December 2023
Drain Mayor’s Response
Editorial
Ah, December. In the middle
of the holiday season, now, and
like every other year, it has snuck
up on me again. It’s funny how the
Merry season of Joy affects us over
the course of our lives. As a child
you are wide eyed as the senses
are bombarded with the wonder of
food, presents, family gatherings,
Church and social events and all
the trappings that abound. A child’s
perception is highly impacted and
the effects set the stage for a lifelong
interpretation and the administration
of their own holiday spirit.
As a young adult, we
initiate our own branding on the
establishment of newly formed
traditions and expectations of
ourselves and the world around
us. When the kids come, it takes
on a very new and personal
inspiration and interpretation. The
spirit usually grows 10 fold as the
family dynamic ages and changes,
fostering love and care of family
and friends. We express these
feelings with faith, good cheer,
gratitude, giving, service and love.
But as the time wanes, we
continue to evolve in our holiday
personas and the intentions and
attention we pay to ourselves and
others. With the advent of age we
double down with our own view
of holiday priorities and how to
navigate the inevitable changes of
time and still negotiate the feelings
and emotions of ourselves and
those around us. It may be a mature
reflection of the passing of time
and the onset of a more “laid back”
view of the maze of distractions that
sort of rounds out our tolerance and
acceptance of “how things are and
how they should be”. It’s a journey,
they say and the journey leads us
to the same deduction hopefully.
Simply put, “Peace on Earth and
Good Will towards Man”. Merry
Christmas to all, and please have a
Happy New Year in 2024!
End of the year issue is now
in the can as they say. Thanks for
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school work and Sports. What is
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love about the world?
We are following a few items
here at the Herald, some things
happening in your government
and your neighborhoods and in
your environment. Follow us as we
delve into some of the these topics
and try to bring them to light and to
your attention.
As the December issue is
heading to the presses, I’m glad
to say that the North Douglas
continues to grow. Since the
September issue, we have added
nearly 500 new subscriptions and
20 new distributers across North
Douglas and South Lane counties.
If you see news or interesting
phenomenon, maybe have a
bone to pick - drop me a line, I’ll
look into it. You can send letters,
emails or call me anytime. I’m the
editor@ndherald.com.
Letters to the Editor
Hello;
I appreciate your publication. It’s more
than I would have expected from a local
newspaper.
If you live in town you may not of
noticed the work on the county roads in the
ND area. The county public works guys
are clearing vegetation with a mastitator
which I describe as a large stump grinder
on an articulated boom. These things have
been used to clear forest roads for years.
I’ve never seen them used on county roads
in front of peoples homes. The work is
exceptionally ugly, with no clean-up.
I sent a letter of complaint to the county
commissioners. I had some back and forth
with one of them, a Mr. Cress I believe.
My position is that they are using the
wrong tool for the job. Frankly, I believe
the decision is to give the road dept. crew
a tool they understand and are willing to
use, rather than to contract out the work to
people who do it well. Namely, about any
tree service company.
I’m hoping that you will consider
this a news story worth developing.
I’m attaching the original letter to the
commissioners and a picture of the work
at my mail box.
Brad Drees Smith River Rd.
Page 3
From; Brad Drees
1665 Upper Smith River Rd.
Drain, OR. 97435
To; Douglas County Commissioners
I write to inform you of a public
works issue. At the address above we have
about a quarter of a mile of road frontage.
We have been here for 17 years and have
endeavored to make the grounds nicer
with extensive plantings of native tree
and shrub species and creek restoration
work with the goal of improving salmon
habitat. Much of this work was aided by
Members and friends of the Drain Civic & Cemetary Committees have voiced concerns
that have been expressed towards to the “dissolving” of Committees as addressed in the ordi-
nance proposed at 4 different City meetings. A letter in the last issue outlined inconsistensies a
member has sited. To be clear, 100% of public opinion was against this ordinance. The Mayor
made a statement at the November Council meeting and was given an opportunity to clear up
any misunderstandings. Mayor Sparhawk responded with a copy of the speech she gave at
the November Council meeting..Here is that statement.
The word “dissolve” was an unintentional use,
Thank you all for coming tonight. Before
we get started, I would like to clarify some of and it was never intended to make all the work of
the inaccuracies that have been going around the committees disappear or be forgotten about.
the rumor mill and printed in the local paper Advisory is what they are and will continue to
regarding the Civic Center and Cemetery be.
Committees. Such things as: enough time hasn t By making this change it would allow citizens
been spent on this subject, that I lied about asking serving more room to maneuver their routines as
a chair to call the city administrator to schedule in “meetings, members, time-frames, etc. “...
To make sure everyone is clear, the cemetery
a work session, suggesting that council has other
plans for the building that they aren t sharing, committee is continuing as a city led committee,
that the committees are being eliminated, cut however, through this process, it too has
out or have been disbanded, that council is changed. It has a new mission and direction
removing citizen input, that no citizens spoke that every member and council embrace. These
in favor of changing these committees, and the members will continue to be public officials and
list goes on. One of our council members was must follow all public meeting laws. I personally
even called disgusting after the October meeting, do not agree that this committee needs to remain
simply because she had a different opinion. Lies, as public officials, but the council voted against
rumors, finger-pointing, assigning blame, hateful my idea. I do not think they didn t listen me or
words, all promote division and it needs to stop. my recommendations, they simply disagreed
Council has been talking about these with me.
The civic center committee was changed
committees for 4 months, I indeed asked the
chair to call and ask for a work session and and is continuing as a citizen led group. We are
they didn t, council has no other plans for this looking forward to working with this group of
building and cannot make changes behind citizens and hearing their ideas and suggestions.
the scenes, council welcomes and encourages I would like to point out that history has shown
citizen input and requests. There have been that just because a committee or group isn t led
numerous citizens that have spoken with some by the city doesn t mean they aren t supported.
of the council members in favor of getting rid of In the past couple of years, council has made
these committee and see no reason they should numerous donations of money and staff time to
be public officials. These people didn t speak community groups that are not city led. These
publicly because they didn t want to start an groups include Mildred Whipple Library, the
argument with their friends and neighbors. And Chamber of Commerce, ND Parks and Rec, ND
finally, these committees are NOT nor have they School District to support the track team and the
volleyball team and ND Fair Board.
been eliminated, cut out or disbanded.
We are all friends or neighbors, our kids,
I brought the idea up in the June City
Council meeting as a discussion item to talk grandkids, nieces and nephews go to school
about possibly changing these committees together or we attend church together. I hope
so the members would no longer be public moving forward everyone will choose to be kind
officials. My intentions were to delegate more to one another and work in a way that promotes
responsibilities to the committees by making collaboration and not separation. We don t have
them informal and not Public Officials in which to agree on everything but we need to treat each
all rules and regulations would no longer have to other with kindness and respect. The words we
be followed. Light discussion was made, and it use leave long-lasting impressions.
Thank you, Mayor Sparhawk
was then added to the July council meeting.
the Elk Creek Watershed Counsel. Our
house is set back a couple of hundred feet
from the road and while it’s not closed in
we have made the place more private over
the years.
The county road dept. is working on
our road and has completed what they
intend to do in front of our home. Their
current work is tree and brush removal
which they are accomplishing with
heavy equipment. The primary tool can
be described as a large stump grinder on
an articulated boom. It’s a very rough
tool and the operator freely admits that
the work is ugly. In my view such tools
are designed to maintain forest roads and
their use in front of rural residences is
wildly inappropriate.
In the conversation with the operator
he mentioned their small crew size and
asserted that the machine does the work
of five men. My response was that I would
not hire five men that do such lousy work.
I suggest that there are many tree service
companies that are capable of doing such
work well, and that the county would be
providing a much better service to the
taxpayers by contracting one out to do this
work properly in front of rural residences
at the least.
I have noted 5 or 6 trees and
shrubs that I planted that were killed
or compromised by the monster stump
grinder. While I don’t recall the width
of the easement I know the reach of that
thing exceeds it. There is only one demise
that really gets my goat, a large holly
stump in a blackberry patch that was
pulled out of the yard and put out there
with a neighbors tractor 15 years ago. It
was set back from the road adequately and
holly is slow growing. It was put out there
to compete with the blackberry. I mention
this less to complain, but more to point
out that these tree service companies hire
a different kind of worker than the road
department. Many of those guys consider
themselves arborists, and some of them
are. They know a lot more about tree
species and growth habits, fast growing or
slow, desirable or no. Those kind of guys
are much less likely to destroy something
that will rile up a home owner.
I do recognize that most of the
neighbors don’t feel as severely impacted
by this work as we do. If one were to ask
them I don’t believe anyone would think
it a good job. I also realize that when it
comes to paying taxes most of us are truly
cheapskates. For my part I would rather
pay more for a good job that does not cause
me work. At a minimum I’ll be repairing
a couple of maple trees with the pole saw.
If my wife’s Germanic sensibilities have
their way I’ll be spending the better part of
a week in the creek pulling out the debris
so it doesn’t clog the culvert and flood the
field. Tree service companies chip up the
debris, much nicer than throwing it at the
creek. It also truly reduces the fuel load
rather then just moving it down slope.
Loosen up those purse strings and pay
for a decent job.
Truly, Brad Drees