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About Sandy post. (Sandy, Oregon) 1938-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 21, 1986)
2 SAN0Y (O re.) ROST Thur*., Au«. 31. IM S (S m . I) The âtfndyPost Scott Newton, editor Kimberly Nelson, advertising representative Tax won’t benefit residents of Sandy You q*uwr CAjsi'r w in / We do not doubt officials of Clackamas County who claim they need the money that would be generated by a proposed 3 cent per gallon gasoline tax. With 2,000 miles of roadway to maintain, we can imagine that funds are tight, and that a lot of tough decisions are made about where to spend the revenues they do receive. Be that as it may, residents of the city of Sandy would be the losers if the tax were to pass, and we therefore recommend a “ no” vote in November. Sandy residents may remember that the City Council con sidered a 1 cent per gallon tax measure put together by the ci ty manager in October of 1963. The City Council voted down the measure 7-0. That proposal assumed that 5 million gallons of gasoline were sold in Sandy in a year, and estimated revenues would be about $50,000. Using those figures, which service station owners a t the tim e said were probably accurate, Clackamas County would collect $150,000 a year in Sandy. Meanwhile, the city of Sandy would receive about $42,000 a year to maintain its 19 miles of roadway. The distribution of the tax monies is based on a reasonably fa ir formula considering population and miles of roadway. But in reality, Sandy businesses would be big losers. It could conceivably cost jobs, and the potential benefits do not outweigh the losses. As far as motorists paying the tax, it is probably fa ir to call it a user fee, and we could be convinced that motorists aren’t paying enough to keep roads maintained. However, the county’s 3 cent per gallon gas tax is not the correct solution for Sandy, and we recommend people vote no. f F o r . R o A x D R. e . pa .1 r _ Personally speaking Trouble may lie ahead for no smoking policy by SCOTT NEWTON Excuse me, but could you give that to me again? OK, I think I've got it. Sandy High School’s board of directors, by unanimous vote, has banned ■making on all school grounds. Kurt Heaton, superintendent/prin- cipal, said that if they are to expect students not to smoke or chew tobac co, then it is fair to ask the public to set an example. He said they will ask people at public events not to smoke on the school grounds. “ If the public sees we re trying to be reasonable, I think they’ll go along with it," Heaton said. The first thing that pops into my mind is halftime of a basketball game when all the smokers pour out of the gymnasium and light up. The ban on smoking doesn't bother me, but I don’t think it can be enforced, and it doesn't make sense to have a policy you can’t enforce. Even if local smokers agree to the ban, there will be numerous visitors from other schools who will either not know about the ban on smoking, or will choose to ignore it. Heaton admits that it will be hard to enforce. What he won’t admit is that he has nightmares when he im agines himself trying to enforce it. The city of Sandy celebrated a milestone in July with its 500th rental of signs for garage sales. A person gets three signs from the city, one of which is put in the yard. Thé other two are used to guide motorists. A person fills out a permit stating n a m e , address and telephone number, and pays a $5 deposit. In return, that person gets professional ly designed signs, and the city is pret ty much guaranteed the signs will be taken down when the garage sale is over. M a rg o D e m p s te r, secretary/receptionist, said that at first people objected to the idea, feel ing there was too much regulation in volved. “ Most of the comments now are Than k you. I t ’s a good idea,' ” Dempster said. There are certain places where signs of any kind are prohibited, such as in the state Highway D ividon’s r^ht-of-w ay Dempster started working far the city soon after the program was started. The first sign was loaned in July 1980. She said garage sales ap pear to be as popular as ever. In August, they had all 30 signs out on two different weekends. Dempster, by the way, said she never attends garage sales. Sharon Brown, classified advertis ing sales representative for the Golden Nugget, does go to garage sales. “ I t ’s kind of like going through mom's old trunk,’’ she said. “ Every once in a while you find something wonderful. Usually you don’t." Garage sales were once a fad. Brown said. Now they are a way of life , a tim e -te s te d method of generating immediate cash. I talk to Brown every once in a while. The Golden Nugget classifieds are a feature of both the Sandy Post and its sister p ublication, the Gresham Outlook. The other day I called Brown to tease her about an ad Christine Bier man of Sandy saw. It was an ad for a nanny “ in my home for three darling children, ages 3 years, 8 months and 3 months.” Bierman, who works part time as a reporter for The Outlook, was sure she had found the medical scoop of the century. A fter a good laugh, I called Brown, who didn’t see what was so funny. When Brown mentioned it to Gwen Salesky, another sales represen tative and the person who took the ad, Salesky knew exactly what she was talking about. “ She thought about it, but said she wasn’t even go ing to ask,” Brown said. There was no medical miracle or funny business. When the number listed in the advertisement was call ed, a man said it was two mothers who wanted to share a nanny. Policy on letters le tte rs to the editor should be typed, double-spaced and signed An address and telephone number should also be provided, although on ly the name of the letter writer and the city or area he is from will be published. Letter writers may also wish to in clude a title or office held if it is ap propriate considering the subject matter of the letter. The news deadline of noon, Tues- day is also the deadline for letters to the editor Letter* should be accurate, free of libelous remarks and in good taste. This newspaper attempts to publish all letter* it receives from area resident*. We reserve the right to edit letters to conform to style guidelines or for length. A preferred maximum length is 300 words. Where to write Sen. M a r k H a t f ie ld , hOregon, 711 Hart Building, Washington, D .C ., 20510, 202-224-3753. Portland office phone 221-3386. S en. Bob P a c k w o o d , R -O re g o n , 258 R u s s e ll Building, Washington. D C , 20610, 208-224-6244. Portland office phone 221-3370. Letters to the editor Cash carryover is too high I am fully aware that the voters in the Sandy school district w ill once again be asked to approve the same levy which has already been defeated by voters in the district. 1 do believe there are a few things th a t v o te rs should c o n c e rn themselves about. In reading the minutes of the high school board m eeting Ju ly 14, the business manager advised the board and those patrons in attendance that basic school support monies and prior years taxes received were above the anticipated amount, resulting in the ending cash balance of about 9575,000. According to may calculations, if the business manager has 9575,000 surplus in his hands now and if the proposed levy, same as last year, is passed he w ill have an additional 9575,000. The next levy we vote on Sept. 18 will be 91,150,000 more than is needed to continue all programs status quo. It is also my understanding that the elementary district found a surplus in the low six-digit category. Now, I only ask you taxpayers, voters and readers if this is prudent fiscal management? Why is this surplus not being applied to reduce the amount requested for the 1906-87 budget? We are witnessing a travesty in the a rt of taxation for public school education. As one voter and over taxed citizen. I ’m calling “ foul.” I do not know how you, the reader, feels about this, but I would not vote to ap prove the Sept. 16 levy if my life depended on it. I urge you. Mr. and Mrs. Voter, to vote “ NO" on this measure on Sept. 16. Be safe, vote “ NO ." It will stop “double-dipping" by our budget com mittee and school board. Lloyd A. Cummins Affordable Education Association committee member Sandy Tri-Met service is non-existent A tip of the hat to those residents who recently spoke out against ineffi ciency and tax dollars wasted on in adequate Tri-M et service in Sandy. The business com m unity that largely supports T ri-M et would not have the money to do so if they operated as Tri-M et does. Private enterprise must be effective to sur- '* vive, so why should those that strug gle to exist in the business world have to carry an organization that doesn't work I would like to relate a case in point. M y sister, visiting me recently from Portland, wished to return home. Having a busy schedule that day, I offered to drop her off at the transit center in Gresham, only to find that it was roped off and closed. No problem, or so I thought. I would simply call and get updated in formation from T ri-M e t’s modern and probably expensive recording system. The first call was for infor mation on the specific route I needed. The recording erroneously informed me that I could catch the bus at the transit center The second call was to the number that has information on route changes. This recording in form ed me that service would resume from the transit center the following Wednesday, but left it a total mystery where it was currently operating. This meant driving to Portland because someone was incapable of doing their job. Though this didn't oc cur in Sandy, it was typical, in my opinion, of T ri-M e t’a method of operation. bit As in most situations, adverse con ditions can also mean opportunity. Why not let some aspiring en trepreneur operate a local service to the transit center in Gresham? It would probably cost a little more for a trip to Gresham but commuters having a service tailored to their needs should be happy even If it does cost a little extra. For those who might not be able to afford the trip to Gresham, let's spend a fraction of the 9178,000 Tri- Met now collects to assist them and give the rest back. I realize this is only one of many possible solutions, but with a little of the creative and thougtful thinking that large organizations seem to be incapable of, I ’m sure Sandy can come up with better transit. Mike Sererin Sandy Salem Scene Timber industry battles to survive by JACK Z IM M E R M A N Oregon’s forest products industry is still number one. It remains this state’s m ajor generator of private sector employ ment and payrolls And it retains this position in spite of a chain of events that sometimes almost appear to be elements of a well-orchestrated conspiracy. All you have to do is recall events of the last 10 years and you begin to wonder that people continue to pur sue production of forest products. Just a decade ago came the report that indicated Oregon’s available timber supply was dwindling to the p o in t th e in d u s try w ould be decim ated unless m ore federal tim ber was made available. As might be expected, financial specula tion — combined with record infla tion — pushed the price of available timber through the roof. Recession followed with a depressed market for many wood products and most pro ducers were in deep, deep trouble. In the meantime, the influx of cheaper Canadian imports and the emergence of the Southern United States as a major producer closer to Eastern markets further jeopardized Oregon's position And even as the industry sought ex pansion of allowable harvests in federal forests, preservationists were succeeding in governmental establishment of more and more wilderness areas in which logging — as well a * most other pursuits — would be forever banned. Despite the fact the industry’s m a jor alternative to dwindling supply was more intense management of the available resource, it* means of sc- complishing that goal have been em broiled in almost constant controver sy. The protests against the use of herbicides to enhance growth of marketable species flared in the late 1970s and is still a problem for modern foresters. More recently, regulators are seek ing to expand buffer strips of stan ding tim ber in riparian areas — land bordering streams, lakes and rivers. And that means considerably less allowable cut and significant finan cial losses. Those members of the industry who own standing tim b e r and reforested plantations have been caught in the liability insurance crisis and are considering closing their lands to public access by recreationists rather than assume yet another financial risk. As it the foregoing were not enough to cause closure of more mills than it already has, the next development was a federal tax reform package that threatens to further increase present coats of forest management and drive tree farmers right out of business And this month the industry will be subjected to hearings on proposals by the Departments of Forestry and E n vironmental Quality that, if adopted, w ill have yet another adverse impact on an already reeling entity. The latest blow comes in the form of expanded regulations on the burn ing of forest slash — the m aterial re m a in in g fo llo w in g h a rv e s t of marketable timber. They are design ed to both manage smoke generated by such burning and m aintain visibility in certain areas mandated by the federal Clean A ir Act. The-smoke management Issue is supposed to control slash fire smoke in a manner that avoids heavily populated areas. The visibility is aimed at avoiding impairment of viewing scenic vistas in certain federal forests and national parks. In Oregon that refers specifically to Mount Hood, Mount Jefferson, Three Sisters, Mount Washington and D ia mond Peak Wilderness areas and Crater Lake National Park. C u rre n t sm oke m a n a g e m e n t regulations protect Portland and the W illa m e tte V a lle y to Eugene, Roseburg, Medford, Tillamook and Coos Bay from smoke incursions The new regulations would aid Bend, Astoria, Lincoln City and Newport areas. What the proposals would do is severely lim it slash and field burning between the Fourth of July and Labor Day. Burning would only be permitted during that period under specific weather conditions that would allow smoke to rise sufficient ly and be blown over acceptable areas Environmentalists were to have alerted their followers to protest the standards as too lenient The forest industry, on the other hand, was to testify that such regulatory practices would further hamper the economy. The potential economic impact is estimated to be a* large as 980 million annually, cost more than 4,000 jobs and deplete state income tax revenue by as much as 95 million a year. The exercise epitom izes yet another obstacle in the path of O re g o n 's m a jo r p ro d u c e r of economic vitality as it struggles to retain that traditional role. The Stfntiy Post (USPS MIMMI 481-180) O regon New spaper Publishers Assoc tei>on Na*>onal Newspaper Associot>on and U $ Suhurbon Press Published w eekly Thursdays by »he O utlook Publishing Co B ob O» Sondy O regon 66 Sandy O regon 9705$ Second floss postage po»d • 641-9548 SUBSCRIPTION R A TH M ultnom ah County 99.88 818.88 I Isew hore In O regon Si 1.10 to Clackam as County por year in N orthw est and Pacific Coos» States O.'iK. O’«*on «• O utside Northw est and Pacific Coast IW .Ip .F ,M , Sandy 70*1. Sondy, Oregon 97059 No. 32 914.00 917.00 Aug 21. r i
