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About Illinois Valley news. (Cave City, Oregon) 1937-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 2, 2008)
Page 12 Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, OR Wednesday, January 2, 2008 Horse logging available among tasks by Dan Jordan Excavating of Selma Property owners who need some heavy work should know about Dan Jor- dan Excavating, a versatile contracting outfit. With a track hoe, equipped with a blade and “thumb,” Dan Jordan can cut, clear, pile and burn brush for firebreaks, cut house pads and roads, and dig footers and small ponds. Fire fuel reduction work on 5-acre or larger parcels can be paid for through state grants, and Jordan is li- censed to help property owners take advantage of the program. And for those who would like to remove some timber without stepping too hard on the ground, Jordan specializes in horse logging. Jordan, a North Caro- lina native, grew up with horses and has some 20- years experience with horse logging and competition pulling. “My dad logged for a living when he was younger and he taught me all I know about it,” he said. Since moving to Illinois Valley two years ago, Jor- dan and his team of stout Belgian horses have won every competition they’ve entered. Rex and Red, mas- sive 2,600-pound horses bred to pull, have even won the Calgary Stampede Pull- ing Championship. “I can pull 10,000 pounds deadweight with this team,” Jordan said. He works with an assis- tant to head the team while chaining up loads. The horses are calm, he says, “but I don’t take any chances. You need two peo- ple for safety’s sake, for people and for the animals. “The horses don’t tear up the ground the way a tractor does,” Jordan said. This means they can work in conditions too muddy or steep for mechanized timber removal. For especially slick conditions, Jordan out- fits the team with pulling shoes, which have thick cleats front and rear. Jordan is his own farrier. He employs massive hardwood stocks, built by Amish farmers, to hold the horses steady during shoe- ing so that they don’t crush him when they shift their timber to a landing or to a portable saw mill. Although others who offer similar services might ask for upward of 50 per- Dan Jordan with Rex. (Photo by Michelle Binker, IVN) massive weight. With the animal in the stocks, Jordan doesn’t have to bend over to shoe the horse. “With these big guys, you just about have to use the stocks ‘cause they get lazy and then they lean,” he said. “I ‘m not gonna’ break my back pushing them around. They shoe real easy and they’re calm, but if they lean on you, it could break your arm. “I’m not going to break my back to pick them up.” When pricing a logging job, Jordan said that he charges a $50 delivery fee to cover the cost of bringing the team or track hoe to the site. But he doesn’t charge more, even if asked to travel far afield. He charges $40 per hour, and his team can pull tently following the closure. Tuesday night, Dec. 25, was unusual for the Oregon Dept. of Transportation (ODOT) as crews kept the Siskiyou Pass open while crashes and icy conditions led to closures on smaller I-5 passes, as well as along Hwy. 199 outside Grants Pass. “We saw a lot of sloppy driving out there,” said 30 years experience in water, sewer & pipeline construction, brush clearing, septic installation & utility line trenching Specializing in alternative septic systems READY TO DIG & AIMING TO PLEASE 24 HOURS A DAY CCB#159580 A status report issued by Sheriff Gil Gilbertson of Jo- sephine County Sheriff’s Of- fice (JCSO) paints a some- what bleak picture. The report, issued by Gilbertson to keep the public aware, notes that the sheriff’s office currently has one dep- uty per 4,600 citizens. The western states average is 1.8 officers per 1,000 citizens, the sheriff pointed out. Gilbertson also notes that due to a lower pay scale than other agencies, JCSO has lost (during the past several years) 14 deputies to the city of Grants Pass Dept. of Public Safety (GPDPS). He has noted that all an employee need do is walk across the hallway in the county justice building in Grants Pass to earn more. JCSO deputies have a pay scale ranging from $2,827 to $4,362 per month, the sheriff said. Jackson County officers start at $3,582 and can go up to $5,033. GPDPS officers have Sheriff Gil Gilbertson a range of $3,729 to $4,760; and Oregon State Police lists a range of $3,669 to $4,798, according to Gilbertson. Regarding the 14 depu- ties who have joined GPDPS, the sheriff said that the cost to the county because of that is $1.4 million. He added that the total loss during the past 10 years for deputies leaving is $9.8 million. Gilbertson also provided the following figures to keep the public informed about JCSO: *Number of full-time positions, 86. *Number of current em- ployees, 81. *Total budget for fiscal 2006-07 (actual cost to citi- zens), $7.8 million. *Total budget for fiscal 2008/09 (actual cost to citi- zens), $7.9 million. *Overall budget (labor vs. all other), 65/35 percent. *Cost for a jail bed per day per inmate, $63. *Cost for each inmate meal, $1.72. *Cost for a fully outfitted police patrol vehicle, $25,000. *Deputies vs. civilian staff, 68/18. Cash, coke in Christmas Eve seizure cent of the timber harvest revenue, he said that he sizes up each job, and tries to maintain reasonable cost. When not in the woods or in competition, Jordan takes the team to Henley Farm, an old-timey, agricul- tural demonstration farm in Jackson County, which fea- tures horse-powered mow- ers, balers, plows and wag- ons. Jordan’s team is often hitched up for an entire day, giving wagon rides. His enthusiasm for the animals and activity is obvi- ous. “It’s good, clean, hard work, and I love it,” he said. “You got to love it to do it.” Dan Jordan Excavating can be reached by phone: 597-4253, or (541) 951- 4925. -Michelle Binker Be ready for winter, or stay off roads The northbound lanes of Interstate 5 reopened at 8 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 26, follow- ing a nearly four-hour closure on Sexton Mountain Pass. Shortly before 4:30 a.m., a jackknifed tractor-trailer rig crashed near milepost 70 (15 miles north of Grants Pass) shutting down the highway. Chain restrictions were used on Sexton Pass intermit- Sheriff issues report noting low level of law enforcement per 1,000 in JoCo 1-(541) 597-4486 ODOT District Manager John Vial. “People were driving much too fast for the road conditions, and too many of them weren’t bothering to chain up.” If Vial sounded a bit “Grinchy” after the holiday, he had reason. The National Weather Service forecast more snow. “Either come prepared for winter weather and drive accordingly or stay off the highway,” said Vial. “Keeping the highways open comes down to a partnership with motorists. Snowplows, sanders and de-icers cannot counteract drivers who don’t come equipped, who don’t drive safely and who don’t use common sense.” Up-to-the-minute road condition updates are avail- able on ODOT’s travel infor- mation Website www.Tripcheck.com or by phoning 511. Road and weather information can also be accessed toll-free within Oregon by dialing (800) 977- ODOT (6368). For California highway conditions, visit the Caltrans Website at http:// www.dot.ca.gov/hq/roadinfo or phone (916) 445-7623. ODOT advises drivers on I-5 between Canyonville and the California border to pre- pare accordingly and avoid traveling at night, when tem- peratures are coldest and visi- bility is low. Expect chain restrictions on any of the five mountain passes -- the Can- yon Creek, Sexton, Smith Hill, Stage Road and Siskiyou -- in Southwestern Oregon as snow levels drop. A Cottage Grove-area man was arrested on cocaine- related charges Christmas Eve following an Oregon State Police traffic stop dur- ing a holiday enhanced patrol effort on Hwy. 38 in Douglas County. Besides the cocaine, ap- proximately $15,000 cash was seized. OSP said that on Dec. 24 at approximately 3:30 p.m. Trooper Kris Davis stopped a 1998 Toyota RAV4 west- bound on Hwy. 38 near mile- post 20 for a speed violation. The operator and lone occu- pant of the vehicle was identi- fied as John T. Harvick, 36. During the stop, Davis was given consent to search the vehicle and found approxi- mately 13 grams of cocaine and more than $15,000 cash. Harvick was taken into custody and transported to Reedsport City Jail; then transferred to Douglas County Jail where he was lodged on a charge of unlaw- ful possession of cocaine. Davis, who is assigned to the Fish & Wildlife Division out of the Coos Bay Area Command Office, was work- ing speed grant enforcement overtime as part of the in- creased holiday patrol effort. Do you have an address sign so emergency responders can find you? Don’t play hide-and-seek when you need help, said Illinois Valley Fire District (IVFD). And it’s important to trim branches along your driveway 14 feet high and 14 feet wide for fire trucks. Thin 15 feet on both sides of driveways so you can get out, and IVFD can get in if there’s a fire. Edsen Donato, DPTSc, PT, OCS, CHT, CSCS Ed Goll, DHSc, PT Joint Replacement Jeff Wood, MS, PT Back & Neck Injury Jim McCall, PTA Sports Injury Sharla Smith, PTA Certified Hand Therapist Three Convenient Locations Grants Pass (541) 476-2502 1619 NW Hawthorn Ave. #109 Cave Junction (541) 592-6580 218 N Redwood Hwy. Glendale (541) 832-2765 300 Pacific Ave. Gait/Balance Training Anodyne Therapy Aquatic Therapy Auto Claims Work Related Injuries Accept Medicare Assignment Blue Cross Preferred Provider Most Insurance Plans Accepted Member APTA & NW Rehab Alliance FOR EMERGENCY CALL 911 FOR NONEMERGENCY DIAL 1-877-504-8075 Stretcher Service also available For Paramed Information Phone 1 (800) 228-7601 Ext. 63451
