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About Illinois Valley news. (Cave City, Oregon) 1937-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 8, 2017)
YOUR HOMETOWN NEWSPAPER SINCE 1937 Illinois Valley News Wednesday, February 8, 2017, 1 Section, Volume LXXIX No. 47 $1.00 Published weekly for the residents of the Illinois Valley Car collides with bus JoCo Search and Rescue wants you Jason McMillen IVN Contributing Writer The Josephine County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue Division (SAR) will be starting its annual Search and Rescue Academy Feb. 16. However, any attendees should RSVP by Feb. 10 at 5 p.m. and there are many other dates of training staggered throughout the coming months, so those who are interested should contact the organization for further details. The training program will require a fee of $50 and is payable by cash or check. There are around 70 members currently active in the Josephine County SAR with the youngest member being 23 and the eldest 84. “If somebody wants to get involved with SAR we can find a spot to get them into. If you’re willing to learn we can train you in areas where we could use assistance,” stated Deputy Cory Krauss. SAR is an all-volunteer force with the exception of Krauss and does not offer pay for time or services. “I can get 10 to 15 volunteers for a search during a week day. I can get maybe up to 20 on the weekends,” Krauss said, “If it’s a general SAR callout we get everybody here but if it goes into a specialty- team-type-mission where we’re dealing with rope rescue or high angle or snow events or the dive team we have a limited number of personnel.” Krauss noted that the positions they are most in need of are SAR divers who are interested in expanding their dive training outside of recreational alone and those who can perform their duties on horseback. Those who want to join SAR as horseback personnel must own their own horse and pass a standardized test from the State of Oregon. The test will certify the horse and rider as a team. “We also have a very active K9 program but they’re all privately owned by their handlers,” Krauss added. “As long as the dog has never been through any kind of handler protection or guard dog training then the dog is welcome to come on and do training.” When the dog is ready for testing a K9 master instructor is brought in and administers a test which is recognized by the Oregon State Sheriff’s Association. “We get a lot more searches than rescues,” Krauss stated before defining rescue as, “a known incident at a known area with a known number of victims.” In most circumstances SAR searches for people who follow their GPS out into the wilderness without realizing it or for hunters that went looking for animals or mushrooms but ended up getting lost in the process. It is vital to SAR’s operation to obtain information as to where a person’s last known location was, or, as a last resort, they can ask a cellphone provider to disclose their last known GPS coordinate. “You should always tell a trusted family member or friend where you’re going and when you plan to be back and what route you’re going on,” Krauss advised, “It’s also important that you bring some supplies with you.” The only equipment necessary for starting the academy is proper clothing and shoes, plus pen and paper. The academy provides the trainee with a three- ring binder that includes a list, among other things, of what equipment SAR personnel will need to eventually have. In 2016 there were 35 searches and four rescues along with numerous other types of nonstandard scenarios. Those that are curious may attend an open house Feb. 11 between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. at 2050 Tech Way in Grants Pass. Those who attend will have a chance to check out some of SAR’s equipment, vehicles, and, of course, will meet its dedicated volunteers. The event will have free hot dogs. (Courtesy photo for the Illinois Valley News) Rural Metro Fire and American Medical Response - JOCO responded to an auto vs. school bus collision on Redwood Hwy. at the base of Hayes Hill. All four occupants in the car were transported with injuries ranging from mild to serious. The most serious was transported to a trauma center in Medford. The bus was only occupied by the driver and one student at time of impact, however both were transported as well. The cause of the crash is being handled by Oregon State Police. ‘Not an emergency, this is catastrophic’ By Dan Mancuso IVN Staff Josephine County Commissioners have been warning about a fiscal financial cliff and according to Sheriff Dave Daniel the ETA is July 1. In a meeting Feb. 2, Daniel met with Commissioners Simon Hare, Lily Morgan, Dan DeYoung and County Legal Wally Hicks. In that meeting Daniel laid out what his next budget will look like and asked for one quarter of the approximately 4.5 million in reserves to get through the next six months of current staffing levels. Without the Secure Rural School payment for 2018, the sheriff’s office will be operating with 2.1 million less than it did in year 2016-2017. “The reduction in fiscal year 2017-2018 means patrols will drop to eight hours a day, five days a week. The city of Cave Junction will lose its contract and no one will be detained at the county jail. The only jail beds with heads in them will (Photo by Dan Mancuso, Illinois Valley News) Dan DeYoung (left), Wally Hicks, Dave Daniel and Arthur O’Hare in a meeting Thursday, Feb. 2 at the Josephine County Building. be the beds the county contracts out to the state and federal government,” said Daniel. To offset the budge short fall Daniel floated a new levy, for jail services only. The initial details are for a five year 84 cents per thousand of assessed property value. By law the levy dollars can only be used for jail services. Daniel also asked the commissioners to reduce the amount that goes to the Internal Services Fund (ISF) to be reduced by half to 4.5 percent. SEE SHERIFF ON A-12 Cave Junction Parks and Recreation Plan gets a boost Judy Hoyle IVN Contributing Writer A Cave Junction Parks and Recreation Plan is one of the goals created by the I.V. 20/20 Vision & Strategic Plan. This strategic plan was developed last year by the Illinois Valley Community Development Organization (IVCanDO) utilizing input from the community. Funding for the recreation plan has been awarded to IVCanDo by the City of Cave Junction ($1,500), Josephine County Board of Commissioners ($3,000), Ford Family Foundation ($5,000) and the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department’s Local Government Grant Program utilizing lottery funds ($40,000). A kick-off event took place last week at the Kerby Belt Building when a team from the University of Oregon met with the 20/20 Vision Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee. Committee members include high school students, school coaches, community members and organization representatives: Cave Junction Mayor Daniel Dalegowski; Principals Tanner Smith (IVHS), Scott Polen (LBMS) and David Regal (Evergreen); Amelia Benson (I.V. Senior Center); and Jenna Larkin (I.V. Boys & Girls Club). The committee chair is Roger Brandt, who is also chair of IVCanDO. Brandt described the wide ranging scope of the project to include Jubilee Park, Old Stage Park and renovation of the city swimming pool. “The plan can consider any facilities that contribute to the community’s recreation resources.” Brandt continued, “For example, Little League and the Soccer Club use fields at Evergreen, Lorna Byrne, and the high school for practice. Improving school recreation resources also benefits after school programs sponsored by community residents. The schools could also be, and should be, included in the plan. Anything that might contribute to the recreation opportunities in Cave Junction could be included in the plan.” Brandt also pointed out that the Cave Junction recreation plan could allow consideration of how the city could connect to recreation resources on adjacent public lands. Such developments could enhance tourism opportunities as well as improve transportation options within the Valley. “There isn’t any land within city limits suitable for hiking or mountain biking trails but something like this would be possible on Forest Service or BLM land. The plan might look at existing trails in the immediate vicinity of Cave Junction and determine how a Cave Junction resident might walk or ride a bike to get to these trails,” Brandt explained. “Here is an example: Finch Road in Kerby connects to roads that go over Tennessee Pass and/or Free and Easy Pass into the Josephine Creek watershed where there are multiple mountain biking opportunities. A bike and pedestrian walkway along Highway 199 from Cave Junction to Finch Road would provide a safe route for mountain bikers to access backcountry biking opportunities and also provide a safer way to walk or ride between Cave Junction and Kerby.” At the meeting Amelia Benson stated that the I.V. Senior Center Board of Directors is very interested in seeing the city pool become operational again, as did IVHS coach Bruce Reece due to the obvious recreation opportunities that both seniors and students could enjoy. Reece also pointed out the possibility of developing a swim team and reminded the meeting attendees that the IVHS wrestling team leaders have expressed interest in using the pool building now, even though the pool itself is not functional. The team from the University of Oregon which led the kickoff planning session is based at the Community Service Center (CSC), an interdisciplinary organization designed to assist Oregon communities by providing planning and technical assistance to help solve local issues and improve the quality of life for Oregon residents. The team of students is under the direction of University of Oregon (U of O) professor Bethany Steiner and will link the skills, expertise, and innovation from U of O to address both economic development and environmental needs for the Illinois Valley as well as help connect the community to more state and federal resources. There will be several opportunities for community members to provide input for the recreation plan through surveys and public meetings over the next two to three months. Outreach events under consideration include the first day of Little League and the Easter Egg Hunt at Jubilee Park.
