Page 2
July, 2024
Volume 2, Issue #7
The North Douglas Herald Newspaper is
published once a month in Drain Oregon. The
North Douglas Herald is owned and operated
by Oregonians, published and printed in the
State of Oregon. It is our mission to bring the
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Free Papers can be found, upon availability, in all of
the following town’s and these fine establishments
Drain
Rays Food Place, 308 N 1st St.
Country Cabin Coffee & Laundry, 438 W “B” Ave Hwy38
The Rose Bar, 413 Umpqua Hwy 38
Mildred Whipple Library, 205 W. “A” Ave.
Beaver Creek Unique, 416 W “B” Ave.
Yoncalla
Eagle Valley Supply, 2570 Eagle Valley Rd
Food Center & Deli, 2580 Eagle Valley Rd
Why Not Bar and Grill, 164 Main St
Elkton
Arlene’s Cafe & General Store 14858 State HWY 38
Elkton Station 14940 State HWY 38
Tomaselli’s Pastry Mill & Cafe, 14836 OR Hwy 38
Scottsburg
Riverbanks Speedy Mart 32841 State HWY 38
Reedsport
Jacks Barber Shoppe, 1199 Highway Ave,
TRMF Smokes, 1898 Winchester Ave. US-101
Don’s Main Street Family Restaurant, 2115 US-101
Recreation Station, 1575 Winchester Ave US-101 S
Creative Mercantile, 392 Fir Ave.
High Water Cafe, 427 Fir Ave.
Lower Umpqua Library, 395 Winchester Ave.
7-11 Store, 2011 Winchester Ave. US-101
Oregon Coast Restaurant, 2165 Winchester Ave
Cottage Grove
Old Mill Farm Store, 327 South River Rd.
Kwik Pik Market #2, 925 E Gibbs Ave.
Daves Corner Market, 633 N 9th St.
Crafty Mercantile, 517 E Main St.
The Book Mine, 702 E Main St.
Dari Mart, 1200 E Main St.
Cottage Market, 603 OR HWY-99
Medication Station, 1041 N Pacific HWY-99
Winchester Bay
Beck’s Winchester Bay Market, 245 8th St.
Pelican Market, 75298 Pacific Coast HWY US-101
Oakland
Bart’s Oakland Market, 204 SE 1st St
Tyee Landing, 11424 Oregon HWY 138
Sutherlin
Kwik Pik Market & Deli, 551 W Central Ave.
Smitty’s Food Mart & Deli, 1367W Central Ave.
Center Market, 1230 W Central Ave.
Center Market #32, 206 E Central Ave.
S-Mart, 333 E Central Ave.
Central Food Mart, 1021 E Central Ave.
Chevron/S-Mart, 1484 W Central Ave.
DC Precision Lube & Tune, 489 E Central Ave.
Roseburg
Roseburg Tobacco & Food Mart, 2050 NE Stephens St
1 Am Market, 1931 NE Stephens St
Lil’ Pantry, 2611 NW Edenbower Blvd
North Douglas Herald
PO Box 581, Drain OR 97435
Rusty Savage, Editor
541 221-3283 www.ndherald.com
North Douglas Herald
July 2024
Government
Editorial
Well summer is in full swing and so our
Dance Ticket seems to be filled already. 4th of July
celebrations are immanent as is the rodeo and the
North Douglas Fair and many others are now close
at hand. Time to enjoy the outdoor activities but
don’t throw caution to the wind because the predicted
hot summer is also a prelude to our anticipated Fire
Season. Use your common sense and enjoy the many
opportunities afforded our fantastic lifestyle in the
Northwest and especially here in the Umpqua and
Willamette Valleys.
I’m looking forward to the North Douglas fair this
year and I believe it will be a bonanza of festivities and
gathering of boisterous revelers. The Herald has the
honor and distinction of assisting the North Douglas
Fair Board in promoting this traditional event. It’s
another one for the record books with the advent of the
102nd annual festival and gathering. It is the longest
continously running Fair in all of the state of Oregon.
That’s quite a feat, and it’s thanks to the hard work
and dedication of the ND Fair board and the many
volunteers.
I hope to see you all out there the 19th and
20th of July. Check out the many categories of
Exhibits on pages 3 and 7. Maybe it’s time for you
to get your baking, craft goods or gardening prizes
ready to compete and show off your wares. Don’t
forget Pie eating, lumberjack games and all the
fantastic entertainment being brought together for the
enjoyment of all.
There are many towns, cities and communities
organizing and getting busy with so many activities
and ventures, it’s really an amazing thing to see. People
are so resilient and neighborly, the ingenuity and
energy is a sight to behold.
Which gives me a thought, often there are
often barriers and blockades in the paths of citizen
groups and, because they are so determined, things
are overcome or circumnavigated so that the results
perservere anyway and the naysayers are cast off into
the trash heap. The stick in the mud crowds seem small
compared to the hordes of positive thinkers and doers.
Occasionally the roadblocks are, seemingly,
difficult to overcome and it’s on the shoulders of
motivated individuals who can bring enough like
minded folks into the fray to still persevere. Looking
Know your local Representatives!
around the region, I do notice that there is friction in
progress sometimes. It seems to me that when people
are working together, their strength is amplified when
there is delegation and cooperation combined with
forward thinking - out of the box if you will.
This applies to municipalities who promote
the participation of the citizenry and value their input
as equal and worthwhile. I have been studying our
towns and communities in local and outlying areas
and it jumps out at you when you see the mutual
cooperation and inclusive attitude of government and
constituencies. By the same token it does stand out in
a more negative way when it is not. I am lucky to have
some friends and acquaintances in official positions so
I can pick their brains on the intricacies of the wheels of
governance and progress in their particular universes.
A good friend of mine has been Mayor of a mid sized
city in Oregon for about 8 years and his success with
positive growth and progress is a testament to his
philosophy. Tantamount to getting the job done for his
constituents is his listening and then working with the
people make up his community. He tells me that even
though you can’t always make everybody happy, he
still is committed to open dialog and fostering the need
to work together to find commonalties so that lead to
positive outcomes. He doesn’t lead by the nose, he
leads from the middle. I value his counsel and can see
the wisdom, mainly from his success and support.
Another old friend is a long time commissioner
(like a councilman) in a big city on the east coast and
even in large metropolitan area, he says it is maybe a
little more challenging but has the same understanding
of the importance of seeking out the viewpoints of
those he serves. Closer to home I have several friends,
active and retired, all sing a similar tune.
The point being that although I have made myself
somewhat familiar with the workings of, and some of
the officials of, nearby cities and towns, I have found
the core value my friends talk about, more evident in
those forward moving communities than the ones
who seem a little stuck. I support citizens and I think
their value should be recognized, rallied with and
brought together to discuss and decipher problems,
goals, obstacles and the future for the good of all. A
more perfect union is not decided by the few, but by
the many.
Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor
Do you have an idea you’d like
to share about the Drain Civic Center?
The Civic Center Advisory Committee
(CCAC) requests community input for
improving Civic Center accessibility
and planning for the future.
The CCAC switched from a
council-appointed committee to a
volunteer-led group in January 2024.
Since then we’ve been compiling a
list of priority projects and providing
monthly recommendations to the
Drain City Council. The three goals
we are focusing on this year are: 1)
Reducing the building’s electricity
costs, 2) Minimizing and/or removing
barriers to community usage of the
Civic Center space, and 3) Increasing
the building’s emergency preparedness
Editor’s Note: I have been following the efforts
of the CCAC since it’s establishment and
before that as a city committee, as well as other
citizen and city committees. I noted at the time
of the dissolving of those long held committees
that there was a likely loss of relevance to
the new committees, inherent to the lack of
accountability of them to the city and ultimately
the citizens of Drain. I applaud the dedication
of citizens like Katrina, who apply themselves
to the betterment, improvement and usability of
the citizens resources. I hear frustration in their
efforts and I believe it is due to the very nature
of their isolation from the actual workings of
city management.
Just in relation to the CCAC, there were
important oversight and accountability
issues for the establishment of the committee,
specifically for the longevity and continued
value to the citizenry et al. Mildred Whipple
for the community.
Our upcoming projects include:
upgrading the rental tables to sturdy,
lightweight options; evaluating rental
costs; begin updating lights to LED;
redesigning the kitchen space; making
a maintenance plan for future building
updates and improvements; and more!
If you would like to get involved
with the CCAC, or just share your
thoughts, we’d love to hear from you!
Public involvement is welcome and
encouraged at every meeting. The
CCAC meets the first Thursday of
every month at 6:15 PM in the Drain
Civic Center meeting room. Our next
meeting is Thursday, August 1.
Katrina Johns
Drain Civic Center Advisory Committee
had the vision and put up the initial money
to start the initial building project, primarily
due to her dedication to the importance
of establishing a library for the citizens of
Drain. With property from the old Methodist
Church and her $250,000 donation and
nearly matching funds from the Oregon
Library Board and the impressive $900,000,
plus some, raised by a combined grassroots
efforts of local citizens and businesses, the
pride of this community was completed. Not
only housing the Mildred Whipple Library,
but the ambitious, for the times and meager
residents, a civic center dedicated to citizen
use. Mildred additionally, to ensure continued
viability, established an Endowment of
$50,000 per year to the city to cover costs of
maintaining the building and property for its
Continued on Page 10
Drain
Mayor: Erin Sparhawk
Council Position #1: Grant Vaughan
Council Position #2: Kevin VanPelt
Council Position #3: Katie Decker
Council Position #5: Aaron Lymath
City Administrator: Jeni Stevens
City Council Meeting:07/08/24 - 6pm
Yoncalla
Mayor: Kathleen Wertz
Councilors: Dan Wagoner
Gene Vroman
Harold Gilpin
Bryce Wertz
City Administrator: Jennifer Bragg
Council Meeting: 07/09/24 - 6pm
Elkton
Mayor: Daniel Burke
Council President: Joan Smith
Council Members:
Kim Moore
Dan Shepherd
Sandra Galli
Public Works Supervisor: Gary Trout
Council Meeting:07/11/24 - 8:30am
Oakland
Mayor:
Bette Keehley
Counselor: Jan Wier
Counselor: Kent Rochester
Counselor: Sky Ironplow
Counselor: Betty Tamm
Council Meeting: 07/08/24 - 7pm
Sutherlin
Mayor :
Michelle Sumner
Council President Debbie Hamilton
Councilor
Lisa Woods
Councilor
Joe Groussman
Councilor
Larry Whitaker
Councilor
Shawn Smalley
Councilor
Gary Dagel
City Manager
Jerry Gillham
Council Meeting: 07/08/24 - 7:15pm
Reedsport
Mayor :
Linda McCollum
Council Position #1: Rob Wright
Council Position #2: DeeDee Murphy
Council Position #3: Chuck Miller
Council Position #5: Allen Teitzel
Council Position #5: Rich Patten
Council Position #7: Debby Turner
Council Meeting: 07/06124 - 7:15pm
Cottage Grove
Mayor: Candace Solesbee
Councilor Ward 1: Chalice Savage
Councilor Ward 2: Jon Stinnett
Councilor Ward 3: Dana Merryday
Councilor Ward 4: Greg Ervin
Councilor:
Mike Fleck
Councilor:
Alex Dreher
Council Meeting;: 07/08/24 - 6:55pm
07/22/24 - 6:55pm
County State & Federal
Douglas County Commisioners:
Tom Kress(Chair) Tim Freeman
Chris Boice
Jennifer Miller
Lane County Commissioners:
Dist 1: Ray Ceniga Dist 2: David Lovall
Dist 3: Laurie Trieger Dist 4: Pat Farr
Dist 5: Heather Buch
Oregon House Representative:
District 02:
Virgle Osborne
Oregon State Senator:
District 1:
David Brock Smith
U.S. Senate Oregon:
Jeff Merkley
Ron Wyden
U.S House of Representatives:
District 4: Val Hoyle
Secretary of State:
LaVonne Griffin-Valade
Attorney General: Ellen Rosenblum
Governor: Tina Kotek
Vice-President: Kamala Harris
President:
Joe Biden
It is important to know your representation
in your State, Districts and Municipalities. RE-
MEMBER it is vital to your freedoms to vote.If
you would like to have your own towns municipal
officers listed please send title & names only to
citydesk@ndherald.com