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Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, OR Wednesday, June 15, 2005
Expansion to 18-hole golf course coming to fore
Development also including new homes outlined by Michael Day, PGA pro at Laurel Pines
Patrick DeCelles
The Josephine County
Board of Commissioners se-
lected Patrick DeCelles, who
graduated from Illinois Val-
ley High School June 7, May
Student of the Month.
Patrick DeCelles is the
son of Yvonne Evans. He had
maintained a 3.7 grade-point
average.
He was a member of the
Science Club, IVHS Chapter
of the National Honor Soci-
ety, College Dreams, and the
cross country and track teams.
DeCelles has been awarded the Gilmore Scholarship,
College Dreams Scholarship and the Three Rivers School
District Scholarship. He also was given the Josephine County
Commissioners Children and Family Teen Award this year.
He attended Boys State last summer.
DeCelles plans to attend the University of Oregon at
Eugene and study computer science or biology.
* * *
Chelsea Hocker
Chelsea Hocker, an Illi-
nois Valley High School
graduate, is May Student of
the Month, chosen by the
Josephine County Board of
Commissioners.
She is the daughter of
Dave Hocker, of O’Brien.
She maintained a 3.6 grade-
point average.
Hocker was a member of
the Brainbowl Team, Col-
lege Dreams, One Love
Spirit Choir, Mathletes, Drama Club, and yearbook staff.
She was a member of the IVHS Chapter of National
Honor Society, and served on the homecoming, Winter Ball,
and prom committees.
For three years she held the office of Associated Student
Body secretary. She was National Honor Society secretary
her junior year, and honor society president her senior year.
Hocker is a member of the Youth Advisory Team for the
Oregon superintendent of education.
She has been recognized with a Student of Merit Award
in a Foreign Language, and received the Gordon Elwood
Foundation Scholarship, and the Drummond Family Scholar-
ship.
She graduated June 7 and will attend Seattle University,
and plans to major in business or theology.
By CHRISTINA HILL
Correspondent
Expansion and renova-
tion to result in a “hole-in-
one” course are in store at
Laurel Pines Golf Course,
formerly known as Illinois
Valley Golf Course.
The name change took
effect June 1.
“Larry Osborne, who is
the developer, has a lot of
things to wrap up before we
can get started, but things
are moving along right
now,” said Michael Day,
head PGA pro at the course
during the past two years.
“We perceive that
ground-breaking will be in
August or September of
2006,” said Day.
The ground-breaking
will lead to the development
of an 18-hole course, which
is a standard regulation-size
golf course. The current set-
up has nine-holes.
Also, a new club house,
and either a hotel or condo-
minium are in the works.
“The land surrounding
the golf course promotes
itself to expansion,” said
Day. “With this wonderful
area that we have, and the
desirability of people to re-
locate, it just makes sense to
expand the golf course,”
Day explained.
“It’ll basically be like a
vacation get-away here,”
Day added.
He said that approxi-
mately 200 to 300 homes
surrounding the 150-acre
course will be built.
“People who live on the
fairways will be able to
drive their golf carts right
out of their garages and onto
the course,” Day said. “It’ll
be a golf community.”
The golf course expan-
sion is privately funded.
Until he married four
years ago and moved here,
Day said that he lived on a
house boat.
“Barbara had fallen in
MICHAEL DAY
love with the area some 20
years ago, and when we got
married we decided that this
was the area we basically
wanted to retire or semi-
retire,” said Day.
“She’s by far the better
half, truly the blessing of my
life,” Day admitted.
Coming events for the
golf course include Junior
Golf, which will start June
23 and go for six weeks.
Sign-ups will be held Satur-
day, June 18.
On July 2 the golf
course will host its 18th an-
nual Alumni Tournament,
open to everyone, not only
those who attended Illinois
Valley High School or
Kerby Union High School.
For additional informa-
tion on Laurel Pines Golf
Course and its activities and
greens fees, phone Day at
592-3151.
“We are not a partner in
the new expansion,” said
Day. “We are retaining our
asset, which is the golf
course revenue-sharing for
the members.”
Day, who has lived in
the valley for four years, has
been in the golf business for
35 years.
His duties include giv-
ing lessons, and seeing to
the day-to-day activities of
the golf course.
According to Day, he
started golfing as a pastime
when he was 20, and in the
U.S. Air Force. Golfing
didn’t become a profession
until 15 years later. Since
then, he’s been golfing al-
most every day.
If you watch a game, it’s fun. If you play at it,
it’s recreation. If you work at it, it’s golf.
- Bob Hope -
CJ City Council dealing with more housing
More housing develop-
ments, and an advance fi-
nance district related to
sewer improvements for new
housing were among items
addressed by the Cave Junc-
tion City Council Monday
night, June 13 in city hall.
The meeting lasted
slightly more than 2 1/2
hours, making it one of the
more lengthy sessions dur-
ing the past few months.
Councilman Margaret
Miller was absent.
The council voted 4-0
to approve Resolution 661
allowing increases in fees
for city planning applica-
tions. The raises were ques-
tioned by rural Cave Junc-
tion resident Salwa “Sally”
Palmer, who owns property
in the city limits.
Mayor Tony Paulson,
Planning Clerk Helen Early
and others explained to
Palmer that the city must
recoup the costs involved in
the planning process. The
new fee schedule is avail-
able at city hall.
Major developer Larry
Osborne congratulated the
council on the move, saying,
“Welcome to the party.” He
noted that developers
“benefit greatly” from their
endeavors and that the city
“should be a partner in the
growth” because of the ef-
fects on services and infra-
structure.
All you need for
happiness is a good
gun, a good horse,
and a good wife.
- Daniel Boone -
“This is a step in the
right direction,” he told the
council. In response to a
query from the mayor, Early
said that the increases are
“OK for now.”
Regarding a proposed
joint effort by developers to
construct combined sewer
facilities for three planned
housing sites in the
Schumacher Street area, the
council approved Resolution
660. It covers “the intent to
form an advance financing
district.”
Originally involved
were Jim Armstrong’s 41-
lot Illinois River Estates
Planned Unit Development;
Elton Frank’s 59-lot
Pomeroy Estates Master
Planned Development; and
Jerry Sterling’s 25-lot Vine-
yard Place Subdivision.
Frank pointed out that
prices are rising for the
planned sewer and related
facilities work, so that the
figures in an outline do not
now reflect actual costs.
City Recorder Jim Polk
responded that it’s OK to use
estimates for the resolution.
He added that when it comes
time for formal approval of
the district itself, then actual
costs will be used.
The estimate provided
the city shows a minimum
cost of approximately
$225,000. During Monday’s
council meeting, Sterling
voiced disapproval of some
aspects of the plan, but
agreed that he still wants to
be part of the joint effort.
In other matters, the
council:
*Conditionally ap-
proved 4-0 a land partition
application for Gary Mor-
gan Construction, of Wil-
derville, to change two lots
on E. River Street at Old
Stage Road into three lots
for homes.
*Agreed 3-0 to extend
until Oct. 1 the master
planned development appli-
cation for the seven-home
One River Farm Subdivi-
sion on Daisy Hill Road.
Councilman Russell Ehr-
man abstained, declaring a
conflict of interest.
*Conditionally OK’d a
subdivision application from
H.D. Patton Construction, of
Wilderville, for seven lots
on 1.71 acres at 585 W.
River St.
*Continued to July 11 a
six-lot subdivision applica-
tion for Mariah’s Meadow
from Grants Pass residents
Ron and Laura Gronbach on
1.6 acres on Raymond Street.
The city will contact
residents in the area to check
on whether they would par-
ticipate with the Gronbachs
to bring unimproved Ray-
mond Street up to city stan-
dards with paving and side-
walks.
City Recorder Jim Polk
noted that neither the city
nor Josephine County cur-
rently lay claim to the street.
Councilman Rita Dyer said
that getting the street im-
proved is important.
Clear Creek Family Practice
and Katherine Mechling, M.D
Are pleased to host a return visit by
Amy Robohm, FNP
June 20 thru July 7, 2005
Amy worked in Cave Junction from 1994 to 1998.
Amy, a skilled, experienced Family Nurse
Practitioner, offers appointment times for your:
- Annual Physicals
- School Sports Physicals
- Women’s medical concerns
- Adolescent medicine
At this time, we can only schedule current patients of
Clear Creek Family Practice. This is a great time to get
those sports physicals done before the fall crunch!
597-2464
Corner of Rockydale Road and Hwy. 199
592-5386
These beautiful fish make great pets
and a wonderful addition to your water garden. If you’re
just getting started or you’re an old pro -
We have just what you need.