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About Oregon news herald. (Drain OR) 2025-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 1, 2025)
Oregon News Herald January 2025 Letters to the Editor Hello I am one of several hundred friends of, residents of, family’s members of, generations of loyal users of Pass Creek Park, in Curtin Oregon. Our only Park and open space for 10 miles is being taken from us. OUR Board of County Commisioners and Park Director have decided to sell our park. They plan on using the money for other parks. Parks that are not even close to our location.They seem to have had this in their plans for months, if not years. They have not done anything to fix or enhance our beautiful Park for several years. We were not informed of these plans until September 2024. They then sent out a little flyer to residents within 750 feet, which only includes 5 or six family homes. It is commercial property between the I-5 freeway and the railroad road tracks. Most people, we talked to, didn’t understand the questionnaire and didn’t respond. All of the Curtin residents should have been informed, but we were not. The Board Of Commisioners, then put on their agenda items about old items, and other insufficient ways to inform the public of their intentions. There were also several meetings that were canceled, so the public could not respond. We ended up with one meeting with the Parks Advisory Board, to respond to our ideas and comments. I had no idea that this meeting was the final vote for the sale. They listened, but did not except phone responses, then voted to advise the BOC to sell our park. These BOC and their Parks Director are not being transparent or even legal. They tag team each other and make sure they have their own puppets on the boards. There are no open application, just appointments. There was one Park Board member that voted to hold off the sale. To give us time to come up with solutions. Please, we need help to keep these guys in check , and do what’s right and legal for our community. Thank you for your time and any and all ideas or thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thank you, Colleen Shaw PUBLIC STATEMENT BY JOE ROSS BEFORE THE DOUGLAS COUNTY PARK ADVISORY BOARD ON DEC 19, 2024 I’m Joe Ross from Roseburg. Mildred Kanipe was a wise person, and there are many wise men & women with great comments & ideas in the audience today. In keeping with the Christmas spirit, I come bearing a gift of Lois Eagleton’s book, “For Love of the Land: The Legacy of Mildred Kanipe” for you to read. I’ve highlighted pages that deal with parks, good land management & stewardship, logging, etc. Regarding Pass Creek Park (PCP), the county kicked a big hornets’ nest & a swarm of angry little critters awoke! A PUBLIC OPEN HOUSE in Curtin is needed to hear intentions, answer questions & get input without time constraints...and when people don’t have to work. If the county considers PCP as a “red-headed stepchild” and no longer wants it, I support its transfer to another jurisdiction …. but not sold for commercial development. Those 23 acres should remain as a park of some kind. Please pass an advisory motion to that effect. Sale of PCP is inconsistent with the County Parks Master Plan implemented in 2017. Of 66 properties listed, Pass Creek was one of 16 keystone properties classified for “Active” management. A 17th (Umpqua Dunes) was added in May 2018. The PAB approved “asset sales” at your May 23 meeting, Pass Creek, Hedden & Green Oaks. Today the public is being presented with info about Pass Creek’s infrastructure, landscaping & finances. I note that it operated profitably in FY22. Alternatives to sale should be considered. Also, a similar process to today’s action item should be presented for Hedden Park (Scottsburg) & Green Oaks (Green District). If the Parks Master Plan isn’t going to be followed, advise the Parks Department to clarify its Mission, Goals & Objectives in writing in another document. Involve the public. Provide Annual Updates as conditions or situations change. Please identify & answer a key question, “What is the Department’s No-Fail Mission?” I think it’s protection & development of our 17 actively-managed parks, as well as maintenance of our 40 passively-managed parks. Closure, rezoning, sale of PCP is a massive failure. The self-imposed “self-sufficiency” business model isn’t working. It may be achievable over a long-term but shouldn’t guide short-term management from year to year. The department’s structure, staffing & operational needs should drive annual funding instead of profitmaking. When a park like Umpqua Dunes is added to the system (as in May 2018), the millions of dollars needed to purchase & develop it only mean that others suffer, get logged, closed or sold. Will Amacher, Stanton, O.C. Brown, Iverson or others be next to support development elsewhere? Please reassess your “Self- Sufficiency” policy. Provide year-to-year flexibility for good management. In FY24, the Parks Department is running a $300,000 deficit. Does that mean another park must be closed, sold or logged? Ask the County to suspend the misguided departmental “Self- Sufficiency” model for our Parks. Develop short-term & long-range goals & budgets to address needs of all 17 actively- & 40 passively-managed parks in the inventory. Reinstitute day use fees, increase camping fees, get more grants, and mobilize more volunteers before closing, selling or logging county parks. Umpqua Dunes Re-Development Plan was prepared in May 2019 by I&E. Despite the need for millions of dollars to purchase & re-develop Umpqua Dunes, the plan doesn’t address funding sources or issues created by the “self-sufficiency” business model. It concluded that Umpqua Dunes is “consistent with the direction of the Parks Master Plan.” I beg to differ as no logic backs up that unsubstantiated assertion. Advise the County to amend the Parks Master Plan to include Umpqua Dunes as an actively-managed park & reclassify PCP (active to uncategorized) if that’s your intention. Public comment opportunities should be scheduled. Advise the County to make a Site-Specific Umpqua Dunes Mini Park Plan as was done for 7 other actively- managed park properties (see Appendix of Parks Master Plan). ** Umpqua Dunes Re- Development Plan includes two phases: Phase 1 (southern loop) & Phase 2 (northern loop). Please explain why you recommended & Commissioners approved on December 4th the expenditure of $1.5M for a Phase 3 development when there is no reference to a “Phase 3” in the Re- Development Plan. Without a clear paper trail and substantiation, you’ve potentially set up yourselves personally and the county Continued on Page 5 Page 3 Oregon Public Safety One Killed In Myrtle Creek Shooting Myrtle Creek OR. – A 22-year-old Myrtle Creek man was arrested on suspicion of murder Saturday, December 7th, 2024, after a disturbance with shots fired at the Rivers West RV Park in Myrtle Creek. At about 1:35 pm, deputies from the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office responded to the area of the RV park, 333 Ruckles Drive, after receiving information about a physical disturbance and shooting. Responders located a male suffering from multiple gunshot wounds just south of the park on Booth Ranch Road. He was later identified as Damion Sumner, 29, of Dillard. Deputies and a Myrtle Creek Police Officer provided Sumner aid, but he succumbed to his wounds and was declared deceased on scene. Daniel Hetrick, 22, of Myrtle Creek was taken into custody nearby without incident. Hetrick has been charged with second-degree murder and unlawful use of a weapon and lodged at the Douglas County Jail. The Douglas County Major Crimes Team was activated and continues to investigate. The team consists of detectives from the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, Roseburg Police Department, Oregon State Police, and members of the Douglas County District Attorney’s Office. Cow Creek Tribal Police is also assisting in the investigation. Suspect arrested for Murder 2nd Degree Lane County OR -- On December 26th at about 10 p.m., Lane County Sheriff’s deputies, Oregon State Troopers, and Springfield Police officers responded to a residence in the 95000 block of E. Five Rivers Road, Tidewater, for a report of a dispute with shots fired. A caller reported one person was deceased. When law enforcement personnel arrived and attempted contact with people at the property, a resident fired shots toward law enforcement after they arrived on scene. This resident was struck by gunfire from law enforcement and died from their injuries. No officers were injured. The officers involved in the shooting have been placed on traumatic event leave as is standard protocol in deadly force incidents. Further investigation determined that a person of interest in the initial shooting was 55-year-old Everett Scott Fuller of Tidewater. On the afternoon of December 27th, Everett Scott Fuller turned himself in to the Lane County Sheriff’s Office. Fuller was arrested and lodged at the Lane County Jail on charges of Murder in the 2nd Degree. The investigation is being conducted by the Lane County Inter-Agency Deadly Force Investigation Team (IDFIT), pursuant to the Lane County District Attorney’s Office Deadly Force Plan under Senate Bill 111 of the 2007 Oregon Legislative Session. IDFIT is comprised of investigators from the Oregon State Police, Lane County Sheriff’s Office, Eugene Police Department, Springfield Police Department, Cottage Grove Police Department, and Florence Police Department. Any further information on this case will be released by the Lane County District Attorney’s Office. - LCSO Case #24-6800 Search & Rescue on Christmas Day Lane County OR -- On December 24th at about 6 p.m., the Lane County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a missing mushroom picker in the area of Big Fall Creek. The person was somewhat prepared for the weather, but not to stay out overnight. Lane County Sheriff’s Search & Rescue responded and searched the area until the early morning hours without success. They resumed the search Christmas morning, and also deployed a drone to assist in the search. At about 10 a.m., the SAR team found the subject. After warming the subject and providing dry clothes, they hiked out of the area and reunited the person with friends. The Lane County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the many SAR volunteers involved in the search who gave up their Christmas eve or Christmas morning with family to make sure the missing person was rescued. LCSO Case #24-6784 Lane County OR -- On Friday, December 20th, at about 9 p.m., Lane County Sheriff’s deputies and Cottage Grove Police responded the area of Nichols Lane in Cottage Grove for a report of a 2003 Acura RSX that was driving at a high rate of speed before crashing into a power pole. The driver ran from the vehicle before medics or police arrived. Through investigation, deputies identified the driver as Ryan Michael Best, 28, and located him at an area hospital. Deputies observed signs of impairment, and after further investigation Best was arrested and cited in lieu of custody at the hospital for DUI and Failure to Perform Duties of a Driver - Property Damage. He was also cited for Driving While Suspended and Driving Uninsured, and the vehicle was impounded. About three hours later, deputies responded to Dillard Road at Sisters Loop for another crash into a power pole, involving a 2014 Subaru Forester. A deputy observed signs the driver, Thomas James Coffin, 35, was impaired. After investigating, Coffin was arrested and lodged at the Lane County Jail for DUI, Reckless Driving, and Criminal Mischief in the 1st Degree, and the vehicle was impounded. On Sunday, December 22nd at about 6 p.m., a deputy observed a driving violation on Martin Luther King Jr. Pkwy. in Springfield and initiated a traffic stop. The deputy observed signs the driver, Chandler Chase Valenzuela, 24, was impaired. After investigating, Valenzuela was arrested and cited in lieu of custody for DUI. About three hours later, deputies responded to a dispute in the 38000 block of Highway 58, Dexter. Upon arrival, they discovered an off-road motorcycle had crashed and the rider, Lukas Homer Wayne Humphrey, 40, had significant injury. Deputies observed signs of impairment, and after further investigation Humphrey was arrested and cited in lieu of custody at the hospital for DUI. - Plan your safe ride home ahead of time - If someone you know has been drinking or using drugs, don’t let them get behind the wheel - If you drink or use drugs, do not drive (or ride) for any reason - If you’re hosting a party where alcohol will be served, make sure all guests leave with a sober driver - And please, always wear your seatbelt (or helmet)! Stolen equipment, guns, illegal marijuana at licensed marijuana grow Lane County OR -- On December 20th, Lane County Sheriff’s detectives and deputies served a search warrant at a residence in the 86000 block of Mahogony Lane, south of Springfield. Detectives had conducted a months-long investigation after a traffic stop in Illinois turned up 242 pounds of marijuana. The investigation led back to the address Continued on Page 7
