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About Sandy post. (Sandy, Oregon) 1938-current | View Entire Issue (May 3, 1979)
Section JB kNDY, OREGON, THURSDAY MAY 3, 1979 The S^ndy Post P e o p le A FC fl JNCWS H °me™ County tax payers hit for $60 million for road repair OREGON CITY - A recently com pieted assessment of how much the winter freeze damaged county roads shows it w ill cost almost $60 million to properly repair the roads damage again in the future because we just don't have the revenues to fix things the right way,” McIntyre told county commissioners in an informal meeting Thursday The revamped figures show that $10 m illion w ill repair some of the roads to the condition they were before the freeze, but another sim ilar freeze would just damage them again, said John McIntyre, director of the county department of environmental services Hugh Kalani, county road superin tendent, said little damage occurred to subdivision roads because they were in itia lly built to county standards M cIntyre said the older roads were badly damaged by the winter freeze because they were “ built wrong in the first place ” About $30 million in materials and equipment and another $30 m illion in labor is needed to ensure the roads w ill not be damaged by another winter freeze, McIntyre said “ We’ll need $6 m illion to do the job right so another freeze won't do it to them again,” McIntyre said. Two members of the county roads department recently inspected all county roads for the damage assessment. The extent of the damage was then recorded for each road. The county currently has $6 million in revenue for road repair use “ There is no way we can prevent the “ It's really kind of discouraging because we re only talking about a small portion of the roads that we w ill actually be able to repair," Kalani said “ We've already tried to patch the roads that were so badly damaged something absolutely had to be done force.” The county will use a priority system based on the amount of damage and the traffic count on a particular road to determine which roads should first receive attention. “ We thought this would be the moat equitable way of doing the roads because, of course, everyone thinks his road is the worst," Kalani said Some roads in the Wilsonville area w ill have to be completely ripped out and re-rocked, Kalani said Work has already begun on some badly damaged roads in the Boring-Damascus area including Bohna Park Road, 257th Drive, 232nd Avenue. Hemrick Road, 147th Avenue and 145th Avenue “ But we probably won't be able to patch a ll the holes for quite some time. We’ll just be able to get to the tire busters right away.” Kalani said many of the roads should actually be completely rebuilt but he said the most realistic thing for them to do, considering the money situation, would be to patch the roads as "best as we can." The rain has slowed down repair work for the county. Kalani said they w ill need four or five days of dry weather to get the crews out in “ full- County officials are now waiting for the Legislature to pass a bill which gives non-home rule counties authority to levy a tax for road repair. Wood permits now simplified By D EN ISE O'HALLORAN Po»* Correspondent Photo by Mark Floyd Spring sunset THE END of a per fret spring day ran be breathtaking when the cloud» part and let the nun do It« thing. Kesidents of Kelso Koad north of Highway 26 got thia spectacular view one day last week. The Mt Hood area has devised a new system for woodcutting permits, ac cording to Ron Humphrey of the Zig Zag ranger station. A new program combining four districts (Bear Springs. Barlow, Zig Zag and Hoodland) was developed to save residents the trouble of having to check with area rules concerning woodcutting for each district. “ We also have a lim ited supply of lumber this year with the small tim ber harvest, Humphrey said “ That would mean a lim ited number of permits for some areas so we decided to combine all of the districts.” Depending on the weather, permits may be available this week. Several thousand . permits w ill be issued allowing permit holders to cut up to ten cords each Humphrey cites lawsuits and the uproar over RARE II as reasons for a cutback in timber sales, although many areas are available this season for commercial sales of tim ber Non commercial cutters have free use of designated areas “ In the distant future we may have to start charging if timber sales don't pick up,*' Humphrey said. Maps of designated areas are available at the Zig Zag Ranger station. MHCC instructor heads state GED committee Despite testimony she's heard that the General Education Development program is too easy or is poorly admin istered. “ It's one of the most ressonable alternatives to high school.“ Ruth McFarland said Monday The Mt Hood Community College biology instructor is chairwoman of a state committee studying the GED, a series of tests which serve as a substitute to a diploma for persons who pass them Verne Duncan, state superintendent of public instruction, appointed the committee after hearing criticism the GED is too easy an alternative for high school students That criticism is also addressed in a bill proposed by Sen Fred Heard, D- Klamath Falls, which tightens the requirements for your people wishing to take the test. Ruth McFariand Students under IB may take the test if they have been officially released from their high schools and get permission from the stale Department of Education Heard's legislation would require those students to prove they must work or for some other reason are unable to attend high school McFarland said some test ad m inistrators told the committee in hearings last Friday that the age waiver requirement already creates too many hoops to jum p through They believe Heard's proposal would make it almost impossible for students under 18 to join apprenticeship programs, m ilita ry service or even college programs “ There is some feeling that young sters who have already been released from high school are obviously never going to go hack," McFarland said "Hence, why not let them go on with their lives by taking the GED if they can?" Several students in alternative high school programs told the committee that not all young people can be ex pected to fit into the typical high school. McFarland agrees. “ They were saying high school does not meet the needs of some people, " she said. “ Everyone just doesn't fit into the typical program And maybe they shouldn't be expected to." She said some criticism of the program has centered around the testing centers which train people to take the GED. “ There’s been a lot of cont.. page 5, Sec. II. Palmer ski lift due to open in May By DEN ISE O'HALLORAN Post Correspondent Palmer ski lift, the chairlift on Mt Hood that has caused so much con troversy is due to open this month. For the time being, the law has stated the lift may be open only during late spring and summer The lift start where other lifts end and travels beyond the Magic Mountain and on up to the 8,300 foot level — a level that is harsh, cold and unpassable during the winter months Richard Hoffman of the Zig Zag Ranger station said the lift was built 14 years ago to draw summer skiing and provide a possible permanent training spot for the U S. and European ski teams months. We re real excited about that since this is the only year-round skiing in the North American continent.” No decision can be made until the day lodge has been completed and the lift has proven itself, said Hoffman. “ The lodge and motels all the way down to the Shamrock in Wemme are booked solid May through June," Hoffman said “ The US. Ski team is also talking about making Mt. Hood their permanent home in the summer The lift raised controversies when it was said to have violated the “ emotional wilderness" of the mountain. Other problems arose earlier this year when the bad weather collapsed some parts and cables Some ask ‘Wine’? Schedeens say ‘Winenot’? ...and Big Fir Winery is in business Some people claim Samuel Pengelly could make wine out of a load of dirty laundry Fortunately, he hasn't tried Only homegrown berries wear the Big F ir Winery label. Pengelly is once-a week zymologist for Tony and Brinkley Schedeen. owners of the enterprise on Tickle Creek Road, south of Boring The rest of the time, he works with water — as a chemist for Aqua Tech Laboratories Inc in Portland. The chemistry had to he right for the painstaking winemakers, the wine and the Oregon Liquor Control Commission On March » , Big F ir received official sanction to sell The long fermenting process had already altered more than the berries It changed the philosophy of the makers “ We had mainly yahoos in mind when we started," Toi\y chuckled “ But people who know about wines like what we produce It's gratifying ” “ We want to get people away from the idea that all berry wines taste like Mogen D avid," Brinkley added “ We re not making syrup,” Pengelly agreed One Big F ir wine, the dry Oregon raspberry, is included in the cellar of Cooper Spur Inn and served with steak “ The tartnesn overrides the bouquet," Tony explained. Evergreen blackberries, marton berries apd strawberries are bottling and brewing. i Flavors range from dry to sweet. T hat’s where the zymologist comes in. With careful measures of sugar, he, unlike grape wine makers, can coun teract nature • Climate, amount of sun and soil conditions determine the grape's sugar content. Adding sugar to its wine is illegal. “ We ameliorate «add water and sugar) for acid control," Pengelly explained, “ depending on how good the fru it is. If the acidity is low, you can't add so much or you'll get a very bland wine “ Acidity gives the wine tanginess. Without acid, it's gutless ” Sugar added after the fermentation process is complete determines sweetness The Schedeen brothers rely on Pengelly's expertise “ We’re expert drinkers,” Tony said, “ but not so much at tasting as swargling." The zymologist learned the chemistry of wine from a non-swargler “ He's Mormon (a religion that for bids alcohol consumption)," Pengelly said. "H e said the rule was you could taste the wine to see if it was right As far as I know, he never went beyond that " At Aqua Tech, the chemist has helped design a Vancouver sewage plant and conducted tests for the Environmental Protection Agency The same biological and chemical principals apply to testa far acidity levels and alcohol content “ The only thing between water and blood is wine.” Brinkley chuckled parenthetically. The OLCC allows 35 percent amelioration of the berry juice The Schedeens’ product is diluted about 27 percent with water and sugar Under a ceiling of 14 percent alcohol content, the Big F ir prodcut contains about 13 percent alcohol. Although regulations must be followed, the OLCC has been more than helpful, the Schedeens acknowledged The word has spread Customers at a store in Boring are clamoring for Big F ir T-shirts. “ Smell it," directed Rita Moon, who stopped by for a case “ That's why. You can almost pick the seeds out of your teeth ” Courtesy of Lori (¿resham Outlook. Varosh of The “ One reason is wineries are a clean, agricultural industry." Tony figured. “ Oregon would like to promote them. Oregon legislators want to see Oregon become a wine state “ Oregon was great wine country prior to prohibition It's got the same climate as the Rhine Valley in Ger m any." With their small 700-gallon operation, the Schedeens are exempt from the 85 cent state tax. except for wine dispensed in the new. wood paneled tasting room Federal requirements are a bit stranger. The winery is required to pay 17 cents a gallon federal tax "The federal government has decreed we’ve got to have the metric system by this year We have to sell in m etric containers, but they want all their tax reports in gallons. Tony chuckled Growth is planned, but, for now, marketing is limited to word of mouth T H E CHEM ISTRY expertise of zymoiogist Samuel Pengelly. center, is surpassed only by the experience of the Schedeen brothers (Brinkley, left, and Tony) In “swargling." The trio pro* ides the brains behind the berry wine business of Rig F ir Winery at Tickle Creek. A new tasting room officially greeted the first customers March 2t.
