For nonprofits
Full-time mechanic
posed to fire board
New fee
on events
inside CJ
pondered
By MICHELLE BINKER
A proposal brought to
Cave Junction City Coun-
cil would require non-
profit entities to purchase a
city business license for
special events at which the
organization collects
money from vendors.
Revenue generated
from sale of these licenses
would help the city recoup
costs of cleaning up and
maintenance following
special events.
Ordinance 441 would
amend the municipal code
and redefine “business” to
include any nonprofit or
charitable “corporation or
organization collecting
revenue from commercial
vendors for the right to do
business during special
events sponsored by the
corporation or organiza-
tion.”
The fee for such a li-
cense would be $100 per
day. Currently, no such
business license is required
of charitable entities.
The proposed ordi-
nance provoked dismayed
comments from several
people who attended the
council meeting Monday
night, Jan.12.
“This is an unfair tax
on the Lions and other
non-profit organizations
which do good work in the
community,” said Jerry
Sommers with I.V. Lions
Club. “If we had to come
up with this fee, we would
have to raise our vendors’
fees.”
Gary Bell, also with
I.V. Lions, said that
roughly 90 percent of pro-
ceeds generated from I.V.
Lions-sponsored special
events go back to the com-
munity.
Jim Frick of Harris &
Taylor Century 21 also
spoke against the ordi-
nance. He asked the coun-
cil to consider what speak-
ers from the volunteer
groups had said, and not
charge the fee.
Ellie Buell, from
American Legion Auxil-
iary Unit 70, and Sonny
Moore, of I.V Little
League, both spoke in op-
position to the ordinance.
In the face of such stiff
opposition, Mayor Ed
Faircloth proposed con-
tinuing discussion of the
issue at a later date.
To give your
customers or
your sweetie a
valentine
message, use
the ‘Noose.’
Phone 592-2541
for details or stop
by the office.
Deadline for
valentines is
Thursday, Feb. 5
CAVE JUNCTION ROLL-OVER - Selma resident Harry ‘Rob’ Lamar, 38, suffered ap-
parent minor injuries when the pickup truck he was driving rolled on Redwood Hwy.
at the north end of Cave Junction. American Medical Response, Illinois Valley Fire
District and Josephine County Sheriff’s Office responded at approximately 10:20
a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 20. Witnesses said that Lamar was northbound, when he
braked and swerved because of vehicles stopped to make left turns.
Selma’s Equi=Tech units used by JPL
Balanced power equip-
ment from the audio indus-
try’s own Selma-based
Equi=Tech Corp. has been
deployed by NASA’s Jet
Propulsion Laboratory
(JPL) in Pasadena, Calif.
Six of Equi=Tech’s
Model 2Q’s were fur-
nished to NASA for use
with laboratory testing and
data processing equipment
at JPL Pasadena. Their
precise use is confidential.
However, sources
claim that the application
is telemetry related.
Among its many functions,
the Pasadena facility tracks
nearly all objects in orbit
around Earth. JPL repre-
sents this country’s leading
edge in space exploration,
according to an announce-
ment.
Equi=Tech also re-
ported that it has furnished
balanced power systems to
other government technical
installations including the
National Science Founda-
(Continued on page 8)
By SHANE WELSH
During a meeting of
the Illinois Valley Fire
District Board of Directors
on Thursday night, Jan. 15,
members discussed the
possibility of hiring a per-
manent, full-time me-
chanic to repair equipment
and vehicles.
During the meeting in
Cave Junction City Hall,
incoming Chief Harry Rich
expressed concerns about
delays and errors when
s e r v i c i n g e q u i p me n t
through outside mechanics.
Rich reminded mem-
bers of an incident that
occurred when the wrong
rims inadvertently were
used on one truck, result-
ing in a lost wheel. He felt
that having a mechanic
“in-house” could benefit
the department by allowing
a more timely response for
repairs and assuring that
jobs are done properly by
people familiar with fire-
fighting equipment.
“I am just concerned
about that fire we answer
at 2 in the morning and the
pump doesn’t work,” com-
mented Rich.
Another major concern
voiced by Rich is the ex-
pense linked to having
maintenance and repairs
handled by other than dis-
trict employees.
Volunteer Lt. Bill
Hickerson of CJ Station 1
felt that hiring a mechanic
would be too expensive
and of little or no benefit
to the district. He felt that
the district should “...send
Joe off to school to learn
the things we need done,”
referring to Division Chief
Joe Feldhaus.
The need for an Auto-
motive Service Excellence
Major equipment re-
pairs now are sent to
Grants Pass, a proc-
ess that is seen as
too expensive.
(ASE) certified diesel me-
chanic especially was
noted. Currently, the dis-
trict sends its major repair
work to Rural/Metro Fire
Dept. mechanics in Grants
Pass.
However, noted Feld-
haus, that procedure re-
quires the use of two rigs
and two firefighters. In
addition, without faulting
Rural/Metro, he noted that,
“Our emergency is not
their emergency,” referring
to the time it sometimes
takes to get back a truck.
Rich mentioned that he
has several volunteer fire-
fighters in mind for the
position, who might be
qualified, and that he
would provide a prospec-
tive cost analysis for the
board to aid in its decision.
Although plans to hire
a mechanic were not final-
ized, the board intends to
discuss the feasibility of
budgeting a mechanic for
the district during a future
meeting.
City housing projects
approved conditionally
LABORS OF LOVE -
Cave
Junction-based
Life Lines, which each
month sends more than
2,000 Christian-oriented
newsletters to prisoners
around
the
United
States, held its annual
Christmas
After-
Christmas party at the
home of Doug and Joy
Hoskins
on
Monday
night, Jan. 19. John
McLaughlin (far right in
top photo) was given a
special scrapbook, as it
was his 62nd birthday.
Also, he is the author of
‘Walk to Freedom,’ de-
tailing his violent times
and prison life before
accepting Jesus Christ
15 years ago. Melanie
Gayle Hoskins (right)
checks the list for the
monthly mailing of the
newsletter. A highlight of
the party was announce-
ment of Operation Free-
dom: Sending Hope Be-
hind the Walls. The plan
is to provide McLaugh-
lin’s book to every
prison
library.
(Top
photo, from left) Bob
Yankee, Karin Cooley
and Jude McLaughlin
join to help McLaughlin
celebrate his birthday.
By MICHELLE BINKER
Plans for two new
housing developments in
Cave Junction moved
closer to realization after
the CJ City Council gave
conditional approval to
both projects.
The council held pub-
lic hearings on the two
planned unit developments
(PUD) during its regular
meeting Monday night,
Jan. 12 in city hall.
The council heard a
report prepared by Dick
Converse, a planner from
Rogue Valley Council of
Governments, about the
41-unit Illinois River Es-
tates planned for the west
end of Schumacher Street.
“In many ways, this
looks like a standard sub-
division,” Converse said,
noting that the primary
differences are a private
street and abundant open
space where the property
abuts the river.
The private road as
planned is 20-feet wide,
bordered by grassy “bio-
swales” rather than gutters,
to clean and divert surface
water runoff to the com-
mon areas near the river.
Developer Jim Arm-
strong with The Forks
L.L.C. said the plan will
create a river-friendly,
“livable situation for resi-
dents of Cave Junction.”
In a 4-0 vote, the coun-
cil gave preliminary ap-
proval to The Forks PUD
with a list of concerns to
be addressed before sign-
ing off on the final plat.
Councilman Dan Fiske
was absent.
The concerns include
development
of
Schumacher to city stan-
dards, including sidewalks,
bearing in mind future de-
velopment of other parcels
nearby; concerns of Illinois
Valley Fire District and
nearby “Forks” State Park;
and having a city engineer
review plans for water,
sewer and drainage.
The final plat for
phase one of the Sunny-
brook Manor Estates, on
Laurel Road between Red-
wood Hwy. and Old Stage
Road, was conditionally
approved 4-0.
Pending are resolution
of issues at the county
level, including storm
drainage, street names, and
a second driveway for
emergency vehicle access.
It’s only possible to live happily
ever after on a day-to-day basis.
- Margaret Bonano -