Sandy post., June 16, 1977, Page 2, Image 2

County comments
IN THE MÎNORITÏ '
' \ \
H
Douglas Gantenbein, Staff Reporter
,
.
A new majority,
and their minority*
u
Carl Weaver, Advertising Manager
by Bill Sanderson
Published weekly Thursdays by The Outlook Publishing Co.. Bo« 68
Sondy Oregon 97055 Second class postage paid at Sandy Oregon
668 5548
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Servicemen ony oddress
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outside Oregon per year ........... ’ 7 00
........... ‘ 5 00
In Oregon outside Multnomoh ond
Ctockamos Counties per year
. *6 00
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Page 2
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No. 24
Sandy Post, Sandy, Oregon 97055
Tburs., June 16, 1977
Spring cleaning hits Sandy
Spring cleaning has h it Sandy.
In recent weeks we have seen that
m a n ife s te d in an a ttr a c tiv e ly
remodelled Sandy Rexall D rug Store,
extra landscaping around Decker's
Store and Heritage Square, and new
coats of paint on Leathers Gas Station
and the Action Auto building.
The Sandy Kiwanis Club recently
sponsored a landscaping and clean up
party. Sandy merchants are urging
th e ir peers to CUS (Clean Up Sandy).
Sandy is starting to look sharp and
get into shape for the upcoming Sandy
Mountain Festival, Fourth of Ju ly
Celebration and Mountain Festival
Days. We applaud the efforts of
com m unity
leaders to beautify
Sandy. Their work is obviously
paying off.
We urge those who haven’t cleaned
up th e ir p ro p e rty , homes or
businesses to do so before the festive
events begin. Much of the work
requires more muscle power than
money power.
The Sandy we see today is definitely
better looking than the Sandy we sawa
year ago. Out of town visitors who
come to the July events should have a
pleasant surprise when they visit our
fa ir city. (SAL)
The Cost of MHCC Sports
Much has been said and w ritten
about the cost of sports at M t. Hood
Comm unity College.
Figures on the 1975-76 school year,
the last for which complete figures
are available, showed the cost to be
1.8 cents per $1,000 of assessed
valuation. In other words, if your
house is assessed at $30.000, you
would pay 54 cents for support of M H ­
CC sports.
A somewhat higher figure — 2.9
cents per $1,000 — had been used by
the Blue Ribbon Commission on MH-
letters to the editor
Future Growth
CC A ctivities and Athletics. However,
that figure was for the entire MHCC
athletics budget and did not take into
consideration that portion supported
by student body funds.
D uring 1975-76, taxpayers provided
roughly $95,500 of the support fo r M H­
CC sports, the student body $58,500
according to Dr. Leo Marlantes, dean
of academic affairs. Again, that
translates into 1.8 cents per $1,000 or
54 cents on a $30,000 house.
Not exactly an overwhelm ing
burden on the individual taxpayer.
To the Editor:
In reply to Mrs. O’Dea’s
letter of June 9, 1977, regarding
planning at Welches School for
the future, the following should
be considered.
I do not have the enrollment
figures for 1958, however, the
figure for 1969 enrollment when
we moved into the new facility
was 204 In 1977 it was 286
This represents an average
growth rate of 5 per cent per
year It is clear that if this
continues we will need ad­
ditional space some day in the
future.
The University of Oregon
Guest editorial
Barton proposal 'curiouser
by Bill Sanderson
The various proposals that have been aired to finance
the restoration of the protective dike along the upstream
side of Barton Park become “ curiouser and curiouser.”
The park is probably the most popular of the county
river parks and beloved by fishermen, boaters, and
family groups
E arlier in the year there had been some talk of getting
some money from private sources, specifically county
real estate people, to finance restoration and repair of the
dike and park facilities
Later a possibility of federal assistance through the
Corp of Engineers resulted in a Public Notice, NPPEN-
O ll, BARTON PARK.
This public notice was dated April 21, 1977, and in­
dicated the authorities under which the work would be
performed and stated: “ Purpose of the work is to stabilize
the river channel and prevent further damage to the
Barton Bridge caused by drift and debris.”
The Public Notice also stated that “ a preliminary
determination has been made that an environmental
impact statement is not currently required for the
proposed work.”
On May 16, 1977, Hazen Stevens, a long-time advocate of
fully coordinated protection of the scenic, recreational
and esthetic values of the Clackamas River, advised the
district engineer, Portland District, Corp of Engineers by
letter of that date that: (1) She believed that the proposal
should be aired at a public hearing, and (2) that before
either Clackamas County or the Corp of Engineers spend
time and public money on the proposed project that the
effects of an up-stream operation be carefully studied and
those effects (on the proposed structure), if any, be fully
alleviated.
In his reply to Mrs Stevens' letter asking for a public
hearing and a review of the causes of the loss of similar
revetment work constructed by Clackamas County prior
to the expenditure of more public money, the district
engineer noted in a letter dated June 8. 1977, that his
Public Notice NPPEN-O11 was in accordance with Sec­
tion 404 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act of 1972
to "alert the public” and to “ enable this office to respond
to matters at issue which are material to the project.”
And he added. " I have reviewed your letter and find
none of the issues raised are pertinent to the work to be
done ” (A conclusion roundly and almost unanimously
denied by those attending a later public hearing.)
By letter dated June 1, 1977, the Clackamas County
Public Worlds Department notified Mrs. Stevenson that
Clackamas County would hold a public meeting at 7:30
p.m on Thursday, June 9, at the county courthouse for the
purpose of presenting the Barton Park levee restoration
project “ initiated by Clackamas County for protection of
Barton Bridge ”
There were approximately 20 persons attending that
public meetir^, which was chaired by County Director of
Public Works John McKintyre and this is where the story
becomes more curiouser.’
Of the probably 12 or 13 people who spoke on the subject,
all but one believed that the proposed project should be
given further study that would: (1) further identify the
effect of a long dike constructed by River Island Sand and
Gravel just upstream from the proposed work, and (2)
give further consideration to the probably down-stream
effect of restoring the Barton Park dike
Contrary to a later report there were no "foes“ of the
proposal to protect Barton ra rx nor were those who spoke
there to “ protest” the restoration project.
There were many objections to what appeared to be an
official and complete disregard of (1) the research for the
I
need for the dikle in the first place; (2) a probable reason
for its previous failures and (3) the highly questionable
justification for spending approximately $80,000 on the
park dike as an emergency protection of the Barton
Bridge located around a bend and further downstream.
Many of those who spoke referred to previous and •
existing studies of this reach of the Clackamas River,
pointing out that the operation of the up-stream gravel
plant and its manipulation of the river poses a costly risk
price to any downstream construction. For example, in a
Division of State Lands report on background information
it is noted that "the Barton Bridege at Mile 13.3 is properly
designed with an open trestle approach ramp on the north
end. It presents only minor current deflection at its north
pier . . . Existing upstream river channel modifications,
however, can initiate erosion cycles near this pier, and
may then require defense works that could in turn affect
the channel further downstream.”
In the “ recommendations" section of the same report it
was suggested that “ before the Division of State Lands
allows the Corps of Engineers, acting on behalf of
Clackamas County, to rebuild the Barton Park Dike, the
county should demonstrate positively that the proposed
dike will not contribute to downstream contributions to
erosion and danger to Barton Park!
Most of the people at the public meeting were only
proposing the same precautions be imposed upon River
Island with regards to its downstream contributions to
erosion and danger to Barton Park!
This observor was most intrigued by McIntyre’s
statement that the effect of the up-river gravel operation
would not be considered in the decision to go ahead with
the project
The Corps of Engineer’s representative at the meeting
asked what the meeting could accomplish if it “ took River
Island right out of the picture," and the district engineer's
written statement that “ operation of the River Island
Sand and Gravel Company are not at issue and do not
pertain to the work to be accomplished under Public
Notice NPPEN-O11.”
In the face of professional reports and testimony, two
near-expert presentations complete with a wealth of
supporting pictures and the indisputable evidence of
knowledgeable people who live in the immediate vicinity,
one wonders why the results of this commercial operation
— in this "Scenic River” flood plain—are either exempted
or above question.
There are two remaining circumstances that contribute
to the “ curiouser and curiouser” aspects of this report
From his closing remarks it was generally understood
that the director of public works would make a recom­
mendation concerning the project to the county com­
missioners, who would then make a decision on whether
or not to go ahead, cancel out, or seek further input and
aid.
The decision, which was to go ahead with the project
and to let bids for the work on June 27, was announced in
Friday's Enterprise Courier, which goes to press at about
10a.m.
The paper quoted McIntyre but failed to mention any
action by the county commissioners.
Since then. Commissioners Stan Skoko and Ralph
Groener have assured me that they have made no decision
on the matter
A call from McIntyre indicates that the Enterprise
Courier reporter must have misunderstood his,
McIntyre's report about the Thursday night meeting.
McIntyre indicated that further meetings with con­
cerned s$ate agencies would be held before he made his
final recommendations to the county commissioners
Even so, it still gets “ curiouser,” - if not “curiouser and
curiouser ”
Field Service Department has
indicated a need for additional
space in the 1980-1981 school
year This growth, they say will
occur whether any new
developments occur or not.
New development will only add
additional numbers to what is
projected.
Do you not think it wise to
look ahead and plan how and
where the school must expand
if needed0 It is much better to
plan ahead rather than finding
yourself overcrowded and
taking a “ band aid” approach
to solve the problem. This type
of solution only costs the tax­
payers money.
Everyone trys to plan ahead,
even Welches School District.
Without planning you have no
direction With no direction,
nothing gets done. Who suf­
fers??—the children!! Let’s
hope we don’t come down
to that.
Alan M. Jensen,
chairman
Welches School Board
Box 216 Fairview Ave.
Wemme, Ore 97067
MHCC sports
To the Editor:
In an attempt to obtain
support for the MHCC levy
June 28, the Mt. Hood Com­
m unity
College
D istrict
Foundation has agreed to
donate $4,000 for athletic
“ tuition wavers.” This, they
say, will reduce the amount of
taxation money used for
athletics, and thereby, enhance
the prospect of passing the
levy.
F irs t, this smokescreen
smacks of the robbing of Peter
to pay Paul, and secondly, the
excessive athletic budget is
only part of the criticism being
voiced around the area. The
main issue is the failure of the
college athletic department to
involve enough of the athletes
within the district in its in­
terscholastic program . It
appears that a well publicized
in te rs c h o la s tic
a th le tic
program which involves so few
local participants is not a good
advertisement for passing a
levy
Most people I talk to want to
see the teams com posed mainly
of high school graduates from
within the district. They resent
tax money being spent on
athletes from the states of
Washington, California or New
Jersey They also dislike the
possibility that major schools
might be referring candidates
to MHCC for developing
Wouldn’t MHCC have a
better program if it em­
phasized a predominance of
participation from local talent?
Is it unreasonable that tax­
payers
want
their
own
youngsters to have the op­
portunity to play at their own
community college?
It has been wisely said that
super athletes develop good
coaches, but average personnel
motivates coaches to work
harder and do a better job of
coaching which can be a rich
and rewarding experience. The
information expounded in this
last paragraph is a popular
theme at the many athletic
award banquets I have at­
tended over the years.
Miles Aubin
39335 SE Paul Moore Rd.
Sandy
In America alone there are
literally thousands of minor
and-or major groups of citizens
(and a few non-citizens) who
break the monotony of their
every-day lives with more or
less frequency to complain
bitterly that the rest of us are
‘discriminating' against them!
They
include
ethnic
m in o ritie s ,
o c c u p a tio n a l
groups and those who have no
occupations
They encompass anyone and
everyone who can escape being
what we all ought to be, just
plain American citizens
Personally, I have little time
for the loud-mouthed odd-balls
who seek public notice with
their screams and complaints
of “ discrimination,” but in
general, one can cope with
moat of these magnifiers of
their own differences by
ignoring them
As a charter member of a
vanishing minority, the tot­
tering
members
of the
G.O.O.F P O P., (The Grand
Order of Former Pipe Organ
Pumpers), or “ Goofpops,’ as
we used to be known, I too have
suffered from the effects of a
total discrimination against our
small minority.
I do not believe that we, the
G.O.O.F.P.O.P.. has ever had a
m em ber appointed
to a
presidential cabinet position or
an ambassadorial post!
Now that's discrimination —
but no one has ever heard me
complain about it.
Then there are the minorities
within minorities who have
their own splinter groups
directing their bitter com­
plaints about being the victims
of discrim ination upward
through
the
thick
and
unheeding elements of their
movement.
I have identified one such
situation in the women's
liberation movement which I
have preserved as a sample
and an interesting specimen.
There was this minority
faction of the right-wing
minority of a splinter group
that had spun off from a minor
dissenting chapter of the
women's lib movement who felt
very strongly that women
should
individually
accept
whatever place in the family
and social order seemed most
appropriate to each of them, as
individuals
Being such a small minority
of a minority, etc., etc., etc.,
they found it impassible to
obtain a fair hearing for their
minority stand and so were
absorbed back into the great
‘majority* of American women
— where they have lived
/page 3
Alder Creek
To the Editor:
As the first breath of early
spring came to the woods, the
old man wandered up a once
familiar path along the edge of
Alder Creek canyon It was now
an ugly logging road.
But there was a time when it
was a delightful journey
beneath the shade of towering
firs where even at high noon
only sparse patches of sunlight
fell upon a trail carpeted with
fir needles One tread as
silently as an Indian in
moccasined feet, and a young
boy who had fashioned a crude
bow and arrow walked with
imagination.
After dark a weaving lantern
lighted a way along the trail up
the canyon There were many
mysterious rustlings in the
night, and the end of the
journey was a lonely cabin in a
clearing.
A kindly Norwegian had built
his Shangri-la in the wilderness
where he harnessed a tumbling
trout stream to turn a water
wheel. It was a small mill
where he turned out brick hods
which he sold while surviving in
the wilderness he loved.
The unwashed windows of his
tiny cabin shed the pale glow of
a kerosene lamp. And as a
visitor approached the clearing
a shaft of light in the doorway
suddenly scattered the gloom of
night. The homesteader always
welcomed anyone passing by
for surely he sometimes felt a
gnawing loneliness.
But now an old man of many
deer seasons stood on the rise of
a hill where the loggers had
gone by. He could not be sure
where the cabin once stood. It
was all changed.
W hile
recalling
dim
memories, the old man walked
slowly down the road and
presently discovered a faint
path where deer wandered
down the canyon at dusk to lap
water beside a pool
Following it through a clump
of alders he paused for a
moment where the noisy trout
stream tumbled over the
stones As a boy he had often
compared
the sound to
laughter, as though it echoed
his compassion
for
the
wilderness.
During many long, dry
summers the water ran low but
there was always a musical
note in the canyon. How lonely
it might be, he often thought,
without this elfish sound. But
with the long summer still
ahead he wondered, might
there at last be a silent summer
in the deep canyon of Alder
Creek?
Keith Soesbe
3419 N E87PI.
Portland, Ore.
Touch and Gro
to meet
Touch and Gro Garden Club
far the blind will meet on July
16 at Oral Hull Park in Sandy,
The program will be on birds
and the hasting club will be the
Dogwood Garden Club.
Manning The Post
Spaghetti ready
Editor's noir: Recently considerable attention has been
focused on this year's strawberry crop with much at­
tention given to the crop's quality, volume and condition
following a year of erratic weather conditions
In our continuing effort to provide our readers with a
complete picture of Clackamas County agricultural ac­
tivities, we at The Post have come up with another,
equally interesting and important story.
Here for the first time, then, is the story behind
Clackamas County 's other crop:
by D ougin Gantenbein
farm ( ?) editor
Despite an odd combination of winter drought followed
by heavy spring rains, Clackamas County growers expect
a spaghetti crop only slightly smaller than normal.
“ We’re expecting a sizable harvest,” said county ex-
’tension agent Jack Parsley. "And the spaghetti there is of
good quality.”
The crop, expected to tut peak ripeness tote next week,
has been both helped and hurt by the sudden shift from
wet to dry weather
fh e damp weather, said Parsley, causes the spaghetti
to stretch and break, thus rendering it unusable. But, he
said, the current sunny weather makes ideal conditions
for spreading the spaghetti crop out to dry after it is
picked.
Either way, the switch from damp, cool weather one
day to hot sun the next is hard on the systems of the
delicate spaghetti trees.
Local grower Orville Oregano agrees with Parsley**
assessment.
"The crop looks pretty good right now,” said Oregano.
"But this past winter I had to plow 13 acres of spaghetti
into the gi uuiiu due to the drought.”
Oregano recently contributed five bushels of spaghetti
to the annual Spaghetti Social here in Sandy. This to an
event held each year at an unknown location to welcome
the new crop.
Parsley said that local spaghetti growers are now ac­
tively seeking pickers to help gather in the harvest. He
said there are enough pickers now, but by the time the
crop peaks next week there may be a shortage. Packers
are also running at capacity, with a current area of over
40 acres around Sandy devoted to spreading out the
freshly picked spaghetti to dry.
Parsley said that people interested in picking spaghetti
should come to the fields equipped with a short ladder to
reach the spaghetti tree branches and with a large wicker
basket to carry their crop in.
dnAufa
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