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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.