Light rail to Hood
sensible option
In considering the widening of Highway 26 from Wildwood to
Zigzag, our first reaction is that the improved roadway should
be built.
Increasing numbers of people are going to use Highway 26
for recreational purposes, and to cross the Cascade Mountain
range. For safety reasons, and convenience — neither tourists
nor local residents should be forced to edge their way down the
mountain on Sunday evenings — the improved highway is
needed.
We do have a slightly different point of view While we agree
one solution to the problem is an improved roadway, a com
pletely overlooked alternative is light rail service from
Gresham to the upper elevations of Mt. Hood.
With the Banfield Light Rail project due to be completed
soon, a connecting line makes perfect sense.
According to a Tri-Met official — who pointed out there are
“zillions” of exceptions — the cost to install light rail track is
approximately $2 million per mile. That cost includes a station
every two miles, but does not include the cost of purchasing
vehicles, obtaining right-of-way or operating expenses. Infla
tion could increase the cost in coming years.
The two stages of the highway widening project — from
Wildwood to Zigzag and Zigzag to Rhododendron — is ex
pected to cost from $7 million to $8 million, which of course
wouldn’t even get the light rail to Sandy.
However, consider this: There were 600,000 lift tickets sold
on Mt. Hood this season. It was a good season, but there are
regularly more than a half a million people visit the three
downhill areas each year.
There were another 200,000 cross country ski trips taken,
and this is a sport that is exploding in popularity.
Let’s assume that these people double up, and that each car
burns $10 worth of gasoline.
Assuming 300,000 cars visit Mt. Hood each winter, at $10
apiece, that is $3 million spent on gasoline. In 27 years, the in
vestment would be paid off.
We admit we are raising more questions than we are
answering, and that we are asking people to consider a project
that wouldn’t pay for itself for three decades.
The Mt. Hood-Portland area, however, is unique, and such a
solution is not as farfetched as it appears on first glance.
We endorse the concept of an improved, wider highway, but
the Oregon Department of Transportation should consider
that there may be an even better idea.
Trauma designation
boost for Sandy area
The Mount Hood Medical Center has had an identity pro
blem ever since it opened its doors last year.
People who suffered so-called “traum a” injuries in the Mt.
Hood corridor, Sandy, Gresham, Troutdale, the Columbia
River Gorge and other East County areas would be whizzed to
other area hospitals even though the medical center was
closer.
At least a part of that identity problem should be cleared
now that the hospital has been designated a part of the
county’s trauma care system.
The medical center had to meet nine standards to be approv
ed for the system. The recent addition of a CAT scanner, an in
house anesthesiologist and a trauma surgeon cleared the way
for the trauma designation.
Trauma victims are so designated at the scene of an acci
dent by paramedics who work with the heart of the system’s
communication network, which is at the University of Oregon
Health Sciences Center in Portland.
It should be comforting in those life and death situations to
know that victims now can go to Mount Hood Medical Center
rather than spending precious minutes in an ambulance or
helicopter enroute to another hospital.
The safety factors for victims are the primary benefit of the
center joining the trauma system.
Beyond that, the designation should be a boost for the
medical center, which serves the Sandy area.
In part, trauma victims are determined by the type of acci
dent they are in, not the severity of the injury they receive.
For example, if a person hiking on Mt. Hood falls more than 15
feet, he or she is automatically considered a trauma victim.
Likewise people who are in an auto accident where someone in
the car is killed.
In some cases, the trauma determination is unnecessary ex
cept for the rather rigid set of guidelines that have been
established. But many of the victims have been taken to other
hospitals when they could have been easily treated at the
medical center.
For both reasons — safety of victims and the convenience of
being treated closer to home — the trauma designation is a
boost for the area.
Policy on letters
Letters to the editor should be
typed, double-spaced and signed. An
address and telephone num ber
should also be provided, although on
ly the name of the letter w rite r and
the city or area he is from w ill be
published
Letter w riters may also wish to in
clude a title or office held if it is ap
propriate considering the subject
matter
The news deadline of noon, Tues
day is also the deadline for letters to
the editor
Letters should be accurate, free of
libelous remarks and in good taste.
This newspaper attempts to publish
all letters it receives from local
residents We reserve the right to
edit letters to conform to style
guidelines or for length A preferred
maximum length is 300 words.
1 \E
THESE
BEEN HUNTING IN
W O O D S ALL. M V
YEARS AMO I ’VE NEVER
SEEK) TRACKS LIK E
THESE
Letters to the editor
Seizure story ‘false,’ says cafe owner
This is in response to a letter in last
w e e k 's p a p e r tit le d , “ P eople
humiliated by restaurant employee.”
The entire story is false!
Their sons were not dealing with
just an employee but the owner, and I
have knowledge of how to handle
emergency situations. I have worked
in the restaurant and bar business for
over 20 years 1 have attended
classes that are required of me to be
in this business The first thing you
learn is never to move a person that
may be sick or injured or to give li
quids
The 21-year-old that had the attack
was not in the restaurant when it oc
curred. He was in the store and fell
through a swinging door into our
restaurant.
No one threw water on him. I
demanded that he be left alone while
I called 911 for emergency help
While I was calling, a customer look
ed at the young mar. on the floor and
his brother, and my daughter heard
him say to the man’s brother, “ If
you’re smart, you’ll take your friend
and get out of here before the
paramedics arrive because I believe
you guys w ill be in a lot of trouble ”
The reason the customer said this to
the young man was that something
didn't seem to be right about the
situation
His brother seemed to be in a hurry
to get him out of the restaurant His
brother forced him up and they were
on their way out the door when the
paramedics arrived.
The paramedics talked to them for
a while and then came in to talk to me
and stated that it didn't look like the
young man had a seizure to him
If anyone is humiliated by this, it is
I Due to the accusation coming from
these parents who had been misin
formed and didn't take the time to
find out the facts
Janet Severson
Owner
Country Corner Cafe
Sandy
PS. Will the couple that was eating
dinner at the restaurant at Shorty’s
Corner on the evening of July 10 and
witnessed a man fall through the
door of the store please contact the
owner at 668 5605 as soon as possible
School head
rotation
‘railroaded’
I attended the Sandy Elementary
School D istrict’s “ special meeting”
last Thursday, which was called in
response to apparently sufficient dis
quietude expressed by parents of
students who would be unhappily af
fected by the school board's recent
decision to rotate the four principals
at Cedar Ridge. Firwood, Kelso and
Sandy elementary schools
I cannot help but feel the so-called
“ a d m in is tr a tiv e m o v e ”
was
railroaded through by the school
board members without adequate in
vestigation and certainly without
adequate input from those affected
most — students and their parents.
Attending the meeting i aside from
irate parents) were only three board
members out of fiv e and the
superintendent, who appeared to
hold the board in servitude to his
“ educated guess” regarding the
benefits of moving the principals
from one school to another.
At no tim e were satisfactory
answers given as to why the principal
rotation was being done Rather, the
board hid behind a smoke screen of
vague statements about change be
ing good for the entire district. The
board made it very clear from the
outset by their unbending position
that the meeting had been called
merely as an empty gesture (com
mumty PRESSURE?) and that they
would neither reconsider their deci
sion nor would they be w illing to
discuss the pros and cons with the
assembled parents. The frustration
of the parents was so evident when
the board refused to dialogue with
them The board chairm an’s last
remark to a member of the audience
who asked what the parents could do
next was, “ Get a lawyer.”
I am personally saddened to ex
perience such cold, stubborn,
unresponsive district representation
of the community And while it was
pointed out by someone that the
board members are volunteers, I
must remind all that what the board
members volunteered for was to be
“ elected" by and thus represent the
community. Too, it is my understan
ding that the superintendent is
employed hy the district and we are
the district — we parents who entrust
our children’s one-time elementary
education into the hands of our
"representatives.”
From all I have been able to ascer
tain, political reasons motivated the
whimsical shuffling of our principals
For my part, this is not a good
enough reason to toy with my son’s
education I was very happy with the
administration of our school and re
joiced in its excellence
Let there be cooperation and open
ness between the teachers, ad
m inistrators, superintendent, and
board members. Politics has no
place in our children's schooling, and
an OPEN FORUM is essential where
district policies are formed It must
also be understood that parents are
an essential ingredient in any policy
making
Gail Karl
Parent
Sandy Elementary
School District
Committee
commended
Editor’« note: Sandy Mayor Deane
We«»elink recently sent this letter to
Darrell Dempster, chairman of the
Sandy Mountain Festival committee.
We run tty letter with Wessellnk's
appi ov al.
At a recent City Council meeting I
voiced my feelings about the 1985
Sandy Mountain Festival I also
wanted to be sure that you and all the
members of your committee were
aware of my feelings as well.
First of all, the overall Mountain
Days was a big success and I was
glad to see that everything went so
smoothly I had many people express
their satisfaction with everything
from the parade to the displays and
food, the Wine F air and Feast and the
Lions dunk tank It was particularly
gratifying for me to assist in fund
raising along with the Lions for Heidi
Setterlund.
My highest compliments are in
order. You and the committee did a
great job and no one enjoyed the
Festival this year more than I did
On behalf of the city of Sandy,
Deane R Wesselink
Mayor
Troop thanks
area helpers
The members and leaders of Troop
176 would like to thank everyone who
supported our chicken barbecue at
this year's Sandy Mountain Festival.
Special thanks go to the following
businesses and individuals who
helped make this year's barbecue a
big success They were:
Multnomah Kennel Club, Lynden
Farms, Athena Products Corpora
lion. Bowman’s Sandy Thriftw ay,
Dan and Blanca Patck, Mike Annes,
Clyde Barney and Herb Fenwick
Boy Scout Troop 176 is chartered
by the Community Presbyterian
Church and Sandy VFW Post 4273
and Auxiliary
Kathy Dunn
Sandy
Committee thanked
To the Sandy Mountain Festival
committee:
I want to take this opportunity to
thank you for selecting me to be one
of the senior princesses for this
year's Sandy Mountain Festival
court. It was an unforgetable ex
perience, the memories of which w ill
be treasured for a lifetim e
My husband, Pat, and I had a great
time attending the various functions,
especially the Coronation Ball and
the parade We had the chance to
meet a lot of nice people and make
new friends, including the other
members of the court and their
families
I hope our community appreciates
all the tim e and effort the Sandy
Mountain Festival committee puts
into this event every year You are
all te rrific. A very special thank you
to Sherry Lawson, director of the
queen’s court Without this lady, and
her fam ily, the court would not have
been the success it was.
Donna Marlow
Sandy
Scott grateful
for kindness
Marie Scott desires to acknowledge
and thank her many friends for
re m e m b e ra n c e
and
tr u e
thoughtfulness following the death of
her husband, Bob Scott
M a rie Scott
Sandy