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About Illinois Valley news. (Cave City, Oregon) 1937-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 15, 2017)
YOUR HOMETOWN NEWSPAPER SINCE 1937 Illinois Valley News Wednesday, February 15, 2017, 1 Section, Volume LXXIX No. 48 $1.00 Published weekly for the residents of the Illinois Valley Crazy kids! Police cars and other CJ security matters Annette McGee Rasch IVN Senior Contributing Writer Two years ago, former Cave Junction (CJ) Mayor Carl Jacobson negotiated with the city of Malin in Klamath County, the donation of two police cars to CJ. The cars had been out of commission for a while but were deemed “more or less” road worthy, according to CJ’s city recorder Ryan Nolan. The cars were intended to increase the sense of a local law enforcement presence in town. “Carl’s idea was that sheriff’s volunteers could move them around to help cut down on speeding and crime in general, but due to vandalism, this didn’t work out,” Nolan said. “Now, with both units significantly damaged - one more than the other - they’re being stored in a safe location. Though unfortunately, all city properties are regularly broken into. So the cars are not being used and there’s not any current plans to use them.” At one time volunteers with the Josephine County (JoCo) Sheriff’s Office did operate county police cars, but that program was discontinued several years ago when JoCo’s law enforcement budget tanked. Sheriff Daniel said there are no plans to revive that program in the current budget climate - and added that the lack of funding to county law enforcement has myriad impacts on public safety efforts at the city level. While there’s a possibility of city volunteers using the vehicles donated from Malin in the future, Nolan said the mayor and city council would have to agree to this and the city’s insurance providers would have to agree to cover that kind of vehicular usage. SEE COPS ON A-8 (Photo courtesy of Steve Rodger for the Illinois Valley News) Oregon State Police responded to a call about two goats playing on Hwy. 199 near Rough and Ready Creek Sunday, Feb. 12. The call ended with the two runaway kids in custody. Power bills have many scratching heads Jason McMillen IVN Contributing Writer There is something of a public uproar aimed at Pacific Power, primarily in Jackson and Josephine county, regarding power bills which were higher than normal. In some cases the customer’s bills were two to three time more expensive than they allegedly were in past years and a few customers have even gone as far as to make statements on social media that insinuate various degrees of foul play. Further heating the situation, an organized protest over the issue was staged in Grants Pass over the weekend. Although there was a certain degree of investigation, and publicity of said investigation, into individual customers’ bills by the Oregon Public Utility Commission, Michael Dougherty, chief operating officer, reported to the Illinois Valley News that it was not a formal investigation and said, “We’ve looked through bills and bills and bills and we’re not seeing any evidence of anybody being overcharged.” At the time of interview they had received some 300 calls and counting. Dougherty also added that (Photo by Laura Mancuso, Illinois Valley News) Pacific Power meters were working over time January 2017. the “service and delivery” fee increase that many noticed on their bills was 0.6 percent. According to Tom Gauntt, spokesman for Pacific Power, the primary reason for the increase in bill totals was the prolonged spell of cooler than usual weather and the particular inefficiencies of heat pump systems. “A lot of people have heat pumps,” Gauntt said, “If the air starts out too cool you just don’t get there. Your heat pump just tries as hard as it can. Generally in this latitude when it’s cooler than about 35 or even 40, depends on the humidity, that heat pump just does not warm your house.” In addition to the previous statement, Gauntt also said that the last two winters were, “Pretty mild,” and that the change “shocked” a lot of people. “Estimated reads are based on past years,” for any month in question. “We figure in average temperatures—we’ve got lots of data to make those kinds of projections,” Gauntt said of the official weather data they use in the calculation of estimated bills and to assert their primary argument. There is definitely some truth to the claim that heat pumps lose efficiency in colder climates but it mostly affects customers with an aging model. On the Energy.gov website they have the following: “Air-source heat pumps,” the most common type of heat pump, “have been used for many years in nearly all parts of the United States, but until recently they have not been used in areas that experienced extended periods of subfreezing temperatures. However, in recent years, air-source heat pump technology has advanced so that it now offers a legitimate space heating alternative in colder regions.” SEE BILLS ON A-8 Changes at Forks State Park to better family enjoyment Judy Hoyle IVN Contributing Writer (Photo by Judy Hoyle, Illinois Valley News) IVCDO chair Roger Brandt points out where decomposed granite will be used at the Forks Park disc golf course. The Illinois River Forks State Park’s disc golf course is going to receive significant upgrades soon. The course path will be widened with decomposed granite over the next few weeks. This improvement will enable both wheelchair and stroller access to the course. “I noticed that mothers with strollers were often forced to turn back to the parking lot because it was so hard to push the stroller through the soft dirt,” said Roger Brandt, chair of the Illinois Valley Community Development Organization (IVCDO). “The granite will firm up and be almost like pavement.” The new surface will be wide enough to allow two strollers side-by-side. “The idea is to get whole families out walking,” Brandt said. “This is one of the state goals for the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD).” Brandt also pointed out that development of outdoor recreation caters to the needs of senior citizens, which encompasses 26 percent of Illinois Valley residents. IVCDO signed an Adopt-A-Park agreement with OPRD almost three years ago, following the agency’s lease signing with the Federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM). While the BLM owns the central 80 acres of the park, no lease existed between OPRD and the BLM for seven years, during which time the facilities were allowed to fall into disrepair. The 50 year old lease agreement stipulated that OPRD return the 80 acres to nature, and tear out all roads, buildings and improvements if control of the land were to revert to BLM. This almost happened in September 2012. In November 2011, the OPRD Board of Commissioners decided to close Forks State Park and the agency informed the IVCDO the following July. As a result, a delegation representing IVCDO, the city of Cave Junction and others traveled to Salem to appeal the decision. After much negotiation, OPRD committed to a one year Adopt-a-Park agreement with the IVCDO. Currently, there is a 5-year agreement in place. Brandt is hoping OPRD will create a new Master Plan for Forks State Park. The most recent plan was developed with local and government stakeholders in 1996. However, OPRD never followed through on the funding. Since then, the I.V. Community Response Team (IVCRT) acquired a grant and installed a pavilion at the park. SEE PARK ON A-8
