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Illinois Valley News
Wednesday, March 1, 2017, 1 Section, Volume LXXIX No. 50
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Published weekly for the residents of the Illinois Valley
Harbinger of spring
Skeletal
remains
identified
Jason McMillen
IVN Contributing Writer
During the afternoon of Feb. 7, 2017, the
skeletal remains of a single male individual were
discovered by two hikers in a wooded area of
Josephine County near 13600 Williams Highway,
Provolt. Josephine County Sheriff personnel along
with several others, including the Oregon State
Police, responded to the scene and concluded that
the remains had been there for quite some time.
During the initial investigation the scene was
photographed and examined with no evidence of
“foul play” being discovered.
Since the initial investigation the Oregon State
Police have determined that the remains belong to
Chase Cook, 22, who was reported missing June 26,
2012. Cook was identified through dental records,
personal property and identification. Evidence from
the scene supports that Cook committed suicide by
gunshot. Contrary to some social media “outlets,”
there is no evidence that Cook’s remains were bound
or that there was more than one set of remains
discovered.
When Cook was reported missing he was
believed to have been driving a vehicle that was
spotted “in the area” of Williams Highway but
the vehicle had been moved by an unstated party
before law enforcement arrived at the scene. Cook’s
remains were discovered less than a mile from where that
vehicle was reported.
Since Feb. 9, 2017 there have been no further
developments in the case.
(Photo by Dan Mancuso, Illinois Valley News)
Vineyard workers prune grapevines in preparation for the upcoming season in rural Cave Junction
Tuesday, Feb. 28.
Code enforcement tops city council meeting
Caroline Griffith
IVN Contributing Writer
The Cave Junction City Council met
Monday, Feb. 27 to discuss potential policies
for volunteer code enforcement officers. The
city has begun to recruit volunteers to help
enforce existing ordinances, and although there
are already rules on the books in regard to
volunteer ordinance officers, they have never
been put into action.
Currently, the city’s code enforcement
policy is complaint based. Residents must
come to the city and lodge complaints about
garbage accumulation, unkempt lawns,
illegal fences or business signs that are not
maintained, among other things. The city then
issues notices to property owners to fix the
problem or face fines. This process is slow and
relies on people to come forward to make the
complaints. At the urging of Councilor Mark
Dillinger, the council has begun looking into
ways to streamline the process and clean up
problem properties around town.
According to rules already on the
books, the council has the authority to approve
up to three volunteer citizens to serve as
ordinance officers. These officers would
have the power to take all actions necessary,
as authorized by council policies, to enforce
applicable city ordinances. They would
have no powers of arrest and would not act
as general law enforcement officers; their
only authority would be to issue citations for
property issues.
Council discussion centered on
safety and how to keep these volunteers from
engaging in interactions that could escalate out
of their control. According to Mayor Daniel
Dalegowski, volunteer safety is of the utmost
importance and volunteers would be trained on
how to follow the law, as well as counseled on
what sorts of violations they should focus on.
The council debated whether citations should
be delivered in person or by mail, which is
what the city’s legal counsel suggests. No
decision was made on that front.
A lively public discussion followed,
with citizens weighing in on what sort of
violations should be cited and how citations
should be delivered. Jimmy Evans of CJ
Patrol asked if the code enforcement officers
would be issuing citations to transients and
what authority, if any, they would have to
cite known drug houses. The council decided
that volunteers would not be approaching
transients or trespassers, and that trained law
enforcement officers should address those
issues. As for known drug houses, they could
be cited for excessive garbage, disabled
vehicles, or weeds over 12 inches high, but
aside from property issues the volunteer
officers would have no authority.
Resident William Douglas asked the
council if it were possible to cite drug houses
for conducting business without a license.
City recorder Ryan Nolan responded that, in
theory, if someone were to come to the city to
complain that sales were being conducted out
of a residence without a business license then
the city could issue a citation, but that this is a
tactic no one has tried yet. The entire city code
is available to the public on the city website,
www.cavejunctionoregon.us.
Councilor Dillinger thanked the
council for moving forward on the issue, “We
need to do something, so I’m really glad this is
happening.”
The council also heard a presentation
from Civil West Engineering on a variety of
issues related to the city’s water treatment
system. A workshop was tentatively scheduled
for March 20 to further discuss improvements
to the wastewater treatment system, the bulk
water station, and other infrastructure needs.
Possible avenues for funding these projects
will also be discussed at the workshop.
The meeting ended with plea for
support from Gene Merrill, the College and
Careers Coordinator for IVHS. Merrill is
applying for a grant which would provide
funding to create a local internship program
for high school students. “One thing we can do
to change the future of the Valley is to change
the future of the youth,” he said. The goal is
to get local businesses and government to help
create unpaid internships so local students,
especially those who are not college-oriented,
can gain work experience. The council voted
unanimously to help in this effort. Councilor
Jean Ann Miles said, “Any support that the
city can give the youth, I support. Naturally.”
The Cave Junction City Council
meets the second Monday of each month,
with additional meetings held as necessary.
Meetings begin at 7 p.m. and are held at 222
W. Lister Street. The public is welcome.
City code violations and ‘eyesores’ in the spotlight
Annette McGee Rasch
IVN Senior Contributing Writer
“I’ve been here six years and
every year it’s gotten worse. Some of
these houses in town look bad. And
all the graffiti, junk cars and garbage
lying around doesn’t help either,”
said newly elected Cave Junction
(CJ) councilman Mark Dillinger.
“And the longer we wait, the harder
it’s going to be to clean it up.”
Members of the business
community are also concerned.
“It affects the whole
community,” said Billie Wright,
owner of Wright’s World Emporium.
“And there’s some businesses that
could really use some sprucing up
too - we’d all get more business
if things looked more welcoming.
People should have that pride. Plus,
people thinking about buying a home
or a starting a business here might
drive around the area and become
hesitant about settling here.
“Part of the problem is
that a lot of people here are
beaten down by all the theft and
vandalism in the area. It’s like
with my planters, all my plants
get stolen - they even steal the
fake plants,” she said. “We try
real hard, but people get worn-
out and tired. How many times
can people go out and do the
same things over and over?”
Currently, the city’s process
to deal with rundown homes and
all manner of junk lying about is
complaint-driven. In other words, if
no one complains; nothing happens.
“We don’t go around and look for
trash or junk cars, we don’t have
the people to do that,” said CJ’s
planning clerk, Lisa Richardson.
She explained that when
someone files a complaint, the
property owner is sent a letter stating
they have 10 days to respond. If
“
will result in legal action. (Property
owners can protest this decision.)
The city might go in and clean up the
mess - with that cost becoming
a lien against the property.
Fines, up to $500 per day may
accrue, and if fines exceed the
value of the property, the city
has the legal right to seize the
property.
“It is not our goal, we
do not want to take peoples’
houses,” Richardson said.
“We’d rather have them
clean up the mess. We do get
complaints regarding trash,
noise and inoperable vehicles and
usually we get them resolved.”
But there’s a hitch. Those who
complain must sign their name on
the complaint, which is then a matter
of public record - and many folks
fear repercussions, so instead, they
suffer in silence and watch their
It is not our goal,
we do not want to take
peoples’ houses,”
Lisa Richardson
City of Cave Junction
there’s no response, a second letter
is sent which allows another 10
days for response. After that, the
city council can declare a public
nuisance. The property owner is
then sent an abatement notice which
outlines the city’s codes and warns
that failure to address the situation
home values plummet.
Dillinger and Mayor Daniel
Dalegowski say this system will
change under their watch.
“I think oftentimes people
rightly should be afraid about
making a complaint,” Dalegowski
said. “And I want there to be
anonymous channels. People can
come to me and any of the other
council members and say: ‘Hey,
we’re afraid to complain about this,
but would you make a complaint?’ I
think previous mayors have started
the process that way.”
“As far as I am concerned the
current process needs to be updated,”
Dillinger added. “There are various
ways to do that. It will take time. We
have to show our constituents that
we are doing something and not just
kicking the can down the road.”
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