50¢
Fire district
begins plan
to replace
two staffers
Groundbreaking
for new clinic set
Action on how to fill
the slots left by two paid
staff resignations was taken
by Illinois Valley Fire Dis-
trict (IVFD) directors during
their meeting Thursday
night, May 12.
Chief Harry Rich ad-
vised the board, during its
meeting at IVFD headquar-
ters, that Division Mainte-
nance Chief Joe Feldhaus,
and Administrative Chief
Beth Beards had tendered
their resignations.
Beards, who was with
the district 6 1/2 years, re-
signed Wednesday, May 4
due to health reasons, Rich
said.
Feldhaus quit Wednes-
day, May 11, said the chief,
citing personal reasons. He
had been with the district for
more than seven years.
Rich sought board per-
mission to use a “head-
hunters” agency to seek re-
placements. Director Joel
Downing recommended
using the same one that
Groundbreaking on a 7-
acre site for the new home
of Siskiyou Community
Medical Center in Cave
Junction is set for Aug. 11.
The announcement was
made during a presentation
Wednesday evening, May
11 at Taylor’s Sausage
Country Store.
Construction on the
$3.1 million facility -- with
10,000 square feet of space
-- is planned to begin this
year, it was announced by
Susan Scheufele, medical
center CEO; and Carol
Meyers, the organization’s
development director.
More than $1.7 million
of the project’s total cost
already has been secured,
they reported. Included is
$165,000 guaranteed by
developer Larry Osborn. In
addition, persons including
Jim Frick, of Century 21
Harris & Taylor, have
pledged their personal finan-
cial support.
Scheufele noted that a
major factor for the new
facility is that the medical
center, known locally as
“the clinic,” is partnering
with Asante Health System,
which operates Three Rivers
Community Hospital,
among other medical sites,
in Grants Pass.
“The new building,”
said Meyers, “will not only
provide an improved facil-
ity, but offer room for other
specialty services and ex-
panded lab and X-ray ser-
vices through the partner-
ship with Three Rivers.”
The full-service lab and
X-ray portions will be avail-
able to anyone, said Scheu-
fele; not just clinic patients.
The entrance to the new
facility will be off Redwood
Hwy. between Wild River
Brewing & Pizza Co. and
the Illinois Valley Golf
Course. The first building
entrance will be to the clinic.
A wide drive will go
down the north side of the
facility, leading to parking at
the other end of the build-
ing, which will provide the
entrance to the Asante side.
The site was purchased
three years ago by the I.V.
Medical Center Board, and
it is debt-free.
To help raise the neces-
sary funding for construc-
tion, the medical center is
seeking donors for tax-
deductible contributions and
pledges through its “Choose
to Care” program. Informa-
tion is available from
Meyers at 955-6053, Ext.
1140 in Grants Pass; or
cmeyers@siskiyouhealth
center.com.
Siskiyou Community Medical Center
notes partnership with Asante group
KIDS ‘N’ PETS were in
plentiful supply Satur-
day, May 14 during the
eighth annual I.V. Chil-
dren’s Fair & Pet Parade
at Jubilee Park in Cave
Junction. The event was
co-sponsored by a myr-
iad of organizations.
(Clockwise from top left)
Aveline Franks and her
bulldog, ‘Candy’, both 5;
Kimberly Rodriguez, 9,
and her Beagle,
‘Snoopy’; Cord Wise and
his nameless duckling;
Candy Crow and her
minihorse, ‘Sugar Plum’;
and ‘Nori’, the Alpine
goat, cleverly disguised
as a Monarch species
goat, shown by Kaya
Cerecedes, 2. Also fea-
tured were numerous
craft and Nature activi-
ties including one
(below) by the National
Park Service about bats.
(Continued on page 3)
Library chief
dismissed by
county board
“The Josephine County
Board of Commissioner’s
office would like to an-
nounce a change in the or-
ganizational structure of our
Library.
“Effective May 11,
2005, the position of Library
Director has been elimi-
nated. Duties of this position
will be assumed by current
staff.”
That is the extent of an
announcement dated
Wednesday, May 11 and
received May 12 from the
county board, affecting Sue
Luce. Her annual salary was
$78,852.
“Current staff” refers to
Cessa Vichi, a former head
librarian for the Illinois Val-
ley Branch in Cave Junc-
tion. Now access services
manager, Vichi will at least
temporarily take over the
duties of Luce.
Luce had returned May
10 from a 10-day vacation.
Contacted by the county
personnel department, and
advised of the board’s deci-
sion, she declined to resign,
although the board had
voted to dismiss her without
cause. She had held the job
since late-2000.
The board has offered
her a six-month severance
package, which she is con-
sidering. She also is consult-
ing an attorney.
Compensation Meeting
Scheduled Wednesday
In another brief an-
nouncement, received
Thursday, May 12, the
county board announced an
“Employee Compensation
Meeting to discuss the total
compensation for Josephine
County employees.”
The gathering will be
held in Anne Basker Audi-
torium, adjacent to the
county courthouse in Down-
town Grants Pass.
The meeting will begin
following the board’s 6 p.m.
weekly business session.
She noted that the
health center is federally
funded, but that those funds,
along with patient fees,
cover operating costs. Capi-
tal dollars are not received
from the federal govern-
ment, “and therefore we
depend on the generosity of
the community when we
want to expand our facilities
to meet ever-increasing
needs,” she said.
She added that many of
those who use the facility
are either uninsured or un-
derinsured. “Last year,” she
said, “30 percent of our pa-
tients used our Sliding Dis-
count Program; another 41
percent had the Oregon
Health Plan; and 16 percent
had Medicare coverage.”
During 2003-2004,
more than 14,000 patients
received medical and dental
care at Siskiyou Community
Health Center.
The new medical site
“is designed to meet the
needs of the growing com-
munity.” It was noted that
some 400 new homes are
under construction or
planned in the city limits of
Cave Junction.
“The population of the
whole valley is expected to
increase,” said Meyers, “as
retirees and young families
arrive; attracted by afford-
able housing and the rural
atmosphere.”
One goal for the new
facility is to encourage peo-
ple to use it rather than go-
ing to Grants Pass to the
hospital emergency room.
Noted Three Rivers
Administrator Paul Janke, in
a written statement, “There
definitely are a large and
growing number of indi-
viduals who don’t have ac-
cess to good health insur-
ance, and yet still need
health-care services.
“As a place of last re-
sort, these individuals will
show up at our emergency
department.”
The new medical site
will not be an E.R., but will
be able to handle urgent care
situations.
Besides news of the
groundbreaking and related
data, Scheufele announced
that a new physician, Dr.
Mary Gold, will come to the
clinic this summer from a
(Continued on page 3)
Z Coffee robber sets off alarm
I.V. artistic events highlight student work
Special fine and per-
forming arts events, open to
the public, will be held this
week in the Illinois Valley
High School cafetorium.
The annual free Spring
Concert will begin at 7 p.m.
Wednesday, May 18. It will
be the first concert directed
at IVHS by Kevin Soon,
new music teacher.
The concert will feature
the band and choir.
On Thursday, May 19
and Saturday, May 21 at 7
p.m. Kelly Tate’s drama
class will stage “Forever We
Dance,” based on Shake-
spear’s “Taming of the
Shrew.” There is an admis-
sion fee.
The production was
written and will be per-
formed by students. Leads
include Katherine Baker,
Kylie Reynolds, Dakota
Frisk, and Ashley Withers.
A third presentation
involves students of art
teacher Elaine Barker. Their
work during the semester
will be displayed free
through May 21 for concert
and play-goers. It also can
be viewed Thursday and
Friday during school hours.
Viewers can vote for
their favorite piece. The art-
ist who receives the most
votes will receive art sup-
plies provided by the IVHS
Art Dept.
Sheriff’s deputies are seeking the whereabouts of a ski-
masked bandit who pointed a gun at a Z Coffee employee, set
off a panic alarm, and left with cash.
Josephine County Sheriff’s Office (JCSO) responded to
an alarm at 5:08 a.m. Saturday, May 14 to Z Coffee at the
north end of Cave Junction on Hwy. 199.
Employee Nicole Hendrickson, 19, told JSCO that the
robber, wearing a mask, gloves, yellow jacket and blue jeans,
said, “Give me the money and don’t call the cops.” He inad-
vertently activated the panic alarm while reaching in to get the
cash.
He then walked away.
Approximately $50 was taken, said business co-owner
Wendy Zabriskie.
She added that the suspect’s car was located later, and
that a plastic gun was also found.
Deputies are looking for the suspect.