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About Illinois Valley news. (Cave City, Oregon) 1937-current | View Entire Issue (April 5, 2006)
Page 16 Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, OR Wednesday, April 5, 2006 Financial aid requested for forestry action group City ponders selling land as surplus Having a building site available on a piece of sur- plus city property could en- hance the value, Cave Junc- tion councilors tacitly agreed during their meeting March 27 in city hall. The city has abandoned a 6.01-acre site at the west end of Nolan Road off Rockydale Road. It is a for- mer well field, no longer used by the city because of being unable to pay for the necessary infrastructure needed in connection with a new bridge at the south end of the city. The abandonment meant that a handful of for- mer city water customers, including Dillon’s Nursery & Garden Center, had to find another source. The council took no action on selling the land, other than to instruct City Recorder Jim Polk to have city staff examine the situa- tion. That consensus agree- ment came after a presenta- tion by Jim Frick, broker for Century 21 Harris & Taylor real estate. Frick, at the request of the city, conducted a market analysis. He opined that a fair price would be in the $120,000 to $130,000 range. Nearby properties have sold for $115,000 to $130,000, he said. However, because of a potential wetland issue at the city property, and a question of septic installa- tion, he advised that leg- work be conducted prior to seeking bids on the site. Having the issue at least defined, and possibly devel- oping a usable building site, would be a valuable benefit, he indicated. Tower OK’d on Old Stage U.S. Cellular will be allowed to erect a 90-foot- tall tower near the city of Cave Junction reservoir on S. Old Stage Road. The city council ap- proved an initial 18-month term with a 3-0 vote during its March 27 meeting in city hall. A fee of $1,000 will be paid the city. Councilman Russell Ehrman abstained; Council Dan Fiske was ab- sent during that portion of the meeting. The tower will be simi- lar to one at the same site erected by Edge Wireless, said City Recorder Jim Polk. THREE MORE VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS from Illinois Valley Fire District (IVFD) have graduated from a training program to become emergency medical technicians. The district training officer, Deputy Chief Jeff Gavlik, continues to work to bolster the number of emergency medical personnel. Above are (from left) Firefighter Gerry Bjornstad, Battalion Chief Ken Gavlik, and Firefighter Tim Norman. They still are re- quired to pass a state practical exam and a national written test to be certified as EMTs. (Photo by Dale & Elaine Sandberg/IVFD Media Dept.) Kids health events set in Grants Pass Since 1995, the first full week of April has been ob- served as National Public Health Week (NPHW). The focus is on issues important to improving the public’s health. This year, the focus of NPHW is children and their environment. This year’s theme is, “Designing Healthy Communities: Rais- ing Healthy Kids.” The American Public Health Association is high- lighting the week by inspir- ing Americans to build healthier communities so we can have healthier kids, said Josephine County Public Health Dept. (JCPHD) Consider this: *Pedestrian injury is the second-leading cause of in- jury-related death in kids; and the lack of safe places to walk, bike and play leads to preventable injuries. *More than 9 million children are now overweight, and approximately half of those 12 and older engage in regular physical activity. *Poor indoor and outdoor air quality leads to asthma, now the most common chronic childhood disease. *At home, at school and outdoors, children are ex- posed to toxins that can cause serious disease, such as lead-based paint hazards, which can have a debilitating effect on development. *Many children, espe- cially those living in rural or low-income communities, do not have a nearby physician or pharmacy to provide the care they need. JCPHD urges everyone to take advantage of the ac- tivities in Josephine County this week or use apha.org for more informa- tion. The following all will be held in Grants Pass: F r id ay , Ap r i l 7 : “Jobapalooza!” Job Fair and Resume Building free and open to youth 8th through Boating bux OK’d by unit Nearly a million dollars in recreational boating ac- cess grants have been ap- proved by the Oregon State Marine Board. Funding includes $41,000 through the Oregon Youth Conservation Corps. for boat ramp and dock re- pairs at locations to be an- nounced in Josephine County. The largest amount, $123,000, went to the Port of Garibaldi to repair ramps and floats at Tilla- mook Bay. A BATTLE OF THE BOOKS team from Lorna Byrne Middle School captured third place in district competi- tion involving 12 teams. The third-place team members are (front, from left) Myana Dhenin, Bree Andrews, and Thea Barker-Cortrecht. Other LBMS teams consisted of (rear, from left) Amelia Frasure, Heidi Unger, Zach Kay, and Brandi Wollerton. Not shown: Keith Holmes and Sierra Pappas. Battle of the Books consists of stu- dents reading books and then being quizzed on char- acters and plots. Besides her Battle of the Books honor, Myana Dhenin was the sole LBMS participant in the recent district science fair. Her science teacher is Kaye Gilbert. (‘I.V. News’ photo) Give ‘I.V. News’ gift subscriptions Meet the Candidates for Josephine County Commissioner Friday, April 7, 7 to 9:30 p.m. County Building in Cave Junction Sponsored by Illinois Valley Chamber of Commerce 12th grades, Parkway Youth Center, 229 N.E. Beacon Drive, noon to 3 p.m. Saturday, April 8: Healthy Kid Day, Grants Pass YMCA, 1000 Redwood Ave. Fair: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.; free activities for the whole family. April 8: Child’s Fair, free activities for children up to 8 years old. Sponsored by Josephine County Associa- tion for the Education of Young Children on the Home Valley Bank parking lot, 110 S.W. Fourth St., 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 8: “Eque Fair” with equestrian and free ac- tivities for youth at the county fairgrounds, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, April 10: Pet- ting Zoo, Gilbert Creek Child Development Center play- ground, Josephine County Early Intervention 1021 Highland Ave., 9:30 a.m. to noon. For 14 years, the For- estry Action Committee (FAC) has been assisting Illinois Valley land holders to obtain and plant trees. Every year, come springtime, the FAC not only supplies the trees, but provides technical expertise and volunteer labor to get the trees in the ground. “The Tree Planting Pro- gram helps our environ- ment,” said Illinois Valley Soil & Watershed Conser- vation District, “by putting trees near our creeks, and brings the community -- adults, teen-agers and kids -- together for the annual Vol- unteer Tree Planting Day. “Under the dedicated leadership of Susan Chapp, FAC has assisted in planting a phenomenal 300,000-plus trees. You may be one of the hundreds of land owners who have personally bene- fited from the FAC tree- planting campaign. Even if you haven’t, everyone in the Illinois Valley benefits from this program,” said the dis- trict and I.V. Watershed Council. But now, they note, FAC has been confronted by a serious problem and is hoping for community help. Said the agencies: “Through no fault of its own and in good faith, FAC mistakenly contracted (rather than employed) some of the workers who have helped make the Tree Planting Program a success. While the problems have all been corrected, FAC now needs to pay almost $8,000 back employment taxes to the Oregon Employment Division. “The FAC is a thrifty, bare-bones organization, and simply doesn’t have this kind of money in the budget or in the bank.” The watershed council and conservation district have worked with FAC from day one. They said: “We realize that the services (not just tree plant- ing, but noxious weed con- trol and other programs) that FAC offers are valuable to the soil, water and fish re- sources that we all cherish. So, we are asking FAC fans and their neighbors to try and help FAC pay back this debt, and be as generous as they can in this time of need, remembering that no contri- bution is too small.” The agencies said the Oregon Employment Dept. has been “very cooperative and is trying to help FAC out of this hole. However, time is short, interest on the debt is mounting and the debt will be handed over to a collection agency if satis- factory progress cannot be made.” Checks can be made payable to FAC and mailed to Forestry Action Commit- tee, P.O. Box 1872, Cave Junction, OR 97523. Those who want to know more about FAC pro- grams can phone Chapp at 592-4098. GP cops laud helpful citizens Citizens who stopped to render first aid and serve as witnesses to a car vs. pedes- trian crash were thanked by Grants Pass Dept. of Public Safety (GPDPS). Injured in the 11:39 p.m. mishap Friday, March 31 in the 1800 block of Red- wood Avenue was Jeremy T. Higman, 27, a Grants Pass resident. He was listed in stable condition. The driver of the vehi- cle, who was found to be not at fault, was identified as Lesley L. Lalumondier, 80, also of Grants Pass.
