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About Sandy post. (Sandy, Oregon) 1938-current | View Entire Issue (April 29, 1982)
■ • The Srfntìy Post Editorial & Opinion Von Braschler, Publisher Caroline Dull, Office Monoger Don Dillon, Editor Scott Newton, News Editor SANDY. OREGON THURSDAY, APRIL 29 1982 Personally speaking: The ‘good earth’ isn’t what it was Speak out on new east postal site Residents unhappy with a Mc Cormick Street site selection for a new post office in Sandy should raise their voices at a city hearing 7:30 p.m. Wednesday or forever hold their tongues. The Postal Service Real Estate Division has weeded a list of ex pansion sites here to the Scenic F ruit property, finding accep table sites downtown lacking Many Sandy people—including city hall, have opposed any site outside the core business area. They cite walking problems for senior citizens, driving problems and erosion of the core area the ci ty seeks to strengthen in its com prehensive plan. “ The future location needs to have good access to arterials and must have some proxim ity to the business community,” according to the c ity ’s planning bible. “ Because of the a c tiv ity generated by a local post office,” says the document, “ the siting of this facility w ill have a tremen dous impact on the c ity .” It might be argued that the Scenic F ru it property causes tra f fic problems at the edge of town where Highway 26 tra ffic speeds increase. In its favor, that site already has a tra ffic light and is handily located on the main street of town Yet, there are bound to be tra ffic snarls, as cars enter and exit the highway at the Wolf Drive and M c C o rm ic k S tre e t 37,600-square foot site. M any re s id e n ts m a in ta in former church ground at Pleasant Street and Strauss Avenue would be a better location, although a bit costlier. What makes the proposed half- mile move **ast hard to accept, of course, is the lack of door-to-door mail delivery in town. The city has gone through hoops to qualify as a first-class city for in-town delivery, but waits its turn. So everyone downtown must trudge to the post office. The trips especially m ust pain senior citizens and mom and pop store proprietors who find time spent commuting to the post office cost ly bites in their busy days. Sandy City Council and ad m inistrative staff have met with postal representatives from the outset to express the c ity ’s outspoken preference for a core area site. Now the Council, quiet as they mul the site proposal, perch in perfect position to pull the string. T h a t’ s w hy p u b lic testimony—spoken May 5 at city hall or given in w riting to the city planner—is important. Council approval would be required for a conditional use permit for the new postal site. Realistically, the Postal Service was restricted as to suitable sites available close to downtown. C ity h a ll’ s o th e r o b lig a tion beyond that to residents in the c o m p re h e n s iv e plan pact—calls for cooperation with other responsible government agencies where appropriate Ask the superinendent: Open campus explained by JO H N PK TK R M Sandy Union High Superlnlrndrnt Qurallon Why doesn’t Sandy Union High School have a cloaed campus'* Answer: Sandy Union High School la a cloaed campus Each student at Sandy Union High School la assigned seven claaaea every uay In addition, each stu dent has a thirty < 30» minute lunch period During thia lunch time our young men and women are allowed to leave the school grounds, either to eat at home or a place of their chmming downtown They must he in classes other than during this lunch time Because we have over 1.200 students, the lunch time la divided into three secuona final lunch 10 44 to 11 14 a m ; second lunch I I M to 12 04 p m ; third lunch 13 34 to 12 54 p m , with about 400 students in each section Unless a student has special permission and parental approval to leave school at other times than the lunch period, heahr must he in an aaaigned class Therefore, with the eaception of lunch time, all of our students are either in class or away from the school without permission If anyone has a question about a young man or woman seen during school hours please call the school 4 M M II, estenslon wtiee How does Sandy Union High oof's program of studies compere with 1 of other schools’ >«er The Mate of Oregon minimum re remanta for graduation are 21 credits r a i l students in handy Union High must earn 34 credits and must be died in such subjects as English, mce. m athem atics, health U 1 history, civics, government, personal fin a n c e , p h y s ic a l e d u c a tio n and economics In addition to these areas, San dy Union High School offers programs for vocational, general studies and college hound students Hecently, w~ have published study guide* for all our claaaea These were displayed at a national convention in Los Angeles and since have been requested by many schools and organizations across the country A national teacher a organization will in elude our English study guide in its annual collection A microfilm company wants to photograph all of our study guides for ex- ch an g e w ith o th e r achoola. Both franslron Hhode Island, and Phoenix public achoola have requested copies of our materials for their districts N O T E QwestlMis far D r. P eter* aboaM be sddreated U> Tbe bandy Post P<> B«» * * bandy. OR S7SSS He w ill answer all gaes i in Ibis c a te n a Beautiful spring blossoms on our pear tree at The Post last week told me it was time to reconsider planting a garden Tree blossoms and early wild flowers always inspire me to get down on my knees in dirt again, although sometimes I wonder why I bother. In Sandy rich, red earth greets the gardener with promise of of good things to come. Realtor Phil Jonsrud once noted this red com ponent in local soil could make the material ideal for use in manufacturing bricks here Un fortunately, I tried a gard en -n ot bricks Now I know the dif ference A person can make a brick, but only God can create a plant at a place and time of His own choosing. I learned this lesson, toiling in the good earth at Brightwood where gardens appear futile on mudflows. Mud and sand stack the deck against the backyard farm er, but only a fool would ad mit defeat amid such rustic wooded splendor Or so 1 thought, with my spirits raised by the sun, wind and air gently caressing the trees. Well, the broccoli took until Oc tober. when I managed a few str ingy chews before frost took it all. The tomatoes never did change from green to red Luckily I wasn’t staking my winter sur vival on preserves. Oh. those hearty boysenberry bushes from the nursery withered away, too I noted that only wild salmon berry, blackberry, blueberry and huckleberry bushes thrived So I abandoned the “ co n tro lled " garden and replaced the rows of vegetables and flowers with by VON BRASC HLER raspberry, strawberry, azalea and rose bushes Occasionally I water, but that's about it. Yet planting fills a person with such fascination, 1 pondered on my knees in the dirt one last time I held up to sunlight the lifeless roots of one withered plant, dirt still clinging in its frozen grasp I was puzzled hy a question that took a long time foi - ng. It was as though the sun prompted the notion, but then slowed my sun baked head from coping with it I sat transfixed a long while, before a gut-level feeling took control of my legs I dialed my mother out of state to relate my weird sensation on my knees in the dirt An almost psychic woman with a practical approach to life, mother seemed to hear the ques tion before it was stated Her ex planation came almost as quick ly. My family always had been farmers, she reminded me The good earth was in my blood, in my genes Was it possible that I was remembering generations of farmers before me1 Then I re m e m b e re d the photographs in the attic They were old fam ily snapshots that showed grizzled faces of weather worn early farmers who wrestled the good earth to eek out a living. Sometimes the sun, wind and cold rain were kind to them, as they made it debt-free through the year with a bountiful harvest in the storage sheds in hope of good prices Sometimes nature fooled them The sun raised their hopes, as it raised their crop tall for bountiful harvest. Then the winds would come, or th e in s ec ts w o u ld co m e. Sometimes a sudden hailstorm destroyed their dreams and mon ths of work in one day. The harvest already was spent in their minds, yet now they must replant with limited expectations but just as much hope Generations to come will feel these mixed emotions less and less, as the good earth gives way to residential developments, shopping centers, ind u strial parks, high-rir» buddings, golden arches and conci „ roads to con nect them Architects note standardized designs are making our cities look alike, while natural land con tours for hundreds of years defin ed physical personalities of each town and valley Now Portland’s waterway looks the same as dozens of other cities with its con crete overpass superstructure d o m in a tin g the lan d s ca p e . Skyscrapers in Portland look like skyscrapers in other major cities from offshore Berryfields and valleys that once destmguished this area now have given way to planned developments similar to towns throughout the nation Standar dized architecture matches stan dardized planning to make everything similar. Historians who note each civilization describes itself with its architecture might note our civilization peaked 60 years ago. At least that's the feeling you get wandering old parts of Portland or other cities with grand old buildings rotting away. These were the fancy big brick and quality hardwood buildings that c r a fts m e n and g a m b lin g pioneers built to last a hundred years Perhaps they thought of im m o rtality when they built them. When these visionaries died, however, their buildings died with them It costs too much to remodel or heat them now Today small-minded builders mass produce boxes to live in and concrete rivers to navigate in planned communities designed to harness the sun and shield us from the rain and wind This feel ing pervades that people can manipulate the atmosphere and control their environment to con trol their destiny But cheaply made roads in dense planned developments give way to time and weather The roof leaks, and the garden won’t grow It's enough to make you respect nature and water its wild flowers and bushes Letters to the editor Fat taxes, fat government spur mail Nix high tax In response to your April 22 editorial about John Thompson, Senate Dist. 14 candidate, 1 wish to reply. There are a great many of us out here who feel u real need for new “ faceless names" to send to the legislature We are fed up with the expertise our g re a t e x p e rie n c e d lawmakers in Salem have. It took real imagination and brilliance to balance the budget by raising our taxes' As for John Thompson “ inciting the mob,’’ we the ‘ mob’’ were incited when we re c e iv e d our tax assessm en ts If John Thompson can add fuel to the fire, more power to him! It's time our country elects some people who can“ arouse the public ’’ Lincoln said in his IM1 inaugural address “ This country, with its institu tions. belongs to the people who inhabit it Whenever they »hall grow weary of the existing government, they can exercise their con stitutional right of amen ding it, or their revolu tionary right to dismember or overthrow it.” Would you presume to call Lincoln's speech “anti g overn m en t p o litic s ? ” Next week will you attack Jean Roberts, candidate for Senate Dist 14, for her excellent letter to the editor April 22** She. too. is against higher taxes and more regulations' Think about It We, the people. ARE n vu>t <ig. and we have the right, too In closing. I would like to Hate (to defer all suapi cion* that I am a life long Democrat and cannot vote for John Thompson in the primary However, 1 do defend his right to run for office, as a new face, and also his right to speak out against higher taxes Pic Erickson Welches EC DC scorned I want it understood that I in no way attacked or ex pressed anger a t Vic A tiy e h at the re c e n t Chamber of Commerce meeting I did, in a good humored way. express to him the frustration and helplessness that many land owners feel with the many rules and regulations handed down by a faceless and untouchable board, LCDC For you who were not there I related the follow m gtoGov Aityeh "Under Old English law when a person transferred his pro perty to another he gave him a bundle of sticks which represented the rights that went with the p ro p e rty T h is la t e r became know as the Bun die of Rights and the rights of quiet enjoyment of one’s p r o p e r ty .’ ’ After saying this, I gave Gov Atiyeh a bundle of sticks, asking him, “ Please deliver these to the LCDC Board, as they have taken moat of my property rights and might as well have my sticks too ” For further clarification two of the rights I have become more recently con cemed with are the right that a person may give pro perty to his children that w ill be buildable and usable in tbe future, and the down zoning of proper • ty without specific notice or an effort to let the property owner know this is happen ing The S en ior C itize n s Apartments we recently built would not be feasible under the ¡wwly adopted plan, as the Cknsity has been severely decreased I was never given individual notice that this was hap pening For these reasons plus many more subjective and ambigious situations by LCDC I am working hard to have an initiative giving citizens the opportunity to lim it their powers It would also cut out this pass the buck" situation that these land decisions are the fault of someone else. As Gov Atiyeh asked me: “ Are the things you’re concerned about the fault of LCDC or some local government agency?’’ 1 called the county anti told them that it was all their fa u lt- not L C D C -an d they d idn't agree w ith that statement at all But If L C D C 's p ow ers a re limited, at least we wiU be able to figure out who is responsible for the laws we must live under If you would like a peti tion to sign or would like to carry one. please call me at 668-6286 Ginny Brewster Sandy Trim fat govt. "Trim m ing the F a t" in the C lackam as County Commissioners office en compasses m o re than reducing social services, etc. Despite a budget deficit of 1175.000. the com missioners approved a weight loss program at the cost of a p p ro x im a te ly 157.000 to trim fat off coun ty officials who evidently are eating too high on the hog at the public’s expense. Proponents rationalize that the program might p rev en t a p o litic ia n 's demise while in office, thereby saving tbe county a costly widow pension If an official is indifferent to county problems and uses public funds for personal privileges, he already is dead at the polls, as far as my vote goes 1 understand the wife of one of our commissioners has lost 96 pounds or. the program, thanks to her husband's elected office I don't care if she wears a petite size 10 or is bursting tbe seams of a size 244 dress That is her problem, not the county's Perhaps the board of commissioners should in stitute a policy the m ilitary has used successfully: Reduce or be discharged from service It might teach them to diet without county assistance, if they want to continue in public service It is time the public demanded the weight loss program be discontinued. It is an extravagant and un conscionable act of misus ing county funds Donna E Pyle Wilsonville Fair’s fair I would like to report an oversight in the a rtitle that reported the Democratic candidate’s F a ir held at the Sandy Masonic Tem ple April 18 and reported in the April 22 edition of the Post On the whole, your repor ting of the F a ir was good However, two candidates present were not mention ed: Lane County Commis sioner Jerry Rust, who is the most viable candidate fo r the D e m o c r a tic nomination for Governor of Oregon and who came up from Eugene to meet the local people, and former C la c k a m a s C o u nty Surveyor John Keeley, who is again running for the same office In reference to candidate Rust—since he has not had the ballot box and media exposure on the same scale as some of the other can didates for Governor, he may not get the nomination May 18 However, he is a man to watch I, for one, see a great future in higher political offices for this able man Margaret Ann Fielding Brightwood Post cited Recently my wife and myself purchased a home in Sandy and picked up a copy of the Post We fell in love with the community here several months ago and decided that when we bought our first home this was where we wanted it to be I just felt compelled to write and offer my con gratulations on what is one of the best community newspapers I have ever seen Form erly I was the ad v e rtis in g a r tis t and editorial cartoonist for ‘be Hillboro Argus Presently I am one of the advertising artists and cartoonist at The Oregonian and Jour n a l, so I am alw ays s c r u tin iz in g any newspaper I can get my hands on Normally in a communi ty this size the newspaper tends to be a bit rag ged either on the editorial side, advertising side or the way the newspaper looks graphically However, the Post reeks (if that is the proper word) of profes sionalism The look and content of your newspaper belies the size of the com munity it Once again, I wanted to congratulate you on a very fine effort From my first impression, it’s an effort that serves its community well, w h ic h -s fte r all—to the prim ary function of oar business Dan Adams Sandy Vote, parents! I am disappointed at the results of the recent Sandy Elementary budget levy election The outcome was especially disturbing in light of the fact that, accor ding to a recent review of county voting records, a la rg e p e rc e n ta g e of parents with school-aged children are not even registered to vote Who is responsible for th e e d u c a tio n of the c h ild re n , if not th e ir parents? If all parents registered and voted in the interest of their children, the budget could easily pass It was defeated by ap proximately one hundred votes We should all realize that, even during these dif ficult times, the children are the most important in vestment in the future. Amy Craig Sandy School aided I would like to thank all the school board members of Bull Run School District 45 for their concern for the education of all children who attend public in the Bull Run area. I a n a w a re of the amount of time that to re quired of school board members and public com ment to which they are sub jected I am thankful that there are people who are willing to stand up for what they believe. Public education cu r rently is the target of much public criticism . Public education to the only tax over which citizens have the a b ility to exercise direct control. Education to one discipline that has as many approaches a t there are people in the world and therefore can be subjected to an infinite amount of criticism My thanks and prayers to Jack Layton, Jim Boiler man, Karen Rodina, Ron J a n ts an d M a r c ia Hazelwood for their con c e rn ab o u t our c h i l d r e n —A m e r i c a ' s Al
