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DParts of Polk and Yamhill counties
have received a grant from the state
for solving problems associated with
growth in the area. Willamina, Grand
Ronde, and the Tribe are all working
together to create ideas and address
the concerns which affect us all.
By Tracy Dugan
Overall growth in the Grand Ronde
area has attracted the attention of a
special land use project. The project,
known as Regional Problem Solving
(RPS), is funded by the state, and is
managed by Polk County and the
Mid-Willamette Valley Council of
Governments. The RPS project has
brought together state, county, local,
and Tribal agencies. These agencies
are working together in an effort to
solve current and potential problems
associated with growth. The final
product for the RPS project intends
to create a special land use plan for
the Grand Ronde and Willamina
communities in parts of Polk and
Yamhill Counties.
This project began last spring and
is the result of a grant proposal
written primarily by Polk County
officials. The award has signifi
cant meaning for the people resid
ing in the study area (see map, page
5) because it was one of only four
areas in Oregon to receive grant
monies for problem solving.
Although the Grand Ronde Tribe
has its own growth management
plan, the Tribe has emerged as a
key player in this project and in
project meetings.
Key participants of the RPS
project include residents and
countycity officials within the
study area. There are three differ
ent committees which have been es
tablished to explore their own top
ics, and eventually converge into
one main problem solving plan that
will be presented to state and local
agencies.
Here is a brief description of the
committees:
TECHNICAL COMMITTEE:
This committee is compiled of rep
resentatives from state and local
agencies who supply numbers and
data for the study area. The num
bers and data can include popula
tion growth and traffic statistics,
water and sewer availability, hous
ing availability, and employment
growth resulting from development.
POLICY COMMITTEE: This
committee ensures that the planspro
posed changes coming from other
committees don't conflict with state
and local land use laws that currently
exist and may prohibit any land use
change.
CITIZENS' STEERING COM
MITTEE: This committee is com
piled of actual residents who live
within the Study Area. They provide
their own ideas for ways to deal with
problems associated with major
growth, which also will be included
in the overall plan presented to the
state and local agencies.
The Study Area includes a total area
of approximately 146 square miles.
It encompasses the communities of
Willamina and Grand Ronde
where most of the future development
is expected to take place. It includes
sections of both Polk and Yamhill
counties.
Willamina mayor Twila Hill, who
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Willamina Water System 1,750
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has regularly attended Technical
Committee meetings, said that she
hopes to get some of her concerns
on behalf of the city on the state's
agenda for problem solving.
"Willamina' s infastructure is al
ready in place. We want to make a
concerted effort to do something
about the highway," said Mayor Hill.
"We have to alleviate the traffic
problem before we can consider any
thing else, and the city of Willamina
wants to work with the Tribe and the
Grand Ronde community on this."
Mayor Hill said that the last high
way impact study was conducted
back in 1991, before major changes
affecting the Study Area occurred.
"In 1991 there was no Spirit
Mountain Casino, no casino in Lin
coln City, no Keiko, no aquarium.
Not to mention big name entertain
ers. No one knew in 1 99 1 what kind
of effect these attractions would have
on traffic and population growth."
John DeTar, a Region 2 Planner
for the Oregon Department of Trans
portation, (ODOT) provides traf
fic information to the Technical
Committee. During the March 10
meeting he said that just in the last
three years, Highway 22 (in the vi
cinity of the Study Area) has ex
perienced noticeable increases in
traffic. He said that typically in re
cent years the highest daily traffic
numbers were during the summer
months because people were head
ing to the beach for vacation, etc.
The months with the least daily
traffic were January and February,
the coldest months.
"What we have discovered is that
an average day of traffic travel in
1996 is equal to the highest day of
travel in 1994, which was in the
month of August," said John.