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About Sandy post. (Sandy, Oregon) 1938-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 5, 1981)
Section ww w , OREGON, C\JVzPI, THURSDAY. I ri VJ F\ Y , FEB rCO, □ 1701 SANDY, 5, , 198, The S ^ ü y Post A fC d NCWS People Home & Garden Features For Boring mechanic Auto yard a second career by GWEN BOGH Post Correspondent Some people call it junk, some say it ’s useful and recyclable, and others say it is not very aesthetically pleasing. The differing views about an auto wrecking yard are many, but to Ron Matz, owner of an auto salvage business and body shop in Boring, i t ’s his hobby. For more than 30 years, Matz has worked as a mechanic on both planes and ground vehicles at the Portland International Airport. C u rre n tly he's m anaging mechanics. Some people may feel that Ron Matz's auto wrecking yard is an eyesore, but the Boring man has turned a hobby into a second business. Matz also works as a nfechanic at Portland Inter* national A irport. Burning areas redefined for Sandy, Boring -The Environmental Quality Com mission last Friday adopted a “ tem porary ru le ” which redefines burning boundaries and affects the Sandy and Boring areas. Fire district boundaries w ill now determine the e lig ib ility of backyard burning O riginally, the proposed burning ban encompassed a wider area but as com pkints were heard, the EQC of ficials saw a need for revision. Fears that developed, as a result of the proposed ban were illegal burning among restricted residents who had no alternatives for trash disposal, dump ing, fire hazards developing and the d ifficu lty of enforcement. tinder the new rule, twice-a-year burning w ill be permitted in the Sandy, Beavercreek, and Boring fire districts. Seasonal burning in these areas w ill be allowed in the spring and fall. Fire departments have appropriate dates. The commission also elected to continue to offer burning permits in financial hardship cases Other factors that w ill be considered in perm it issuance are inaccessibility to dumping grounds and extreme circumstances which might create a hazard. These perm its are available for $30 and are valid only during the specified 180-day burning period established by the commission Group to mull drainage woes Drainage problems w ill be discussed at the next meeting of the Boring Neighborhood Advisory Committee, Thursday, Feb. 12 at 7 p.m. The meeting w ill be at the Boring Fire Station The committee w ill discuss progress on drainage projects located in the older re s id e n tia l and downtown business sections of the Neighborhood Strategy Area. The drainage im provements were given a high p rio rity by the committee wand w ill be funded by Clackamas County’s Community Development Block Grant Program Road vacations requested by the Neighborhood Advisory Committee w ill also be on the agenda A staff person from the Department of Environmental Services w ill be present to answer questions and explain how affected property owners responded to letters seeking their interest and consent to vacate The committee is open to all re sid e n ts, p ro p e rty owners and business operators in the Boring Neigh borhood Strategy Area All interested citizens are encouraged to attend Since age IS, Matz has always had a special interest in cars and motors. He crew up tinkering and repairing autos w ith the guidance of a friend’s father who Matz says knew everything about cars. He said the “ old guy was cantankerous, but always had the answers to his questions.” Matz obtained his license to buy and sell wreckage about five years ago. He runs his business in addition to working fu ll time at the airport. Matz has collected an acre of auto wreckage from insurance com panies, salvage pools and personal owners. But his collection doesn’t stop w ith autos. There are tractors, four-wheel drive trucks, a five-ton mobile crane, a D-2 cat, a motor home, a motorcycle and many pieces of equipment which are used in the body shop. At the body shop, Matz has rebuilt many cars and trucks and restored totaled vehicles to look like new. Matz says he is a perfectionist, and may spend twice as much time renewing a car as other body shops. “ I t ’s got to be exactly rig h t” . Towing is another sideline of the salvage business Matz has ventured into. While he doesn’t do it on a fu ll tim e basis, he w ill do personal referrals. On his 7*4 acre site, Matz has many animals, including dogs, cats, geese, hens, pigeons, two Scottish hylander bulls and three Angus He bats balls for his dogs to chase, talks to his bulls and bangs on the outer wall of the pigeon house because, “ I just like to watch them fly .” Matz works at the airport full tim e, as well as running “ Reverend Ron & the Deacon’s Body Shop and Auto Salvage". He runs the business alone and there have been many nights when sleep was lim ited — but this was his choice. He loves his work and says he looses all track of time. Many projects are “ in the works” at present on the Matz property, so many that listing them m ight be an additional project for him. When retirem ent approaches, Matz plans to turn his total efforts to his salvage business, but for now he’ll m aintain his current pace. Pinewood Derby The annual Cub Scout Pinewood Derby held at Boring Grade School drew 28 boys, ages eight to 10, to the w orld of m iniature car racing. Unlike the soap box derby, where the d rive r maneuvers and steers his own vehicle, m iniature cars are placed on an inclined race trade which slopes down and runs 55 feet long. More than a month ago boys and th e ir fathers began shaping, sanding and painting their m iniature cars for the derby. No lim its were set for the amount of input a father has in the project, just as long as his son assists and is involved with the construction of the car. Each car was made from a standardized block of pinewood given to the boys at their Christmas meeting. Wheels were also included in the small kits distributed to all Boring Cub Scout members. Scout master Andy Anderson said that the pinewood derby is the favorite a ctivity of the troop, “ I t ’s the one thing we do that gets more father-son participation," said Anderson. He also feels the race is a good lesson in winning and losing. Six trophies were awarded to firs t place winners in two categories — the fastest car and the best design of each age group (eight, nine and 10 year-olds). The following were the winners: The Pinewood D erby at Boring grade school drew 28 boys (below) who watched e n th u s ia s tic a lly as th e ir creations left the starting chute (top) and were put on display (le ft). story and photos by Gwen Bogh Wesselink to act as steward Sandy City Council President Deane Wesselink w ill serve as honorary steward tomorrow evening, Feb 6. as Portland Meadows celebrates the “ Sandy Purse” , Wesselink w ill present an award to the owner of the winning horse at Friday's featured eighth race, which carries a purse of $3,500 and is open to four-year-old horses F irst post time Friday is 7:30 p.m k F irst Place — Speed Best Design Ages 8 - Randy Young 8 - Duane Toyooka 9 - Tommy Stagel 9 - Westly Stevens 10 - Lawrence Nyberg 10-S tuart Richey Winners of this event w ill go onto the Thunderbird D istrict Derby, A p ril 25, at the Multnomah Kennel Club. Approxim ately 200 boys are expected to enter this competition which includes Gresham, Sandy, Boring, Estacada and east Portland scouts.
