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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (May 19, 1957)
MX MEPFOBD (OREGON) MAIL THIBTJITK Sunday. May ! l'57 Committees Favoring, Opposing Annexation Present Statements Sanitation Group ; Active in Support Of Entering City - '' The Eerrydale Sanitation com 3eittee, -which has been active Aa supporting annexation of the Jlerrydale area recently pre pared a brief on why it proposes Annexation. -. The committee supports an jsexation because of the sanita tion problem in the area, citing Mate law regarding disposal of etimestic sewage, and a letter from Dr.. Harold M. Erickson, ate board of health. Its state ment also includes estimated costs of construction of a sewer system, and how annexation would affect taxes in the area The statement was prepared under the direction of Nick Gier, chairman of the committee, in cooperation with city officials. Won't Extend Service The committee declares that the Berrydale Sanitation district "failed to solve its problem be cause It depended upon the city extending utility services to fringe areas." The city's policy is that city services will not be extended to a fringe area unless that area is annexed. , Residents in the Berrydale area were asked to consider an nexation to solve the problem. One annexation proposal was de feated in the November election last year. The committee statement con tinues: "Our present proposed annexation boundaries encom pass the area that presents the sanitation hazard and has the problem we must solveT "The Oregon state board of health regulations governing the disposal of domestic sewage and other household wastes states that: 'No human excreta, kitchen wastes, laundry water, sink wa ter, toilet wastes or other septic tank effluent shall be allowed to discharge or flow upon the sue-. face of the ground or into any ditch, gutter, street, roadway or public place, nor shall such wastes discharge onto any pri vate property so as to create a nuisance condition or health hazard." Bill Won't Help Discussing House Bill .531, which provides for formation of county service district to furnish wage, streets, lights, fire and jltce protection, the committee aaid the bill would not solve the jproblem in Berrydale. "The authority of this type of district parallels the authority 9 the Berrydale Sanitation -District. After petitioning for an area to the County Court, the first step is to approach the nearest city that has the avail able utilities and enter into a contract to furnish utilities de aired. The city does not have to onter into any such contract. Step No. 2 is to ask the city if they want to annex the area. If the answer is no, the last step is construction of your own facil ities including a disposal plant." SERVICE BILL REFERRED Salem The much-amended special setTica district bill, HB 531. which would permit formation of non-municipal service districts to be admin istered by counties, was sent back to a house committee fox the third time Thursday. Rep. Katharine Musa, The Dalles, said she does not ex pect the bill to pass because supporters and opponents can not seem to get together on amendments. Ii was killed once in the house, reconsid ered, and referred to commit tee. It has yet to pass the house and has not yet been in the senate. The most recent amendment to the bill would forbid for maliom of a service district withia two miles of an incor porated city which objected te it. As to possibilities of state solv ing the problem, Dr. Erickson noted ". . . Because of the ex tremely unfavorable soil and drainage conditions which pre vail in your area there is only one solution to such a problem and that is the installation of a community-wide sewer system The letter continued: "Under existing laws the state board of health does not have authority to build a sewer system and charge the cost of the same to the property owner. However, either the state board of health through the state sanitary au thority or the Jackson county health officer could under ex isting circumstances certify to the Jackson county court that an emergency exists in the area re quiring that immediate action be taken to protect public health. The county court could then pro ceed according to law to install the required facilities at the ex pense of the property owners. . . "In the case of the Berrydale district the most economical and practical method for disposing of the sewage would undoubtedly be by discharge into the Med ord sewerage system. If the city refuses to contract with cither ' " "J ' CeBOEM CfS c vT"T h 1 T T i ' w, V N! i 1 i x Nil MACE 1 1 HOAO J SCHOOL . S v N v . J Y MiDwr sueo ir W a - ' NX I 2 i -X ' CHICOiah ! V-Vv " n V tl HILTON HP ! i ' l - JJ I I g L.pgBs-jB'J J ; jjr ' x - gflfla PROPOSEO 8ERftYDALE ANNEXATION EOUN0ARIE5 RECOMMENDED BY PLANNING COMMISSION PROPOSED BOUNDARIES The dashed line in the above map represents the area in Berrydale proposed for annexation to.Medford. Registered voters residing ( within the line will vote Wednesday, May 22, on the annexation proposal. The -boundary line extends from west of Court st. at the junction of Highways 99 and 62, takes in Gore and Lynn sts., con tinues north 3o0 feet west of Pacific highway, then goes to the Southern Pacific railroad tracks, back to the center of Highway 99 and, north to a point north of Mace rd. It then your district or. the county for such a service then a separate treatment plant would have to be built.- This would greatly in crease the cost to the property owners in your district. Higher Costs .'Furthermore, if the county has to build the facilities it will be considerably more difficult for. the people to finance the cost because it is- doubtful that, due to constitutional limitations, the county has authority to issue lo'cal improvement (Bancroft) bonds for this purpose. Such bonds could, of course, be used if the facilities were to be built by the city of Medford. "In view of the above facts we recommend that if an annexa tion election is held it be ap proved by the voters." The Sanitation committee com mented: "Most assuredly neither a sanitary or county service dis trict or 'let the state do it' are feasible solutions. Therefore the sanitation committee endorses annexation as the only practical solution. A vote against annexa tion amounts to a vote against a sewer. An unsuccessful annexa tion election will doom our en tire area to another period of several years of wrangling,' ar gument and discussion without a solution." Costs Estimated Estimated construction costs are reviewed by the committee. The statement continued: "Estimate $2.74 per front foot to lateral on which you connect and an estimated $65 per, acre base assessment, minimum "base assessment $26. Corner lots are assessed only on the side to which you connect unless your property can be successfully subdivided. In this event you would still be exempt on propor tionate frontage already as sessed for your house connec tion." The committee cited examples of a 50-acre frontage . Howard ave. lot of about one-half acre on which the total sewer assess ment would be $174.50, and on a small lot 50-foot frontage, 100 feet deep, ,? 163 "total sewer as sessment. "Taxes, after adding city levy and subtracting deductions will increase approximately 23 mills for Midway and 25 mills for the Elk district. Reduction will re sult from change of water and fire insurance rates. , ." Examples Cited Two pieces of property, one in each district, were cited as examples 'of increases. On one with an assessed valuation of 52,580 in the Midway district the cost increase per year was es timated at $41.11. On the other with an assessed valuation of S1.770 in the Elk City area the net cost increase per year was estimated at $28.48. 'With annexation all . waier users will immediately . be as sessed the Medford residential atiti commercial water rates which afford considerable sav ings," the statement said. - . The committee noted that' on a minimum of 5,000 gallons with a five-eighths inch connection water rates after annexation would be $2.15 compared to $3 in the Elk City district and S3.50 in the Midwav district. Oa a lis MARCH inch line with a minimum of 5,000 gallons the city rate would be $3.61 compared to $4.15 in the Elk City district and' $4.50 in the Midway district. . . , Questions. Answers Included in the statement is a question and answer section. Among some of the questions are: ' "How will annexation affect my keeping cows, chickens, etc? "Answer:; There will be no change.' You can keep the live stock or present agriculture with out penalty but you cannot ex pand your operation. "Question: How will annexa tion affect the schools? "Answer:" 'City , annexation and change of school district boundaries are two separate op erations. Annexation will not in any way change which school or high school students may at tend. "Question: How will the city building codes affect us? "Answer: Would not apply to existing buildings. They apply only to any new additions unless the chimney presents a fire haz ard or the bathroom does not meet sanitation requirements, or the existing structure is in such a condition that it is liable to collapse. How Soon? 'Question: How soon can we get a, sewer? ' 'Answer: Unless some unfor seen development arises, we can expect our sewer project to be completed before the end of 1958. The budget for 1957-58 is being held open until after our election. With a successful elec tion and immediate petition for a sewer, existing plans could be finished and preliminary 'engi- J neering work begun this sum mer, we aireaay nave a prelim inary engineering program for this district that is acceptable to the city. "Annexation to the city will give us the benefit of trained en gineers and legal personnel that will survey, supervise, and ad minister a sewage installation. This advantage alone will save us several thousand dollars. The city has the necessary financial arrangements to begin the pur chase of materials and pay the construction costs." Anfioch Cemetery Group to Meet The Antioch Cemetery asso ciation will hold its annual "clean-up" day Saturday, May 25, and its annual meeting Thursday, May 30. Those planning to participate in the clean-up event should be at the cemetery at 9 a.m., ac cording to Charlotte R. Sweet, secretary-clerk of the associa tion. Election of officers will be the main item of business at the annual meeting. The session will begin at 2 p.m. Present officers are Bill Bigham, Eagle Point; Ralph Ellis, Central Point; and Belle Loftin, Central Point. About 60 per cent of all em ployed Americans now have a daily toffee break, most of them in the mid-afternoon. J r j) Mc ,NPfgWS WD i inru """Ti -r- follows an easterly direction, taking in residences along Mace rd., Howard school, and extends 250 feet east of Merriman rd. At Table Rock rd. the boundary extends eastward to Biddle rd., then south along the present city boundary in the Kenwood area before going west to Crater Lake highway and Riverside ave. Residences located in an "island" area in the ' Midway rd.-Table Rock rd. area were eliminated from the proposed annexation after informing city planners they did not desire to be annexed. v No Position For, Against Annexation Taken by Court The county court is taking no position for or against the pro posed annexation of the Berry dale district to Medford, mem bers reported Saturday in re sponse to questins. Residents of the area will vote on annexation Wednesday. The court is interested in the results of the election, because if annexation is defeated, the problem of sanitation in the area may be thrown into their laps. But they believe they should not try to influence the outcome of the election, and that it is up to the people involved to decide. Some residents of the area be lieve that a county service dis trict bill which has ben consider ed by the current legislature would solve the Berrydale prob lem, but county court members believe it would have no immed iate effect, even if enacted which is by no means sure. It was still in committee at latest report from Salem. And members of the Is That So? Know where the real knock down, drag-out battles of the wild occur? Nowhere on earth is violence more lavishly axpended than among creature's of the water. From two-inch Siamese fight l-ig-S7 ing fish to mammalian leviath ans, battles to the death occur which are , as awesome as any provided on land. Size and ferocity have little in common. . When two little male fighting fish meet during the mating season, these bantam weight contestants seldom emerge intact qiute often, both battlers will be so deeply wound ed that they can never fight again. For cold - blooded, wanton murder it would be difficult to surpass the bluefish, a silvery, blue-backed ocean dweller which seldom exceeds 15 pounds. In its lust to kill, this animated chopping machine seems motivated by the desire to destroy as many fish as pos sible' in the shortest time pos sible. Roughly a billion of these butchers appear annually along the Atlantic coast of the U.S. months season round 1,200,000, 000 fish. Enough to supply every living person with fish every Friday for Lent. - . Although the piranha of South America seldom attains two feet in length it can make short work of any animal which falls in the water, cutting off mouthfuls of flesh as cleanly as with a pair of scissors. Killer Whale Awesome . But size is the thing which inevitably arrests the eye. And cf all killing creatures the most' m at court pointed out that even if it does pass, it would probably be several years before anything could be done. The county court may become involved if annexation fails, and if the county or state health de partment certify the Berrydale area to be a health hazard. Ac cording to Dr. Harold Erickson, state health oficer, in such cases the court would be empowered to install sanitary facilities and then assess the cost on the bene fited property. But how this would be accomp lished under existing law is by no means sure, the court pointed out. They also indicated that if the county could go ahead with construction of sanitary facili ties, there would be no provision for bonding the costs for repay ment by the residents over a period of time. They said they are fearful that the resulting assessments might be prohibi tive for Berrydale residents. er EUGENE BURNS Ringer-Naturalirt awesome on this earth is the killer whale. Although only 20 30 feet from snout to tail flukes, this ferocious carnivore will not hesitate to attack and destroy anything that swims in the sea including whales many times its size. In fact, as the killer whale rushes in to attack the giant gray whale largest of all mam mals the gray will sometimes become absolutely . paralyzed with fright and turn on its back with flippers outstretched, . ly ing helpless on the surface as the smaller whale tears chunks out of its lips with his mighty teeth until the tongue is ex posed. Once that happens, the killer seizes the tongue and tears it out, leaving the hapless gray a floating, dying hulk. In massive violence, surely the killer whale is unsurpassed. (Released by McClure Newsapaper Syndicate) Free: By special arrangement with the editors of the Ency clopedia Americana, my panel of judges will award each week to the reader who sends me the best true-life nature adventure, best nature observation, or the best question on nature and wildlife, a complete 30-volume set of this world-famous refer ence work in a handsome Seal craft binding. Each week new submissions will be considered. Sorry, I simply can't answer your many friendly letters. Please address your letter to: Is That So! co Medford Mail Tribune, Box 575, Sausalito, Calif. Greenland's ice cap is twice the area of Texas. KIRBYCO. Sales & Service 1021 Murray, Met Phane SP J-8333 (Salesman Needed) Arguments Against Move Presented by 'Fair Play' Group Arguements opposing annexa tion of the Berrydale district are contained in a statement circu lated in the area by a "Commit tee on Fair Play." Names of members of the com mitee are not listed on the state ment, but it was prepared and circulated by William Doern bach, 143 Mace rd., leading op ponent to the annexation pro posal. The statement follows: "The question being put before us on May 22 is not merely a decision as to whether we are to become a part of the cty or not. It is something more impor tant. It is a question as to wheth re we are going to act as a group of Americans or whether we are going to be dominated by the questionable policies of a few. "It is a recognized American policy to allow people to solve their own problems if they are able, and in case they are not, to give them some form of assis tance to aid them in- their strug gle for a better way of life. This i policy is backed by the Federal Government ' and State Govern ments with the tax money that you and I give. We extend this policy to all the countries of the world and point to it with pride Our tax load is heavy because of this policy but, -we think it only fair and lust. Problem After War "Medford had a problem after World War II. They received as a gift from the Federal Govern ment (us), a badly needed sewage treatment plant. This gift was given for public use, NOT for its own private use because gifts or grants from the government (us) cannot be given for private use. Because of the above policy, we were happy to aid the city of Medford with their problem. "This treatment plant is large enough and can be expanded to fit the needs of the entire valley. It was anticipated that Medford would share with the rest of the valley that required its use. Med ford did share the use of the plant with the cities of Central Point, Phoenix and the South Bear Creek Sanitation District. They also promished to share with the Berrydale Sanitation District as soon as the district was able to use it. This promise is in the form of a written con tract. "People of the Berrydale Sani tation District were taxed to the extent of several thousand dol lars to pay for an engineering study, which is now in the hands-- of the city officials, then waited until the district was financially able to pay its way. They then went to the city planning com mission to ask for a re-assurance that the agreement made in the past was still in effect. New Policy "You all know what happened. The district's attorney, Ervin Ho gan, was told that the planning commission had a new policy: 'Annex or you can't use OUR plant.' That policy is still in ef fect as of this date. What would cause, a city like Medford - to change its agreement with the Berrydale district and to repudi ate our national policy ef allow ing people to solve their own problems? Especially when un der that policy they received the thing that they were now refusing to extend to others? "We all know that the city of i Medford has had an increase of population during the past few years. We also know that the city area has increased about three fold through annexation by use of their present policy. In view of Medford's success in the use of their present policy and be cause they believe that the end justifies the means, should we get behind this policy and try to have the national policy chan ged? Or should we try to change this policy se as to have it con form to that of our State and our Nation? - . "We know that the people of Medford did not set this policy and, we think, that it reflects only from the thinking of a few city planners who' are aided by a few persons who fail to think in terms other than a few local gains which they may share in. Sickening Feeling "When we realize how certain persons are aiding ;n the appli cation of this questionable poli cy in order to make Berrydale people vote for it, a sickening feeling appears in the pit of our stomach. We are taught at a very early age to have a sense Red Fir Slabwood Biggest Leads in Town! Per Load DELIVERED Immediate Delivery Ph. 3-5178 or 2-5055 PHELPS FUEL CO. 1337 S. Peach St. Sava-'this ad for reference of respect and loyalty to home and parents. Later in life we are encouraged to be loyal and sup port the policies of our neighbor hood, district, state and county. We learn that derogatory re marks about any of them only tends to reflect back on us be cause we are a part of what we run down. "We think that the people in this area should merit a bit more consideration as normal Ameri cans with feelings that make for resentment when some one indi cates that: 'If you don't vote the way I want you to, I may have your area condemned.' What kind of talk is that? And what kind of policy is it further ing? Are you going to vote for it? Ii you do, you might think ef the people who are being af fected by the drawing of the election boundaries m such a way as to take away their right to vote on a matter which af fects their property and freedom. Do you want to be a part of a policy like that? Not Concerned "We feel that the city planners are not concerned about any health problem in this area or they would have let us solve it when we were ready to start sewer construction over a year ago. We are to them just ah area on the map that they have decided to control if at all pos sible. Information obtained from a 1953 city report indicates that they would zone this area for industrial sites. What industry and where would that leave us? "We well know that our tax rate this year will be the highest ever without adding about 30 mills for the city. Most of the money we earn is received from areas outside the city. Most of that same money is spent inside of the city. What more do they want? A few of the planners seem to think that they must regulate the life we live with city ordinances, restrictions, in spections, building codes and lic ense fees. They believe we must have paved streets. Our. animals Look to the Future! Choose Gas Appliances! Mm 5 ways ffvM you MORE, Automatically! T. Ybu'U hv faaMT initial (JSS lv- y- MORE, M tamr operatinsT test mf lowtr op-tap cost ye ft yeif with SAS. eat Htt Taai btcaust today's fas ippliancK wHi)lltiy iihoimiic iou ,at sst Uim xti lorfet them! New gts ringes ceok entire meek autoniaticeDe while yen enjoy cvefiw leisure. fet UMtt- Cenpect automatic fa water heaters; heatiof units, tjr-canditiojien anf hmitiaton eea he hdmj axrey m a tuy tintt. -est- SUCTM lacause CAS fives yoe a wider rariety (I ante W sites ef appliances te theeeefraa. aaT brvu cat k ejuieler. cleaner ana1 leaves o uit or walls mi eeiliries. - EeOMMtCAL KEPENPAILE AUTOMATIC 'FAST-CLEAN Viiit ear Display Floor or call on your Gas , Appliance Dealer and learn how to mod . ernixr your home with Gas. ICALIFORNIA-PACIFIC W UTILITIES COMPANY Medford and large gardens will be a thing of the past. Annexed areas tend to have irrigation water availa bility problems due to area build up. What a nice picture; and te think that they suspect that we are going to vote for it. "There has been enough dis sention and strife in this area caused by this annexation prob lem. It was voted down in every precinct only six months ago. Let us really kill it this time. Then let us concentrate on sew ers. Never Be Solved "The sewer problem can never be solved until at such time as the area is behind it and annexa tion is not involved. Your best and fastest bet for sewers is to back your Berrydale Sanitation district officials. It is possible for the district to connect later als to the line now in use near the Big Y area. This will be a limited service area until at such time additional connections to the former' Camp White plant can be made. These can be made only ' when the area is unified and make their want known through present or new district officials. Backed leaders must fight and speak for a unified ar ea. Forced annexation will not solve the sewer problem for the area nor will it unify the com munity as a whole. "If you don't fight for your rights, you can't expect to re ceive them from people who are out to fake advantage and dis criminate against the area. "If you must annex, give your self a break and wait until SB 97 becomes a law. The bill has passed the house and senate and should become a law in about 90 days. This bill will allow a tax differential in favor of annexed areas for a period of ten years after annexation or until at such time as they receive full city services. "Prepared by: The Committee on Fair Play." Twenty states have one mil lion or more motor vehicles. GIVES YOU MORE met (.H.r muiit M - MODERN "SAFE aaei SILENT SP 2-5284 1 f
