Vol. 71
No 32
Single Copy 20'
City suggests policies for post office relocation
b> DAN D ILLO N
I
understand we would like them in the
core area and not on either end of
A city subcommittee dealing with
town.’’
relocation of the Sandy post office has
That, according to City Manager
e sta b lish e d a lis t of “ p o lic y
Roger Jordan, is the goal of the sub
statements” which it hopes the US
committee “ In the best interests of
Postal Service w ill consider when it
Sandy, the city council subcommittee
makes its selection of a new site
would like to see the postal service
Some councilmen disagree, however,
relocate in an area to meet these
what the net result of the policy criteria,” he said
statements might be
In lieu of that, he said, the city council
Councilman Vern Richards is con would like to know the postal service
cerned the policies will drive the post tried to meet the policies However,
office out of the central core by their Jordan said he doesn't expect a fight
restrictiveness
between the city and the postal service
Councilman Don Blair, who served on to occur
the subcommittee, disagrees " I think
“ If we hadn’t done this (drawn up the
we re trying to drive them into the policy statement,» we would have no
city,' he said “ We want them to recourse, Mayor Ruth Loundree said
The city anticipates its participation
in the site selection process to be done
in a cooperative s p ir it" The recom
mended advisory opinion is to used by
the postal service to assist them in iden
tifying a location within the city which
would lx* in both parties' best interest
A post office is a conditional use in all
zones in the city
The policies the city will take into
consideration when review ing the con
ditional use permit for a new post office
are:
Because the city sees the govern
ment support services as an integral
part of the community, the city will
review whether the site will support the
commercial core area and w hether the
site is located so that it will support all
core area functions
The city will review whether the
site has gixxl access to both east- and
westbound traffic on Highway 26. and
whether the site has good connecting
streets in go<xl condition and of ade
quate design.
Because the city doesn't have local
mail delivery service and business
operators from the commercial core
must go to the post office to pick up
their mail, the city w ill review whether
the location is within walking distance
from the downtown business district If
the site isn’t in close proximity, the city
w ill want to know what the postal ser
vice intends to do for local distribution
Io businesses
Because there is a variety of
patrons who use pedestrian-oriented
means to get to the post office, and
because the city encourages this prac
tice, city officials will hxik at whether
there will be sufficient pedestrian ac
cess, such as sidewalks, to connect the
post office with residential areas and
the general commercial area
The city will review whether the
site is adjacent or contiguous to a col
lector street and what the load lim it is
for that particular street and w hether it
w ill accommodate the size of trucks the
postal service intends to use for mail
delivery In addition, specific emphasis
w ill be placed on whether or not those
trucks w ill travel through residential
areas to and from the post office
The city w ill review whether tra f
fic will have to use residential streets to
get to the post office, and whether that
traffic has access to a traffic signal lor
crossing Highway 26
The city will consider and ade
quacy of parking as it affects the on site
parking space available in the vicinity
of the proposed site
The city will review the proposed
structure as it relates to the Design
Review Board criteria and its impact
on adjoining properties.
“ After the postal service has taken
into consideration our advisory plicy
statements, they will need to file for a
conditional use permit with the city,”
Jordan said, “ and at that time we can
be very specific about a particular site
as it affects the policy statements."
Carmel zone change
loses court appeal
by DAN D II.L D N
The complex trail of Carmel Estates
through the appeals process may final
ly be nearing its finish
The Oregon Supreme Court recently
denied review of the state Court of Ap
peals dismissal of the developers' ap
peal I hat ends the court process w hich
developers of the proposed shopping
center at the intersection of Highway 26
and Compton Road may pursue
However, a zone change which would
allow the 26 5 acre site to house the
shopping center is contained in the
revised Clackamas County comprehen
sive plan The plan will go to the state
Land ( onservation and Development
( ommission (LCDC) for approval.
That body has twice ruled that
( lackamas County erred in rezoning
the farmland near Boring for a shopp
ing center
“ It’s easily the most complicated
land use case in the state of Oregon,"
according to city attorneyJack Ham
mond
The city of Sandy has fought the shop
ping center proposal since it surfaced in
1976 The city filed a lawsuit in circuit
court and an appeal to LCDC, with the
help of KMM) Friends of Oregon, in 1976
When the sun comes out a young man s mind turns to fishing along a cool mountain
stream, t-ridav, (.reg M artin. 9, of Sandy tried his luck for a moment along the
Photo by Dan Dillon
Salmon River at Wildwood Park with line that had broken from an earlier unfor-
tunate fisherman.
Hydroelectric hearing sparks testimony
bv M IC H A E L P. JONES
Post Correspondent
A feeling of bitterness permeated last
Friday’s five and one half hour hearing
on a proposed hyrdoelectric project on
Boulder Creek near Brightwixxl.
The hearing, conducted by the state
Water Policy Review Board, con
sidered a preliminary permit applica
tion filed by Steven Sweitzer of Welches
to study the Boulder Creek area for the
possible co nstruction of a m in i
hydroelectric project that would
operate from Dec l to June 30, annual
ly
Sweitzer proposes to construct a
powerhouse 2.44M) feet from the mouth
of Boulder Creek where it enters the
Salmon River
The structure would divert 13,000
gallons of water per minute to generate
enough power to supply some 250
homesites Portland General Electric
has tentatively agreed to purchase
power from Sweitzer for 20 30 years
Sweitzer was represented by John
Thompson of Thompson & Associates, a
public relations firm , who stressed that
the project would provide an opportuni
ty for alternative power sources other
than nuclear or coal
Opponents, however, claim the pro
ject “ would open up Pandora's box"
and could spell doom for the fish which
inhabit the tributaries of the Sandy and
Columbia rivers
Adrian Shields of SAA Realty of
Rhododendron disagreed, "The highly
controlled project should proceed ” She
criticized the Fish and Wildlife Com
mission, fisheries biologists and others
claim ing the diversion structure's
negative impact on fish is "the biggest
fish story" she’s heard
C J. Sullivan of Welches agreed that
the scare tactics of some of the op
ponents was dangerous " He asked to
board to grant Sweitzer permission to
study the project’s feasibility
Pete Carlson of Brightwood question
ed “ the re a l m otive s possibly
involved "
He said, “ When five real estate peo
pie are involved, there may he ulterior
motives " He hinted that the 160 clear-
cut acres the plant would be con
structed on could be developed later
because “ Mr Sweitzer is a land
speculator "
Arch Diack. a Portland resident who
owns property on the Sandy River, said
he had twice testified to the Senate
Committee on Agriculture and Natural
Three charged with murder
in Sandy shooting death
Three men have been arrested on ac
cusations of homicide in the shooting
death of a man near Sandy about May
10, according to Ross Cravens, chief
deputy in the Clackamas County
district attorney's office Oregon City
police made the arrests
The victim, tentatively identified as
Anthony Often, was found last Friday
off a dirt road that intersects Highway
26 near Sandy He had been shot to
death
Otten appeared to be in his mid 50s.
arcnrdint» to the Multnomah County
deputy medical examiner, Duane L
Bigom His addressed was not disclos
ed
Derrick J (¿*wis. 19, of Clackamas
and Vincent D Ingberg, 18, of Oak
Grove were lodged in Clackamas Coun
ty Jail on accusations of murder
Roger L Dow, 19, of Milwaukie was
held on an accusation of intentional
murder
The type of gun used in the incident
was not disclosed Cravens refused to
discuss the victim's background or any
aspect of the case, except to say that Ot
ten s former wife reported him missing
July 10
A Clackamas County grand jury was
to have heard evidence in the case
Wednesday
The arrests were the result of a com
bined investigation by the county
district attorney's office, the Oregon
State Police and the Oregon City Police
Department, according to Cravens.
Resources against Sweitzer who, he
“ far-reaching ”
claimed, was lobbying the legislature to
He said that even if the developer
rescind the Scenic Rivers Act for the
would “ build the best fish ladder in the
benefit of small hydroelectric projects
world, you would still have problems.”
“ If ever there was a foot in-the-door
He claimed the diversion would in
phony," Diack said, "this is it For if
terfere with downstream migrating fish
the Water Resources Department gives
and the natural reproduction of fish
this permit, there w ill almost certainly
that rely on the habitats of small
be many others to follow This opening
streams like Boulder Creek
of the floodgates of applications, based
Marsh said the tribes were concerned
on this precedent, will almost certainly
because “ all these small projects have
affect the entire Sandy River fishing
a worse effect on the fish than one large
and mark the beginning of the spoilage
dam ”
of the scenic-wild river concept that so
John McMahan of Brightwcxxl stress
many Oregonians are proud of
ed the future, testifying with his two
“ It is the first environmental bite that
children on his lap
is the worst, because it sets the stage
McMahan said the spawning grounds
for more abhoren, degradation and we
and potential spawning grounds would
simply should not tolerate that in
be endangered by the dam “ As long as
Oregon, ’ Diack said
we can preserve the natural species,
Harold Barr, a Gresham resident and
it s critica l," he said He said hatchery
member of the Northwest Steelheaders
fish were inferior to native fish still in
Association, said "Power plants at the
the stream
confluence of Boulder Creek and the
His concern for the area's fish stem
Salmon River creates a silting of this
from his background as a commercial
area which is in the very area that
fisherman He said he lost his fishing
spawning anadromous fish use and can boa, because the salmon were becom
not survive under the circumstances
ing an endangered species.
that this plant, like the others, are
Steve Post, a Wemme real estate
directly responsible fo r."
agent, said although he is a fisherman,
Patricia Cook of Brightwoix! said a the hydroelectric project is “ the best
"compromise with nature" is the solu
use of the creek." He added, however,
tion “ If people would really investigate
that his support does not mean he would
this form of power, I feel they would
support sim ilar projects in the area.
agree with the alternative power
Post said the plant would not have the
source We can have our cake— I mean environmental effects that some ex
fish — and eat it too "
isting projects, such as a new Welches
But Charles Siecko, regional park
nine hole golf course, asphalt plant or
supervisor at Oxbow Park, said erosion
proposed development of home sites in
and sedimentation of the stream would
' ideal blacktail deer habitats" will
occur during construction activities in have.
which “ the resulting alterations in the
He favors the temporary permit so
stream bed characteristics and water
Sweitzer can adequately study the
temperatures have been shown to be creek and potential environmental im
d e trim e n ta l to anadromous fish
pact
reproduction “
Bonnie Coulding of Brightwood urged
He told the board that it must ex the board to kill the project before it
amine the anadromous fish contribu ever gets off the ground
tions to Oregon's economy through
“ The hat goes on and on We have no,
commercial and sport fisheries, as well
yet begun to curtail our existing pro
as tourism He said that during 19«o.
blems and I seriously question the need
Oregon's sport fishery alone generated
or benefit from the proposed hydroelec
an estimated 1260 million with the tric plant, especially when Oregon is
Salmon River generating 3443,000,"
selling power to California," she said
Fisheries biologist John Marsh,
The Water Policy Review Board will
representing the Columbia River Inter
continue the hearing next Wednesday,
Tribal Fish Commission, claimed the
AuI U. giving the members a chance
p ro je c t's
e ffe c t
w ould
be to visit the site
I he city claimed the shopping center
would destroy its plans to revitalize
Sandy's downtown commercial core
The city lost its lawsuit, but won with
1<MM> Friends before LCDC in 197H The
state commission ruled that Clackamas
( ounty has failed to makes findings on
statewide goals.
Early in 1979, the county commis
sioners again approved the zone
change Sandy followed with its second
appeal to LCDC This time, the city had
free legal counsel from 1000 Friends' a t
torney Richard Benner, who has pur
sued the case since.
The Metropolitan Service District
also entered the fight, arguing that the
shopping center was not a rural use and
did not belong within Metro’s or
Sandy’s boundary.
The proposed shopping center would
have contained 90,000 square feet of
retail floor space, including a super
market, a furniture store, a clothing
store, a music and record store, two
restaurants and a five acre motel
Monday evening the Sandy City Coun
cil agreed to send Benner a resolution
of appreciation for his work on behalf of
the city fighting the shopping center
and zone change
Citizen’s group plans
suit against county
by M IC H A E L P. JONES
Post Correspondent
The Clackamas County planning staff
has indicated it will be more careful in
the future when notifying property
owners located with 250 feet of proposed
developments after being forced to re
hear two conditional use permit ap
plications recently.
Bu, that may not lx* enough, as the
Environmental Committee on Suitabili
ty (ECOS) has indicated it w ill sue to
recover lost expenses
In the span of a month, two hearings
concerning developments opposed by
ECOS, were ruled illegal because pro
perty owners weren't notified by county
officials or weren't notified within the
time allowed by law
Members of ECOS say the chain of
events were of “ no real surprise." bas
ed on past experiences with the County
Over recent months, the citizen's
organization has criticized the planning
staff for such things as withholding
p ub lic in fo rm a tio n on proposed
developments and siding with land
speculators, rather than the Mt Howl
area residents opposed to certain
developments based on their suitabili
ty-
Andrea Cabral of ECOS said the re
cent hearings on the Alderwood Mobile
Home subdivision and Boulder Creek
hydroelectric project tha, were ruled il
legal raise a number of questions
because each involved her organiza
tion She said the coincidence “ makes
one stop and think "
" I f you consider the time and trouble
that we went through." she said, “ not to
mention the babysitting costs and the
lost wages incurred by working people
who attended the hearings, it's jus, no,
fair that the County could do this to us
twice Is this wha, we are paying taxes
for?"
ECOS chairperson George Sheets
said his organization is no, going to
dismiss notification problems as com
puter errors “ They were human er
rors. pure and simple," he said
“ Due to the County's mistakes, it has
cos, us a lot of money in unnecesssary
legal expenses, no, to mention our
time
Sheets said “ We are now
seriously examining the possibility of
recovering these losses."
Scott Parker, Clackamas County
counsel, said he is “ not aware of any
lawsuit filed against the County" bu,
added tha, ECOS attorney Ed Sullivan
had called and threatened that the
group might file such a suit
Parker referred to the notification
problems with the Alderwowl and
Boulder Creek hearings as being “ jus,
a flu rry' and added that new precau
tionary procedures are being im
piemen,«! at the staff level.
Planner Mike Clihum of the subdivi
sion section said there would fx* no new
procedures for notifying property
owners of hearing dates, bu, they would
study recommendations by the Citizens
Involvement Action Committee which
reviewed the recent problems
Cliburn said the notification mistakes
were the first in the pas, couple years
and that it is amazing more problems
haven', arisen because the County
holds three hearings a week with a,
least three agenda items
"W e don’t like to make these
mistakes and we don', like to make
organizations like ECOS spend money
for an attorney, when they don', have
to," said Cliburn. “ I, was unfortunate "
Meanwhile, attorney Sullivan con
firmed tha, his clients w ill proceed with
a suit against the County He said. “ We
w ill pu, the County on notice sometime
during the middle of this month."
Index
SECTION 1
Keeping Posted
Inside Business
Senior Center News
Obituaries
Editorials. Letters
Sports. Recreation
6
. 7-8
SECTION II
Area News ..
Hood land Happenings,.
Around the County ..
About People ...
Classified Advertising
1
... 2
3
3
»12
2
3
4
5
SECTION III
Television Directory Inside Tab
1
1