Major growth seen as
IVCDO adds loan fund
“This is a testimony to
By MICHELLE BINKER
the credibility our organiza-
IVN Staff Writer
tion and loan board have
Huge opportunity for
gained throughout the re-
growth is seen for Illinois
gion,” Houck said.
Valley Community Devel-
To date, IVCDO has
opment Organization
loaned some $344,000
(IVCDO), as it has been
through its
chosen to
take over a ‘Illinois Valley Community r e v o l v i n g
g r a n t - Development Organization loan fund to
funded loan best-fit to take on loan fund.’ f a c i l i t a t e
small busi-
program
ness development in Illinois
after dissolution of a re-
Valley -- with only two de-
gional microenterprise de-
faults.
velopment center.
Unlike the USDA fund
Medford-based South-
IVCDO currently adminis-
ern Oregon Women’s Ac-
ters, the loan fund inherited
cess to Credit (SOWAC)
from SOWAC is not limited
dissolved its operations as a
in scope to the few census
nonprofit organization on
tracts within Illinois Valley.
Feb. 15. By law it must
This will allow IVCDO to
transfer its assets to other
branch out to loan to clients
nonprofit agencies. This
in Grants Pass, rural Jose-
portfolio included a loan
phine and Jackson counties.
fund based on a USDA
The bottom line,
small business development
stresses Bob Schumacher,
grant.
IVCDO’s executive direc-
SOWAC lists $50,000
tor, is that the organization
out in loans, and $110,000
has money to lend.
in reserve.
“We would rather have
Although other such
the money out there as
funds are being returned to
loans,” Schumacher said.
their originators, IVCDO
By expanding the range
was tapped to inherit
of its activities, IVCDO also
SOWAC’s USDA fund, as
is well-positioned to admin-
it has prior experience work-
ister grants and other monies
ing with such a revolving
allocated regionally, as from
loan fund.
the state, Schumacher indi-
The addition of this loan
cated.
fund to IVCDO represents
SOWAC was in opera-
“huge growth” for the or-
tion for little more than 10
ganization, said Kenny
Houck, board chairman.
(Continued on page 2)
‘Fairly’ close to the wire
By SCOTT JORGENSEN
IVN Staff Writer
Last December, the Jo-
sephine County Board of
Commissioners ordered the
county fair board of direc-
tors to fix finances by the
end of the fiscal year on
June 30.
Now, with that deadline
rapidly approaching, some
issues have yet to be re-
solved, to the consternation
of some county officials.
A Memorandum of Un-
derstanding (MOU) be-
tween the Josephine County
Fair Board of Directors and
the county government has
yet to materialize, although
one nearly was ready in De-
cember.
One main issue in-
volved is that county com-
missioners appointed three
new board members in
January, said commission
chairman Jim Raffenburg.
“The MOU was ready
to be signed by the previous
fair board, but the new peo-
ple wanted to put their mark
on it,” he said. “That slowed
the whole process down.”
Fair Manager Jackie
McBee said that the new fair
board members needed time
to familiarize themselves
with the MOU before sign-
ing off on it.
“They had never seen it
as of the February meeting,
which was their first meet-
ing,” McBee said.
The MOU also con-
tained language regarding
the chain of command be-
tween the commissioners,
fair board and fair manager.
Marie Hill, county chief
operating officer, said that
issue has also caused delays
with the MOU.
“We’re really working
on how we work together,
(Continued on page 12)
Three girls found dead
in rural GP fifth-wheel
Three young girls having a sleep-over in rural Grants
Pass were found dead, possibly from suffocation due to a fire
in the fifth-wheel trailer they stayed in, said Josephine County
Sheriff’s Office (JCSO).
The victims were identified as Samantha Jean Hauptman,
11; her sister, Tiana Jill Hauptman, 8; and a friend, Skylar Ann
Pettit, 12.
JCSO provided the following scenario:
At 8:42 a.m. on Saturday, March 17, Gary Lee Pettit, 50,
father of Skylar, phoned 911 to report that his daughter and
two friends were the apparent victims of a fire at his residence
at 355 Cheslock Drive.
Emergency personnel found the three girls all deceased in
a fifth-wheel trailer near the main residence. It often was used
by guests, and the girls had asked to use it.
The father reported that when he awoke around 8 a.m. he
smelled smoke. When he knocked on the locked door, there
was no response. He forced open the door, discovering that
there had been a fire and that the girls were dead.
Oregon State Police fire investigators are aiding JCSO
detectives to determine the cause of the fire. It apparently was
confined to the interior of the fifth-wheel. JCSO said that is
not unusual, as the windows and doors were closed, and that
once a fire consumes all available interior oxygen, it goes out.
No foul play is suspected, said JCSO. Autopsies will be
conducted, and a further announcement is anticipated late
Thursday, March 22.
NO INJURIES were reported following a roll-over acci-
dent in the 1300 block of Caves Hwy. at 7:16 p.m. Mon-
day, March 19. A Chevrolet Suburban towing a trailer
with large logs fishtailed out of control on a curve and
ended up on its top in the ditch . Illinois Valley Fire
District responded. (Photo by ‘Illinois Valley News’)
I.V. Airport park tenants actively recruited
Growth of valley, increased employment tied to efforts of two advisory board directors
Solid steps to boost em-
ployment and help the econ-
omy by securing tenants at
Illinois Valley Airport are
being taken by two mem-
bers of the Josephine
County Airports Advisory
Commission.
Besides serving volun-
tarily on the commission,
Illinois Valley residents Luz
Moore and Andy Chen are
entrepreneurs. Moore is an
agent for Century 21 Harris
& Taylor; Chen operates
CLL Investments.
“We live in the valley,
and we want to see it grow
and prosper,” said Moore.
“And we believe that utiliz-
ing the light industrial park
at the airport is a key step
toward accomplishing that
goal,” she said.
This week, she and
Chen are in San Francisco
addressing the Chinese
Chamber of Commerce, as
Chen speaks Chinese.
“I’m the facilitator, and
“They want to build a
Andy is the translator,” said
huge warehouse,” she said.
Moore with a smile.
“They have told me that
Additionally, the two
they initially would have
have planned their own
115 job openings, and that
trade mission to China dur-
more could be hired later.”
ing early May.
“There
are
many Chinese
who want to
export to this
country,” said
Moore, “so we
want to intro-
duce them to
I.V.
Airport
and the val-
ley.”
Later this
ANDY CHEN and LUZ MOORE
month, Moore
(‘Illinois Valley News’ photo)
will tour the
airport with representatives
The possibility of at
of what she describes as one
least one small cargo aircraft
of the largest suppliers of
using the 5,200-foot-long
raw gems. It’s possible, she
runway also is on the
said, that the company
agenda.
would want to lease the
Another potential pros-
whole industrial park, rather
pect for the industrial site,
than a portion.
said Moore, is a new com-
pany that would make a
nontoxic, biodegradable fire
suppression product.
“It’s an environmentally
friendly product,” said
Moore, “and the company is
awaiting a license related to
mass production.”
On another front,
Moore said that she is work-
ing with an aide in Gov.
Kulongoski’s office. Eco-
nomic development is a goal
of the governor, and Moore
wants to be sure that the
airport industrial park is in
the state’s view.
“The idea,” she said, “is
to fully utilize the site to
boost employment.
“That’s a goal of the
airport commission, and
that’s what we’re working
toward.”
She added that tenants
will be accepted on a first
come-first served basis, and
that she’d like for one to
take the entire site.
Oregon Caves tours will open for season March 24
Oregon Caves National
Monument will open for
another season of cave
tours, ranger programs and
children’s activities on Sat-
urday, March 24, announced
Craig Ackerman, site super-
intendent for the National
Park Service.
The opening at the site,
22 miles east of Cave Junc-
tion, once again coincides
with spring break for Ore-
gon schools. Tours will be
provided through Nov. 27.
Cave tours last approxi-
mately 90 minutes and will
operate on the following
schedule through Labor
Day:
*Spring schedule,
March 24 through May
25, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with
tours at least once per
hour.
May 26 through June
23, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; tours
at least once per hour.
*Summer schedule,
June 24 through Sept. 4, 9
a.m. to 6 p.m.; tours at
least every 30 minutes.
All tours are currently
on a first-come, first-served
basis. Ackerman stated that
the new Federal Lands Rec-
reation Enhancement Act
requires that the fees
charged for recreational ser-
vices are comparable with
private sector operators.
Ackerman added that
the Monument has re-
quested a waiver that allows
acceptance of the “America
the Beautiful – The National
Parks and Federal Recrea-
tional Lands Pass Program”
documents. They now in-
clude the new Interagency
Annual Pass, the Inter-
agency Senior Pass, the In-
teragency Access Pass and
the Interagency Volunteer
Pass for admission fees for
the basic cave tour.
The National Park Pass,
Golden Age Passports, and
Golden Access Passports
will continue to be honored
according to the provisions
of the individual pass. The
Monument will retain 100
percent of all monies col-
lected for cave tours for pro-
jects that improve Monu-
ment facilities or have a di-
rect benefit to visitors.
Besides supporting the
tour guide operation, cave
tour fees are funding roof
replacement on the historic
Chateau and new interpre-
tive displays this year.
Visitors to the Monu-
ment should be prepared for
cool temperatures in the low
40s inside the cave year-
round. Those planning on
taking a tour should bring
warm clothing even during
summer months. The cave is
fully lighted – flashlights are
not necessary.
Cameras with flash
units are permitted although
there are some restrictions in
bat roosting areas. The
height restriction on the gen-
eral cave tour will remain
the same. Children must be
at least 42 inches tall to
safely negotiate the cave
stairs and passageways en-
countered on the tour.
Food, lodging and gift
shop services will open in
the National Historic Land-
mark Chateau later this
spring.
For more information
on cave tours phone (541)
592-2100. For lodging or
reservations at the Chateau
phone (541) 592-3400.
OREGON STATE POLICE issued a citation for careless driving to Cave Junction
resident Michelle Blankenship, 39, following a collision at 25870 Redwood Hwy. on
Friday, March 16 at 7:41 a.m. Blankenship’s vehicle struck the rear of a car that was
stopped, waiting to make a turn. Its driver was CJ resident Mary Halvorsen, 49. Mi-
nor injuries were reported. (Photo by Dale & Elaine Sandberg / I.V. Fire District)