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Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, OR Wednesday, June 22, 2005
Doing business with ODOT
RCC forum topic June 28
Rogue Community Col-
lege’s Small Business De-
velopment Center is co-
hosting a free forum Tues-
day, June 28 on conducting
business with the Oregon
Dept. of Transportation
(ODOT) from 1 to 4 p.m.
“Doing Business with
ODOT” will be co-hosted
by the Government Con-
tracts Administration Pro-
gram (GCAP), and is de-
signed for business owners
and managers.
Topics will include an
introduction by the manager
NEVA HOLT GRAVES
of ODOT’s Emerging Small
Business program, finding
contracting opportunities,
the on-line Oregon Procure-
ment Information Network,
and navigating ODOT’s
Website.
The forum is offered
free-of-charge through the
Emerging Small Business
program.
Phone 956-7494 to re-
serve a space. The session
will be held at the Small
Business Development Cen-
ter, 214 S.W. Fourth St.,
Grants Pass.
Paintings by ‘Neva’ focus
of Sterling Bank display Are you ready for fire season?
By DOROTHEA
HOVER-KRAMER
Multitalented Neva Holt
Graves is the artist selected
from Illinois Valley Fine
Artists for June and July.
Her large oil paintings
are displayed at Sterling
Savings Bank in Cave Junc-
tion.
Graves has lived in our
area for more than 30 years
and is a well-known visual
artist using many media --
oil, water color, pastels,
acrylics -- and displaying at
many local events.
She was born in Nee-
dles, Calif., and studied art at
Pasadena City College. She
was a member of San
Gabriel Art Society 50 years
ago.
She took many art
classes with fine teachers
along the way. More recently
she studied art history at
Rogue Community College.
She headed a business,
Mother Neva’s Art Gallery
in Medford, in 1975-76, and
was a judge at the Grants
Pass and Douglas County
fairs several years ago.
Besides working with
visual arts, Graves has stud-
ied herbs for more than 40
years and grows more than
30 types of healing plants.
She also practices lay-
ing-on-of-hands healing and
reflexology. She has raised
three daughters and three
sons, and teaches her many
grandchildren approaches to
staying in optimal health.
“I want to express
beauty,” she said as the rea-
son for her generous output
of paintings. Often, she
writes poems to accompany
her pieces as well.
Throughout, she seeks
to bring the reality of spirit
to awareness and to increase
the sense of subtle energies
around us.
“We all need beauty in
our lives, so I must paint to
try to say something that
will lift the heart,” she said.
Graves has been an ac-
tive member of Illinois Val-
ley Fine Artists. Inc. for 25
years.
The group meets Mon-
days (except holidays) at the
RCC Kerby Belt Bldg. from
10 a.m. to approximately 2
p.m. The group also spon-
sors art workshops periodi-
cally and exhibits at the Art
Walk in Cave Junction.
The meetings are open
to anyone who wishes to
paint or participate in some
form of artwork. “The cof-
fee is always on.” For fur-
ther information phone
Sandy Miller at 592-3949.
By ILLINOIS VALLEY
FIRE DISTRICT
Are your prepared for
fire season? Are your roof
and gutters clean?
Have you cleaned leaf
and pine needles from around
your home and decks?
“This board of commis-
sioners is absolutely dedi-
cated to law enforcement
support,” said Commis-
sioner Jim Raffenburg.
“This year we provided the
sheriff’s office with
$700,000 of new money and
saved them another half a
million by being very, very
frugal in the way we’ve al-
located money in the budget
this year.
“We went through the
budget line-by-line starting
in February to make sure we
have as efficient and lean a
budget as we could have.
That’s what we did coming
in cold. Next year we’ll do
even better.”
Although the commis-
sioners said they provided
Daniel approximately $1.2
million this year, Daniel said
that money’s already gone.
“The officers got raises,
which they sorely deserved
with the cost of living and
all,” he said. “The budget
for this year went up $1.2
million and what that does is
keep me from losing more
people,” Daniel explained.
According to Daniel,
when PERS and other bene-
fits are added, it would cost
an extra $90,000 to
$100,000 for a full-time
officer at the I.V. Substa-
tion.
During the past few
months, a feud has been
escalating between the sher-
iff and the commissioners.
Currently, the sheriff
has a pending lawsuit
against the board of com-
missioners.
“We don’t understand
what the motivation is from
the sheriff’s office,” said
Raffenburg. “In the ‘04 to
‘05 budget, the previous
board of commissioners
approved a budget for two
lieutenants and eight ser-
geants, and there was no
provision in last year's
budget for an undersheriff.
“We didn’t change any-
thing. The sheriff wanted to
hire an undersheriff, so to
keep within the budget we
had to set an order that sets
the number of physical job
positions for non-union
deputies in the sheriff’s of-
fice. It’s the sheriff’s sole
128 S. Redwood Hwy.
Cave Junction OR 97523
541-592-4541
Across from Select Market on Redwood Hwy.
Open Mondays - Fridays, 9 to 5
Auto - Home - Life - Commercial
ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT
More Power Breakfast
Saturday, June 25, 7 to 11 a.m.
at the CJ Lions Club car show
in Jubilee Park
Biscuits & Gravy - Scrambled Eggs
Sausage - Pancakes - Juice - Coffee
$5 per person
Breakfast by Kerby Belt Lodge 18
Meidinger Concrete Construction
Serving the Valley since 1974
Specializing in all types of Concrete
and Masonry
EVERGREEN RETIREMENT - Among the many well-
wishers Friday, June 17 for ‘Corky’ Quen, who retired
after 24 years with Evergreen Federal Bank, was her
mother, Beatrice Yogan, of Cave Junction. Quen, who
retired as manager of the Illinois Valley branch in CJ,
was given a trip to the Bahamas by Evergreen.
New - Foundations - Walks - Drives - Patios
Mobile Home Runners and Foundations
Bridges and Abutments - Slabs - Large or Small
Exposed Aggregate - Retaining Walls and Basements
Stamped & Colored Concrete
Phone 592-4485
I.V. deputy staffing doubtful
(Continued from page 1)
Have you cleared a de-
fendable space 100 feet
around your home?
Do you have your trees
limbed up at least 12 feet, and
removed ground fuels that
may lead fire to your trees
and home?
Linda Sallman
discretion who to hire and
how to administer them. We
don't tell him how to man-
age his officers.
“They need to work
within the budget that the
previous board set for
them,” Raffenburg added.
Daniel has protested
this by saying, “My belief is
that they only have budget
authority. The law basically
says that they can determine
the number of employees
for every department.
“The law doesn't say
what job duty or rank, and
to add insult to injury the
commissioners added a spe-
cial order that tells me I can
only have one lieutenant,
one undersheriff and eight
sergeants.
“I’ve never had anyone
interfere with running my
office before. I’ve spent 6
1/2 years as sheriff in this
office, and I have another 18
months to go. I’ve been in
law enforcement 32 years at
different agencies.
“I know better how to
run this office than three
guys who have just come in
off the street.”
Mike Meidinger
Lovejoy sets
session on
directives
On Tuesday, June 28,
Lovejoy Hospice will pre-
sent a program on the Ore-
gon Advance Directive Law
open free of charge to
everyone in the community.
The program will be
held at the Lovejoy Hospice
office conference room, 939
S.E. Eighth St., Grants Pass,
from 4 to 5:30 p.m.
Raymond Meagher and
Nancy Livingood, social
workers, will be program
facilitators. The program
will describe the benefits
and procedure for the Ore-
gon Advance Directive Law
and the steps to understand-
ing and filling out the form.
Phone 474-1193 to reg-
ister or for more information.
Forgiveness is the final form of love.
- Reinhold Niebuhr -
A Military Salute
Honoring the valley’s on-duty
armed services personnel
coming in the June 29 issue.
If you missed our hat collection on
the Art & Garden Tour, call and
come by for a private showing…
and meet the llamas as well.
Joyce & Harry Abrams
592-6078
llamuz@forestedgefarm.com
Deadline: 5 p.m., Thursday, June 23
Bring us a photo of your loved one
serving the USA.
Please list name, rank, branch
& assignment location.
License #93173