
11 meeting.
In other matters:
*City Recorder Jim
Polk said after adjourn-
ment that Diane Petros
began work on Monday in
the clerk II position (utility
clerk) vacated by Betty
White due to illness. Pet-
ros, from Turlock, Calif.,
most recently was em-
ployed by Crossroads Ani-
mal Hospital & Pet Supply
in Cave Junction. Polk said
there were 76 applicants.
*The council agreed
during its meeting to ask
Three Rivers School Dis-
trict to provide other op-
tions regarding a proposed
well near the planned foot-
ball field at Illinois Valley
High School.
The district provided
four options, with one rec-
ommended, but the council
balked at aspects involving
vacation of property.
Festival vendors OK to spend
night in booths, motor homes
Some vendors at this
year’s Wild Blackberry
Festival will be allowed to
sleep in their booths or in
motor homes, the Cave
Junction City Council
agreed.
The festival will be
held in Downtown CJ on
the weekend of Aug. 9-10.
Following a request
from Rachel Bennett, festi-
val chairman, the council
voted approval 3-0 during
its meeting in city hall on
Monday evening, July 28.
Councilmen Rita Dyer and
Dan Fiske were absent,
although Fiske arrived
later in the meeting.
Bennett said that per-
mission has been received
from Shop Smart Food
Warehouse and Western
Plaza for vendors to park
their motor homes on their
lots during the festival.
Those who will sleep in
them must keep them as
much out of sight at night
as possible, Bennett indi-
cated.
In addition, those who
plan to sleep in their
booths must be completely
enclosed. Bennett said that
there will be private secu-
rity, and that vendors not
obeying the rules will be
asked to leave.
Permission also was
received for bands to play
at the two parking lots.
The council also
agreed to allow festival
volunteers to mark city
sidewalks for booth spaces
on Thursday, Aug. 7, and
to allow set-up the next
day after stores close.
In addition, Bennett
volunteered to empty city
trash receptacles during the
festival, and the council
thought it a good idea.
(Editor’s
Note:
Watch the “I.V. News”
Aug. 6 issue for festival
events and attractions.)
Clerks say ‘no’ to minors
attempting to buy alcohol
Nine of 10 licensed
businesses in Jackson and
Josephine counties said
“no” to selling alcohol to a
minor during a recent com-
pliance operation con-
ducted by the Oregon Liq-
uor Control Commission.
A clerk at Albertson’s
Food Center, 1360 Plaza
Blvd. in Central Point, was
cited for selling alcohol to
a minor.
Store clerks who make
an illegal sale must go to
court and are subject to
fines of up to $350.
Licensees of these
businesses also face OLC
administrative sanctions
including fines or license
suspensions.
Two inspectors from
OLCC’s Medford regional
office and a minor volun-
teer participated in the
compliance sweep June 12.
The businesses in
Cave Junction that refused
to sell included Art’s Red
Garter Steakhouse and Sa-
loon and My Brother’s
Pub.
The Redwood Select
Market, 1201 Redwood
Ave. in Grants Pass also
passed the test.
During a compliance
check, young people age
18 through 20 attempt to
buy alcohol from licensees
or their employees to see if
they are properly checking
identification and obeying
state law prohibiting alco-
hol sales to anyone under
21.
The underage volun-
teers, who are supervised
by OLCC inspectors or
other law officers, carry
their own legal ID and are
advised not to lie about
their age.
The OLCC offers
training to store clerks,
service permit holders and
others on ID checking
techniques, identifying
false identification and the
laws regarding minors and
alcohol.
for
Les and Lorraine Saffer
Family & friends are invited to an open house
Saturday, Aug. 9 - 2 to 5 p.m.
I.V. Senior Center
520 E. River St., Cave Junction
No gifts, please
Medford divided over super Wal-Mart
By MEDFORD “MAIL
TRIBUNE”
Sobered by a visit
from the world’s largest
retailer to the planning de-
partment, and heeding
pleas from worried citi-
zens, the Medford City
Council has decided to try
and stop the Wal-Mart Su-
percenter from coming to
Miles Field.
During a study session,
the Medford Council dis-
cussed prohibiting the pro-
posed “big box” store.
“The city council can
stop Wal-Mart,” City At-
torney Ron Doyle told the
council.
So the council agreed
to call an emergency coun-
cil meeting for Monday,
July 28 in order to direct
staff to pursue changing
laws and ordinances that
would restrict such pro-
jects.
In April, Jackson
County officials revealed
plans to sell approximately
30 acres, including the
Miles Field site near the
South Gateway Center, to
Wal-Mart for about $14
million.
Wal-Mart officials
announced in June that its
Talent store will close
when the South Gateway
Wal-Mart Supercenter
opens.
Such developments are
regular Wal-Mart stores
combined with a full-
service grocery store. One
recently opened in Grants
Pass.
Company officials an-
nounced three weeks ago
that the store on Hwy. 62
in Medford will close
when a Wal-Mart Super-
center opens in Central
Point.
The supercenter build-
ings are more than 200,000
square feet, about double
the size of the current
stores.
On July 18, Wal-Mart
staff and architects met
with the planning depart-
ment staff in a pre-
application meeting to dis-
cuss requirements.
So it’s a race against
the clock.
Doyle said state law
requires that the council
give 45 days notice to the
Oregon Dept. of Land
Conservation and Devel-
opment before adopting
new regulations.
He warned, however,
that the date the store’s
Please don’t
drink and drive
application is submitted
determines which planning
rules apply.
“So in essence if coun-
cil were to get started on
the process, Wal-Mart may
find out and beat you to
the punch,” he said.
“I share everybody’s
concern, not just about
Wal-Mart, but about big
box (stores) as a whole,”
said Councilman Bob
Strosser.
“I don’t think we can
cut selective rules and go
after this in the time frame
we’ve got.”
Councilman Claudette
Moore said Wal-Mart isn’t
a bad thing.
“We have big boxes
already,” she said, adding
that even when Kmart
pulled out of its big build-
ing, it became Winco,
which she said is benefi-
cial.
Councilman Jim Key
disagreed.
“I’m unable to accept a
defeatist attitude,” said
Key, explaining that he has
recently heard from many
Medford residents who do
not want the store.
“If we do nothing, our
citizens will certainly take
us to task,” he said.
He said he’s afraid that
in another four years the
retailer would just pull out
of the supercenter, because
the Medford and Central
Point stores are only seven
miles apart, and they’d
have to give up one.
“Somebody’s stuck
with a huge, huge store,”
he said.
Doyle cautioned the
council about the amount
of staff work that would be
involved in the process to
try to rush it when Wal-
Mart may move quickly
anyway.
He said they may just
want to think about future
policies.
But Councilman Skip
Knight said he didn’t want
to see the project go for-
ward.
“This company is a
travesty to the local com-
munity,” he said.
Even members who
supported the “fast track”
policy change admitted
this is the 11th hour.
“This could have been
addressed a lot earlier.
I wish it had been done
sooner,” Strosser said.
(R)