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City getting 38-acre residential-commercial development
Laurel Pines -- an 85-lot
subdivision for single-
family homes, and four
commercial parcels on 38
acres on the north side of
Cave Junction -- is on a fast
track.
In connection with the
development, the Cave
Junction City Council voted
4-0, during its meeting in
city hall Monday night, May
23, to approve a comprehen-
sive plan zone change appli-
cation; and conditionally, a
subdivision application.
Councilman Russell Ehr-
man was absent.
The project site, pro-
posed by Illinois Valley De-
velopment LLC, and Wil-
low Development Consult-
ants LLC, of Grants Pass, is
on the west side of Hwy.
199. The property lies be-
tween Precision Glass and
the Illinois Valley Golf
Course.
Dick Converse, of
Rogue Valley Council of
Governments, noted that
Laurel Pines is significant;
possibly the largest develop-
ment in city history. He
serves as a consultant to the
city regarding such plans.
Laurel Pines is planned
in four phases; the first with
34 residential lots and two
commercial parcels to begin
in October.
Phase 2, 18 home lots,
would begin in October
2006. Phase 3, 21 lots and
one commercial parcel,
would get under way a year
later; and the final phase,
with 11 lots, is planned to
begin in June 2008.
A group of developers
and backers attended the
council meeting, with John
D. Chmelir, a civil engineer
and Willow manager, mak-
ing a presentation. The
property is owned by Illinois
Valley Development. Dan
Hughes is manager.
None of the homes
would front on Hwy. 199.
They basically would be on
the rear of the property. Ac-
cess to the site would be
from the planned Griffis
Lane along the south bound-
ary.
The second entrance,
into the commercial area,
would be opposite the ap-
proved entrance to the pro-
posed, new Siskiyou Com-
munity Medical Center. It
tentatively has been named
Hanby Lane to correspond
with the realigned street.
The northernmost en-
trance, Geneva Way, would
be approximately 750 feet
from the golf course en-
trance and Laurel Road.
It was noted that the
entrance to the coming
Field’s Home Improvement
Center would not be used as
an entrance to Laurel Pines
because of the slope off
Hwy. 199 to the west.
The project will involve
37 lots of more than 10,000
square feet of space, with
views to the golf course.
There will be 47 lots be-
tween 7,000 and 10,000
square feet of space; and
(Continued on page 7)
Retiring cop thanks lucky stars
Lt. Lee Harman has had
a lengthy, successful career
in law enforcement, and he
thanks his lucky stars.
For not only has he
worn a number of different
stars during his more than
25 years as a lawman in
Josephine County, he’s
never
had to fire his
weapon while on duty.
Also, he’s never used
his taser, and he only used
his pepper spray a few
weeks ago when dealing
with a “much-younger man”
who wouldn’t cooperate
after causing a disturbance
in a Cave Junction eatery.
The longtime lawman
will shed his sidearm, and
remove his current star as
third-in-command of the
Josephine County Sheriff’s
Office come June 30; his
official retirement day.
Harman’s service in-
LT. LEE HARMAN
Memorial Day
no holiday for
some folks
Despite the Memorial
Day closures around the
valley Monday, May 30 by
most agencies and many
businesses, the “Illinois
Valley News” office will
be open from 8 a.m. to 5
p.m., and normal deadlines
will be in effect.
Here are high and low
temperatures, and rainfall, as
recorded in O’Brien by Cheryl
& Harry Johnson.
*Monday, May 16: 60-45, .51
*Tuesday, May 17: 56-45, .28
*Wed., May 18: 62-49, 1.34
*Thurs., May 19: 66-47, .08
*Fri., May 20: 61-44, .04
*Saturday, May 21: 68-39, T
*Sunday, May 22: 73-49, 0
Cave Junction
Wednesday, May. 25
Very warm, with lots of
sun.
High--88, Low--48
cludes being an officer with
the former city of Cave
Junction Police Dept., plus
his time as a Josephine
County Animal Control of-
ficer; besides his work as a
civil deputy and as chief
civil deputy.
He’s been a sergeant
and first sergeant, and was
promoted to lieutenant in
November 2002. After de-
ciding to retire, he made up
a fancy proclamation, com-
plete with flowery language
and an official looking seal.
He took it to Sheriff
Dave Daniel, who glanced
at it; then grabbed a marker
and tongue-in-cheek wrote,
“Refused” across the front.
That’s an indication that
Harman will be missed by
his boss and fellow officers.
He has a heart for Illi-
nois Valley, noting that he’s
a former three-year valley
(Continued on page 5)
County board grabs employee paychecks by the bills
Faced with looming
multimillion dollar short-
ages, Josephine County
commissioners are looking
for ways to hold the line on
paychecks.
The county has approxi-
mately 750 employees in
full-time, seasonal and part-
time categories. Some 120
of the employees are union-
ized.
Commissioners on
Wednesday night, May 18
in Anne Basker Auditorium
in Grants Pass, unveiled a
series of proposed revisions
affecting employee pay. The
as-yet unapproved plans
include:
*A freeze on all annual
wage increases.
*A freeze on all wage
step-increases.
*Elimination of the paid
leave sell-back program.
*Replacement of the
time management leave pro-
gram with separate days for
personal leave, sick leave,
and vacation.
The board said that the
county is looking at a $46
million shortfall during the
next seven years; the result
of an accumulation of retire-
ment liabilities.
Commissioners have
met with unhappiness from
a number of county employ-
ees because of the propos-
als. But, the board noted, the
county’s expenditures are
rapidly leaving behind the
revenue.
If the proposed changes
are implemented, it could
mean a savings of approxi-
mately $4.5 million during
the next two years, the board
said.
Commissioners are con-
tinuing to look for sugges-
tions on ways the county
can save money, and will
accept comments until June
17. They can be sent to the
county courthouse in Grants
P a s s
o r
u s e
bcc@co.josephine.or.us.
City’s funding for swimming pool appears down the drain
Funding to open the
Cave Junction Swimming
Pool is not likely, according
to the fiscal 2005-06 budget
message from Mayor Tony
Paulson.
In addition, a $3 per
month rise in water fees, and
a $5 increase in sewer fees
appear likely. The city also
is looking at adjusting its
fees for planning functions.
The city Budget Com-
mittee, consisting of the
council and mayor, and five
city citizens-at-large, was to
meet in city hall Wednesday
night, May 25.
“The budget will be
extremely tight,” Paulson
said in his message.
“Several funds,” he said,
“have been supported by
year-end accruals, and cost
of operations has increased,
depleting the carry-over (net
of the pool, said Monday
night during the council
meeting, “I will get money
for the pool.”
The Pool Committee,
she said, was to meet Tues-
day night, May 24 to discuss
possible fund-raisers or
what action to take.
The proposed city
budget includes a general
fund of $719,578.
Plans include continu-
ing the contract for 40 hours
of patrol per week by the
Josephine County Sheriff’s
Office. Also included are
3.1 percent pay raises for
union employees, and an
increase in the city’s contri-
bution into the Public Em-
ployees Retirement System
from 7.19 percent to 13.19
percent.
A public hearing on the
budget will be announced.
the first plat issued, said Jerry Work, of The Dovetail
Joint, who has restored the building with his wife,
Sharon. (Related story on page 5.)
KERBY DELUGE - Over-
sized checks represent-
ing $2.13 million were
presented Tuesday after-
noon, May 24 in the his-
toric Kerby Masonic
Temple. Among those
present for the ceremony
were (from left) Jose-
phine County Commis-
sioner Dwight Ellis; John
Plute, Kerby Water Dis-
trict (KWD) president;
Wayne Dunlap, of USDA
Rural Development; Gail
Lebowitz, KWD vice
president; county Com-
missioner Jim Riddle;
Kenny Houck, of the for-
mer I.V. Community Re-
sponse Team; Sharon
Miller, KWD treasurer;
Clem Singer, of USDA
Rural Development;
Geraldine McLean, KWD
director; and Sharon
Work, a KWD member.
working capital.)”
Regarding the swim-
ming pool, operated last
year by Grants Pass Family
YMCA and funded by the
city, Paulson noted,
“Revenue does not cover the
anticipated expenditures,
and without additional fund-
ing it appears unrealistic to
open the pool this year.”
However, Councilman
Rita Dyer, long a supporter
Thursday, May. 26
Sunny, winds 12 mph
High--87, Low--50
Friday, May. 27
Sunny to partly cloudy ,
winds 12 mph
High--86, Low--48
Saturday, May. 28
Sunny; partly cloudy
evening
High--83, Low--47
Sunday, May. 29
Partly sunny, winds
8 mph
High--78, Low--42
Monday, May. 30
Sunny with some
clouds
High--75, Low--40
Tuesday, May. 31
Lots of sunshine
Winds 6 mph
High--74, Low--38.
resident, besides being offi-
cer-in-charge of the I.V.
Substation during the past
three years.
“I love the job and the
people,” he said. He also
notes that it’s “been a chal-
lenge” working from the
I.V. Substation while over-
seeing operations of the civil
division, patrol, narcotics,
major crimes, and emer-
gency management.
Not bad for a guy who
started as a reserve officer.
But he had a bit of the blue
in his blood.
“I was born and raised
in Kansas City, Kan.,” said
Harmon, “and my dad was
with the Kansas City Police
Dept. for 17 years, ending as
a lieutenant in charge of
Dispatch.”
After his father died,
KERBY WATER DISTRICT check presentations were
held in the 1907 Masonic Temple in Kerby. The com-
munity was once the Josephine County seat and was