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October, 2024 Volume 2, Issue #10
The North Douglas Herald Newspaper is
published once a month in Drain Oregon. 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.
US Bank, 229 N 1st St
Zolezzi Insurance Agency, 208 W “C” St.
Studio Tattoo, 329 N 1st St
Yoncalla
Eagle Valley Supply, 2570 Eagle Valley Rd
Food Center & Deli, 2580 Eagle Valley Rd
Why Not Bar and Grill, 164 Main St
Yoncalla Public Library, 194 Birch 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
Elkton Community Education Center, 15850 HWY 38 W
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
AM PM, 2530 NE Stephens St
Springfield
Dari-Mart, 1950 Mohawk Blvd.
Eugene
Willamette Valley Motoplex, 86441 College View Rd
North Douglas Herald
PO Box 581, Drain OR 97435
Rusty Savage, Editor
541 221-3283 www.ndherald.com
North Douglas Herald
October 2024
Editorial
Government
Know your local Representatives!
By Rusty Savage
I feel the change in season looming and it inspires
me to look at the world around me with fresh
eyes. It’s a subtle change that doesn’t scream
“lookout, here it comes”, it just whispers “pay
attention, OK?”. Because the experience of life’s
ongoing cycle is like deja vu all over again. Like
when they say, “I can feel it in the air”. So my
patterns of Summer are transitioning and it’s
time to change it up a bit. Just like the seasonal
change, I feel an internal change that is similar
to the former state of being but a little older and
wiser. I think that it’s fair to say that it’s a good
thing and that it’s a continuation of immeasurable
growth. It’s internal. It doesn’t necessarily show,
outwardly - well maybe it does, maybe that’s just
old age...
Other changes, besides the weather,
are forthcoming as well. Like the change or
continuation of our governing bodies. Local and
otherwise. It’s the election cycle, that recurring
civic duty and responsibility to participate in
the democratic experiment of our founding
fathers. I hope, if you are legally eligible, that
you are prepared to submit your vote by having
already registered. Study the candidates and the
platforms that they portray, so that you can vote
with your head and intellect as well as your heart
and conscience. National elections are important
but it is in our towns, counties and cities where
the governing is most likely to help, hinder or
promote a lifestyle and day to day quality of life.
I am keenly becoming more aware of that
since my move to the small town life about 6
years ago. I don’t know if any one else is having
the problem of exasperation at the municipal
doldrums that seem to drone on and languish in
minutia, when there are important and maybe
ambitious opportunities at hand. Communities
living in the 21st century can and should reach for
and, with cooperation and thoughtful efforts, have
some expectation of achieving them.
Not everyone experiences this. I have
learned of communities that are reaching for and
achieving great rewards for the citizenry. There
is an excitement, in these locale’s. It underlies the
ideas and goals that reflects the energy projected,
implemented and the resulting visions materialized.
My observations, upon closer inspection, detects
quiet but dedicated folks are almost always there,
maybe in the shadows, but always lending a hand
and serving their neighbors.
Here in Drain I have learned by research
and introduction, how, at least at times, the citizens
and residents of the community have a culture of
dreaming big and making it happen in really big
ways to help the community at large. There were
robust citizen led city committees that worked
individually and together for a variety of local
civic needs and events. What I find in the last
few years is a gradual dismantling of meaningful
citizen input from the voices of the people. Citizen
groups have been dissolved or relegated to a
non-entity, often tasked and rarely taken into real
consideration.
I have looked into the Civic Center
Committees admonishments and there is a
documented record of a lack of action on the part
of the city for a prolonged period, with a great deal
of preparation and research on the part of CCAC,
with clear guidelines, budgetary and otherwise.
Then the city completely deviates from the
process and autonomously makes purchases more
expensive, not made in USA or even fitting the
requirements for the intended use as determined
by the committee. I would have taken that as a slap
in the face, certainly it’s kind of rude.
I am also really at odds with trying to
understand the Council reaction and responses
on the subject of the discussion of a Solar Energy
System for the Civic Center. I expect that the
Council should have more concern for legitimate
Continued on Page 4
Solar Energy for the Drain Civic Center
uncertainty it’s much better to be prepared and think
ahead so that we can mitigate potential disruptions and
take care of our citizens.
The current status at the Civic Center, a power
outage will prevent it’s use for any of the needed
functions of emergency use in most regards. A Solar
Energy System would answer most all of those
questions besides the added benefit of saving thousands
of dollars in energy costs for electricity.
So, of course, the first thought is, “Well how much
is that going to cost, sounds great but surely we can’t
afford that”. Well there is actually a way.
HB 2021 created a $50 million fund at ODOE to
provide grants for planning and developing community
renewable energy and energy resilience projects . It’s
called the Community Renewable Energy Grant
Program (C-REP). This is a working grant program
that has provided over $64M in fiscal 2023/2024 and
will be open for applications in early 2025. The grant
amounts are funded at 100% with provisions for
$100,000 for planning and $1,000,000 for construction.
This is 100% funded for constructing a community
energy resilience project.
This is information is not unknown to city
administrator Jeni Stevens and she has spoken on the
possibility to a number of interested people. At the
September 9th City Council meeting she brought it up
for discussion and it was mostly a dismissive response.
The Mayor quickly said she was a definite no. Her first
criticism was that it the aesthetics for her and it would
be an eyesore. Only 2 council persons were present,
one asked who was paying to clean and maintain it and
then seemed to focus on the speculation of snow on the
roof causing malfunction or loss of power. The City
Manager explained the basics of the grant funding that
was available and the process but it was not discussed
much further after concerns of wether the roof would
even hold the weight of the panels. When a councilor
suggested looking at a diesel generator, the discussion
rallied around the reliability and availability of Diesel
fuel, parts, maintenance. It is unclear if that included
discussing fuel storage, environmental impact,
Continued from Page 1
aesthetics, noise, issues with neighbors or other aspects,
but it was clear that would be the choice.
Without any real input, just a back pocket reaction,
the residents of Drain seems to be denied the option of
a significant development possibility for use and needs.
The electric consumption from the buildings and
property of the Civic Center & Library is significant
and in fact the administration seems quite concerned
about that fact. Doesn’t make much sense to just ignore
that without serious inquiry into the very specific data
that is available. The citizens, residents and visitors to
Drain deserve to avail all the incentives and rewards
affording for their use, especially in public places.
It only takes a perfunctory search online or make
a few phone calls to get layman’s answers to all the
questions and concerns offered by the council and it
becomes pretty obvious no one has done even that.
Starting with maintenance, it turns these modern
systems require very little and the industry standard
is once to twice a year maintenance schedule. Costs
for services vary from $200 to $600 on average and is
available in our area. According to Solar Protect Org:
“Solar panel cleaning prices can vary depending on
several factors. These variables include the size of the
panel system, panel location, accessibility, and level of
dirt or debris accumulation. On average, you can expect
to pay between $150 and $500 per cleaning session. To
maintain efficiency, it’s recommended to clean your
panels at least once or twice a year.”
Generators do generally have lower up front
costs compared to solar power systems, but they incur
ongoing expenses for fuel and maintenance. Solar
power systems have higher initial investment costs
but offer long-term savings on electricity bills and
is attainable through existing Grants and incentive
programs.
Snow? Have you been to LaPine or Bend, and
many other places who have a lot more snow than
we do and Solar is part of the landscape. According
to energy.gov:
“A dusting of snow has little impact on solar panels
Continued on Page 3
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:10/14/24 - 6pm
Yoncalla
Mayor: Kathleen Wertz
Councilors: Dan Wagoner
Gene Vroman
Harold Gilpin
Bryce Wertz
City Administrator: Jennifer Bragg
Council Meeting: 10/08/24 - 6pm
Elkton
Mayor: Daniel Burke
Council President: Joan Smith
Council Members:
Kim Moore
Dan Shepherd
Sandra Galli
Public Works Supervisor: Gary Trout
Council Meeting:10/10/24 - 8:30am
Oakland
Mayor:
Bette Keehley
Counselor: Jan Wier
Counselor: Kent Rochester
Counselor: Sky Ironplow
Counselor: Betty Tamm
Council Meeting: 10/14/24 - 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: 10/14/24 - 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: 11/04//24 - 7pm
Cottage Grove
Mayor: Candace Solesbee
Councilor Ward 1: Open Seat
Councilor Ward 2: Jon Stinnett
Councilor Ward 3: Dana Merryday
Councilor Ward 4: Greg Ervin
Councilor:
Open Seat
Councilor:
Open Seat
Council Meeting;: 10/14/24 - 6:55pm
10/28/24 - 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