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About Illinois Valley news. (Cave City, Oregon) 1937-current | View Entire Issue (May 5, 2010)
Inside: Soar with Eagles Dillard earns top Scouting honor Page 4 Motherly love Businesses offer Mom’s Day specials Page 7 Know your rights Panelists discuss U.S. Constitution Page 11 Art walkin’ IRVAC’s Second Friday kicks off Page 13 Happy horseplay IVHS equestrians head to state meet Page 23 County budget committee considers fund requests By SCOTT JORGENSEN IVN Staff Writer The six-member Jose- phine County Budget Com- mittee held its first two meet- ings of the current fiscal year on Tuesday, April 27 and Thursday, April 29 at Anne G. Basker Auditorium in Downtown Grants Pass. Members working on the fiscal 2010-11 budget include all three county commission- ers, with Ron Strom, Larry West and Marie Hill. Strom previously has served on the committee, and Hill is the county’s former chief admin- istrative officer. Other than the commit- tee, some 20 people were present at the April 27 meet- ing. It began with a presenta- tion by Dick Cottrill, who was chairman of the county’s Elected Officials Compensa- tion Committee. Cottrill stated his com- mittee’s recommendation that the county’s elected officials be given a Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) and that Sheriff Gil Gilbertson receive a 2 percent pay raise. The Compensation Committee formulated its recommenda- tions based on comparisons with eight other counties us- ing data provided by the As- sociation of Oregon Counties. But county Commis- sioner Sandi Cassanelli said that it is “inappropriate” to compare the salary and bene- fits packages of Josephine County officials to those of their counterparts in other counties with similar popula- tions. She suggested that the income level of county resi- dents might be better grounds for comparison. County Commissioner Dwight Ellis said that he ex- amined the data used by the Compensation Committee members. He found that most of the other counties paid officials’ contributions to- ward the Public Employees Retirement System, and paid an average of $460 more per month toward medical bene- fits. West, selected as chair- man of the Budget Commit- tee, said he that was con- cerned that the public might become upset if officials were given COLAs, in light of the economic recession. Cas- sanelli said that comparing officials’ compensation with those in neighboring Curry County would have been more prudent, as it and Jose- phine County have similar tax rates. She then moved that no COLAs be given to elected officials, and Strom sec- onded. That motion passed 5- 1, with Ellis dissenting. County Chief Financial Officer Rosemary DeLash- mutt reported that the county’s general fund balance is down 16 percent, as is revenue from the planning department. The contingency fund is down from 29 to 24 percent, she said, and the gen- eral fund budget is down 6 percent. Despite that, DeLashmutt said that a 5 percent increase in property tax collection is anticipated this year, and tim- ber sales from the county forestry program are up 33 percent. Second Meeting Had Large Crowd The auditorium was packed with approximately 100 people for the April 29 meeting, which included a pair of requests for general fund dollars. The requests were for the animal shelter and veterans services programs. Six uni- (Continued on page 6) Caves Community Day set May 8 For 136 years, Oregon Caves National Monument has been a tradition of adven- ture for many individuals and families throughout southern Oregon and northern Califor- nia. In keeping with that tra- dition, the monument, 20 miles east of Downtown Cave Junction, will hold its annual Mother’s Day week- end Community Day Event on Saturday, May 8. Free cave tours will be provided to the public from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Various area nonprofit organizations also will be present to share information about their involvement in the community. Is there a catch? Yes – they want your food. “A new partner for this event will be Rotary First Harvest, an organization that ensures surplus food from farmers and other distributors is delivered to our local food banks,” said Superintendent Vicki Snitzler, who described how the monument will make a larger community contribu- tion this year. “We are asking commu- nity members who take the free cave tours to bring an item of nonperishable food. The food collected will be delivered by the National Park Service to food banks in the Cave Junction area. We hope this new addition will help foster greater ties with the monument’s neighbors,” said Snitzler. Cave tours on Commu- nity Day are 80-minutes long and will be offered on a first- come first-served basis. Long waits may be possible, espe- cially in the afternoon. The tours are rated moderately strenuous and include more than 500 stair steps that are uneven and wet with low passageways that require bending and twisting while walking. Children must be 42 inches tall and able to walk independently to go on a full cave tour. The temperature inside the cave is approxi- mately 44°F (7°C) year round. Warm clothing and good hiking shoes are always recommended. Cameras with flash are allowed in the cave, but not tripods, flashlights or backpacks. The event coincides with the seasonal opening of the Chateau at Oregon Caves, which officially will open its doors on Thursday, May 6. The hotel will kick off Community Day weekend with free tours of the chateau at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. And a two-act mystery comedy, “No Bones About It,” will premier. The comedy ex- plores the history of the Ore- gon Caves and will be pre- sented at the Chateau at 8 p.m., Saturday, May 8, and Friday, May 14. There is a cost and reser- vations are required. Addi- tionally, the chateau will offer a Mother’s Day Brunch on Sunday. The hotel will offer an assortment of other pack- age deals and entertainment throughout the season and “always provides that special getaway close to home.” Entrance to the monu- ment is always free, and there are an assortment of beautiful forest trails always open. Said Snitzler, “Look for other exciting tours and pro- grams to begin when late June arrives. Participate in a Ranger Program, take a Can- dlelight tour on Fridays and Saturdays, learn about Ore- gon’s past on a guided tour of the historic hotel, and watch for new and family focused cave tours to begin. “For the more adventur- ous, off-trail tours are offered by reservation for Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays during the summer months too.” Visit the monument Website for up-to-date de- tails: www.nps.gov/orca or by phoning 541-592-2100. Lodging reservation and dining information for the Chateau at Oregon Caves can be found at: www.oregon caveschateau.com or by phoning 541-592-3400 or 877-245-9022. IVHS graduate Jesse Lorentz (top row, third from right), poses with fellow soldiers near an armored vehicle in Iraq. (Photo provided) Returned vet Jesse Lorentz discovers Life after wartime By SCOTT JORGENSEN IVN Staff Writer He’s spent most of the past year in Iraq serving his country, but 23-year-old Illinois Valley resident Jesse Lorentz now is looking to get settled back into civilian life. Lorentz grew up in and around Illinois Val- ley, and was a student at Evergreen Elementary School, Lorna Byrne Middle School and Illi- nois Valley High School. He graduated in 2004 and went to Rogue Community College for a year before spending three years majoring in English at Pacific University in Portland. In October 2008, Lorentz joined the Ore- gon National Guard. His longtime goal has been to become a police officer, he said, but he lacked the necessary experience and hoped to acquire it through military service. He shipped out to Fort Sill, Okla. for basic and advanced individual training. His daughter was born in spring 2009 while he was in ad- vanced training, and Lorentz got to come home for eight days and meet her before heading to Iraq in summer 2009. While stationed in that Middle Eastern nation, Lorentz spent much of his time riding atop Humvees and armored support vehicles as a machine gunner. “We covered millions of miles,” Lorentz said. Missions included participation in convoy escort teams and route reconnaissance and com- bat patrols, Lorentz said. His travels took him all across Iraq, he said, to areas near its borders with Jordan, Kuwait and Iran. Those trips across barren desert roads gave him a clear per- spective on the status of U.S. efforts to rebuild Iraq. “It’s a lot better there,” Lorentz said. “It’s nowhere near like it was.” He said that when U.S. convoys drove through Baghdad, civilians of all ages would wave at them. He added that soldiers would throw Gatorade and food toward the crowds. “It’s still real life and people still die, but our mission is working,” he said. After completing his tour in Iraq, Lorentz and his unit returned, and were at Fort Lewis in (Continued on page 6) Takilma’s Dome School offers students eclectic education experience In the early 1970s, a group of Illinois Valley par- ents decided against sending their children to public school. Some of the parents had been teachers, and so they began their collective instruc- tion inside a geodesic dome on a piece of private property. Now, nearly 40 years later, Dome School has be- come an integral part of the Takilma community, and has the highest student enrollment than it has had in a long time. Cathy Zook, who has served as the school’s co- administrator since 2003, said that the institution was incor- porated in 1976 as a private, Alison Gutshall assists Kindergartener Katelin McCafferty, 5, with a Mother’s Day project. (Photo by Michelle Binker, Illinois Valley News ) nonprofit organization. She described the school’s struc- ture as a “parent coopera- tive,” noting that it’s similar to parents home-schooling their children, but along with other parents and children. “The philosophy is the same,” Zook said. “We want parents involved in educating their children.” Her co- administrator is Susan Gus- tavson. A variety of sources help fund the school and its pro- grams, including tuition paid by parents, plus contributions, grants and the proceeds from annual fund-raising events. The school also receives money from the rental of its facilities, including a full- service kitchen. Zook said that the build- ing to replace the geodesic dome was completed in 1983, with many members of the community aiding those ef- forts. However, the “Dome” name has hung on. Dome School owns, op- erates and maintains the building, Zook said, under the condition that it remain open for use by the community. As such, Dome School is used by other nonprofit or- ganizations to host their fund- raising events. The school bookshelves have wheels on the bottom so that they can be moved to accommodate other activities. The student-to-teacher ratio is kept low by the in- volvement of parents and community members in the instructional process. For example, musician Libby Goines has volunteered her time to teach the students the finer points of music as a form of artistic expression. There currently are ap- proximately 20 students in the elementary school class, with two paid teachers and one volunteer, Zook said. She added that two teachers are provided through a Three Rivers School District Title I program, and spend two days per week at the school. Dome School has the distinction of being the only secular private school in Illi- nois Valley, and Zook said that it boasts an enrollment of approximately 52 students. One class consists en- tirely of pre-school children, she said, some of whom at- tend only one day per week. A second class has kindergar- ten through fifth-grade stu- dents. Another aspect that sets Dome School apart from other instructional institutions is the fact that the develop- ment of students’ social and emotional lives is considered just as important as academ- ics. As such, it is fostered through the use of positive reinforcement. A bulletin board lists random acts of kindness dem- onstrated by students. There are 100 spots that can be filled by students nominating each other for sharing, help- ing and giving hugs. When all the spots fill, the students will be rewarded with an ice cream party. Dome School prides it- self on providing a series of (Continued on page 6)
