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Illinois Valley News
Wednesday, April 19, 2017, 1 Section, Volume LXXX No. 4
City signs
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Published weekly for the residents of the Illinois Valley
Don’t look back
Caroline Griffith
IVN Contributing Writer
The Cave Junction City Council passed three resolutions,
Monday, April 10, in support of tax measures that will be on
the ballot in May. Councilors voted unanimously to support and
endorse the Animal Shelter Levy, the Adult Jail and Juvenile
Detention Center Levy, and the Josephine Community Library
District. Illinois Valley voters will have the opportunity to vote
on four tax measures in the May 16 election.
Before entering into discussion of the various ballot
measures, the council approved a park use request from the
Illinois Valley Soil and Water Conservation District for a
sustainable cannabis fair to be held in Jubilee Park May 7.
Chris Hall, president of the Cave Junction Farmers’ Market,
which is co-sponsoring the event, told the council that the
event is being billed as “Fish friendly, field friendly and family
friendly.” The focus of the event is to educate local cannabis
growers on organic practices, soil ecology and best watering
practices. The request was unanimously approved.
Council also approved a cannabis business application for
Bud Bros., an OLCC licensed recreational marijuana retailer.
In addition to recreational sales, Bud Bros. will also conduct
limited medical cannabis sales at 335 South Redwood Hwy.
The application was approved in a 3-2 vote with Councilors
Mark Dillinger and Jean Ann Miles voting “no.”
The council then passed a resolution in support of
measure 17.77, the five-year Animal Shelter Levy, which would
replace the three-year tax levy that is set to expire in June 2017.
In its endorsement of the levy,the council acknowledged the
importance of the animal shelter and animal control services.
In addition to running the animal shelter, Josephine County
Animal Control investigates cases of animal abuse, neglect,
hoarding, and abandonment and enforces state, county and
city laws that regulate dogs running at large and dogs that are
dangerous or a public nuisance. If passed, measure 17.77 would
impose a temporary tax of $0.08 per $1,000 of assessed value
on county properties.
The council went on to pass a resolution in favor of
the noncontiguous, Josephine Community Library District.
Responding to the will of voters, who rejected a countywide
Library District in 2014, this proposed district includes
only communities which are home to the four branches of
the library. Measure 17.79 would form a permanent library
district, with an elected board of directors, at a rate of $0.39
per $1,000 of assessed value. The council voted unanimously
to endorse the district. Councilor Lindsey Gillette said, “I see
libraries as an essential function of a community and essential
to community development, so if we are going to continue to
develop our community, it is essential to have this service.”
Councilor Jean Ann Miles agreed suggesting, “Maybe we can
cut down on some of our vices in order to support our library.”
The resolution of endorsement for measure 17.80, the
five-year Adult Jail and Juvenile Detention Services Levy, was
also passed unanimously. If passed, this temporary levy would
impose a tax of $0.93 per $1,000 of assessed value. Funds
raised from this levy would go into a dedicated fund which
could only be used for the adult jail and juvenile detention
services. This would free up general fund monies to be used for
sheriff’s patrols. While acknowledging that measures like this
can be a burden on some citizens, Councilor Miles said, “There
will be no vote that will be more important for our citizens to
make other than to vote for this levy. I am perfectly willing to
not get a pizza once a month, or not get two pizzas a month,
or three pizzas a month. I’m willing to do whatever it takes to
make sure my 92-year-old father is safe. We are already paying
for not having law enforcement. If you think things are bad
now, it is only going to get worse if we don’t pass this levy.”
Council also had a lengthy discussion with Shelly Davis
of I.V. Little League who requested that the city reduce or
waive park use fees for this year’s season. The league is
experiencing financial hardship due to a snack-shack break-
in in which concession equipment was damaged or stolen.
As a result, they are having trouble paying their $600 park
use fee for this season. Councilor Dan Bosch pointed out that
the council gives the local library branch upward of $10,000
every year and “I personally feel that Little League is just
as important to the community as the library, maybe even
more. I wouldn’t mind deducting the money that they spent
on security improvements from their fee this year, so they can
get ahead.” Council decided to postpone taking action until
the next meeting so they could have time to mull over possible
solutions. City recorder, Ryan Nolan, said, “Who knows,
maybe a newspaper article about Little League not being able
to afford lights might generate $600.”
The Cave Junction City Council meets the second
Monday of the month at 7 p.m. Meetings are held at City Hall,
222 W. Lister Street. The public is welcome.
(Photo by Birdy, for the Illinois Valley News)
Thalia Atlas (center) entertains during the April 15 “Cavetown Underground” performance. The
play was based on the Greek myth Orpheus and Eurydice, a story about love, trust and loss.
Oregon Legislation declines
to tackle GMO bills
SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Local governments
in Oregon will continue to be prohibited from
regulating genetically engineered crops.
Bills to ease the ban both failed to make
it out of committee at the legislative session,
the Statesman Journal and Capital Press
newspapers reported.
Those who oppose local government action
say rules regarding genetically modified crops
should be enacted at the state or federal level,
not through a patchwork of county ordinances.
Voters in two southern Oregon counties
— Jackson and Josephine — approved anti-
GMO ordinances in May 2014. The one in
Jackson County was allowed to stand because
it had qualified for the ballot before lawmakers
approved the ban that stopped communities
from taking the regulatory action.
The Senate Environment and Natural
Resources Committee recently heard conflicting
testimony about the frequency of cross-
pollination among genetically engineered,
conventional and organic crops.
Sen. Michael Dembrow, D-Portland, who
chairs the committee, said Thursday that too
many questions remain about the extent of
cross-pollination and the efficacy of mediation
if a conflict arises. “I want to get a sense if there
are problems with contamination or if there are
problems with the mediation process,” he said.
It’s the third time environmental and
farm groups have tried and failed to pass
the legislation, which they say is needed to
prevent genetically engineered crops from
contaminating organic and conventional crops.
“Our farms remain at risk of contamination
because the state has not put any protections
in place,” said Carol Valentine, a resident of
Josephine County, which saw its ordinance
struck down by a court.
Lawmakers still are considering another
bill that would let farmers sue Monsanto, Scotts
Miracle-Gro and other companies that hold
patents on genetically engineered seeds if crops
grown from those seeds contaminate traditional
or organic crops.
The bill would allow landowners to
seek three times actual economic damages if
genetically engineered organisms are present on
their land without permission. It is scheduled
for a work session next week in the House
Judiciary Committee.
Lake Selmac spillway to get face lift
Jason McMillen
IVN Contributing Writer
The aging spillway bridge
containing Lake Selmac is set
to be replaced this summer with
construction starting in August and
taking an estimated three months
to complete. As it stands now, the
bridge poses a serious hazard because
in the case of an emergency, like an
earthquake, it would likely fail. “The
dam itself is rated one of the worst
in Oregon,” Sarah Wright, parks
manager, said.
Additionally, the bridge is not
rated to support large emergency
vehicles, for example a fire truck,
because the bridge and spillway
was constructed in the ‘60s and, as
such, is woefully noncompliant with
current standards. “It’s well beyond its
useful life,” added Chuck DeJanvier,
county engineer, supporting Wright’s
conclusion.
While the bridge is being
made compliant and strong enough to
adequately support large emergency
vehicles it will also be upgraded to
allow a larger volume of water to be
spilled out in a shorter time span than
before. As it stands now, the channel
is entirely too narrow and will be
expanded to better handle extreme
flood years. According to Wright,
the height of the dam will also be
extended.
The project will be partially
funded via a federal grant through the
Oregon Department of Transportation
and every dollar awarded, according
to DeJanvier, will have to be matched
by the Josephine County Public Works
Department who is in charge of the
project. The contract has been awarded
to MJ Hughes Construction and is
currently estimated to cost around
$1.87 million.
The lake will essentially be split
in half for the three month duration of
the construction because of the closure
of Lakeshore Drive, but clear detours
will provide access to both sides of
the lake. Although Wright feels that
the construction will only be a minor
inconvenience to tourists, Wayne
Zallen, one of the new owners of the
resort, thinks it will negatively affect
his business dramatically. However,
after saying this, he further went on
to say that Josephine County has
been very upfront about what has to
be done and is appreciative that they
are waiting until late in the summer
when business slows down so as to not
unnecessarily hurt his bottom line.
“It’s for the benefit of all of
us,” Zallen said, admitting that the
spillway’s health is undoubtedly tied
to his business’s life span, “In the big
picture of things it’s a small amount of
time.”
In the future, other projects
are needed to improve the aging
infrastructure around Lake Selmac, but
as it stands right now, none of them are
finalized and approved.