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Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, OR Wednesday, March 23, 2005
Building new fire stations on time
Project Linus members include Margaret Burke (front) and (from left) Carole Leaver-
ton, Melanie Tehan, Anneliese Otto, Susie Russell, Vivian Preble, and Geri
Marchese. (Photo provided by Melanie Tehan)
Just like its namesake, Project Linus
provides warm comfort with blankets
By CHRISTINA HILL
Correspondent
No matter the season or
the weather, children can
always use a comfortable
blanket to snuggle up to,
especially in times of need.
Recognizing this need
was the primary reason that
a chapter of Project Linus, a
nationwide, nonprofit or-
ganization, was formed in
Josephine County nearly six
years ago.
“We crochet, knit and
quilt blankets for children
from babies through age 18
and donate the blankets to
just under 30 organizations
in Josephine County, who
then distribute them,” said
Grants Pass resident Karen
Knittle. She is co-
coordinator with Judy
Baker, of the Josephine
County Chapter of Project
Linus.
“We started with 17
members and three blan-
kets,” Knittle said. “But now
we have close to 98 people
in our membership. About
30 of those members come
to our monthly meetings,
but all together we bring in
60 to 70 blankets every
month,” she added.
Knittle estimates that
each blanket takes approxi-
mately 20 hours to com-
plete. To date, the chapter
has donated more than 5,000
blankets in Illinois Valley
and throughout the county.
Once finished, the
child-sized blankets are
folded, wrapped in yarn,
beautifully decorated with a
special poem on a tag and
then finally stamped with
the Project Linus logo.
The stamp also includes
the first name of the person
who made the blanket.
“Charles Schultz was
aware of the founder’s ef-
forts to supply children with
blankets, so he wanted to
put his comic strip character,
Linus, on the stamp,” said
Knittle. “The character
Valley from Southern Cali-
fornia and wanted to learn
how to quilt.
“That was going to be
my hobby,” she said. “I saw
an ad in a newspaper for a
group wanting to start up, so
I went to the first meeting
and I’ve been with Project
Linus ever since.
“I had some experience
quilting before I joined, but
all the ladies are very will-
ing to share ideas and help
others to learn new tech-
niques,” Tehan said.
She added that her pri-
mary reason for joining Pro-
ject Linus and FCE was to
do more community service,
as she “wasn't able to do that
before she retired.”
“A small group of local
Project Linus members met
at Carole Leaverton’s house
for a “Make-a-Blanket” day
on March 3,” she added.
“We completed three pin-
wheel quilt tops, which will
be sewn into quilts and
turned in at the next meeting
on Monday, March 28.
“Carole graciously
hosts our make-a-blanket
days, usually two or three a
year, and we have those
who help measure, mark,
cut, press and sew.
“There’s always an op-
portunity to learn something
new, share patterns, and
contribute to the community
in a meaningful way,” Te-
han stated.
Next month, the Jose-
phine County chapter of
Project Linus will celebrate
its sixth anniversary. Their
next meeting will be held
Monday, March 28 at JJ
North’s in Grants Pass at 11
a.m. Members meet on last
Mondays at the same place
and time, except they meet a
week earlier in May because
of Memorial Day. and they
don’t meet in December.
For more information
on Project Linus, visit
www.projectlinus.org or
phone Knittle at 479-8598.
really does epitomize what
Project Linus is -- the little
boy with the blanket and his
thumb in his mouth,” Knittle
explained.
According to her, the
blankets are donated locally
to several organizations in-
cluding American Red
Cross, Great Beginnings,
WIC, I.V. Safe House Alli-
ance, Women's Crisis Sup-
port Team, Lovejoy Hospice
and four different depart-
ments at Three Rivers Com-
munity Hospital, including
the birthing center.
The blankets are made
thanks to numerous dona-
tions, but still, most mem-
bers have to buy most of
their own materials, includ-
ing yarn, fabric, batting,
sewing machines and so on,
Knittle said.
According to Knittle, a
handful of members are
from Illinois Valley. One,
who can’t put a price on the
blankets, is a Selma resi-
dent, Melanie Tehan.
Tehan, who has been a
member for all six years of
the chapter’s existence, said
that the stories they get
back of children who re-
ceived their blankets, are
priceless.
“We say we make hugs
for kids in the form
of blankets,” Tehan said.
“Our blankets sort of
give the children a big hug
and make them feel a little
better,” she said. “One time
I got a ‘thank you’ letter
from a gentleman whose son
was admitted to the hospital,
and the boy was screaming
and hollering and wouldn't
settle down.
“Somebody got him one
of our blankets and wrapped
him up, and he calmed right
down. Stories like that just
warm our hearts,” said Te-
han, who is also a member
of the Deer Creek Family
Community Education
(FCE) chapter.
Tehan retired to Illinois
‘Crystal meth’ seized by JOINT in Grants Pass
A quantity of “crystal
meth,” believed more potent
than the powdered form of
methamphetamine usually
found in the area, was seized
in rural Grants Pass.
Josephine Interagency
Narcotics Team (JOINT)
also identified the suspect,
John Michael Szody, 49, as
a meth dealer. He was taken
to county jail on charges of
delivery of a controlled sub-
stance, and possession of a
precursor substance, both
related to meth.
During the JOINT
search warrant service at
198 Pinwheel Lane on Tues-
day, March 15, officers also
found Betty Jo Morse, 37.
Charges against her were to
be referred to the district
attorney’s office.
On Pinwheel Lane,
JOINT officers seized more
than $2,000 “in drug
money” and more than
“$2,700 worth (3 ounces) of
finished methamphetamine
product.”
these buildings.
“I can’t be more pleased
with Batzer. They are right
on schedule,” he said.
Scott Heroux, Batzer
project manager, addressed
the board to answer ques-
tions and present a tentative
project timeline.
“The original schedule
had the completion of the
station in Cave Junction at
the middle of August, and
Selma the last week of
July,” said Heroux.
“Our contract had a
scheduled duration of 150
days after the permit process
had been completed,” he
said. “We had our designs
far enough along that we
were able to start the ground
work in December (2004),”
he said.
Heroux indicated that
current projections for pro-
ject completion at the
O’Brien station is June 30;
the Selma station is esti-
mated at July 1; and the
Cave Junction station should
be complete by July 21.
from
Blaylock Insurance
328 Caves Hwy., Cave Junction
592-3373
Investigators also found
“a substantial amount of
meth packaging material,
scales and user parapherna-
lia.”
F AMILY F URNITURE
Full Service
Furniture Store
“Creating Customers
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955-6600
202 McDonald Lane
Financing and delivery available. • Layaway
West on Redwood Ave.,
first left past United Rentals
from
the crew at
Kerby Electric
Advertise in the
‘Illinois Valley News.’
By SHANE WELSH
Staff Writer
The permit process for
building new fire stations in
Cave Junction, O’Brien, and
Selma is finally complete.
A bond to fund the pro-
ject was approved more than
two years ago. After battling
several problems obtaining
permits, Batzer (the Med-
ford construction firm that
successfully bid for the con-
tract) now has the green
light to complete the new
Illinois Valley Fire District
(IVFD) stations.
During an IVFD Board
of Directors meeting Thurs-
day night, March 17 at ad-
ministrative headquarters,
Chief Harry Rich detailed
work completed on each
station so far.
“Understand that all
project timelines are tenta-
tive,” said Rich. “Right
now, Batzer is ahead of
schedule.
“We did have some
change orders, such as the
ADA lifts that have to be
added to stations 1 and 2
(Cave Junction and Selma).
We also had to add a shower
facility for our crews up-
stairs,” said the chief.
Rich presented a com-
puter slide show while pro-
viding details of photos
taken during various con-
struction stages.
“At Station 1 in Cave
Junction, (Batzer) removed
a fill placed there when the
district bought the property,’
Rich said. “It was not com-
pacted; it was not tested, nor
was the soil sampled.
“They had to remove all
of the soil (from the rear of
the property) and replace it.
They brought in 1,245 tons
of shale so we would have a
solid foundation to build our
station on,” he said.
Besides the soil replace-
ment photos, Rich showed
views of a new 1,000-gallon
septic tank, tree removal,
and dismantling of an old
shop at the CJ site. He also
praised the work of local
subcontractors and ex-
pressed appreciation for
community support.
According to Rich, the
construction project is mov-
ing on schedule.
“When Batzer started,
they began putting up the
inside walls first because the
materials for the outside
hadn’t arrived yet,” said the
chief. “Now, the second
floor (for Selma station) is
almost complete. You can’t
appreciate how big these
buildings are until you’re
there,” he said.
After showing several
photos of the heavy steel
construction used in Station
3 in O’Brien, Rich noted, “If
these aren’t earthquake
proof, I don’t know what is.
We did real good in buying
Dave’s Outdoor Power Equipment
287 Hamilton Ave., Cave Junction
(1 block south of Chevron)
592-3416