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
'
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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.
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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
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to the reader who sends me the
best true-life nature adventure,
best nature observation, or the
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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
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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
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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."
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SP 2-5284
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