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| Are You Ready If She Blows? posted on 09/02/2010
Death, Destruction, Pestilence, Famine. We are probably not facing annihilation at the hands of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, but neither do we live in Never-Never Land.
At the Aug. 21 Town Hall Meeting of the Villages at Mt. Hood, speakers from the Hoodland Fire Department, Clackamas County Emergency Management Team and the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office outlined the dangers facing residents of the Mountain community.
Based on the turnout – six people – the remainder of the thousands of Mountain residents are either totally prepared or whistling past the graveyard.
We’re probably safe from a surprise tsunami, and don’t have to be overly concerned of a tornado howling through the canopy. But earthquake, volcano, wildfire and flood are the Four Horsemen who gallop ghost-like around our Mountain.
“It’s not just a mountain, it’s a volcano,” said Jay Wilson, spokesman for the county’s EMT. “Crater rock is a lava dome on the south-facing side of Mount Hood. And it was just 200 years ago that this mountain erupted. Statistics indicate the lava flow from an eruption would reach Timberline Lodge and Government Camp within 30 minutes.”
Wilson pointed out there are active fumaroles belching out sulfuric steam that could trigger lahars – slurries of rock, water and mud – that would stream down off the flanks of Mount Hood.
“The proof is that the Sandy River channel is full of lahars,” Wilson said, proving the point there is much to learn from the past.
But EMT member Dana Robinson said there is only so much that personnel can do in case of such an emergency.
“We’re working on evacuation plans,” Robinson said. “We are working with the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office and local fire departments, but there’s only one route off the Mountain (Hwy. 26).”
Hoodland Fire Department Fire Marshal Scott Klein concurred, citing the heavy work load that local firefighters struggle with on a regular basis.
“We get about 750 calls a year,” Klein said. “And we operate with a staff of eight paid staff and 40 volunteers. However, all our volunteers are paramedic trained.”
Deputy Steve Shelly of CCSO added his perspective of the workload dilemma on the Mountain.
“Right now, for example, we have nine officers covering 2,000 square miles in the county,” Shelly said.
Add to the risk of volcano, there are earthquakes – minor in nature usually – occurring all the time on Mount Hood, and there is a history of floods and wildfire as well.
The best solution, said senior firefighter Kim Weaver of HFD, is for citizens to be prepared as well.
“Our wish is that one in four citizens in the Hoodland area be trained (for emergencies),” Weaver said. “That’s why we have the community action group HEART.”
HEART, the Hoodland Emergency Action Response Team, is a volunteer program sponsored by the Hoodland Fire District that trains volunteer emergency assistant responders who are committed to aid the fire district in a well-planned and effective disaster response.
HEART will hold its next meeting at 7 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 18, at the Hoodland Fire Station.
For more information about HEART, contact Kim Weaver at the Hoodland Fire District, 622-3256.
* * *
In other business the Villages Board received resignations from two board members, Carol Burk and Bridget Romeo. Both cited the pressing needs of running a business to be too demanding on their time to participate as board members.
Burk was elected at the previous Town Hall Meeting and served for a brief period of time.
“After I did it (attended board meetings) a couple times I realized I need to pay more attention to my work,” Burk said. “I don’t know what I was thinking. Also, the issues seem to be redundant. They don’t need me. They need a retired person not running a business.”
by Larry Berteau/MT
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| Salmon Makeover Reaches Final Stages posted on 09/02/2010
After the 1964 flood, the Salmon River was rocked by the follow-up work of the Army Corps of Engineers. At the time it was believed the best way to minimize water flow was to bring in the bulldozers and dig the channel deeper.
Hydrologists, contractors, biologists and environmentalists now know that was the wrong approach.
“The Corps of Engineers excavated, dug the channel deeper, thinking the best way to minimize flood damage was to get the water off the mountain,” said Brad Zoellick, biologist for Cascades Resource Area. “Now, we know that side channels provide the best results.”
But the correct method is highly complex, and requires the work of multiple experts and the formation of new partnerships.
The Sandy River Basin Watershed Council, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service, Freshwater Trust and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife have joined forces for the large-scale Salmon River Aquatic Habitat Restoration Project. The goal is to increase the in-river habitat complexity and structure in order to benefit adult and juvenile salmon, restore some of the habitat and river processes and functions that were lost after the post-flood reconstruction – all the while minimizing the risk of future flooding.
“The Salmon River is very important to the recovery of federally listed spring chinook and coho salmon and winter steelhead in the lower Columbia region,” said Russ Plaeger, land stewardship coordinator for the watershed council. “This project will increase the amount of deep pool habitat and channel complexity on a 3,000-foot section of the river. The pools will provide a cold water refuge for adult salmon as they return upriver to spawn.”
“Providing year-round flow in the side channels is the target,” said Mark McCollister, wild fish restoration manager of Freshwater Trust. “And juvenile coho are already moving in.”
The project was drawing to a close in August as heavy equipment moved logs and boulders into place on the final sections of the river – the stretch from the Miller Road quarry to the confluence of Boulder Creek.
And upstream from this site – in an area of the river where work was completed just days before – juvenile Coho salmon were already taking advantage of the newly provided deep pools and log complexes.
“It’s a fish factory,” Plaeger said. “There are more than 1,000 juveniles in there.”
The river project will conclude in September. Funding sources for the project include grants from the National Forest Foundation, state lottery funds and the National Marine Fisheries Service.
by Larry Berteau/MT
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| Construction of New High School - Not So Fast posted on 09/02/2010
The showdown is looming.
The Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals will hold a hearing after Sandy resident Kathleen Walker appealed the city council’s approval of the Oregon Trail School District’s plans to construct the new Sandy High School. No hearing date has been set.
Walker’s appeal will be heard by the three LUBA board members: chairman Michael A. Holstun, Tod A. Bassham and Melissa M. Ryan. Hearings are only scheduled on Thursdays, while the board hears approximately 100 cases each year.
Walker and Ron Bush originally appealed a number of elements of the project, including pedestrian access, ball field lighting and the use of Cor-ten steel, after the city planning commission’s originally approved plans in the spring.
The file record, including everything that happened at the local level, was to be filed by Thursday, Aug. 26, followed by a 14-day period for those involved to file objections on the submitted information. The City of Sandy is listed as the respondent, while the district filed a notice to intervene in order to participate in the hearing.
According to LUBA, an appeal must be based on local officials failing to follow procedures, a violation of a constitutional guarantee or state or local law, or the evidence in the record did not support the decision.
At the LUBA appeal hearing, Walker will have 30 minutes to present her case before the board, followed by 30 minutes by the respondent. Walker may use 10 minutes of her original 30 minutes for rebuttal, while the board members may ask questions of the participants. The hearing is expected to take approximately one hour.
The board will issue a written decision a few weeks after the hearing, and the decision can be appealed to the Oregon Court of Appeals.
The losing party may be required to pay the winning party’s costs for the appeal, which could include delays to the project, according to LUBA.
Walker and school district officials declined to comment for this story.
For more information, visit oregon.gov/LUBA.
by Garth Guibord/MT
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| Fiber Optics Coming to Hoodland Area posted on 09/02/2010
There’s 180 miles of fiber optic cable headed around the Mountain, backed by $7.8 million in federal Recovery Act funds.
The money is going into the Clackamas Broadband Innovation Initiative and will provide affordable, high-speed broadband to underserved rural areas in the county, according to project director Dave Cummings.
“Target date for services in the Hoodland area is at least one year away,” said Gary Schmidt of public and government affairs for the county. “But it is tough to have a concrete date at this point.”
But Schmidt confirms that construction will get underway in February 2011.
“It will begin in Oregon City then head to Clackamas, Damascus, Sandy, Colton, Molalla, Canby and back to Oregon City,” Schmidt told The Mountain Times. “A second ring will begin in Milwaukie and head to Sandy, Welches and Government Camp.”
The project, a 180-mile network of new fiber optic cable, will provide broadband speeds to local school districts, community colleges, fire districts, public utilities and public safety agencies.
At least 90 schools, two community colleges, 36 public safety entities, four health care providers, eight city halls and 10 libraries will be connected.
New or improved high-speed internet access will be provided to as many as 97,000 households, 3,600 businesses and an additional 30 anchor institutions.
Higher capacity data connectivity will be available for online video training between fire stations and police stations.
Also, greater information sharing will be available between the county and local governments.
In addition to the Recovery Act funds, a non-federal funding match of $3,344,649 will be provided by: 160 anchor sites for network costs ($2,320,000); and Clackamas County ($1,024,649) budgeted over three fiscal years.
by Larry Berteau/MT
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| Welches Schools Come Up Short in AYP Report posted on 09/02/2010
Both Welches Elementary and Middle Schools failed to meet the requirements of Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in results released by the Oregon Department of Education last month.
The requirements, part of No Child Left Behind (NCLB), measure academic achievement in mathematics and English/language arts, while also setting requirements for attendance and graduation rates.
Schools must meet the benchmarks in numerous subgroups to qualify for the AYP designation.
Welches Elementary School did not meet the benchmark in math for the students with disabilities subgroup, while Welches Middle School did not meet the benchmark in attendance (the target was 92 percent, while the school saw 91.5 percent participation).
District officials noted a high incident of flu contributing to a lower participation rate at the middle school.
“There’s not any obvious reason for not meeting in math for the students with disabilities at (Welches Elementary School),” said Oregon Trail School District’s Director of Teaching and Learning, Debbie Johnson, in an email. “Cohorts of students change from year to year. We will continue to fine tune program and instruction to meet the changing needs of our students.”
The elementary school has met requirements since the testing was initiated in 2002, while the middle school failed to meet requirements in 2005 in the students with disabilities subgroup for English.
Johnson also added that the schools, headed by new principal Alex Leaver, will revise the school improvement plan this fall, including assessment data such as AYP and instructional practices.
“AYP is just one tool that is used to monitor academic progress of students,” noted Johnson, citing student work samples and teacher assessments as other examples. “While we want to be sure the schools meet AYP, our goal is farther reaching. We want to be sure that students are high school and college ready.”
Meanwhile, Sandy High School mathematics achievement increased from 50 percent of students meeting standards for the 2008-09 school year to 59.54 percent for the 2009-10 school year. The school also saw continued growth in English/language arts, from 71 percent to 82 percent over the last two years. However, the Special Education and Economically Disadvantaged student subgroups did not meet AYP.
Elsewhere in the district, Naas Elementary School, Kelso Elementary School, Cottrell Elementary School and Firwood Elementary School met AYP requirements.
“The mission of the Oregon Trail School District is to provide a high quality educational system that inspires all students to actively pursue educational excellence and responsible citizenship,” said Superintendent Shelley Redinger in a press release. “And measurements such as Adequate Yearly Progress are one tool among many that help us achieve our mission.”
Johnson reported that the U.S. Department of Education is reviewing the Elementary Secondary Education Act of the NCLB, and new specifications are expected this fall.
To view the report, visit the Oregon Department of Education at ode.state.or.us
by Garth Guibord/MT
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| Palmer Seeks Legal Action vs. County posted on 09/02/2010
Sandra Palmer has cleared out the visitor information services at her Wy’east Book Shoppe & Gallery – but a mess remains.
Palmer has provided valuable visitor information since 2008, but a series of setbacks with Clackamas County’s cultural affairs and tourism department has left her with “no alternatives.”
“I offered to the community that we could continue to provide visitor services here if a local funding solution could be developed,” Palmer said. “However, nothing has happened in that regard.”
Palmer insists she was made promises by the county that, after 2008, she would receive funding for her services. The county refuses to recognize any promises made, and says Palmer’s services are not the county’s responsibilities.
“My options are limited,” Palmer said.
Now, she is seeking legal recourse. Since a letter to the county from her attorney, Gary Linkous of Welches, threatened litigation in the matter, the county is now referring everything to its attorney.
“I can’t comment at this time because she has taken legal action,” Clackamas County Attorney Scott Ciecko told The Mountain Times. “It’s standard policy.”
Danielle Cowan, recently appointed executive director of the county’s Tourism and Cultural Affairs office, echoed Ciecko’s position.
“The county’s position on Palmer’s request for reimbursement has been denied,” Cowan said. “She has no legal standing.”
But until recently, the county has been directing visitor services to Palmer’s establishment, both on its Web site and notices posted throughout the county. Cowan said she was not aware of that specifically, but that the county shares information with lots of businesses.
Linkous pointed out in an Aug. 11 letter to the county, that those signs are actionable.
“Please be advised that a claim for negligence and nuisance will be brought against the county for failing to remove signs from its property that direct visitors to the Mount Hood area to go to Ms. Palmer’s place of business in order to obtain visitor information,” Linkous wrote. “As you are aware, you have refused to pay for her services in the past … you have continually directed people to her place of business with signs posted at property the county owns. This property is adjacent to Mt. Hood RV Village, a very, very busy place for tourists in this community.”
Linkous goes on to claim these tourists continue to take up a lot of Palmer’s time and that they often leave her place of business with “a great deal of contempt and disappointment toward her and her business.”
Linkous also said in the letter that Palmer did not need a written contract to pursue her claim of $10,000 against the county. He gave the county 20 days to respond.
Ciecko responded to Linkous in an Aug. 26 letter stating that the county would not be offering payment to her claims.
Over the course of that last year Palmer brought her situation to the board of the Villages at Mt. Hood – an advisory group from the Hoodland area to the county. At that time, the board sent a letter to the county in support of Palmer.
Now, Palmer is asking the community to show up at the board’s Sept. 7 meeting to urge the board to come to her aid.
Word of this apparently reached the county as Christine Roth, staff liaison for the county to the Villages board, sent an e-mail to all board members warning them that “Since you are agents of the county, and if you want to be covered against potential involvement in any litigation she files against the county; it’s important that you not comment publically about this issue … my suggestion is that you refrain from public discussion.”
It should be noted that Villages board members are not “agents of the county.” They are advisors to the county.
The Mountain Times sent an e-mail asking board members if they intend to comply with Roth’s suggestion. Board members Bob Reeves and Pat Sharp replied, confirming they would comply.
However, Board Chair Doug Saldivar saw it differently.
“I am not refraining,” he said in e-mail response to the MT. “Sandra asked the board to consider resending the letter we sent last year. I asked her to have her supporters come to the next board meeting (Sept. 7). If she can show community support – I think the board would be obligated to resend the letter – but send it to the commissioners rather than the tourism department. If we want to be the voice of the community, we need to listen and help when they ask, and when it is in the community’s best interest.”
Presently, the only visitor information services being provided for the Mountain community is at the Mt. Hood Cultural Center and Museum in Government Camp.
That came about when the county sent out a request for proposal for visitor information services to which there were four responses: the Museum, Palmer’s Wy’east, Mt. Hood Adventure Park (Government Camp) and Sandy Chamber of Commerce.
The RFP review board recommended all but the Sandy Chamber be funded, but Cowan, in one of her first official acts, chose the Museum to the tune of $25,000.
So at the present time the only visitor info being provided is in Government Camp and at the Zigzag Ranger Station.
In the meantime, the legal opera continues to play on.
by Larry Berteau/MT
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| Scotch Broom, Stinky Bob Suffer Defeat posted on 09/02/2010
Implements of mass destruction were hauled out along the Sandy River and invasive species were the target of the attack.
When the conservation crew members were finished, the bodies of blackberries, Scotch broom, fox glove, herb Robert (aka: stinky Bob), and Japanese knotweed were strewn along the banks of the river.
Later, of course, the invasive creatures were removed from sight.
Project YESS, a work-based learning program at Mt. Hood Community College, is in its second summer of providing work readiness skills – bolstered by federal stimulus funds.
Jason Weiss, 22, in his second year with YESS, has graduated to assistant crew leader, and was on the job Aug. 9 along the Sandy River downstream from the Miller Road quarry.
“I started out on the crew as an intern,” Weiss said, taking a break from the warm-up routine the crew members go through before attacking the invaders. “I was considered an at-risk youth and this project turned me around and helped me graduate. In turn, I’ve helped nature. It’s good stuff. But more needs to be done.”
Marci Krass of YESS, and Jason Dumont, manager of the Portland Area Preserves for The Nature Conservancy, were the leaders at the site, providing guidance to a crew of eight students.
“We stress that crew members organize themselves in the work group,” Krass said. “All are students at Mt. Hood Community College, and they all get paid.”
Dumont pointed out the attack area with maps placed on the old quarry grounds.
“We’re undoing what was done here for the last 70 years,” he said. “Today, it’s a matter of mass destruction to provide for a winter replanting.”
From there the crew members waded into the fray, hacking and stacking whatever invasive species stood in their path.
The project provides urban youth a unique opportunity to learn and grow through participation in a conservation effort of restoration throughout the Sandy River Basin.
“With its old-growth fir stands, designated wild and scenic reaches of river, ideal salmon habitat, and prime recreational opportunities in close proximity to urban areas, the basin is one of Oregon’s most unique and valued natural areas,” Krass said. “It also provides an amazing escape from the stresses of life youth today face growing up in the city.”
The funding source for the project include: Community Colleges and Workforce Development, and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The project becomes reality through the Oregon Youth Conservation Corps.
“With at least one crew working in every county in Oregon, more than 2,500 youth and 3,000 individuals have gained green job opportunities throughout the past 16 months,” Krass said. “More than $9 million of federal funding will be spent in Oregon on conservation projects through August of 2010.”
For more information about Project YESS and the conservation crew program, contact Marci Krass at mkrass@gmail. com, or call at 307-690-5820.
by Larry Berteau/MT
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| Mollusks Make Mucky Mark at Makeover of Brightwood Slug Meet posted on 09/02/2010
Or-Cal, a manufacturer of slug and snail bait based in Junction City, credits slugs as capable of traveling two feet in 43 seconds, noting that while a human can run a 100-yard dash in less than 10 seconds, a slug would traverse that distance in approximately two hours.
That was put to the test – almost – on Saturday, Aug. 21 at the Brightwood Tavern, where the local answer to the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes, “Slug Races,” was held.
/Slug fact: (read slowly) a small slug can eat up to twice as much as it weighs in one night, and favorites including strawberries and leafy plants./
Current co-owner Ron Gambell’s father, Bob, started the annual event in the late 1970s as a twist on a popular fad at the time: mouse races.
“They’d have long tubes set up and tracks around bars,” Gambell said. “Dad couldn’t figure out how to set it up in here, so screw it, we’ll just race slugs.”
Back then, races were held inside the bar on the pool table and early returns brought in approximately $30, which they donated to the Hoodland Senior Center. The annual event grew with time, including highlights such as sponsoring people to eat slugs – one year, Gambell reports, a woman ate a slug for $150.
“It’s not something I would do,” he said of gulping down the slimy crawler, a member of the mollusk family (along with snails, clams and squid).
/Slug fact: a typical garden slug will weigh approximately 300 milligrams. The foot-long California slug weighs approximately one-quarter pound./
The Slug Races disappeared for a while when the tavern closed, and after it reopened last summer, Gambell decided to bring the event back this year, again to benefit the Hoodland Senior Center.
Slugs of all sizes arrived at the bar, where Gambell set up an outdoor racetrack, consisting of concentric circles. Participants drop their slugs off at the center and whichever creepy crawler travels the farthest in five minutes is the winner.
“They just kind of go wherever they go,” said Gambell.
Racers are divided into three classes: lightweight, middleweight and heavyweight, and the afternoon is marked by a series of races to determine the greatest slug.
/Slug fact: in heavily infested fields, there are approximately nine slugs per square foot, which equals approximately 392,040 slugs per acre. Only 20 percent of slugs in the population are feeding at any given time./
Some attendees reported difficulties in finding slugs in preparation for the races, but a strong showing of contestants eventually came out. Gambell’s rules for the races include no salt, no touching the slugs once a race begins, no touching an opponent’s slug and no beer or alcohol for the slimy racers.
“We’ve got to watch the tequila drinkers so they don’t get any salt on the track,” he added.
This year’s event featured an appearance by the “Slug Queen,” elected by patrons of the tavern. Marta Tarrants earned the unique title by a wide margin, an honor for which she actively campaigned.
“I threatened enough people with bodily harm to vote for me,” she said.
Tarrants and her husband brought a slug for the event, but didn’t have any grand plans to lead to certain victory.
“I think we’re just going to plunk him on the board and hope for the best,” she said.
/Slug fact: slugs are territorial and will attack caterpillars and other intruders./
Slugs likely aren’t used to people cheering as they go about their lives, but on this day, dozens of tavern patrons crowded around the track to motivate their racers or watch the excitement. Sandy Bonife found her slug earlier that morning, and without any training, it earned an early victory in a lightweight race.
“It was a derby horse slug,” said Bonife. “It was a fabulous, victorious win.”
A man who identified himself as Smitty earned a victory in a middleweight race with a slug he purchased from Bonife, but he used some strong motivation to get his racer on the move.
“I had a very serious, personal talk with him, (saying), ‘just race and I won’t kill you,’” he said.
The day’s big winner, a heavyweight monster who won its class and the overall championship, declined to be identified, citing the media scrutiny and mass hysteria over having a world-class athlete in the community.
But the other winners were easy to pick out, including the Hoodland Senior Center, which received more than $300 from the event, and the people who came out to race or simply watch.
“Everybody had fun and everybody got along,” said Gambell, who expressed his deep gratitude to the staff of the Brightwood Tavern for making the races a success. “It was what it should be. I really thank the community for coming out and supporting us.”
by Garth Guibord/MT
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| Pigeons 'Home' in on Lofts in Boring posted on 09/02/2010
And therrrrre they go!
Adrian Buturoago brought his winged athletes to the parking lot at the Hoodland Shopping Center. But not for long.
It was one of those: “You had to be there.”
It was training day for Buturoago’s homing pigeons – sleek birds with an innate ability to get back home that no one truly understands.
“They have good memories, it’s just that simple,” Buturoago said. “It’s permanently embedded.”
The feathered speedsters burst from their cages – five at a time and at five minute intervals – quickly caught their bearings and flapped off to their lofts in Boring. After the fourth flight was in the air, Buturoago pointed out the first flight had already reached its destination.
“They average around 1,200 to 1,400 yards per minute, but the good ones go faster, more than 1,800 yards per minute,” he said.
For the math impaired, that’s breaking the speed limit as they winged over Hwy. 26.
Buturoago was introduced to these unique pigeons by a friend when he was a young boy growing up in Rumania. He came to America in 1979 with his immigrant parents, and later picked up the sport again as an adult.
He is an electrical engineer in Boring, and races his birds throughout the states as well as South Africa.
And you don’t pick up a homing pigeon with pigeon feed. Some exceptional breeders have been sold for $200,000. Buturoago has a $12,000 model of his own.
“But I don’t raise them to sell them,” he said.
“I raise them to race and win. In fact, I give pigeons to people who want to get started.”
The training period starts early, three to five months after hatching. At that time they venture out onto their landing boards in the loft and begin to “locate,” according to Buturoago. Not long after they turn on their locator radar, they’re off to the training runs and the races.
The Mount Hood Pigeon Club – of which Buturoago is a member – had several entries in the Oregon Trail Combine races held Aug. 28 in Prairie City. Winners are determined by computer from the chip banded to the pigeon’s leg which determines when the birds broke the finish line (at their respective lofts).
by Larry Berteau/MT
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| Timberline Boasts 'Gold Standard' Sustainability posted on 08/03/2010
Timberline straddles the Mountain community like a colossus. But now, its stance is world-wide.
Sustainable Travel International has bestowed on Timberline Lodge and Ski Area the honor of being the first ski resort in the world to receive third-party certification through its sustainable Tourism Eco-certification Program. Timberline has been recognized for its strengths in the areas of environmental conservation, cultural heritage, historic preservation and economic development.
“STEP is the ‘gold standard’ in sustainable tourism certification in the travel and tourism industry because of its regimented and thorough criteria,” said Brian Mullis, CEO of Sustainable Travel International. “As more industry leaders like Timberline Lodge embrace sustainability, we are hoping that it has a multiplier effect, raising the bar for other hoteliers and ski resorts who also aspire to engage in best practices.”
Timberline is all agog over its newly found recognition.
“Timberline Lodge has a historical commitment to the environment and the community,” said Jeff Kohnstamm, president of RLK and Company, the operators of the lodge.
“We recognize that we are operating within a cherished natural landscape that is valued for its scenic, historic, recreational, cultural, and economic characteristics. This eco-certification is a real achievement and it is a rallying point for us.”
Jon Tullis, director of public affairs at Timberline, was equally honored and pointed to its worldly significance.
“We are convinced that sustainability isn’t just a passing trend,” Tullis said. “We see it as a mega-trend in not just our industry, but in all of corporate America. It is transforming organizations, governments, products, the competitive landscape, and especially the consumer driven business climate.
“It is more of a game-changer than you may think. There are real savings to be found, efficiencies, and new opportunities for meaningful communication with customers. Businesses that ignore it, I think, are doing so at their own peril.”
Best practices instituted at Timberline Lodge include:
— An active Timberline employee-led Green Team;
— A dynamic partnership with the U.S. Forest Service and the Friends of Timberline in collaborative stewardship of the facility and interpretation of its history to the general public;
— A thorough health and safety program for employees and guests;
— A comprehensive company-wide recycling program including in-room recycling for overnight guests;
— An action-oriented energy reduction plan and recent energy efficiency upgrades including new thermo pane windows in all of its guest rooms;
— A robust charitable giving program dedicated to benefiting children throughout Oregon;
— Opportunities for guest philanthropy; and
— Long-term planning that focuses on the authenticity of the Timberline experience, and purposely does not overshadow Timberline Lodge as the central focus of the site.
STEP is the world’s first comprehensive, global sustainable tourism eco-certification program offered by a non-profit organization. STEP addressed the major environmental, socio-cultural and economic issues facing the tourism industry and the planet at large, including global climate change, biodiversity preservation, water and waste management, economic development and social issues.
“The STEP program has provided us with a framework for sustainability that’s aligned with our existing values and business operations,” Kohnstamm said. “But it has also prompted us to drive our commitments toward these things even deeper. It is a work in progress, and it involves a process of continual improvement geared toward a very comprehensive view of sustainability.”
Tullis pointed to how the plan of Sustainable Travel International has created a road map for continual improvement.
“STI helped us understand just how comprehensive the concept of sustainability is, and that, as they say ‘sustainability is a journey, not a destination,’” Tullis said. “It is based on what they call the triple bottom line, or ‘people, planet, profit.’ It involves a human oriented component, and environmental one, and a business component.”
RLK and Company has been operating Timberline Lodge for 55 years, and it is the company’s belief that ultimately it is the American people who will benefit most by an economically and environmentally sustainable Timberline Lodge, Kohnstamm said.
And now, Timberline towers over the eco-world.
by Larry Berteau/MT
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| School Breaks Ground; Complaint on its Way to LUBA posted on 08/03/2010
Shovels hit the dirt at the Bell Street property in Sandy where the new Sandy High School will be built over the course of the next two years by the Oregon Trail School District.
The July 7 groundbreaking event served as a celebration following Sandy City Council’s rejection of nine appeals on the project filed by three local residents.
“It was exciting to break ground with the community leaders who played such a huge role in helping us pass the bond,” said district superintendent Shelley Redinger in a statement. “And there’s a real sense of accomplishment and pride that we’re putting local citizens to work.”
However, the celebratory mood was dimmed just three weeks later when an appeal Use Board of Appeals, a state board that reviews all governmental land use decisions. LUBA received the appeal from Kathleen Walker July 28.
No hearing date has been set.
Under the conditions of approval of the district’s application, the council also required some alterations, including a pedestrian/bicycle facility, modification of some lighting and screening of parked vehicles from Bell Street.
The planning commission approved the application May 20, while residents Walker and Ron Bush filed appeals on eight aspects of the project June 1. Bob Cecil submitted additional written testimony June 8 regarding a variance to the maximum structure height requirements, which the council also rejected.
Now that the appeals to the city council are complete, the district has moved ahead with work on the site of the future 310,000 square foot school. Project manager Debbie Pearson reported that tree removal is complete, while work has begun on the south (junior) parking lot.
Pearson added that the appeal process delayed the project by approximately eight weeks, while she referred to the council as “gracious” for making the process as quick as possible. Contractors will work six 10-hour days per week throughout the summer to get back on schedule.
Costs incurred from the appeals process are still being calculated, including for an extension of Kate Schmitz Avenue and a sidewalk on Bluff Road. Pearson did note the project’s first bid package is approximately 10 percent under budget, while a second bid package is expected to be released in September and a third in October.
The next “milestone” for the new high school will likely be the opening of the south parking lot at an upcoming football game.
Meanwhile, the bond the district passed in 2008 for the new high school included projects at the district’s nine other schools.
Pearson reported that roof improvements at Welches Elementary and Middle Schools were awarded to ABC Roofing Company, Inc. and are currently underway.
by Garth Guibord/MT
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| Portland Murder Probe Leads to Rhododendron posted on 08/03/2010
Investigation of a fatal stabbing in Portland took a sharp turn to the east where the murder suspect was tracked down and arrested in Rhododendron.
Thomas Kolpin, 27, was apprehended July 12 by members of the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force after a stakeout that led to a thwarted dash across a foot bridge at Kathy’s Kabins on Marion Road.
Kolpin is charged with the murder of Carroll Williams, 30, at approximately 3:15 a.m. July 10 on Northeast Clackamas Street in Portland.
He is lodged in the Multnomah County Jail in Portland.
Portland Police detectives arrived on the scene of the crime and determined that an altercation erupted and Williams suffered a stabbing wound which proved to be fatal.
On Sunday, July 11, U.S. Marshal Dirk Anderson was contacted by Portland Police that an arrest warrant had been obtained for Kolpin and the marshal’s assistance was requested.
“On Monday, July 12, task force members and I proceeded to the area of Rhododendron, based upon information that we had developed earlier in the day,” Anderson wrote in his initial report. “We had previously stopped and spoke with several associates of Kolpin prior to setting up surveillance on Marion Road.”
According to Anderson, at approximately 11:25 a.m. July 12, Marshal Dave Upton and he observed Kolpin emerge from a cabin. Kolpin walked west from the location, appearing to be texting as he walked and visually scanned the area.
Upon confronting Kolpin the suspect began to run over a foot bridge leading to Hwy. 26, Anderson said. Kolpin stopped mid-bridge, complying with commands to stop or be tased.
“Kolpin was taken into custody without incident after attempting to discard a marijuana joint,” Anderson wrote in his report. “Once Kolpin was secured, I returned to the cabin … (where) we contacted Mercedes Thurston, Alexander Halbersma and Adrian Stevenson. All present were told that they were not under arrest, but that we had arrested a subject leaving the cabin that was wanted for murder. Thurston and Halbersma … advised that they wanted to cooperate in any way they could.”
Halbersma told marshals that Kolpin was a co-worker at Triple A Towing and that he had showed up the previous day, saying he was dropped off but they did not know who had driven him, according to Anderson.
Anderson and Upton took Kolpin into custody, transported him to Portland transferred him to Portland Police.
Medical Examiner’s Office determined that Williams died of sharp force injury, and Kolpin was charged with one count of murder and one count of unlawful use of a weapon.
by Larry Berteau/MT
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| The Death of Charlie Sperr posted on 08/03/2010
When word of the June 19 death of local restaurateur and ski aficionado Charlie Sperr spread throughout his hometown of Government Camp, there was one place that served as the epicenter for people to grieve.
“We all spent that Saturday afternoon in tears and hugging each other at Charlie’s (Mountain View),” said Maryanne Hill, a resident of Government Camp and long time friend of Sperr.
Sperr, as Hill noted, spent much of his time at his eponymous establishment, sitting at the end of the bar and chatting with everyone who walked in.
“I think that his essence is he loved people to get together and talk and have a good time,” said Sperr’s daughter, Shelley Hakanson. “He valued friendship. That was his thing.”
Charles Fredrick Sperr was born on September 15, 1923 to Fred and Elizabeth Sperr in Portland. Sperr grew up in Milwaukie, all the while traveling to the Mount Hood area to fish with his father and ski. An uncle who helped raise Sperr first fostered his love of skiing after crafting a pair of skis from barrel staves.
“He just loved skiing and everything about the mountain,” said Hakanson. “I think when we moved up here in ’63, he finally came home.”
Sperr spent summers between the ages of 10 and 13 at the Clackamas Lake Ranger Station, where he helped mule skinners outfit fire lookouts and guard stations for the U.S. Forest Service.
He enlisted in the National Guard in 1940 and spent four years serving as a heavy equipment operator in the 41st Infantry Division in the South Pacific following the attack on Pearl Harbor. Sperr was discharged in 1945 and enrolled at Oregon State College, where he majored in business and forestry.
During college, Sperr met Jeanine Shelley and the two were married on August 17, 1947. The pair had a son, Charlie, and two daughters, Shelley and Riki.
Called back into active duty in 1949, Sperr was stationed in New York, Idaho and California, where he began a yearly tradition of skiing at Sun Valley that lasted for 58 years.
After being discharged, Sperr returned to Milwaukie, where he worked selling logging equipment for Wood Tractor Company. At the time, he bought a small cabin in Government Camp, where the family went skiing and Sperr and his wife taught skiing at the Jaycee Ski School and Mt. Hood Ski School.
At the time, Sperr frequented the Blue Ox Bar at Timberline, the Tramway and the Log Lodge with his many friends. But in 1963, Sperr opened the Ratskeller in Government Camp, offering food, drink and a night scene for skiers.
“I bought his first pizza; my wife and I,” said Sperr’s friend Bud England. “That’s because we didn’t get there in time for the free ones.”
After a divorce, Sperr went to the Oregon coast, where he opened the Ratskeller West at Cannon Beach in 1969.
He later returned to Mount Hood to open the Inn Between in Welches, followed by another bar and restaurant, Thunderhead Lodge in Government Camp, where he met Marilyn (Mickey) Wellman.The pair married and had a son, Charlie, L., in 1976.
In 1977, Sperr opened Charlie’s Mountain View in Government Camp, a bar that would host countless celebrations, including the annual Pray for Snow Dance, King Winter (Sperr took the title in 1984 while his daughter Shelley took the crown in 2010) and Sperr’s popular birthday parties. Sperr was also known to sing and play the piano at the bar, including drinking songs and old time favorites.
“We truly enjoyed his piano playing and singing, which he had not done much of lately,” said Hill. “We’ll miss that.”
In 1983, Sperr started a cable TV business in Government Camp, which carried the moniker “Charlie Vision.” Sperr also provided snow removal, plowing and excavation services for the community.
Hakanson noted Sperr was well known by both Mountain residents and seasonal employees, as he was able to connect with so many people through his various businesses.
“I was surprised how many people said (Charlie) was kind of their ‘extra dad,’” she said. “It’s pretty amazing how many people he was in contact with.”
Sperr also enjoyed traveling and visited locations throughout the world, including Spain, Hawaii, Germany and the Italian Alps.
In 2007, Sperr opened the Tygh Valley Saloon, while his son Charlie and daughter-in-law Alicia provided help with running the businesses and caring for Sperr.
Alicia Sperr reflected that despite falling into ill health in the later years of his life, Sperr maintained a positive attitude, while also enjoying the affection of his female patrons at Charlie’s Mountain View.
“I don’t think there was ever a lady who came into the bar he didn’t get a hug and a kiss from,” said Alicia Sperr. “He was pretty lucky, if you ask me.”
Sperr is survived by sisters Betty Howe of Riverside, Calif. and Melinda Herford of Bellingham, Wash.; sons Charlie D. of Vancouver, Wash. and Charlie L. of Government Camp; daughters Shelley of Sandy and Riki of Bend; and numerous grandchildren, nieces and nephews.
A public memorial will beheld at 11 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 12, at the Cascade Ski Club, 30510 E. Blossom Trail in Government Camp.
by Garth Guibord/MT
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| District Gives Welches Principal's Nod to Leaver posted on 08/03/2010
Alex Leaver, 49, is the new principal at Welches Schools.
Leaver takes over the post that has been difficult to fill in the past year.
Michael McKinney was named principal in 2009 to replace the retiring Mike Sutton. However, he resigned mid-term. Tim Fields was selected for the 2010-11 school year but resigned before taking over due to an “incident” at Rosemont Ridge Middle School – his previous position.
“I understand there might be some apprehension (in the community),” Leaver said. “That’s normal. But I’ve wanted this job for a long time. I’m ecstatic. Thrilled. My commitment is to enjoy and prosper at Welches Schools.”
Then, with a chuckle, he added: “I plan on outlasting Mike Sutton.”
Leaver, and his wife Jenn, have five children, the youngest being 4 years old.
“I intend to see him go through my school,” he said.
Leaver comes from Patton Middle School in the McMinnville School District, where he has held the position of vice principal the past two years. He has four years of school administration experience and 14 years of classroom teaching – including 10 years in elementary school.
Leaver applied for the position that Fields eventually won.
“But this time, the second time, I was honored,” Leaver said.
“The past four years we’ve been coming to the Mountain, camping in Rhododendron, and driving by the school, saying ‘someday, maybe.’ Now, it all came together.”
OTSD Superintendent Shelley Redinger was impressed with Leaver’s experience and expertise.
“Alex has a wide range of experiences that will serve the needs of the elementary and middle schools well,” Redinger said. “But more importantly, he is enthusiastic about becoming involved in our Mountain community.”
OTSD Human Resources Director Ken Bucchi was equally impressed with the incoming principal.
“Alex appears to possess the unique blend that all effective leaders must have – a passion and enthusiasm for his work, an ability and desire to connect with people, and a solid aptitude for his profession,” Bucchi said.
A committee of staff and parents spent several weeks in July reviewing applications and interviewing candidates, and unanimously selected Leaver as their next school leader, according to Julia Monteith, communications director of OTSD.
In the interview process, Leaver summed up his candidacy.
“I have an appreciation for the wonderful energy, spontaneity and wisdom of kids.”
by Larry Berteau/MT
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| Climber Avoids Hood Disaster; Camper Disappears posted on 08/03/2010
(MT) – Daniel Call, 25, of Vancouver is the latest climber to be rescued from Mount Hood.
At 5 p.m., July 7, Call arrived at Timberline Lodge in the able hands of the American Medical Response’s Reach And Treat Team and Portland Mountain Rescue volunteers.
Call was transported to hospital reportedly in good condition with what was thought to be a broken leg.
At around 7 a.m., the Vancouver climber fell at least 200 feet while scaling Hood. Rescuers had Call at Timberline Lodge by 5 p.m., according to Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Jim Strovink.
In the early morning hours of July 7, Clackamas County dispatchers received a cell-phone call from a climber reporting that a fellow climber had fallen, was conscious and breathing, but might have suffered a broken leg as a result of the fall. He was reported to be in the Hogsback area of Mount Hood – a popular climbing route on the south side of the mountain – between 9,000 and 10,000 feet elevation. Additional climbers came to the aid of Call and were in constant communication with search and rescue coordinators.
RAT and PMR members were dispatched and climbed to the accident scene and moved Call from Hogsback to the Palmer Glacier where he was transported by snow-cat down to the lodge.
Specialists from Mountain Wave Emergency Communications were also on the scene.
Missing Camper
A Portland resident has gone missing in the Roaring River Wilderness of the Mount Hood National Forest.
On July 29, the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue teams were in their fifth consecutive day of searching for missing hiker-camper, Robert Bissell, 57.
According to the sheriff’s office, Bissell went camping and hiking alone in the remote wilderness area of the Rock Lakes basin July 12. When he did not return home his family reported him missing July 24.
His brother, Michael Bissell, went to check on him July 19, but the missing hiker was not at his campsite. The brother left a note on Bissell’s vehicle requesting him to contact the family. Michael Bissell returned to the campsite July 24, but nothing had changed at the site, according to CCSO.
The search has been expanded and additional resources arrived July 28, including ground searchers, canine search units and a helicopter.
The Oregon National Guard’s Charlie Company, 7-158 Aviation has committed a UH-60L Blackhawk helicopter and crew to fly the area.
Canine search teams have been provided by NORSAR, the Yamhill County Sheriff and the Clark Regional Emergency Services Agency from Washington. Ground search teams have expanded to include the Air Force Reserve 304th Rescue Squadron based out of Portland, Pacific Northwest Search and Rescue and CREESA.
Communications, medical support and logistical support were being provided by Mountain Wave Search and Rescue, AMR Reach and Treat team, the American Red Cross and Portland General Electric.
As of July 28, there were more than 50 volunteers in the field actively searching for Bissell. The search expanded to include more lakes, trails and wilderness surrounding the last known location of the missing camper.
The active search includes the area of Roaring River, Rock lakes, Serene Lake and Shining Lake.
He has been missing for two weeks in a rugged and remote wilderness area covering approximately 100 square miles.
The sheriff’s office asks anyone who was hiking near the Rock Lakes basin in the Mount Hood National Forest from July 12 to July 24, and had personal contact with Bissell, to please contact the Clackamas County Sheriff Tip Line at 503-723-4949.
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| Flyin' High and Cruisin' Down Low posted on 08/03/2010
It was time to slick back your hair, listen to the rev of engines, and you were back in time to a Sha-Na-Na concert.
The Kiwanis 52nd Annual Pancake Breakfast Fly In-Cruise In was held July 25 at McKinnon’s Airport and the Sandy venue looked like a scene from the 50s.
The blast-from-the-past exhibit included vintage muscle cars, roadsters spanning back decades and hot rods with colorful flames displayed on hoods and fenders — all buffed to perfection.
The crowd gazed dreamily at custom paint jobs; convertibles that were the latest when Bonnie and Clyde were terrorizing the Midwest; and American Graffiti hot rods that could have been cruising Main Street. There were engines on display that dinner could have been cooked — and consumed — on the carburetor.
Toby Hunter, Portland, has been coming to the Cruise In the past eight years. He has owned his gleaming red1955 Chevy second edition — a deluxe stepside pickup — for nine years. Looking at his auto under the shade of a tree, he offered: “I restored this, it’s an ongoing project, and a hobby of mine.”
Kyle Renn, 14, of Vancouver, Wash., inherited his pristine 1938 Chevy business coupe from his grandfather, who passed away just a year ago.
“Dad’s my chauffeur,” Renn said. “I’m only 14, but I’m looking forward to getting my license so I can drive this car myself. But I have to have good grades and get a job … Dad’s rules.”
Mark and Kate Coehoorn flew to the event in their 1946 Stinson from Portland.
“This is our first time to the Fly In, but we’ll be back,” Mark said.
The Coehoorns are originally from Wisconsin and moved to Oregon three years ago. He’s been a pilot for 34 years.
“It was a lifetime dream of mine to get a plane,” Mark said. “And we’ve now owned this Stinson for six years. We do this just for the fun of it.”
The Kiwanis Pancake Breakfast is an annual event which helps support the efforts of the local Kiwanis Club — including Christmas baskets, firewood, scholarships, and much more.
by Frances Berteau/MT
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| Workshop IDs Invasive Plants posted on 08/03/2010
The Sandy River Basin Watershed Council teamed up with the Zigzag Ranger District to give Mountain residents an up-close and personal view of invasive species that are endangering our area.
The July 13 workshop also featured showy native plant alternatives (such as Red columbine, pictured at right) to the 27 attendees.
“The goal of an early detection and rapid response program is to identify and quickly control new invasive plants before they have a chance to get established in our local area,” said David Lebo of the Zigzag Ranger District. “We need the assistance of local residents to prevent garlic mustard and other plants from becoming widespread.”
Invasive plants may not seem like much of an issue until you see an entire field full of Scotch broom or blackberries. Non-natives such as these are a maintenance problem for homeowners and when they grow in stream side areas they can severely degrade fish and wildlife habitat.
Russ Plaeger, of the watershed council, reported that a crew from the ranger district recently found a two-acre patch of Policeman’s helmet next to a wetland near the Salmon River. The dense thicket of this invader makes it difficult for native plants to grow on the forest floor.
That means less food and nesting cover for birds and small mammals. In areas next to the river a dense patch of weeds can limit tree seedling growth and result in fewer trees to shade the river and reduce soil erosion in future years.
Policeman’s helmet can be thwarted with the planting of natives like Red columbine. This bright plant grows up to three feet tall, flowers in the summer, and attracts hummingbirds and produces seeds that are eaten by juncos and finches.
Plaeger was encouraged by the workshop turnout, but indicated there’s lots more to be done.
“The community response to invasive plants has been really great,” he said. “(But) we need more folks who can serve as scouts in the effort to keep our beautiful Mountain communities free of new invasive plants.”
At the workshop, locals learned the two best ways to keep invasive plants out of our local forests are to avoid purchasing non-natives and to be on the lookout for them.
Each participant received a pocket guide with photos and descriptions of the 12 newest invaders.
Given the turnout and high level of interest in the workshop, another session will be offered next year, Plaeger said.
by Larry Berteau/MT
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| Welches Principal Resigns After 'Incident' posted on 07/02/2010
The Oregon Trail School District will now take its third shot at securing a principal for Welches schools.
Tim Fields, appointed to the position starting in August, 2010, has resigned.
Fields’ resignation follows on the heels of Michael McKinney’s stepping down in mid-term of the 2009-2010 school year, after McKinney was appointed to the position to replace longtime principal Mike Sutton who opted for retirement in 2009.
“Tim Fields’ resignation was unforeseen,” OTSD Superintendent Shelley Redinger told The Mountain Times. In a letter to Welches schools parents, she wrote: “I regret to inform you that Tim Fields will not be serving as the Welches School principal next year. He has resigned for personal reasons. I imagine this is as unexpected to you as it was to me.”
Fields had been serving as assistant principal at Rosemont Ridge Middle School in West Linn. He has been placed on administrative leave at Rosemont.
West Linn School District Superintendent Roger Woehl would only say that Fields’ sudden departure is considered a “personnel issue” and the district would not comment on the reasons, according to the West Linn Tidings. Rosemont Principal Debi Briggs-Crispin echoed Woehl’s sentiments.
“Our attorneys asked us not to make a comment,” Woehl told the Tidings.
According to the West Linn newspaper another teacher at Rosemont was involved in the “incident” with Fields and was asked to take a leave as well. That teacher, apparently, is back at school.
Despite launching a third search – the position has been posted – the district will follow the same methodology for the next principal.
“It was a surprise (Fields’ resignation), but we feel the initial process was a good one,” said OTSD Communications Director Julia Monteith. “We did a thorough background check (on Fields) and had good recommendations from the principal and administrators.”
Monteith indicated OTSD had no other information regarding Fields’ resignation from Rosemont.
“We can’t comment on that,” Monteith said. “They’re holding it pretty close.”
OTSD quickly pivoted into positive mode.
“We’ve had 30 applicants in two days,” Monteith said. “We will find a good replacement.”
“We are receiving many applications,” Redinger said. “I am certain we will find the right leader for the Welches community.”
The same interview committee of Welches staff and parents have been invited to participate in the interviews, according to Redinger’s letter to parents.
The time line sets mid-July as the target date for the new principal’s selection, according to Monteith.
Phone calls to Woehl and Briggs-Crispin were not returned.
by Larry Berteau/MT
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| Museum Captures Visitor Info $$s posted on 07/02/2010
The Mt. Hood Cultural Center and Museum turned in the top request for proposal from the county and landed the contract for tourism information services in the Mount Hood Corridor.
The museum, located in Government Camp, received the $25,000 award over three other applicants. The Mt. Hood Adventure Park in Government Camp, Wy’east Book Shoppe and Gallery in Welches, and Sandy Chamber of Commerce finished 2-3-4, respectively, in the RFP review.
“I’m pleased, especially that they approved the amount we asked for,” said Lloyd Musser, curator of the museum. “After all, that’s the nitty gritty.”
Musser was informed of the award by fax from Tom Averett, buyer in the purchasing department for Clackamas County Tourism Development and Cultural Affairs (the funding agent). But he was not told he was the only winner, as many thought there would be funding for more than one respondent.
“It surprises me that we were the only ones funded,” Musser said. “The score sheet doesn’t show we were so far ahead of the other three. But I’m not going to argue.”
Danielle Cowan, formerly Clackamas County’s legislative affairs director, took over as tourism director of CCTCA in May following the resignation of Linda Bell. Cowan was the decision maker after the submission of the six-person RFP review committee.
“It wasn’t a hard decision,” Cowan said. “They (the museum) were ranked No. 1 by all six reviewers.”
Cowan and the CCTCA will now enter into the contract with the museum for fiscal year 2010-11, with the option of renewing the contract for the following fiscal year.
“Given that the Mt. Hood Cultural Center and Museum scored significantly higher than the other applicants and are prepared to provide quality visitor information services, I intend to enter into a contract (with the museum),” Cowan wrote in an e-mail to the respondents. “I deeply appreciate the efforts made by the other respondents (to the RFP). I also want to thank the participants on the RFP review panel who gave so generously of their time to consider these RFPs and for making their recommendation for these important services.”
As of now, the county’s plan is to take the tourism information services to the Zigzag Ranger Station by 2012 after structural expansion is completed at the site.
The loss was especially hard for Sandra Palmer, manager of the book store and the already functioning Wy’east Visitor Center for Mount Hood.
“Of course I’m disappointed,” Palmer said. “Evidently what I provided them (in the RFP) wasn’t as strong as the others. I’m also concerned for the community. The intent of the RFP was for visitor services up to the ranger station. Having only one location in Government Camp doesn’t do that. With that only option, I don’t believe that’s a good solution.”
Losing the funding opportunity deals another blow to Palmer who has been trying to get funding for the visitor information services she has been providing the past two years – funding she insists was promised to her by the county.
Palmer’s money woes with the county began in 2008 when she was urged by community members to provide visitor information services at her store. She sought the support of CCTCA as well as the board of directors of the Villages at Mt. Hood. The board quickly affirmed its support – confirmed by Villages Chairman Doug Saldivar – and, according to Palmer, Jeannine Brashears of CCTCA gave her blessing on behalf of county tourism.
“Jeannine was clear that funding would likely not be available until 2009,” Palmer said.
But Palmer began providing the services immediately and when she contacted Brashears in the spring of 2009 to inquire about the timing for the funding disbursement, Brashears responded by saying she hoped Linda (Bell) hadn’t forgot, Palmer said.
Bell informed Palmer in September 2009 she had decided not to fund Wy’east, citing four reasons: (1) her desire to maintain current advertising levels; (2) her desire to keep current funding in place for the county tourism Web site; (3) surveys showed that walk-in visitor centers are less and less important; and (4) county lodging tax revenues had decreased.
In the past two years, Wy’east has continued to absorb costs, for such things as signage, furniture modifications, computer work station for visitor access, brochure displays and additional payroll hours for employees.
“I can’t continue to provide services,” Palmer said. “It’s financially unfeasible. These services cost money. I’m not looking forward to turning people away, but I have no choice.”
by Larry Berteau/MT
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| Mount Hood Claims Another Climber posted on 07/02/2010
(MT) – A sudden turn in the weather, a common event on Mount Hood, and another too common event followed.
Canadian climber Robert Dale Wiebe was killed June 16 after a fall near the area known as the Snow Dome on Mount Hood’s Coe Glacier.
Snow, wind and poor visibility halted efforts of search and rescue crews until the following day when personnel from the Crag Rats, Corvallis Mountain Rescue and Eugene Mountain Rescue were able to successfully recover the body.
“We appreciate all of the help that we received from search and rescue volunteers,” said Chief Deputy Jerry Brown of the Hood River County Sheriff’s Office.
“Today’s mission could not have been completed without their help.”
Wiebe and four other men ascended the mountain June 15 with the intent of skiing down from the area where the accident occurred. Unexpected weather moved into the area – highlighted by high winds and swiftly diminishing visibility.
While navigating past Snow Dome in the harsh conditions other climbers noticed that Wiebe was no longer in sight and it was soon discovered that he had fallen.
After searching the area, he was located approximately 700 feet below on Coe Glacier. Wiebe had fallen from an area at around 9,500 feet.
Wiebe, described as an experienced climber and outdoorsman, was part of the five-man team which included two members of the Crag Rats – a Hood River Valley based search and rescue team.
The climbers were not roped together at the time of the incident.
Better weather the day after the fall allowed crews to navigate to the accident site more than four miles from the base of operations at the Cloud Cap Inn.
“We’re glad that today’s mission was completed without injuries and that Mr. Wiebe will be returned home (Langley, British Columbia) to his family following this tragic event,” said Hood River County Sheriff Joe Wampler.
“Our hearts go out to the family.” |
| SHS Construction Delayed Due to Appeal posted on 07/02/2010
The battle between appellants and applicant were brought onto the field of play at the June 21 Sandy City Council meeting.
At issue was the construction of a new Sandy High, and the council was in position to decide on eight appeals to the planning commission being brought by Kathleen Walker and Ron Bush.
The appeals were presented, city staff made its recommendations regarding the appeals, the Oregon Trail School District (applicant) responded to the appeals, and when the dust had lifted Sandy Mayor Linda Malone postponed city council deliberations and any decision until the night of June 28 – the day The Mountain Times went to press.
The postponement was not contested.
The meeting had labored far into the evening.
The grounds for the appeal were that the planning commission’s decision was wrongly decided, and the applicant did not comply with all standards and criteria listed in the Sandy Municipal Code.
The battle was joined.
“I’m sorry I have to be here tonight,” Walker said, addressing city council. “I’ve been involved from the beginning, getting the bond (for constructing the school) passed. But the process has not been open on the exterior design.”
The appellants disputed the following:
— Pedestrian access
— Use of Cor-ten Steel on the exterior
— Ball field lights
— Vehicle maintenance roads
— Roof lines and use of vertical boards over windows on the siding
— Off-street parking
— Street requirements
— Public utility extensions
Sandy Planning Director Tracy Brown responded to the appeals, giving the city’s recommendations to the council.
Brown recommended a review of the planning commission’s decision on pedestrian access in light of certain code requirements (appeal No. 1), and for council to review applicable code in light of appellant testimony related to construction of Kate Schmitz Avenue (appeal No. 7).
On all other disputes, Brown recommended the council reject the appellants appeals.
Speaking for the applicant (Oregon Trail School District), Portland attorney Brett Mersereau asked all appellant disputes be rejected.
Mersereau put special emphasis on appeals that would force the district to build a path or road through the middle of the school.
“The major issue for us is student safety,” Mersereau said.
“They are asking these paths be open to the public on school property. I challenge the applicants to show us a single school in Oregon that allows such access. The school covers 80 acres. We are not willing to compromise one student for 24-hour access to our school.”
It is now up to city council to weigh the issues and determine how the district should proceed in the construction of the new school.
by Larry Berteau/MT
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| Hoodland Fire Earns Citation for 'Big Night' posted on 07/02/2010
That night will never be forgotten, and now there’s an award to honor it.
It was the second day of the new year, 2009, when the rains came, accompanied by high water and rapid snow melt, and the water had nowhere to go and roads turned to rivers on the Mountain.
Fire Chief Mic Eby was vacationing on the Oregon coast at the time, “enjoying” howling 90 mph winds, and didn’t get back to assist his crews until Jan. 3.
“We call it the ‘big night,’” Eby said. “I returned just in time to get stuck on Lolo Pass on my way to a house fire.”
Trees were down in front of him and a power pole dropped behind him. Local homeowners came to his rescue.
“They brought out their chain saws to cut me out,” Eby said. “They were like little beavers.”
Hoodland Fire, which normally responds to one or two calls a day, received 21 calls in 24 hours during the big night.
“It was non-stop action for 24 hours to be sure,” Eby said. “It probably went on for more like 72 hours.”
The Oregon Fire Chiefs Association presented Hoodland Fire with a Unit Citation for service above and beyond their normal responsibilities to their community. State Fire Marshal Randy Simpson and OFCA President Mark Prince handed out the citation.
That Jan. 2 both the Sandy and Salmon Rivers overflowed their banks, flooding driveways and basements. Log jams upriver on national forest lands released more waters and mud to already overflowing rivers.
It was considered a 100-year flood event.
A historical house on the mountain had 40,000 gallons of water in the basement. With heavy snow, there was the additional problem of where to pump the water to once it was removed. The innovative Hoodland crew used the deck gun to shoot the water over the house and back into the river.
Another family was walked out through waist-high waters.
During those rescues, the rest of the Hoodland heroes had two large mud slides, one of which closed all four lanes of Hwy. 26 – the only access to ambulance and mutual aid assistance.
There were also two road washouts, making it a challenge to reach some parts of the community.
Firefighters had to snowshoe through snow for a mile in the rain. With two motor vehicle crashes with injuries, water problems with sandbagging and seven bridges being monitored for high water damage, the Hoodland crews definitely had a big night.
On the heels of the storm came 85 mph winds. Due to water-soaked ground, trees fell into houses and through power lines, putting most of the Mountain in darkness. Trees were down, blocking roads which had to be cleared in order to reach homes.
Rescuers, dodging falling trees, performed first aid on injured residents. This is when Eby had his route blocked and had to be logged out.
With a core group of four career firefighters and 16 volunteers, the local responders earned the unit citation.
Eby also pointed out the volunteer sandbagging efforts of Explorer scouts on the Mountain’s big night.
Explorers Jeff Wilent, Jonathan Skipper, Trevor Rath and Caitlin Jarvis are being given district citations for their volunteer work.
by Larry Berteau/MT
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| Hoodland Fire Earns Citation for B posted on 07/02/2010
That night will never be forgotten, and now there’s an award to honor it.
It was the second day of the new year, 2009, when the rains came, accompanied by high water and rapid snow melt, and the water had nowhere to go and roads turned to rivers on the Mountain.
Fire Chief Mic Eby was vacationing on the Oregon coast at the time, “enjoying” howling 90 mph winds, and didn’t get back to assist his crews until Jan. 3.
“We call it the ‘big night,’” Eby said. “I returned just in time to get stuck on Lolo Pass on my way to a house fire.”
Trees were down in front of him and a power pole dropped behind him. Local homeowners came to his rescue.
“They brought out their chain saws to cut me out,” Eby said. “They were like little beavers.”
Hoodland Fire, which normally responds to one or two calls a day, received 21 calls in 24 hours during the big night.
“It was non-stop action for 24 hours to be sure,” Eby said. “It probably went on for more like 72 hours.”
The Oregon Fire Chiefs Association presented Hoodland Fire with a Unit Citation for service above and beyond their normal responsibilities to their community. State Fire Marshal Randy Simpson and OFCA President Mark Prince handed out the citation.
That Jan. 2 both the Sandy and Salmon Rivers overflowed their banks, flooding driveways and basements. Log jams upriver on national forest lands released more waters and mud to already overflowing rivers.
It was considered a 100-year flood event.
A historical house on the mountain had 40,000 gallons of water in the basement. With heavy snow, there was the additional problem of where to pump the water to once it was removed. The innovative Hoodland crew used the deck gun to shoot the water over the house and back into the river.
Another family was walked out through waist-high waters.
During those rescues, the rest of the Hoodland heroes had two large mud slides, one of which closed all four lanes of Hwy. 26 – the only access to ambulance and mutual aid assistance.
There were also two road washouts, making it a challenge to reach some parts of the community.
Firefighters had to snowshoe through snow for a mile in the rain. With two motor vehicle crashes with injuries, water problems with sandbagging and seven bridges being monitored for high water damage, the Hoodland crews definitely had a big night.
On the heels of the storm came 85 mph winds. Due to water-soaked ground, trees fell into houses and through power lines, putting most of the Mountain in darkness. Trees were down, blocking roads which had to be cleared in order to reach homes.
Rescuers, dodging falling trees, performed first aid on injured residents. This is when Eby had his route blocked and had to be logged out.
With a core group of four career firefighters and 16 volunteers, the local responders earned the unit citation.
Eby also pointed out the volunteer sandbagging efforts of Explorer scouts on the Mountain’s big night.
Explorers Jeff Wilent, Jonathan Skipper, Trevor Rath and Caitlin Jarvis are being given district citations for their volunteer work. |
| Invasion of the Garlic Mustards posted on 07/02/2010
Just when you thought it was safe to go out.
The plant known as garlic mustard has invaded the Mountain and has its roots planted firmly in the Twilight Zone.
“It sounds like science fiction,” said Russ Plaeger of the Sandy River Basin Watershed Council. “Garlic mustard produces chemical compounds that inhibit the growth of nearby plants. Science fiction, but it’s true. It’s a threat to our native wildflowers.”
And the nasty invasive plant has been spotted on the Salmon River in Welches.
“This is very worrisome because garlic mustard is able to grow in shaded forests where it can take over the forest floor,” Plaeger said. “It had not previously been sighted in this area.”
This shady character can be found in moist areas in the forest and along streams, roads and hiking trails where the seeds have hitched a ride on people or deer. The 1-4 foot tall plant flowers in May to June of their second year and are easier to recognize and control at that time. The white flowers are one-quarter inch wide with four petals arranged in an X as you look down on them. Leaves on the stems alternate, are sharply toothed, triangular, and get smaller toward the top of the stem.
“If you think you’ve found garlic mustard, crush a few leaves,” Plaeger said. “During the spring and summer they’ll give off a strong garlic odor. This is a good way to avoid confusing garlic mustard with two local, native plants: fringecup and piggy-back plant.”
To control this critter it is best to pull plants by hand, put them in bags and dispose of in trash because plants can still produce seeds after you pull them. Mowing is not effective as plants will re-sprout.
It is estimated that invasive plants have a total direct and indirect impact of $125 million per year in lost agricultural production, fire damage, and control expenses in Oregon, according to the Oregon Invasive Species Council. These expenses are absorbed by all Oregonians through increased food costs, higher taxes and decreased property values.
These invaders also have a profound impact on our native ecosystem by displacing diverse native plant communities and replacing them with weedy monocultures. This expansion of invaders alters ecological processes and disrupts complex food webs which adversely affect fish and wildlife. The result is a loss of biodiversity that leaves behind a landscape that is much less productive and less resilient to changing environmental conditions.
Invasive species result in land that is homogenous and less Oregon-like.
The Sandy River Basin Watershed Council and the Mt. Hood National Forest are sponsoring an invasive plant identification workshop from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., July 13, in the banquet room of the Zigzag Inn Restaurant.
by Larry Berteau/MT
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| County Concludes Budget Process posted on 07/02/2010
(MT) — Following several days of public hearings Clackamas County has a new budget.
The county board of commissioners adopted the Fiscal Year 2010-11 budget of $816,763,770 at its June 24 meeting.
“This budget reflects the challenging economic environment we are facing locally and throughout the state,” said Clackamas County Board of Commissioners Chair Lynn Peterson. “But through responsible management and forward-looking leadership we have been able to maintain our service commitment to citizens and provide a safety net to our vulnerable populations.”
The newly adopted budget includes property taxes, dedicated state and federal funds, grants and other revenue sources.
Accepted budgets included:
— Clackamas County ($572,658,929);
— County Development Agency ($78,505,639);
— Enhanced law enforcement district ($5,166,519);
— 4-H Service District ($2,462,760);
— Library District ($13,502,608);
— Parks & Recreation ($14,087,289);
— Water environment services ($127,754,196);
— District 5 street lighting ($2,613,867).
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| Burk, Wilson Elected to Village Board posted on 06/03/2010
There were surprises at a couple levels for board members of the Villages at Mt. Hood.
In an election held May 15 at the Town Hall Meeting, Carol Burk and George Wilson were voted to fill two of the three open board positions, but Rick Applegate fell short on the ballot count.
Community members were allowed to vote for any (or all) of the three hopefuls.
Burk was the top candidate, garnering 50 votes from the 78 ballots. Wilson, who had served on the board as an interim appointee before winning the previous election, picked up 41 votes. Applegate received 37 votes.
But the by-laws of the Villages state clearly that a candidate must get a majority of all the votes cast, invoking a 50 percent-plus-one rule, meaning 40 votes were required to be elected.
There were only three candidates for the three open positions.
Several board members, including Wilson, Applegate and sitting board member Pat Buckley were not aware of the majority requirement.
Bob Reeves, chair of the Villages, knew of the rule.
“Fifty plus one has always been there,” Reeves said.
Applegate was philosophical about his failure to continue, having been on the board since its inception and having held the post of the Villages’ first chair.
“The community has a right to choose,” Applegate said. “If you stand for integrity, you have to abide by the community’s voice. I’ve been there. It’s been a long and bloody battle.”
Wilson was not pleased that Applegate came up short.
“I am disappointed for Rick,” Wilson said. “He’s contributed a phenomenal amount. It is a loss for the community.”
Despite his conciliatory affect, Applegate did not go quietly from the board.
“I’ve long been a proponent of having positions on the board, not an open election,” he said. “You should be able to decide between one candidate and another.”
Applegate also divined the possible reason for his defeat.
“It’s political. I’m a proponent of transparency, but it can be used against you.”
Burk’s election followed on the heels of a failed attempt last year when she came up short on the 50-plus-one rule.
“The first time I tried, I didn’t make it, just like Rick this time,” Burk said. “But this time, I’m in. I said ‘wow’ (when the vote was announced). I was pleased at the support of my friends.”
And, as an aside, she added to the thought. “I go to every meeting anyway, so why not have a vote.”
Burk has been a member of the local Chamber of Commerce for nine years and is on the Tourism Action Plan board.
“We need to get all these groups working together,” she said. “We’ll get more done and make a difference.”
Wilson took his appointment, almost, in stride.
“I was hopeful,” he said. “But you never know what’s going to happen.”
Wilson is a strong advocate against the exploitation of local resources, and believes the community must come together for future planning or it will be done from outside by those who do not have our best interests in mind.
In other business the Villages board:
— Presented plaques to Judith Norval and Nancy Dougherty for appreciation of their services to the board; and
— Hosted a roundtable of political hopefuls (County Commission) Paul Savas, Jim Bernard, Dan Holladay and Kevin Strausser; and (County Clerk) candidates Sherry Hall and Melody Thompson.
by Larry Berteau/MT
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| Design Approved, Sandy High Gets Green Light posted on 06/03/2010
In hard-hat parlance, it’s shovel ready.
The machinery started fueling up in November 2008 when Oregon Trail School District voters approved a $115 million bond measure to build a new Sandy High.
Now, barring any last-minute appeals, construction is set for July 7 with a groundbreaking ceremony to mark the spot.
“I want to thank the Sandy Planning Commission for approving the new high school land-use application and giving the go-ahead to start work on our new campus,” Superintendent Shelley Redinger said. “It was quite an involved process to reach a final design that everyone could agree to, but the result will be a fabulous education facility for our community.”
Planning Director Tracy Brown issued the final order May 20, one week after the planning commission unanimously passed the district’s effort to receive a conditional land-use permit.
The decision did not come without opposition, as Kathleen Walker, chair of Sandy’s park board, had opposed the architectural style and expressed concerns regarding north-south pedestrian connectivity with Bell Street (which fronts the new school) to Bluff Road.
Brown believes the process went relatively smoothly.
“There’s nothing really to compare it to in the sense of its size,” he said. “The district made some necessary changes, but it went in an expedient fashion. We wanted to work with them and it helped that we weren’t as busy as other times.”
Brown has no knowledge of an impending appeal.
“There are rumors and rumblings,” he said. “But until someone puts up the money?”
Ultimately, the land-use approval included two variances: (1) maximum building structure height (35 feet), to allow construction of an 81-foot theater/auditorium fly loft and gymnasium; and (2) minimum bicycle requirements – from 593 to 96.
Konell now goes to work.
“It’s exciting to finally see local workers (from Konell) setting up to break ground,” Redinger said. “So many of our community members have been waiting to be put to work, and this week they will throw on their rain gear and begin the tree removal process.”
Barring any appeals, that is.
by Larry Berteau/MT
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| Tim Rim Trustees Resign from Board posted on 06/03/2010
The winds of change blew through Timberline Rim.
A concerted effort to recall six trustees of the homeowner’s association was averted when the members resigned in advance of the recall.
At the May 15 meeting, President Carlin Irish, Vice-President Rod Stewart, Treasurer Joe Evans, trustees Louise Hoyt and Judy Baumbarte resigned from the board. Irish did not attend but stepped down by proxy. Blythe Nordbye had resigned prior to the meeting. Lynn Richartz also removed herself as secretary of the Architectural Review Committee.
The flap grew out of board dissenters who claimed that six members of the board were engaging in secretive board meetings and appointments; changing rates and fines without homeowner input and voting; improper oversight of the water company; lack of accountability regarding financial statements; no input to architectural review committee changes; and oppressive lawsuits and garnishments against homeowners. These claims were denied by the six members who have subsequently resigned.
“We are pleased by the events of Saturday and we are ready to start healing the community,” said Patti Hatzi, one of the ramrods of the recall effort.
Members wasted no time in filling the vacant posts. Brian Floyd is the new president, Glenn Kraski is the secretary and Richard Niday is treasurer. Other board members include Greg Skipper, Shannon Harman and Ian Lenon.
“There are three open board positions which (still) need to be filled,” David Buoy wrote in an e-mail to homeowners. “There will also be openings at the September annual meeting, as two terms will expire. More important than being on the board is the willingness to serve on committees that fulfill specific needs of the community.”
The first committee being formed is for rewriting the CC&Rs, and Don Shay will head up that group, as well as move forward with the fire and safety work that is required with the looming fire season.
Kim Woods-Saldana is forming a helping-hands committee to offer assistance and support to Tim Rim members who are in need.
Hatzi and Lilli Sawyer stepped into positions on the architectural review committee.
“Much of the work of the new board is discovery,” Buoy wrote. “There are many documents to deal with, registrations to renew and file, and items from the audit that require attention.”
David Schwindt spoke to members about the audit, and Hatzi secured a copy.
“There are no red flags, just a few areas that need attention,” she said.
“The one that sticks out is that the members’ money is in an account that is not FDIC insured, although law requires that it must be in an insured account.”
by Larry Berteau/MT
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| Turnout Higher than Expected; Govy Voters Shun City Notion posted on 06/03/2010
Government Camp will remain un-citified, Welches Senator Rick Metsger fell short in his primary bid for state treasurer, former governor John Kitzhaber took a giant leap forward in his comeback effort, Jim Bernard held his seat with the county, and County Clerk Sherry Hall is headed for a November runoff.
In what elections officials feared was going to be a feeble turnout for the May 18 primary election, Oregonians rallied with late ballots and reached 41 percent statewide. Secretary of State Kate Brown had predicted a 38 percent showing. Republicans topped the voting public with 50 percent, Democrats checked in at 45 percent, while unaffiliated and minor party voters turned out at 24 percent.
Government Camp
Of the 138 registered voters in Government Camp, 72 cast ballots on Measure 3-354 which would have made it Oregon’s newest incorporated city. The measure failed, with 42 (58 percent) No votes versus 30 (42 percent) Yes votes.
Spirited campaigns were waged on the measure with Maryanne Hill, 88, the spearhead for incorporation, and Maryellen Englesby, 75, leading the battle against the measure.
Five hopefuls were on the ballot for city council positions – John Bay, Ulla Brunette, Signe Lawrence, Charles Sperr and Andy Tagliafico – but with no city to council they also failed.
State Treasurer
Rick Metsger, of Welches, lost the Democratic primary to Treasurer Ted Wheeler, with Metsger tallying 11,681 (38 percent) of the votes to Wheeler’s 19,202 (62 percent).
Both candidates ran on reform platforms they said were needed in the department. Metsger differed from Wheeler in saying the appointee’s reforms did not go far enough to rebuild public trust.
Wheeler had been appointed to the position in March by Gov. Ted Kulongoski following the death of then-Treasurer Ben Westlund.
Metsger previously announced he was retiring from the Legislature.
Governor
Former Governor John Kitzhaber tossed aside his major opponent, Bill Bradbury, in the Democratic primary with a 66-30 percent edge. Kitzhaber’s margin of victory was substantial in Clackamas County as well, defeating Bradbury by 62-32 percent.
Kitzhaber will now face off against Republican primary winner Chris Dudley who edged out Allen Alley 40-32 percent. Dudley breezed past Alley with a more convincing margin in Clackamas County, 46-32 percent.
County Commissioner
In the race for Position 5, Jim Bernard reclaimed his seat by capturing 30,505 votes (55 percent) in the county. His main competitor was Dan Holladay with 18,549 votes (33 percent) while Kevin Strauser checked in with 6,621 votes (12 percent).
Bernard is a former mayor of Milwaukie and took office to the five-member commission in 2008.
Commissioner Bob Austin, former mayor of Estacada, will face a runoff with Paul Savas in November.
Commissioner Ann Lininger faces off against James Needham in November. The contest was initially listed on the May ballot, but County Clerk Sherry Hall removed it from the ballot saying the county had erred in listing the race.
County Clerk
Sherry Hall, no doubt suffering at the polls to some degree due to the Lininger-Needham error that cost the county $180,000 to reprint the ballots, was unable to win the necessary majority despite garnering the most votes.
Hall received 28,693 votes (48 percent), followed by Canby Mayor Melody Thompson with 21,378 votes (38 percent) and Deputy Clerk Barbara Stringham with 7,829 votes (14 percent).
Hall will be opposed by Thompson in the November election.
Measures
The Yes team won on both measures 68 and 69.
The margin of victory for Measure 68, to allow the state to issue bonds for voter approved school capital costs won handily by a 43,847 to 23,515 margin (65-35 percent) in Clackamas County, and by 64-36 percent statewide.
Measure 69, to continue authority for lowest cost borrowing for public colleges and universities, carried the county with 49,009 votes (73 percent) to 18,440 votes (27 percent). The margin was 71-29 percent statewide.
by Larry Berteau/MT
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| Last-ditch Effort Under Way to Preserve Rhody CPO posted on 06/03/2010
“Too few are doing too much, too often, for too many.”
With those words Rhododendron CPO President Steve Graeper appeared to sound the death knell of the Mountain organization.
But before the May 15 meeting was gaveled to a close the CPO still had a heartbeat, although the diagnosis suggested it was on life support.
The six beleaguered officers and board members stepped down – mostly out of frustration with the lack of community support – but Secretary-Treasurer Sharon Lamoreaux stepped up to take an officer’s position and keep the heart of the organization ticking.
Graeper had sent out notices to Rhody citizens that their attendance was required at the meeting. Besides the board, three people attended the meeting.
“I see by the attendance a lot of people are concerned,” Graeper said, tongue in cheek. “I sent out personal e-mails. No one showed up.”
In 2004, the CPO had become relatively inactive before officer Nancy Dougherty spearheaded an effort to re-establish the organization.
“We wanted to have a say in what goes on in Rhododendron,” Dougherty said. “We re-wrote the by-laws and it seemed to thrive again. Now, we have to get them (Rhody citizens) to come out of the woodwork. I just don’t know how.”
Graeper spelled out what would be lost if the CPO folds.
“We would lose a community presence for Rhody with the county commissioners,” he said. “If we disband we would have no say in land-use issues. These issues could go to the Mt. Hood Corridor CPO, but there would be no connection to Rhody. Perhaps that threat may be what is necessary.”
Graeper also lamented the loss of the Main Street Program which serves to improve traffic safety with road signage, plus planting efforts and painting of some businesses, plus access to such groups as Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service.
“We are witnessing the dying of a community,” he said.
But with the move to save the CPO by Lamoreaux a vote was taken.
“The consensus is the CPO won’t disband,” Graeper said. “We need new leadership. Nominations for five positions (reduced from the previous seven slots) will be held at the next meeting.”
That meeting is scheduled for 10:30 a.m., July 17, at the Zigzag Inn.
by Larry Berteau/MT
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| Mountain Takes Power Hit from Howling Wind posted on 06/03/2010
Wildwood lived up to its name as high winds swept through the community knocking out power throughout Welches, Brightwood and Wemme as well.
A large tree was felled by the zephyr and draped across power lines on the eastbound shoulder of Hwy. 26 at Wildwood Avenue May 19.
The weight of the tree on the lines snapped two power poles prompting the outage.
Hwy. 26 was shut down for more than two hours and Oregon State Police officers diverted traffic off the highway around Barlow Trail Road.
PGE crews were summoned to the scene and were assisted by Hoodland Fire Department and Oregon Department of Transportation personnel. |
| SUSPECTED 'CHAINSAW CHICKEN' IN CUSTODY posted on 05/02/2010
A 13-year-old male is in custody, suspected of cutting the trees and power poles on Cherryville Hill and starting fires in the area.
The Sandy youth is charged with first-degree arson; second-degree arson; reckless burning; first-degree criminal mischief, multiple counts; and second-degree criminal mischief, multiple counts.
The suspect’s name has not been released but authorities said he lives with his family in the Sandy area.
“The suspect is being referred to by locals as the Chainsaw Chicken due to the fact this suspect moves under the cover of darkness and makes a lot of noise,” said Detective
Jim Strovink, public information officer for the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office, prior to the boy being taken into custody.
The arrest was made April 27 and the boy was to appear in Clackamas County Juvenile Court April 28.
“This investigative effort and custody provides all the investigators involved with a great sense of pride and relief,” a lead sheriff’s office investigator said. “However, detectives are most gratified knowing the residents of this community can once again feel safe and secure at night.”
Investigators believe the suspect is responsible for burglaries and arson events since “at least December 2009.”
The senseless cutting of trees on Cherryville Hill – that fell across Hwy. 26 – began in January but escalated in April to include power poles, and a tragic accident was narrowly avoided April 11.
Molly Oregan, 20, of Brightwood, crashed her Subaru Impreza into a large tree across the eastbound lane at milepost 31. It was a midnight collision and Oregan – who had been celebrating her birthday – was unable to stop and met the tree head-on.
Fortunately, she was wearing safety restraints and her airbag deployed.
She was treated at the scene for what were called “minor injuries.”
Shortly after midnight, April 16, sheriff’s officers responded to another tree cutting incident in the same area. This time, as well as trees, deputies discovered two PGE power poles were down as well.
PGE personnel responded to the power outage and were able to restore service to an estimated 500 residents in the vicinity who lost power as a result of the criminal activity.
These incidents followed in the aftermath of four other known incidents in the same area over a two-week period in January and early February. All the investigations indicated the trees were cut using chainsaws and axes.
Neighborhood Watch groups were formed in the Cherryville Hill area and citizens were patrolling their community late at night in an effort to foil the chainsaw-wielding vandal.
The key investigative break occurred during the collection of evidence from an arson investigation that was ongoing in the same area as the chainsaw incidents, according to CCSO authorities.
by Larry Berteau/MT
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| HOODLAND FRUIT STAND LIVES ON posted on 05/02/2010
Despite the slings and arrows, the outrageous fortune, the anonymous complainant, the governmental red tape, the Hoodland Fruit Stand survives.
Cliff Davis, 72, the seven-year proprietor of the 42-year-old iconic business in Brightwood, is moving – and it’s a story of Mountain determination.
After all these years of operation, suddenly the fruit stand had a code problem. The county got after Davis, he tried to solve it, but finally gave up.
“Two trips (to Oregon City) and a bunch of voice mails didn’t get me anywhere,” Davis said, grinning sardonically. “So I decided to go somewhere else.”
The new location is at the former Welches Garden Center across Hwy. 26 from the Clackamas County Bank.
“It’s a sizeable increase in rent,” he said. “So I won’t make any money. But I’ll hang on.”
Davis was confronted with the problem through a letter from the county in August last year accusing him of building without a permit. He responded, saying the building had been there for more than 40 years.
Closing over the winter, as usual, Davis returned to open his fruit stand when a March 11 letter from the county informed him he had to go before a Land Use Review Board.
“That wasn’t an option,” he said. “That’s about a 4 to 5 grand deal.”
The problem, according to the county, was that Davis had put in a free-standing floor which changed the code required for the stand.
“I told them I had put in the floor because the health department said I had to,” Davis said. “That didn’t matter, so I told them I’d take it out.”
It didn’t end there. The county added another obstacle, saying he’d never make it past the review board without a traffic investigation, and, there was a lack of parking space.
Davis was also foiled in attempting to find out who had filed the complaint. The county claimed it was an anonymous complaint, and when he attempted to press the issue by filing a freedom of information request he was told that person wasn’t in the office that particular day.
That was enough for Davis. There was only one way to move forward and that was to move to Welches.
His son, Scott Davis, were ripping down the old stand as The Mountain Times went to press. His plan for the new location is to be open by Mother’s Day weekend.
What did he learn?
“Having gone through the state agencies to begin with, I discovered there were other agencies I should have been in communication with,” he said. “So, I learned to call every agency, state, county, check them all, up to but not including the Canadian government.
by Larry Berteau/MT
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| TIM RIM FLAP KEEPS FLUTTERING posted on 05/02/2010
Trustees of the Timberline Rim Homeowners Association are feeling the heat.
During a board of trustees meeting April 17 at the Timberline Rim Lodge, 58 home-owners showed up, and the majority were there to voice their opposition to six of the sitting trustees.
According to the dissenters, six trustees (of the nine) were recalled last month, but the six board members stood firm insisting the recall had not followed proper procedures.
Association President Carlin Irish said, on advice from retained attorney Gregory Coxey, that 42 valid signatures are required for a recall of board members. And the petition must include signatures.
Homeowner Patti Hatzi, who was among those leading the recall effort, then volunteered to head a committee to obtain the proper signatures.
“If necessary, we can run the vote under the guidance of Tim Rim’s attorney, although most neighbors feel we have spent enough of the membership’s funds (more than $3,500) on this matter,” Hatzi said. “This matter should be dealt with quickly, as a delay in the process would certainly further damage the membership.”
“We’ll look into it,” was Irish’s response.
According to Hatzi, the recall signatures were delivered to Coxey and the Tim Rim office April 19. In an e-mail to Irish, Hatzi wrote: “Since the board is now in possession of the required signatures, please set the time and date for the special meeting, so the members of Timberline Rim can hold the vote and we can move forward.”
As of press deadline, Hatzi had not received a response.
In the meantime, the six-trustee majority has suffered setbacks. Blythe Nordby and Judy Baumgarte resigned from the board following the April 17 meeting.
That leaves Irish, Vice-President Rod Stewart, Treasurer Joe Evans and Louise Holt in the line of fire for the recall.
Trustees Greg Skipper, Brian Floyd and Shannon Hermann are the three members not included in the recall effort.
The uprising revolves around several contentious claims, including: secretive board meetings and appointments; changing of rates and fines without homeowner input and voting; improper oversight of the water company; lack of accountability regarding financial statements; no input to architectural review committee changes; oppressive lawsuits and garnishments against owners; and most recently a cease and desist letter from Coxey.
Irish and Edwards, especially, deny all the allegations, standing firm against the recall. However, Irish agreed that if the process is handled properly there will be a vote on recalling board members.
“Get the signatures, including their lot numbers, and if they are in good standing (in the association), then yes (we will proceed),” Irish said.
According to Hatzi, the signatures have been attained.
“You (Irish) spoke of your sincere desire to listen to and act upon the will of the membership,” Hatzi wrote in the e-mail. “To that end, may I once again ask that you set the date and time, quickly, for the membership to vote and the will of the majority to prevail.”
by Larry Berteau/MT
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| MILLER FINDS HIS WAY -- IN A CAGE posted on 05/02/2010
To many in the Mountain community he’s a home-grown guy, but when he steps into a cage he’s known as Trigger.
Zac Miller, 22, is undefeated as an amateur cage fighter, having prevailed in his first three bouts for the Team Quest Fight Club.
“I’m the youngest of four brothers and kept getting in trouble as a kid,” Miller said. “But I finally found something I could focus on. I transitioned from a street fighter to a martial artist. Now, I have nothing to prove (outside the cage). I’m really proud of that.”
The transition wasn’t an easy one for a kid who grew up on the Mountain, from pre-school through Welches schools to graduating from Sandy High.
“I remember showing up at home with a black eye, and facing my mom,” he said. “That wasn’t easy at all.”
His mom, Connie Miller, remembers Zac’s run-ins.
“He’d come home after a scrape,” she said. “It was difficult. He is so sweet, and he was the youngest. I think he had things to prove. Also, he was always trying to settle things, standing up for his friends.”
After Zac graduated high school Connie went to him and said “I just want you to be happy. Find something to make yourself happy.”
Months later, Zac found that something.
“He came to me and said ‘I want to fight,’” Connie said. “My response was ‘Oh no, no, that’s not what I meant.’”
Connie was slowly won over when Zac emptied out the garage in the Zigzag home, got some mats from Debbie Borge (vice-principal of Welches schools), got a punching bag and started training every day.
“He trained all summer,’ Connie said. “When his first fight came up, I didn’t want to go. But I went. It was terrifying. It was the most difficult thing I had ever done with any of my children. Fortunately, it was real quick.”
Thirty seconds into the first round, in July of 2008 at the Roseland Theater in Portland, Zac took out Tristan (the Creeper) John in 30 seconds of the second round.
“I got him in a choke hold and he submitted,” Zac said with the nonchalance that stands in stark contrast to his cage persona.
Fight No. 2, in January of this year, was even quicker. A rear naked choke hold in 45 seconds of the first round saw Chris (Bricks) Warden submit to the Trigger.
A guillotine hold on Hamsa Salim March 6 in 25 seconds of the first round wrapped up the third fight for the undefeated Mountain fighter.
The nickname, Trigger, comes from the dual revolvers he has tattooed on his lower front abdomen.
“It also fits my style,” Zac said. “I come out quick. I don’t mess around feeling out my opponent.”
A large contingent from the Mountain accompanies him to his fights, and that includes his mom.
“She’s now my No. 1 fan,” Zac said. “Besides Nick (26, older brother), she’s the loudest one in the crowd.”
“He’s right,” Connie said. “I’m the loudest one there. He comes out like Killer Miller. When he lands a kick I yell ‘Kick him again.’ But it’s a sport and I look at it that way. All his brothers were athletes as well. I’m very proud of him.”
The announcers have taken to the fans that show up for Zac’s fights.
“They always mention the Mountain crowd,” Connie said. “They make jokes about how they do things in Zigzag beside rolling papers.”
Zac’s dreams include turning professional, and admits that promoters have their eye on him.
“Kevin Keeney (promoter for the professional Full Contact Fighting Federation) has been a big backer.”
But Zac knows that a pro cage fighter’s career can be a short one due to injuries, so his dreams go beyond that.
“I want my own gym,” he said. “I love kids and I’ve been around them all my life (Connie runs a daycare facility). I want to train them. Growing up on the Mountain there aren’t a lot of things to do when you’re young. I want to keep them out of trouble. If I had a gym as a kid, I wouldn’t have been in so much trouble.”
Zac trains at Team Quest in Gresham five days a week and works at the Resort on the Mountain on weekends.
Undefeated, Trigger is in training, reloading for his next test May 22 at Roseland.
by Larry Berteau/MT
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| THE MOUNTAIN GOES GREEN posted on 05/02/2010
A packed house went green at the community’s first sustainability event.
The Mt Hood Green Scene Fair offered recycling opportunities that included everything that lurks in the storage shed — from old computers and Styrofoam blocks to batteries, fluorescent bulbs and scrap metal.
Plenty of information was on hand at the various booths to learn about composting and worm bins, green building, solar resources, sustainable living and recognizing invasive species in our community.
The April 24 turnout at Welches Middle School (estimated at more than 400) was a pleasant surprise to organizer Doug Saldivar.
“I’m really glad that the community is showing so much interest in sustainability,” Saldivar said. “I’m especially glad that the high school and middle school kids are here learning and participating. Now that we have seen how many of us are interested in sustainable living it’s time to start activities and changes to make this a reality.”
Chris Page of Page’s Mt. Hood Auto & Tire collected tires to recycle.
“One guy brought in about 50 tires,” Page said. “There were tires from the 30s and 40s, and one tire in particular was probably from the 20s. It had about five tires wrapped around each other. That used to happen back then.”
He felt the tire recycling effort was a big hit.
An electric car was on display courtesy of The Oregon Electric Vehicle Association. A petite little car with three wheels, it seats one person, and sports a handy storage area in the rear.
Kids activities included craft making with recycled items, face painting and a scavenger hunt.
A used book sale by the Friends of the Hoodland Library offered something for readers of all ages.
There were plenty of feet tapping and fingers snapping as the crowd listened to guitars, mandolins and ukuleles courtesy of McLundy’s Green Room.
A dramatic production of the Dr. Seuss story, The Lorax, was presented by Sandy High students.
At day’s end, almost 7,000 pounds of recycled goods were collected. Discarded batteries alone accounted for 160 pounds, cardboard 400 pounds, scrap metal 60 pounds and newspaper 60 pounds.
Twenty-seven pairs of glasses were collected, 150 tires, 12 cubic yards of Styrofoam and 140 flourescent bulbs containing mercury.
The event was sponsored by the Sustainable Hoodland Network, the Villages at Mt. Hood, and the Clackamas County Office of Sustainability.
The fair was funded by a grant from Portland Recycling Team.
Watch The Mountain Times for follow up Mt Hood Green Scene meeting dates and times or contact Doug Saldivar at plazatrail@gmail.com.
by Frances Berteau/MT
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| THESE SENTINELS LEAVE A LEGACY posted on 05/02/2010
(This is the third in a series on native plants that will help maintain the health of our local landscapes and waterways.)
Oh, the stories they could tell.
For thousands of years our great mountains have held them close and our rushing rivers have saluted them.
The Douglas fir, Western red-cedar and red alder are our quiet sentinels, standing tall and majestic, shading wider sections of our rivers to maintain the cool temperatures that salmon need to survive.
“We recognize the important value of trees in the buffer zone along local rivers and creeks and ask residents to maintain native vegetation in at least 75 percent of that zone,” said Russ Plaeger of the Sandy River Basin Watershed Council. “A healthy buffer zone is good for you, your property and fish and wildlife.”
Given their great size and longevity, it is best to plant these trees in places where they will have room to grow to their full potential.
The seeds of the firs and cedars attract flocks of birds such as grosbeaks, nuthatches and siskins in the autumn. Birds and flying squirrels nest in their cavities of the mature trees while the deeply fluted bark of the old firs provides habitat for hundreds of creatures.
“While we often think of standing trees as providing wildlife habitat, firs and cedars that fall into a stream also play an extremely important role,” Plaeger said. “As water flows over and around fallen trees it scours out pools that provide salmon with cold water refuges on hot summer days. That’s one reason why the watershed council partners with private landowners to add wood to streams where appropriate.”
Large wood helps form the backbone of a stream, and trees that were planted by watershed council volunteers this winter may fall into the water 200 years from now.
“Planting a tree means leaving a legacy for future generations of people, fish and wildlife,” Plaeger said.
It takes many needles breaking out each spring from the Douglas fir’s sharp pointed buds and many years to reach its grand height of more than 200 feet, but they are up to the task. While they can grow in partial shade, Douglas firs will do best in full sun on a moist to dry site that has good drainage.
Red-cedars are shade tolerant so they can be successfully planted under a canopy of alders if there are alders already growing on the land. They will take their rightful place as the next forest when the alders die off. Cedars are usually wind-firm, rarely shed limbs and can be pruned if needed. The flattened foliage forms graceful sprays on limbs that tend to turn upward at the ends. Northwest coast natives used the gray to reddish-brown, fibrous bark to make baskets, rope and clothing.
Alders will often seed on a site after ground disturbance, and they’re good for creating quick cover or screening. The deciduous leaves provide food for the larvae of swallowtail butterflies and aquatic insects that in turn are eaten by fish. The leaves are elliptical with toothed edges, a pointy tip, and alternate along the limbs. The smooth, gray bark is easily recognized by the white patches of lichens that attach to it. The roots of alders provide a home for bacteria than can fix atmospheric nitrogen into a form usable by plants, thus improving soil fertility.
Treat our forests and streams kindly. These sentinels are watching, listening, and tell stories.
by Larry Berteau/MT
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| RHODY ANGLER LANDS CASTING TROPHY posted on 05/02/2010
It was love at first sight.
When Mia Sheppard first saw her husband, Marty, Spey cast a fly line nine years ago, she was smitten.
“It was beautiful,” she said. “It was art. It’s like dancing with the rod. It’s sexy. I said ‘I want to do that.’”
The result is evident. Sheppard captured the first-place trophy at the international competition in San Francisco.
The Spey-O-Rama Casting Festival was held at the casting ponds in Golden Gate Park April 9, 10 and 11. The event featured the three ways to cast a fly line: the roll cast, the overhead cast and the Spey cast.
The latter was developed in Scotland and is the most often used with two-handed fly rods.
And the Spey cast was the event in which Sheppard excelled.
The competition was fierce, with three former champions pitted against the Mountain angler.
“I kept my wits about me,” she said. “I know a little bit about self-control from my snowboarding experience.”
Modesty prevented her from too much ballyhoo.
“Let’s just say I was on it a little bit more (that day).”
She was more like IN it than ON it, standing in water to her upper thighs, in the rain, casting into a head wind, wielding a 15-foot rod, Spey casting line 120 feet, while being judged for distance and accuracy.
“It was nasty,” she said. “The wind and rain were blowing lines out of place.”
But Sheppard prevailed. She had come a long way since “Uncle Gary” first took her fishing when she was eight.
Unlike some fly fishermen, Sheppard does not count herself among the elitists who frown on other styles of fishing.
“I’m aware (of the elitism) but I have bait fishermen friends,” she said. “My only thing is I want to keep down the mortality rate in our wild fish. There aren’t a lot left. “
She went on to explain the difference.
“Fish swallow bait, but they don’t swallow a fly.”
Sheppard practices catch and release, but will keep a hatchery fish to “keep them out of the gene pool.”
The fishing experience, for this Mountain angler, is a highly personal and solitary thing.
“It gets me outside,” she said. “I’m on the water. That’s my place. You get to just be there, connect with nature. It’s Zen-like. I love it.”
Mia and Marty own Little Creek Outfitters in Rhododendron and are fly-fishing guides on the Sandy and other Oregon rivers. They are part of a May 14, 15, 16 event to be held at Oxbow Park where they will be making fly fishing presentations.
“Just show up,” she said. “It’s free. If you come up to me and say ‘Hey, teach me how to fish,’ I will.”
But beware. By showing up you might get hooked.
by Larry Berteau/MT
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| 'Weed and Seed' Detective Sent to Prison posted on 04/03/2010
The jail door slammed shut on former Clackamas County Sheriff’s Deputy Brandon Claggett.
Claggett, 38, was sentenced to seven years in prison March 16 in Clackamas County Circuit Court for assault and other crimes. Earlier this year he pleaded no contest to coercion with a firearm, unlawful use of weapons and fourth-degree assault.
One of Claggett’s victims, his ex-wife, testified before Circuit Judge Robert Herndon, saying he will be a danger forever, stating that Claggett twice tried to kill her as well as a man she was dating after they separated.
“I fear that after he serves his time he will come for me again,” she told the judge. “Whatever sentence he gets, I feel is adding to my life expectancy.”
Claggett, who was dubbed the “Weed and Seed” detective for the Mountain community, had a long history of abuse that multiple local residents had stated in anecdotal stories brought to the attention of The Mountain Times. These incidents dated back to 2008 when a police investigation found he had taken a teenage girl on unauthorized ride-alongs in his sheriff’s patrol car and had sent sexually explicit e-mails to her while on duty.
Criminal prosecution was shelved at that time when Claggett resigned from the job.
In April, 2009, the former deputy held his wife at gunpoint, held her hostage, and threatened her life at an Oregon City house they once shared.
In July, 2009, Claggett was arrested again when he held a Sandy resident at gun point, thinking his wife was staying at the residence.
Claggett was remanded at a state mental hospital having been deemed to be suffering from mental disease or defect and unable to proceed with a trial.
Subsequently, he had to face the court.
Claggett will be credited for the last eight months he has been held and must pay a $1,300 fine.
So the saga comes to a close for the disgraced deputy – at least for the next six years and four months.
by Larry Berteau/MT
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| Fields Lands Principal's Position posted on 04/03/2010
Tim Fields will take the principal’s chair at Welches Schools in August, pending school board approval April 12.
The announcement was made by the Oregon Trail School District after Fields cleared the hurdle of more than 60 candidates for the position, and after being interviewed with five other candidates by a committee of Welches staff and parents.
“I am so impressed with the sense of community in Welches,” Fields said. “It is important to me to carry out my administrative work in a community that values and takes pride in its schools.”
om the West Linn-Wilsonville School District where he is currently serving as assistant principal at Rosemont Ridge Middle School. He launched his career in education 19 years ago as a language arts and social studies teacher at Fowler Middle School in the Tigard-Tualatin School District and has spent the past six years in administration – first as assistant principal at West Linn High prior to moving to Rosemont Ridge.
“I believe Tim will be an inspiring instructional leader, a strong student and family advocate, and overall a good fit for our Mountain community,” said Oregon Trail School District Superintendent Shelley Redinger. “I look forward to working with him.”
Fields told The Mountain Times his first response to Redinger’s offer was “You bet,” quickly followed by “Definitely, heck yes.”
Recently divorced, Fields presently house sits for a friend in Hillsboro, but has already contacted a realtor on the Mountain.
“I’m absolutely moving up there,” he said. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Outstanding recommendations flowed in from former administrators.
“It is always clear that Tim wants to do what is right for the students involved,” said West Linn-Wilsonville Superintendent Roger Woehl. “Tim enjoys mixing it up with his students.”
Debi Briggs-Crispin, Rosemont Ridge principal, said Fields is a people person.
“He has a wonderful way of connecting with students, staff and the community as a whole,” she said. “Tim has a wonderful sense of humor and a zest for life.”
by Larry Berteau/MT
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| McKinney Leaves Post Early, Ruled 'Ineffective' posted on 04/03/2010
If the music stops in the principal’s office, grab a chair, quick.
One year ago Mike Sutton was the principal at Welches School, serving out the final months of his tenure, having opted for early retirement.
Today, Sutton is back in his familiar chair, serving as interim principal, keeping the seat warm for a newly hired principal.
In the interim, Michael McKinney’s six-month occupation of the chair has
come and gone.
McKinney announced his impending resignation last month (see Mountain Times, March issue) to pursue his doctorate degree in education. After being hired at the beginning of this school year, he was scheduled to leave at the end of the school year.
However, since his announcement, it came to the attention of school district officials that his “effectiveness at the school was compromised,” said Ken Bucchi, Oregon Trail School District Director of Human Resources. “Once the announcement was made, things started eroding … (and) he recognized that.”
“We initiated it (his leaving early),” Superintendent Shelley Redinger told The Mountain Times in an interview at her office. “We learned of his ineffectiveness and took the lead. He agreed … I might have had to do some damage control if we hadn’t done anything.”
The issue came to the attention of the district through teachers saying McKinney’s attention was divided (since his announcement to leave at the end of the school year), according to Bucchi.
“After announcing his leaving I knew it was going to be more difficult,” Bucchi said. “The ‘fit’ is important, especially at Welches with the close-knit community.”
Redinger echoed Bucchi’s sentiments.
“In our search for a new principal we are paying close attention to the ‘fit’ aspect of the applicant,” Redinger said. “At Welches, being the principal is a lifestyle, not a job.”
Still under contract through the end of the school year, McKinney was retained as a home tutor and translator for the district.
McKinney served as principal for two years at Firwood Elementary prior to his brief stint at Welches.
by Larry Berteau/MT
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| Timberline Rim Homeowners Revolt Against Six Trustees posted on 04/03/2010
It may not be the Hatfields and McCoys, but lines have been drawn in the dirt of Timberline Rim.
Six of the nine trustees of the homeowners association have been removed from office.
Or have they?
According to the 144 home-owners who showed up at a March 20 meeting – including three of the trustees – President Carlin Irish, Vice President Rod Stewart, Treasurer Joe Evans, and trustees Blythe Nordby, Judy Baumgarte and Louise Holt have been removed from the board of the non-profit corporation.
Trustees Greg Skipper, Brian Floyd and Shannon Hermann remain as the lone board members, and the only three who attended the special meeting.
But the six trustees that were shelved don’t see it that way and insist they’re still in charge.
The uprising revolves around several contentious claims of some of the home-owners, including: secretive board meetings and appointments; changing of rates and fines without homeowner input and voting; improper oversight of water company; lack of accountability regarding financial statements; no input to architectural review committee changes; and oppressive lawsuits and garnishments against owners.
“Proof of their secretiveness is that we’ve demanded financial statements, and all we hear back is ‘We can’t do it, we’re too busy,’” said home-owner David Buoy. “We’ve been trying to get them since last year. We still don’t have one.”
Stewart, one of the supposedly ousted trustees, disagrees with Buoy.
“We just had an audit,” Stewart said. “It’s available at the office. These people want us to mail them all copies. We can’t send everything out. All they have to do is come to the office.”
At the March 20 meeting 144 homeowners showed up to cast their votes on the trustees. The six members were voted on one at a time, with 133 voting to recall all six members, according to Buoy.
“The bylaws require 10 percent of the membership be present to hold a special meeting,” Buoy said. “We had the largest turnout in 20 years (144). And all it takes is 51 percent of the vote to change the board.”
According to Buoy, that’s exactly what they did.
But hold on. Stewart claims it takes 50 percent plus 1 of all the homeowners (383) to hold a special meeting to remove board members.
“And it can’t be done by a simple vote,” Stewart said. “It has to come through a signed petition.”
Baumgarte, along with Stewart being one of the six, not surprisingly agrees.
“They didn’t do it (recall) by the rules,” Baumgarte said. “The bylaws and CC&Rs have to be followed. They must show a signed petition.”
Buoy claims the problems exist because the board does not follow the Covenants, Conditions & Restrictions of the corporation. Stewart believes the opposition is failing in the same way.
However, Stewart told The Mountain Times that if it’s done right, and he is recalled properly, that would change things.
“I’d be the first one to walk away,” he said. “But until then, I can’t just abandon the board. Their claims of secret meetings are ridiculous. I can’t understand them. There are no secret agendas on our part. That’s paranoia. But that appeals to some (of the homeowners). There are quite a lot of them. I have to give them credit for that. But it’s not fair that we’ve been vilified. There’s lots of anger.”
That anger, according to Buoy, is certainly in the air, but it has been fomented by the six trustees who have ignored the wishes of the homeowners.
“It just gets worse and worse,” Buoy said. “More and more people don’t agree (with the six trustees).”
But from his perspective, they’re gone now.
The newly formed board (which consists of three at this point), will now offer new officers of the corporation to the state.
“I’ve been seven years on the board,” Stewart said. “They can’t just make the CC&Rs go away.”
The board of six has retained a law firm, according to Stewart.
The next official board meeting is set for April 17. It remains to be seen who will be sitting in the board chairs.
by Larry Berteau/MT
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| Cell Tower Nixed in Rhododendron posted on 04/03/2010
(MT) -- AT&T has withdrawn its application to erect a cell tower on Benchwood Lane in Rhododendron.
The cell tower was to be placed on the property of Scott Michaels — a wireless telecommunications facility consisting of a 150-foot monopole.
Opposition was quickly formed in the Mountain community, with members of a group self-described as “Don’t Cell Us Out,” plus efforts from the Mt. Hood Corridor CPO.
They carried the day when the application was withdrawn March 11.
“A good number of people wanted two things: improved cell phone service, and community input and planning on the location of a tower,” said Dave Fulton of the local CPO. “The proposed location was opposed because of the historic and recreational residential area. We will continue to work with the community, county, emergency service providers and cell phone companies to achieve these goals.”
The application and statements made by CascadiaPM (subcontractor to AT&T) proved to be weak and unsupportable, according to Fulton.
“They never supported their erroneous statement about lack of cell phone coverage along Hwy. 26, and never showed that AT&T had a third site near BPA power lines in Brightwood,” he said.
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| Green Scene Offers First-of-its-Kind Fair posted on 04/03/2010
Sustainability is the new lifestyle on the Mountain.
The Mt. Hood Green Scene, spearheaded by Doug Saldivar, will host the Recycling & Sustainability Fair from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., April 24, at the Welches Middle School.
Saldivar, a member of the board of directors for Villages at Mt. Hood, secured $3,500 of funding from Portland Recycling to pull off the event.
Saldivar worked for Portland Recycling in the 60s and 70s.
“The goal is to build community awareness,” he said. “We have planned activities to change lifestyles for the community and businesses. Sustainability was a criteria for my running for the board, and this is an extension of that commitment. We need to think about what we consume and what we waste. The Green Scene should provide tools and resources that will help us think like this.”
The Green Scene has attracted a host of participating groups for the event.
McLundy’s Green Room will be on the scene, providing sustainable music and soliciting the same from the community. McLundy’s asks audience participants to bring acoustic instruments to join in the fun.
A used book sale will benefit the Hoodland Library and will be sponsored by Friends of the Hoodland Library. Friends remind audience participants of the words of Groucho Marx: “TV is very educational. Every time it comes on I go into the other room and read a book.”
Chris Page, of Mt. Hood Auto and Tire, will collect auto and light truck tires at $2 per tire without rims and $3 for tires with rims.
Sandy High and Welches Schools will participate with the high schoolers presenting an original play that will be performed at 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Middle schoolers will be in charge of trash pickup and will sort out recyclable games for toddlers.
Local water companies will bring samples of their thirst-quenchers and a tasting contest will be included.
Grants for weatherization and alternative energy will be available to help build a sustainable lifestyle.
Also on site will be recycling and information booths for sustainable living. For information on materials that will be collected, contact plazatrail@gmail.com, or go to the Web site at mthood-greenscene.net.
There will be food at the fair and Saldivar urges all participants to car pool and “bring your own coffee cups.”
The fair idea germinated in September of last year with several community members joining in, including: Dave Fulton, Molly Kenney, Mary Soot, Elaine Vigil, Pat Sharp, Lisa Riversong, Shirley Dueber and Tom Cassett.
Fulton secured the Mountain Express Line bus to run on Saturday for participants.
Event sponsors include: Villages at Mt. Hood, Sustainable Hoodland Network, Portland Recycling Team, and Clackamas County Office of Sustainability.
by Larry Berteau/MT
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| Brightwood Stop Yields Firearms, Pot posted on 04/03/2010
(MT) — Three Puget Sound men were nabbed by Oregon State Police in the Brightwood area and cited on various offenses.
The 3:12 p.m. March 13 stop on Hwy. 26 was set up after citizen reports were phoned in to the OSP Northern Command Center dispatch of four men in a 1999 Ford Crown Victoria who had been flashing a police badge as they drove through traffic in the Sandy area.
Investigation at the scene led to the discovery of a .32 handgun and a Glock 9mm concealed in the car, as well as five knives, a machete, stun gun, handcuffs, open container of liquor and less than an ounce of marijuana.
The driver and two of the three passengers were cited to appear in Clackamas County Circuit Court. Driver Joseph Maillous, 55, was cited for unlawful possession of a firearm and open-container alcohol possession. Daniel Tighe, 31, was cited to appear for unlawful possession of a firearm. A 22-year-old passenger was cited for marijuana possession and failure to use safety restraints. |
| Welches Principal Stepping Down posted on 03/02/2010
It could be called “The short happy life of Michael McKinney as principal of Welches schools.”
McKinney announced he plans to step down at the end of this school year (his first) to pursue his doctorate degree in education
.
“Pursuing my advanced work and managing a school is not possible,” McKinney said. “I like to do the job well. I can’t do both.”
But the decision didn’t come easily.
“I feel like I’m just starting (at Welches),” he said. “I don’t like leaving things unfinished.”
Oregon Trail School District Superintendent Shelley Redinger accepted McKinney’s resignation, noting his hopes to expand his horizons further.
“McKinney has enjoyed his work as an education leader,” Redinger said. “Pursuing a doctorate degree is a time-consuming venture that could be a challenge to undertake while managing two schools.”
The Welches principal is licensed to teach art and English as a second language, and looks forward to getting back into the classroom as a teacher and as a student.
“We’re all teachers,” McKinney said. “I’ve asked to teach in the district.”
“If any teaching positions open in the district, we would certainly encourage Michael to apply,” Redinger said.
McKinney served as principal at Firwood Elementary School prior to transferring to Welches. His doctorate work will be pursued at George Fox University in Portland and he estimates it to be a three-year commitment.
McKinney plans to remain in the Mountain community for his journey into higher education.
“Our Mountain community is awesome,” he said. “I’m enjoying my time at Welches schools and look forward to continuing to work with the outstanding staff and families for the remainder of this school year.”
He admitted the heavy work load of managing two schools at Welches has been a challenge.
“It’s hard work,” he said. “It takes a lot of time – connecting with kids, working with adults, parents, staff. Some days are really long. But the only conflict was: I had to choose.”
The district posted the job position opening on Feb. 17. It will remain open for two weeks.
“We’re hoping to hold interviews during the week of March 8,” Redinger said. “The interview committee will be a balance of staff and parents.”
McKinney said he will miss the special identity of the Welches schools.
“We perceive ourselves as a community, with a unique image,” he said. “I’ve loved being a part of that. I’ll miss it.”
by Larry Berteau/MT
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| AT&T Foiled in First Attempt to Erect Cell Phone Tower posted on 03/02/2010
(MT) – AT&T’s attempt to erect a 150-foot cell phone tower in Rhododendron hit a snag.
At a public land-use hearing, Feb. 18, in Oregon City, AT&T withdrew its application following a well-organized line of resistance formed by Mountain residents.
But the communications giant is not yet on life support. It has an opportunity to submit additional documentation March 11, but would still need to withstand an opposition response that would come two weeks later.
The tower’s proposed site is on Benchwood Lane, up Lolo Pass, and is on the property of Scott Michaels and Leticia Grau.
Mike Gudge, of Rhododendron, and a member of the opposition group “Don’t Cell Us Out” was explicit regarding his feelings about the cell tower.
“The tower is a visual nightmare and I hope will never happen to our historic Barlow Trail area,” he said.
Noah Grodzin, of Cascadia PM, representing AT&T, submitted written testimony at the hearing citing the need for coverage along Hwy. 26 in the Welches-Rhododendron area. Grodzin verbally agreed to limit the tower to 100 feet and camouflage it as a Douglas fir.
The list of individuals and organizations opposing the tower were voluminous, and include: Gudge, Dan Padberg, Dave Monette, Don Mench, Terry Leggett, Paul Keller and Dave Fulton; as well as the Mt. Hood Corridor CPO, the City of Sandy’s Chamber of Commerce and a coalition of Clackamas County CPO groups.
Mench, CPO president and chair of its land use committee, made a point by point objection to the tower, citing county planning and zoning codes.
Hoodland Fire District Chief Mic Eby attended the hearing and took a step back from his original position he had taken at a recent CPO meeting.
“I went along with the application because we want any location that improves coverage, even a little bit,” Eby said. “But we would rather the antennae was at the fire station or somewhere that provided more extensive coverage to much more of our area that receives no cell coverage.”
Eby emphasized the need for cell phone coverage to facilitate the department’s emergency response capabilities.
The applicants concession to drop the height of the tower from 150 feet to 100 feet was prompted by Monette’s obtaining photographs from a balloon test conducted 50 feet from the potential cell tower location.
Volunteers held an orange weather balloon at two heights (150 feet, and 100 feet), the latter being the zoning limit for the property on Benchwood Lane. “Don’t Cell Us Out” members took photos from nearby residences – from Barlow Trail Road, the Zigzag bridge, and on the south side of the Sandy River off Fahie Road and McKenzie Ridge. Lisa Galbraith also took photos showing the balloon was visible from Hwy. 26 which has scenic highway designation.
The pictures worked.
Michaels, the property owner of the proposed site, wrote in an op-ed commentary in The Mountain Times that he thought the tower would provide the best coverage up Lolo Pass, into the Salmon River watershed, to the Resort at the Mountain, and along Hwy. 26 from Wildwood Park to Rhododendron.
“Brief study of a good topo map clearly demonstrates this to be a very good site,” he wrote.
Fulton, treasurer of Mt. Hood Corridor CPO, and Pat Sharp, vice-president of Villages at Mt. Hood, both contended the county should do more to support a community-wide solution to cell phone coverage and other communication needs of all the stakeholders.
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| Mystery Tree Cuttings Cause Accident, Power Outatges posted on 03/02/2010
(MT) – Police are baffled by serious acts of tree cutting that occurred on Hwy. 26 on Cherryville Hill east of Sandy.
In the first week of February Oregon State Police and Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office troopers and deputies responded to four separate incidents of tree cutting that caused trees to either fall onto the highway or onto power lines.
“What is starting out as a case of criminal mischief could quickly escalate into a very serious crime if someone is injured or killed because of a vehicle encounter with an intentionally downed tree on a highway,” said OSP spokesman Lt. Gregg Hastings
.
The most recent incident occurred late at night, approximately 11 p.m., Feb. 7, on the south side of Hwy. 26 near Baty Road and Terra Fern Drive. An eastbound vehicle hit a fallen tree that appeared to have been purposely cut to block the highway, according to OSP.
In another incident about five trees were cut along Terra Fern Drive and fell onto power lines causing temporary power outages.
The trees were downed by chain saws and axes and were not taken for lumber or firewood, but left at the location, Hastings said.
ODOT, Sandy Fire Department and PGE responded to the incidents to assist with clean-up and some power outages reported by area residents.
Anyone with information regarding this investigation is asked to contact OSP Northern Command Center dispatch at 800-452-7888 or Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office confidential tip line at 503-723-4949.
Confidential text messages can be sent to CRIMES (274637 on a cell phone keypad), with the keyword “CCSO” as the first word in the message.
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| Charges Dropped in Break-in Investigation posted on 03/02/2010
The Clackamas County District Attorney’s office has determined there is “insufficient evidence to proceed” on charges brought against two Mountain residents.
At a preliminary hearing held Feb. 25 for Carson Barden, 30, Deputy District Attorney Sarah Dumont told The Mountain Times that the state filed a motion to dismiss his charges “in the best interests of justice.”
Jonathan Brady, 27, is scheduled today (March 1) for arraignment, but Dumont indicated she would not pursue charges against him as well.
Barden and Brady were apprehended by Sandy Police, Clackamas County Sheriff’s deputies and an Inter-Agency Task Force following a Jan. 5 break-in at The Whistle Stop restaurant in Wildwood and the Wall Street Pizza parlor in Sandy. Owners of the two establishments estimated more than $4,000 in receipts and damage from the burglaries.
At the time Barden and Brady were held on $52,500 bail and faced charges of Burglary II, Criminal Mischief I, Theft I and Theft II, according to the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office.
Subsequently, Brady posted bail and Barden was released on his own recognizance Jan. 28, according to Dumont.
“The case is a bit odd as they were codefendants, but when Brady posted bail they were put in a different posture,” Dumont said, explaining the separate hearings.
“Barden was still in custody so we had to separate their appearances.”
Dumont indicated that the Sandy Police Department was continuing the investigation.
by Larry Berteau/MT
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| Sparse Turnout, Lively Discussion at Town Hall posted on 03/02/2010
The Villages at Mt. Hood held its quarterly Town Hall Meeting Feb. 20, and the overarching theme was single digits.
The Villages holds 4 meetings a year, 1 every 3 months. The meeting kicked off at 9 a.m. Of the 9 board members, 8 were present. There were 8 members of the community in attendance.
But despite the disappointing numbers, the give and take was lively in response to the board’s agenda of fielding questions from the community.
Subjects reverberating in the spacious gym at Welches Elementary School included: a look back at the Villages failure regarding the Miller Road Quarry during last year’s slide on Hwy. 26 in Sandy; the Villages inability or lack of desire to put Clackamas County officials’ feet to the fire; the need for the Villages to partner with other organizations; the Villages’ poor image in the community; law enforcement; public safety; and the continuing turtle that hovers over the Mountain: Incorporation.
Local activist and naturalist Don Mench launched the discussion, calling the Villages decision last year to thwart the Oregon Department of Transportation’s use of the Miller Road Quarry site “a big mistake.”
“It was a loss for our community,” Mench said. “We lost out on a chance for $1 million in restoration work (that would have come our way). I see this stuff. So do others. You need to work on your image, but I don’t think you can recover.”
Board member Rick Applegate defended the decision, pointing out there were cinder block homes that would have been impacted by ODOT at the quarry site.
“Our community was not even notified or asked for input,” Applegate said. “We had to respond (with the emergency meeting).”
Board member George Wilson pointed out ODOT was going to bring in road spoils from Sandy to the quarry, impacting the stream environment.
“Your public meeting got everyone excited,” Mench responded. “It was a ridiculous fervor that was created. Besides, the spoils would have been yards upstream.”
Board member Doug Saldivar tried to smooth things over.
“We don’t know everything,” he said. “We need your (Mench) input. Come more often. Educate us.”
Discussions continued in syncopated patterns until the subject of incorporation came to the floor.
Mench was quick to weigh in.
“At best it would create a little tiny city of Welches,” he said. “Our tax base would double. We like our low property tax base.”
Saldivar kept the subject flowing.
“I’m just saying we need to have a discussion about it,” he said. “Let’s work on solutions.”
“Incorporation is decades away,” Mench said.
But Mench’s idea larder was not empty.
“This board needs to create memorandums of understanding with county, state and federal agencies,” he said. “Clackamas County does nothing toward our stream restoration. It doesn’t partner with the Forest Service, the Sandy River Basin Watershed Council, Fish and Wildlife, no one.”
Mench pointed out the Villages could help with this.
“But the Villages isn’t doing anything,” he said.
“The Forest Service is doing things. You could work with ODOT and get snow removal projects contracted to locals. We have a district ranger who is a fish biologist. The Portland Water Bureau is involved up here. You’re (Villages) missing a big opportunity of bringing the county in on these things. Instead, you keep digging the hole deeper. Stop digging.”
Applegate took the suggestions seriously.
“Lots of ideas have been brought to us today,” he said. “We have jobs to do.”
As the meeting adjourned the sparse participants stayed around, still discussing the direction of the Villages board.
The feeling was that things would be done, one step at a time, to keep with the meeting’s singular theme.
by Larry Berteau/MT
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| Woman Killed in Hwy. 26 posted on 03/02/2010
Hwy. 26 claimed another victim in an accident near Rhododendron.
Oregon State Police — with the assistance of the Clackamas County District Attorney’s Office and Clackamas County medical Examiner’s Office — is continuing the investigation into the death of a woman Feb. 25.
The victim was Bridget McGowan (aka: Bridget Sherbahn) of Gresham. An autopsy revealed the cause of death to be consistent with injuries sustained from being run over by a vehicle.
Preliminary information indicated at approximately 9:15 p.m. a report was received that a woman was found critically injured on the westbound lanes of Hwy. 26 near milepost 44. Investigators confirmed there was a reported verbal disturbance involving the victim’s 22-year-old daughter who was visiting with her boyfriend at a cabin rented by the victim.
McGowan died at the scene.
The daughter (name being withheld pending investigation) was spotted in a white Dodge pickup near milepost 29 east of Sandy with her boyfriend. No arrests had been made at press time. |
| Hummingbird Heaven: The Indian Plum posted on 03/02/2010
Now that our stream side areas and yards have been rid of invasive, non-native plants, let’s finish the job.
There are many native species well-suited to our local growing conditions — and none more so than the Indian plum, or Osoberry.
“You can tell that spring is on the way when you see the Indian plum in bloom,” said Russ Plaeger of the Sandy River Basin Watershed Council. “Planting natives that are suited to the growing conditions in an area where you’ve removed invasive plants is a good way to improve your property.”
Indian plum is a native shrub that is found locally in moist to dry open forests and stream bank areas. It is recognizable by its early flowers blooming in March. The attractive clusters of small, greenish-white flowers provide early season nectar source for Anna’s hummingbirds.
When both male and female plants are present clusters of small bluish-black fruits will be produced. These delectables are much sought after by birds and mammals.
Indian plum grows well in part sun to full shade and can reach a size of 15 feet tall and up to 10 feet wide. Its roots have good soil binding characteristics which can help minimize soil erosion and thus maintain water quality for salmon and other aquatic species.
“The watershed council encourages local residents to regard a healthy, native plant community in stream side areas as a resource both for their property and for the river,” Plaeger said. “Our native trees and shrubs help to stabilize banks, reduce erosion and provide shade on hot summer days.”
It makes solid environmental sense to work with native plants on your site — such as Indian plum — rather than clearing them out and replacing them with exotic species. The natives are adapted to the local climate, don’t need fertilizer and many species can be pruned to meet the needs of individual properties.
Plaeger points out there are useful reference books for people who would like to grow more native plants, such as: “Landscaping for Wildlife in the Pacific Northwest” by Russell Link; “Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast” by Pojar & MacKinnon; and “The Sunset Western Garden Book.”
by Larry Berteau/MT
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| Mountain Makes the Map posted on 02/01/2010
National Geographic has given us a nod.
The publishing giant launched its Central Cascades Geotourism Mapguide in January and the Mountain garnered plenty of attention.
From Welches to Timberline, local businesses and tourist sites are scattered throughout the Web site and in the Mapguide.
Among those recognized was The Rendezvous in Welches, with NatGeo citing the natural, fresh, organic, products sustaining and supporting local and regional farmers, fisheries and hunter-gatherers.
Kathryn Bliss, chef and co-owner of The Rendezvous, was flattered by the attention.
“I work very hard to create that environment,” Bliss said. “I’m out and about once or twice a week for veggies – hitting growers and farm stands for things you just can’t always get from distributors. I certainly support organic, but it’s also important to sustain local growers. And there’s nothing like fresh produce from the ground that very morning.”
Tom Anderson, co-owner, was equally impressed with the Rendezvous’ mention.
“It’s very cool,” he said. “After 15 years it’s satisfying to know we’re in that league.”
Also making the NatGeo map was Mt. Hood Roasters coffee business in Rhododendron as an example of experiential tourism combining elements of historical, cultural, agricultural and culinary tourism.
“There are only eight of these maps that National Geographic has completed, there are more to come,” said Rick Applegate, owner of the coffee roasters. “But of the ones completed, we are particularly proud of the fact that we are the only coffee company listed.”
The publication is dedicated to sustainable travel – a cornerstone of geotourism – highlighting forms of travel that aim to sustain or enhance the geographical character of a place, including its environment, culture, aesthetics, heritage and the well-being of its residents.
“On a personal level, this has the potential to get our message out in a way we could never have imagined,” Applegate said. “Rhododendron pops out (in the Mapguide) and this should do a lot for establishing a new and broader identity for all of us.”
Rhododendron scored highly with notice being given to several sites, including:
Buggy Trail Lane with 17.5 acres of preserved land, plus American Indian and pioneer historical sites.
The Laughing Bear cabin built by the Steiners in the 1920s with original furniture, bear locks, bent wood and Dutch doors.
Enola Hill on south side of Zigzag Mountain which boasts a sacred area for American Indians for vision quests, ceremonies, huckleberry picking, medicine gathering and other activities.
The stately pair of bigleaf maple trees on each side of the replica tollgate that marks the westernmost tollgate operated on the Barlow Road.
Other Mountain sites noted by NatGeo include:
The Fly Fishing Shop in Welches that is dedicated to the principles and actions of sustainable fisheries long before the concepts “green” and “sustainability” became mainstream.
The Doublegate Inn, Welches, built in 1919 by the Anderson brothers who started a limousine service from Portland to Welches and the enchanted old home continues to provide a place for visitors to stay in one of the oldest private estates in the area.
The Barlow Trail Roadhouse dates back to 1926 and was built by the legendary cabin creator, Bill Lenz, originally to serve as a general store and as the legend grew it became an inn known for the “Best Food on the Loop to Timberline” downstairs and the “Best Girls” upstairs.
National Geographic was attracted to Oregon because of its ongoing sustainable travel initiatives. Since passing America’s first bottle deposit law in 1971, Oregon has been a trailblazer in both land preservation and sustainability. In 2003, the Oregon Tourism Commission initiated research on national and international best practices to tourism to shape a set of sustainable tourism principles to guide local tourism planning. These principles have been refined by the Oregon Sustainable Tourism Advisory Committee.
The entire NatGeo Mapguide can be viewed on the Web site at: http://thecentralcascades.com.
by Larry Berteau/MT
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| Pair Nabbed in Two Break-ins posted on 02/01/2010
Two Mountain residents were arrested and lodged in the Clackamas County Jail for break-ins at two local businesses.
In the early morning hours of Jan. 5, the Whistle Stop in Welches and Wall Street Pizza in Sandy were burglarized.
Armed with two search warrants, the Sandy Police – working with county sheriff’s deputies and the county Inter-Agency Task Force - apprehended Jonathan Holden Brady, 27, and Carson Ray Barden, 30, on Jan. 27 at a Government Camp bar.
Brady and Barden are being held on $52,500 bail, each facing charges of Burglary II, Criminal Mischief I, Theft I, and Theft II, according to the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office. At press time the CCSO reported that Brady had posted bail.
Jeff Dunham, three-year owner of The Whistle Stop – a Mountain establishment since 1927 – was shocked when his camera security tapes revealed the alleged perpetrators.
“When I saw the video, saw who it was, I couldn’t believe it,” Dunham said. “They were regulars. They always seemed to be regular guys.”
Twelve video surveillance cameras captured the break-in.
The connection to Wall Street Pizza was made by Dunham when a Verizon technician notified him that the pizza parlor’s phone line had been cut as well as The Whistle Stop on the same night. He told Dunham he didn’t believe in coincidence.
Dunham immediately contacted Wall Street Pizza owner Jim Beckers and they compared video surveillance tapes – which were turned over to the Sandy Police Department.
Detective K.T. Taylor, of SPD, took up the case, examined the tapes, and eventually secured the search warrants.
“Both establishments had surveillance tapes,” Taylor told The Mountain Times. “We reviewed them and the suspects appeared to be similar, as well as the MO.”
Julianne Carson, a Whistle Stop employee of eight months, was the first on the scene at 6 a.m., Jan. 5.
“When I saw the back door open I thought it was just the beer truck driver,” Carson said. “But I figured out pretty quickly that wasn’t the case. I hoped no one was still inside. But I’m a criminal justice student, so I knew not to go in.”
Carson then contacted the manager, William Dunham Sr. – Jeff Dunham’s father – who lives on the Mountain. He arrived a few minutes later and notified authorities.
Admitting he was no expert on such things – he had never been robbed before – Dunham was not hesitant to point out how “professional” the job appeared to be.
“They knew right where to go, and what not to touch,” he said. “For example, they left the lottery machines alone. That would have triggered an immediate alarm to the police.”
Dunham estimates the loss at “about $10,000” which includes top-shelf liquor, structural damage, and “about $4,000 in receipts.”
It appears the burglars cut the phone line before breaking through the door of the supply room on the east side of the building. They apparently were thwarted there by a triple-locked door which kept them from entering the bar and restaurant area.
Not to be denied, evidence suggests they broke out a back window and entered the bar.
“They broke into the office, stole all the top-shelf liquor, a laptop computer and went for the machines,” Dunham said.
Machines burglarized included the cash register (which was empty), the juke box, cigarette machine, two pinball machines, the Trivia game and the ATM machine.
The ATM netted the biggest haul as the cash register receipts and the next day’s bank were kept in the upper portion of the machine, according to Dunham.
“They got about $4,000 in cash from the ATM, another $400 or so from the juke box, and smaller amounts from the rest of the machines,” he said.
Dunham reflected on the fact that there was only a three-hour window between the night bartender’s closing and Carson’s arrival.
“It was such a narrow time frame,” he said. “They knew the routine, I figure. They got in and out in a hurry, especially when you figure that everything they took had to be handed through the broken back window and over the patio fence.”
Five video cameras documented the break-in at the Proctor Blvd. pizza parlor.
Beckers, owner of Wall Street Pizza for 11 years, said this was the first forced entry he had suffered at the establishment.
“I felt violated,” Beckers said. “This is no fun. But I guess it’s the risk of doing business.”
He said the burglars got about $200 from the backup cash register.
“They missed out on another $200,” he said. “They smashed the primary cash register but couldn’t get into it.”
Damage included a broken window and the cash register. There was beer and wine on the premises but “it doesn’t appear they took any,” he said.
The break-in was discovered at 10:30 a.m. Jan. 5 when the manager, James Young, came to open the pizza parlor.
The investigation is ongoing, and Taylor asks anyone with information about either break-in to notify him at the Sandy Police Department, 503-668-5566.
by Larry Berteau/MT
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| Measures 66 and 67 Clear the Hurdle posted on 02/01/2010
Oregon voters took a sharp turn to the left, shrugging off their past defiance of refusing to pass anything that resembled a tax increase.
Measures 66 and 67 – that increase taxes for high-income earners, corporations and some businesses – passed by wide margins in the Jan. 27 election.
Late returns showed both measures enjoying a comfortable 54 percent to 46 percent edge statewide, with Clackamas County turning in a vote of 50-50 on the hotly contested issues.
Drastic legislative cuts may have been avoided with the passing of the measures. Legislative leaders estimated a $727 million shortfall if the measures failed.
“Cautious relief,” was the initial reaction of Oregon Trail School District Superintendent Shelley Redinger. “I am pleased that Oregonians saw the need and showed their support. A defeat of both measures would have created a deficit of more than $2 million for the 2009-2011 biennium.”
Those sentiments were not shared by opponents. The Oregon Small Business Coalition saw the results as a vilification of the very businesses that will be essential to economic recovery.
“OSBC believes our economy will suffer and the tax structure will actually harm small businesses,” the coalition wrote in a Jan. 27 release. “The Legislature provided the people with a false choice – education and public service funding versus jobs and economic growth. In fact, we need both.”
Measure 66 will raise taxes on wage earners making $125,000 per year as individuals, and $250,000 for couples.
Measure 67 hikes the minimum tax on corporations, increases the tax rate on upper-level profits and affects some small businesses currently paying the minimum $10 a year in taxes.
“The passage of the measures will bring a level of stability to the district,” Redinger said. “However, we are concerned about Oregon’s economy and the continued effect on public education.”
Redinger went on to remind voters that the district already cut more than $3 million from the present 2009-2010 budget.
“A budget task force has been meeting since fall, reviewing revenue, expenses and alternatives for addressing possible future shortfalls,” she said. “The task force will continue to meet to address economic concerns.”
The passing of the two measures is the first statewide-approved income tax increase since the Hoover administration in the 1930s.
Multnomah County led the victory, approving the two measures by a whopping 2-1 margin.
by Larry Berteau/MT
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| Murder in Sandy: Staged and a Comic Delight posted on 02/01/2010
“The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940” is, as the title suggests, a comedy wrapped in a mystery.
But there is no mystery about the intentions of the 11-person ensemble cast that brings this play to the Mountain: energy and entertainment.
The play is running at the Sandy Actors Theatre – enigmatically huddled between the break in Hwy. 26 in downtown Sandy, behind a hardware store – and for a delightful couple hours sweeps us away from the leaden skies of Oregon winter and deposits us in another time and place: a mansion in Chappaqua, New York, in 1940.
It’s been said by great artists that there are three important tenants to staging a play: (1) keep sword play to a minimum; (2) ghosts are more difficult to stage than one thinks; and (3) make the exposition quick, simple, unrecognizable and entertaining.
Playwright John Bishop deftly held to the first two. There’s some knife wielding, but it’s minimal. A shadowy figure is hooded and cloaked in black, and quite believable.
However, Bishop struggles early in Act I (of two) with the exposition. Indeed, his task is daunting: introducing 11 characters is not a simple bit of writing business.
But you hang with it due to the skillful direction of James Bass and the delightful performances of three particular characters: Helsa Wenzel, played by Mary Margaret Casteneda, is the mansion’s maid and her Teutonic timbre is terrifically transmitted. Bernice Roth, played by Anita Clark, is one of two writers whose overwhelming intent to imbibe makes her delightful to watch. Roger Hopewell, played by Rhododendron Postmaster Tim Park, is the other writer and is hilarious as a fussy fidget overcome by the slasher mystery that unfolds later in Act I.
The play evolves around the notion that three women have been murdered in a previous play and all the people who have been invited to the Chappaqua mansion formed the creative team of that play. This “audition” is a setup to ferret out the murderer.
It’s a wacky group. Besides the maid and two writers, there’s the hostess, Elsa Von Grossenknueten (played by Erin Hickman); a police officer, unsuccessfully masquerading as a chauffeur, Michael Kelly (played by Rudy Wilson); a supposed Irish tenor, Patrick O’Reilly (played by Walter Hobbins); the director, Ken De La Maize (portrayed by Jim Bumgardner); a singer-dancer in disguise, Nikki Crandall (played to the hilt by Tora Holmes); a horrific comedian, Eddie McCuen (intentionally overplayed by Zachary Funk); the producer, Marjorie Baverstock (played by Melissa Swenson); and, of course, the stage door slasher.
The plot (and ensuing zany comedy and dizzy conversations – highlighted by Roth and Hopewell) picks up later in Act I with the maid’s unexplainable murder drawing into question every character’s character, the revelation of the labyrinth of hidden passageways in the mansion, and the connection between the characters and the previous murders.
Act II is a riotous delight. Murderous mayhem ensues, Roth finds solace and sad emptiness in the cognac bottle (used for temporarily subduing innocent victims), and Hopewell frets from one frenzy to another.
The mystery is eventually unraveled, but it’s almost unimportant. The audience is left with the marvelous experience of knowing each and every character and having lived for a few theatrical moments outside their own lives, thanks to the ensemble’s efforts, and exit the theatre under the winter skies, amble past the hardware store, and steer their cars back onto Hwy. 26 and the ordinary reality that they’ve been relieved of – if only for a couple, precious hours.
by Larry Berteau/MT
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| Claggett Pleads No Contest, Faces Up To 10 Years posted on 02/01/2010
Former Clackamas County Sheriff’s Deputy Brandon Claggett has pleaded no contest to coercion, weapons charges and assault.
Known to the Mountain community as the CCSO’s “Weed and Seed” officer, Claggett, 38, will be sentenced March 1 by Clackamas County Circuit Court Judge Robert D. Herndon. The judge will determine the sentence — a maximum of 10 years in prison — as Claggett and the district attorney’s office did not come to an agreement on a penalty.
The no contest plea was for two incidents that left his estranged wife fearing for her life.
In April 2009 Claggett held her at gunpoint and threatened to kill her.
In July 2009 Claggett was arrested again when he went to his former Sandy residence armed with a gun and a knife. The sheriff’s report said that he believed his wife was staying at that location.
The disgraced deputy resigned from the CCSO in October 2008. A sheriff’s office investigation discovered he had taken a teenage girl on unauthorized trips in his patrol vehicle and had e-mailed the girl sexually explicit photos during official duty hours.
MT
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| Skibowl Makes Ready for Mitey Mites posted on 02/01/2010
The Mitey Mites are back.
Two hundred skiers, age 9-12, will compete in four different ski events in the 42nd annual Oregon 4-Way Championship Feb. 5-7 at Mt. Hood Skibowl in Government Camp.
The Mites will compete in slalom, giant slalom, ski jumping and cross country during the three-day competition.
“Traditionally, it’s always a big event,” said Bill Gunesch, director of Mt. Hood Ski Education Foundation. “Each different ski discipline requires a different energy level and skill set.”
Downhill racers will compete on cross country skis over a two-mile course through the forest, testing their pace, stamina and endurance.
During an upcoming training session, many of the young racers will make their first attempts at ski jumping.
In last year’s event the winning jumper cleared 60 feet, assuring an exciting event to watch.
Skiers earn points for top finishes in each of the four events.
Winners will be named in each individual event and the boy and girl skier with the highest combines individual points from each of the four events will earn the coveted Skimeister trophies.
The local Mitey Mites will compete against teams from Mt. Hood Meadows, Multnomah Athletic Club in Portland, Cooper Spur Ski Area and Mount Bachelor.
The Mt. Hood Race Team is comprised of 80 skiers.
Several MHRT current coaches competed in the Oregon 4-Way as kids, including Amy (Schreder) Musgrave, Ryan Barnes, Mike Greenslade and Shelley (Davis) Green. In some cases, the coaches are training their own children, now second-generation competitors of the Oregon 4-Way Championships.
The Mt. Hood Ski Education Foundation in Government Camp is home to the Mt. Hood Race Team, the Mt. Hood Academy Ski Team (skiers 13-plus) and the Mt. Hood Academy (a secondary school for competitive skiers).
The foundation has been providing winter sports and recreation for youth and families since 1983.
by Monica Cory/MT
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| One Body Found on Hood, Search Abandoned for Two Others posted on 01/01/2010
It started out innocently enough.
Three experienced climbers making a one-day trek up the second-most climbed mountain in the world.
But Mount Hood is an untrustworthy mistress, as wicked as she is wonderful, and three lives were taken.
The trio – Luke Gullberg, 26, of Des Moines, Wash.; Katie Nolan, 29, of Portland; and Anthony Vietti, 25, of Longview, Wash. – signed the climbing register at 1 a.m. Friday, Dec. 11, and launched their effort from Timberline Lodge.
Friday evening the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Coordinators were alerted by a friend of the climbers that they were overdue from their climb.
About 10 a.m. Saturday the sheriff’s office reported that Gullberg’s body had been recovered on the Reid Glacier at the 9,000-foot level.
Weather conditions and avalanche danger hampered the rescue mission for the other two climbers. By Monday the search turned to a recovery effort.
Wednesday, Dec. 16, the sheriff’s office announced the mission had been suspended. There was no longer hope that Nolan and Vietti had survived.
“My condolences go out to all the family and friends of Luke Gullberg, Katie Nolan and Anthony Vietti,” said Sheriff Craig Roberts. “One of the most difficult decisions I have to make as sheriff is the decision to suspend search operations.”
The three climbers met through church activities and all were considered experienced climbers. Nolan had done considerable work in rescuing young women from the slave trade as part of her Christian commitment.
Statistics are incomplete regarding the climber and hiker lives that have been lost on Mount Hood, but it is generally agreed that more than 130 have died on the mountain.
About 10,000 climbers take a shot at Mount Hood each year. About 25 to 50 people require rescues each year.
Hazards include weather patterns that can be deceiving, with howling winds arriving suddenly and visibility quickly dropping to zero during fast-arriving snowstorms. Also, avalanche is a major climbing hazard, although few actual deaths occur on Mount Hood from the shifting snow.
The first recorded climbing fatality on Hood’s slopes occurred on July 12, 1896, when Frederic Kirn eschewed his guide and attempted the trip to the summit alone (source: “Mount Hood: A Complete History” by Jack Grauer). Kirn’s body was found on the Newton Clark Glacier on the east side of the mountain after an apparent 40-story fall in connection with an avalanche.
The worst single incident occurred in May 1986 when seven students and two faculty members from the Oregon Episcopal School froze to death during the school’s annual climb. There were four survivors, although three had life-threatening hypothermia and one had legs amputated.
A 1997 incident had a much better ending. A climber managed the summit with his dog, Buckwheat. While descending Coe Glacier, however, the climber fell 700 feet, fracturing his neck. Rescuers found him and he recovered, but Buckwheat was nowhere to be found. A month later, Buckwheat showed up at Cooper Spur Inn, nearly six miles across the Mount Hood wilderness. It was opined this special dog had survived on snow melt and berries.
by Larry Berteau/MT
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| No Thanks on This Day; One Dead in Car Crash posted on 01/01/2010
In the early morning hours of Thanksgiving, Jaina Cole, 34, lost her life.
A two-car accident on Welches Road at the intersection of Twinberry Loop resulted in Cole’s eventual death and the arrest of James Snowbarger, 18, for assault 2 and felony hit and run.
A witness called in the crash and the first on the scene was Lt. Joshua Baker of the Hoodland Fire District – he lives near the site of the accident. Medical response personnel quickly went to work on Cole’s extraction from her vehicle.
“I was the last piece of equipment to arrive,” Fire Chief Mic Eby said. “There was a car on its wheels and another on its side. One vehicle was unoccupied.”
Cole was removed from the vehicle and placed on a gurney. Once in the ambulance, she was put in traction due to an apparent broken leg, Eby said.
At 2:50 a.m. Clackamas County Sheriff’s deputies arrived and Cole was already in the ambulance ready for transport.
Once it was determined by authorities that Cole had been driving a gold Lexus that was in the south bound lane of Welches Road, a Ford Focus – with no driver – was inspected that was resting on its side nearby.
An eye witness told deputies that a young man was seen wandering away from the scene of the accident. Deputies retrieved Snowbarger’s wallet from the vehicle and proceeded to his place of residence.
Once the witness had made a “90-percent sure” identification of Snowbarger at his residence, and questioning of the suspect, it was determined there was probable cause to arrest him, the report stated.
Deputies then transported Snowbarger to Mt. Hood Medical Center in Gresham to be checked out for possible injuries.
Authorities were notified at 11:30 a.m. on Nov. 29, that Cole had “passed away in the night.”
Snowbarger’s case will be referred to the district attorney’s office where it will be determined if the case should go to a grand jury, according to CCSD Public Information Officer Jim Strovink.
by Larry Berteau/MT
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| Sandy Woman Killed, Son in Custody posted on 01/01/2010
(MT) – The fatal shooting on Christmas day of Vivian Faye Bighaus, 66, of Sandy, forced the closing of Highway 26 from Sandy to Brightwood, snarling holiday traffic to and from the Mountain for seven hours.
In the early morning hours of Dec. 26, Michael Scott Bighaus, 41, was apprehended at the Fernwood Circle residence – the scene of the shooting – by Clackamas County Sheriff’s deputies and arrested “without further incident,” and he was described “compliant to the demands of deputies,” according to the sheriff’s department.
Michael Bighaus was transported by investigators and lodged in the Clackamas County Jail on charges of murder.
Vivian Bighaus, the mother of Michael, resided with her husband of 44 years, Phillip Bighaus, 67. It was the husband – present at the residence at the time – who notified authorities of the fatal shooting.
CCSD reported that when they arrived at the scene they were told that Michael Bighaus shot his mother with a large caliber rifle and immediately fled the scene on foot, armed with the rifle.
The suspect was a client of Clackamas County Corrections and has an existing misdemeanor arrest warrant for absconding. He has prior arrests for driving under the influence, burglary and criminal mischief.
Michael Bighaus was reported by a family member to have a mental disorder and was believed to have not been taking his prescribed medication for his existing condition, according to the sheriff’s department report.
The suspect was described by authorities as a transient and had been known to camp in the vicinity of Fernwood Circle in Sandy.
Sheriff’s personnel responded in force on Christmas day to secure a wide perimeter around the crime scene location. Recognizing the suspect was reported to have fled the residence with a large caliber rifle, deputies closed all lanes of travel along Highway 26.
The closure was conducted to help insure the safety of motorists and to enable law enforcement the most efficient means of conducting an immediate and thorough search of the area.
SWAT teams immediately moved through the area on foot in search of the suspect. An additional objective was to secure the crime scene to allow deputies and forensic technicians access to the scene for processing.
In addition, forensic technicians representing the Oregon State Crime Lab were alerted and responded to the scene.
There is no motive as yet for the shooting.
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| Rhody Water Back On Line posted on 01/01/2010
(MT) – The “Boil Water” restriction in Rhododendron was lifted Dec. 2, but the good news spigot is not completely turned on – not yet.
Homeowners and businesses hooked up to the Rhododendron Water Association received the notice Nov. 22 (Mountain Times, December issue) after a 200-foot Douglas fir came loose of its roots and slammed into the filtration facility on Henry Creek.
RWA officials went to work patching up the filtering system and water users are now temporarily free of the bother of boiling.
But Steve Graeper, president of the RWA, warned that the situation is temporary.
“Because of the destruction of the plant, we may need to issue another Boil Water notice at some time in the future when we take the plant off line to rebuild,” he said. “Notice will be given well in advance.”
Graeper also pointed out that the cold weather that has greeted the new year will be taxing to the already fragile filtration plant.
“While we are currently able to produce enough safe drinking water to meet our demands, our filtration plant is only operating at about 50 percent capacity and sometimes less.”
To RWA water users, this means that as the weather warms and pipes begin to thaw, it will be important to be conservative with water use as broken pipes place a huge demand on the system.
Graeper asks that everyone check their homes and cabins for broken pipes and to get them repaired as quickly as possible. The association will be repairing any main line problems as they occur or as soon as the ground thaws, but any leaks should be reported to Mt. Quail Business Services at 622-5560.
“Until the plant is rebuilt and new filters put on line, everyone will need to be as conservative as possible,” Graeper said. “We are working with the insurance company and have ordered the new building, filters, and other damaged equipment, but we will have to wait until all items are shipped and delivered before we can begin to rebuild.”
In the meantime, it would not be a bad idea to begin to store safe drinking water in the event another Boil Water period comes gushing Rhody’s way. |
| Spurge Laurel is Among Us, and Able to Hitch Rides posted on 01/01/2010
(This is the eighth in a series on invasive species that inhabit the Mountain ecosystem.)
It has been spotted on the Mountain, it has the ability to travel great distances, and it’s toxic.
A tanker truck? A rabid bear?
Would you believe a shrub?
The spurge laurel is not a plant to mess around with, according to local conservationist and constant weed watcher Jenny Bieger.
“The spurge laurel can cause harm to both your pets and your family if not handled correctly,” Bieger said. “All parts of the plant, including the leaves, stem, sap and berries contain toxic chemicals that may cause irritation to the skin and the eyes.”
Jason Dumont, Portland preserves manager for The Nature Conservancy, sounds a similar warning about the evergreen shrub.
“Just touching the plant with bare skin can leave a painful burn,” Dumont said. “And ingesting the berries or woody parts can make a person or pet extremely sick.”
The laurel was first introduced to the Pacific Northwest as an ornamental and landscaping shrub due to its deceivingly fragrant blossoms and attractive foliage. It is already a serious concern in British Columbia and has been showing up closer to home – in the Columbia River Gorge, along the Clackamas River and in the Sandy Basin Watershed.
“The fact that this plant is already escaping urban and suburban centers and spreading into forest lands is worrisome,” Dumont said. “Without prompt action and cooperation from private landowners whose properties are already infested, we’ll have another aggressive invasive species dominating our forest lands.”
Spurge laurel has the ability to invade natural areas and form dense stands that limit native plant growth. Its ability to migrate is impressive as the seeds are easily spread by birds and rodents who love to eat its dark black berries and distribute them to distant locations.
It is also possible that the plant is thriving in back yards along the Sandy River.
“Private landowners may not be aware that they have this or other invasive weeds in their yards,” said Chris Hagel, a natural resource technician for Metro. “But (they) can help prevent the spread by getting to know what plant species are invasive and inspecting their property.”
Spurge laurel is an evergreen shrub, growing up to 4-5 feet tall with distinctive whorls of leaves at the end of each branch. Leaves are dark green, shiny, and have a thick, leathery feel. They are oblong in shape, growing 1-5 inches long and 1/2 to 1 inch wide. The hardy branches have a grey-yellow hue and a strong odor when cut. The yellow-green flowers are small and inconspicuous, forming clusters at the base of the leaves. Flowering occurs January to late March and is followed by oval, black berries in early summer.
Manual methods of control are effective, but “due to the toxic nature of the plant, gloves and protective gear should always be worn,” Bieger said. “Seedlings can be easily hand pulled while larger plants should be pulled with a weed wench.”
Care should be taken to remove the entire tap root. Older or very large infestations should be cut down below the soil line to minimize resprouting.
“This plant grows well in shade and becomes so dense it displaces the native plants that should be growing in its place,” Hagel said. “It doesn’t seem to spread like wildfire, but if left unchecked the silent invasion will do considerable damage to our native forests.”
Numerous agencies are taking action against the invasive shrub on both public and private land and the public’s help is needed to spot infestations. Spurge laurel is listed as an “Early Detection Rapid Response” invader and natural area sightings of this weed in the basin are important to document.
To report an infestation log on at www.oregoninvasiveshotline.org.
by Larry Berteau/MT
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| Ski or Ride with a Partner posted on 01/01/2010
(MT) -- Storms are stacking up for the Pacific Northwest and the volunteers of the Mt. Hood Ski Patrol are issuing warnings.
The news spread quickly about the 15-year-old skier who died Dec. 22 at Schweitzer Mountain Ski Resort in Sandpoint, Idaho after falling into a tree well.
“Skiing or riding off the groomed trails is a blast on a powder day,” said Mt. Hood Ski Patrol’s Brian Barker. “But if you fall into a tree well in deep powder, you may not be able to get yourself out. (The Idaho) death is a sad reminder that tree wells can kill.”
The warning is a simple one: always ski or snowboard with a partner if you plan to leave the groomed trails at a ski area.
“Ski or ride with a partner,” Barker said. “It’s more fun and you’ll have someone watching your back just in case the powder gets too deep.”
Tree well or deep snow accidents occur when a skier or snowboarder falls into an area of deep unconsolidated snow and becomes immobilized. Due to the nature of the loose snow, the more a person struggles the more entrapped they become. If another person is not there to provide assistance, the trapped skier or snowboarder can suffocate.
This kind of death is called a NARSID, or Non-Avalanche Related Snow Immersion Death.
To learn more about tree well safety, visit the Northwest Avalanche Institute’s Web site at www.treewelldeepsnowsafety.com.
The Mt. Hood Ski Patrol is one of America’s busiest volunteer ski patrols, providing nearly 2,500 days of service to four ski areas on Mount Hood.
The patrol is one of the oldest in the country, founded in 1937 by a group of men who wanted to help injured skiers.
Seventy years later, the patrol boasts more than 200 volunteers who help thousands of injured skiers on Mount Hood every year.
The ski patrol is a non-profit volunteer organization. None of the patrollers are paid for their hard work nor are they reimbursed for their expenses. They spend countless hours of their free time patrolling Mount Hood’s slopes and keeping up to date on the best medical training available.
To learn more about the organization, visit the Web site at www.mthoodskipatrol.org.
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| Rhody Boil, and Rhody Bubble posted on 12/02/2009
The “Boil Water” notice is out again in Rhododendron.
In January a rapid thaw raised the turbidity level in Henry Creek to an unsafe level and residents on the Rhododendron Water Association were forced to boil.
At exactly 4:55 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 22, a Douglas fir did the job on the Rhody residents.
It was a tall order, but the 200-foot fir was up to the task, taking out the filtration facility on Henry Creek. Laminated root rot caused the giant to snap off at the base.
The fir slammed into the filtration facility, knocking out the filtering system that allows the Rhody water to be up to safe-drinking standards set by the Safe Drinking Act. The conifer spared the 100,000 gallon redwood storage tank, coming in at a slight angle and missing the mark.
“The tree hit with such force it blew the walls out of the (filtra-
tion) unit,” said Steve Graeper, president of the association. “It’s a 100 percent loss.”
Hours went by – the alarm system was destroyed as well – before a passerby noticed the tree sticking through the roof of the facility and notified water board member Merv Novinger, who in turn contacted RWA Watermaster David Jacob.
Graeper called an emergency meeting of the water board and Rhody residents at the Mt. Hood Food Store, and the boil water notices went flying out the door.
“We knew we’d be out of water soon,” Graeper said. “We had 400 boil water orders and they were all delivered by 5 p.m.”
The storage tank, with no water coming in due to the damaged filtration system, ran out at 6 p.m. With Jacob spearheading the repair effort – a matter of bypassing the filters – the tank began the refilling process by 7 p.m.
The order warns to not drink the water without boiling it first. The danger is that fecal coliform (or E. coli) bacteria was found in the water supply that evening.
The filtration facility was built in 1997, and all the filtering cartridges were online by 2000. Oddly, Henry Creek has provided water to the homes and businesses since 1921 when the association was formed.
“As of right now, the water in the tank going to the homes is exactly like it was from 1921 until 1997,” Graeper said.
The association serves 350-plus homes and businesses in Rhody.
For the most part, residents and proprietors forged ahead despite the inconvenience.
“I am not worried about the water safety as the way the system is running now is the same as it did for many years prior to the filtration plant being built,” said Rhody resident Pat McAbery. “And there were never any problems then.”
Brigette Romeo, owner of the Still Creek Inn, took it all in stride.
“Hey, this is the second time,” she said. “Everything’s easier the second time around. It is kind of expensive though. We have to buy ice, canned sodas and such. But other than that, it’s just business as usual, except we’re boiling lots of water.”
All Seasons Property Management is making certain their customers are aware of the water situation.
“They have to sign a waiver before renting, saying they’ll boil the water and not hold us responsible,” said Mary DeMarco, director of marketing for the property company. “We’re also offering to move people to other houses (out of the RWA area). Only one has taken us up on that, mainly because there was an 87-year-old staying there.”
The filter structure must be torn down, and the association is seeking alternative means of supplying water to its customers, which include installing portable filters, or tying into a neighboring system, like the Lady Creek system east of the RWA service area.
“We’re doing everything we can,” Graeper said. “This is unfortunate, but we live in a forest where things like this happen.”
He was careful to predict when the boil water order would be lifted.
“I can’t promise anything before Christmas,” he said.
“Much of this is simply out of our hands.”
by Larry Berteau/MT
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| Lost Creek Finds Its Way posted on 12/02/2009
To Christy Slovacek, of Zigzag, it was her sixth salmon toss, and to her it is an “adventurous part of habitat restoration.”
To Sarah Yates, of Barlow High, it was her first fishy adventure, and to her it is extra credits for school and as “close to a big fish I’ve ever been.”
To residents of the Mountain, the annual salmon toss is a project to restore aquatic ecosystem productivity by adding nutrients to nutrient-poor streams in the area.
It’s also a messy proposition.
This year’s event, held Nov. 14 at Lost Creek Campground, attracted Barlow High students and local volunteers, all under the supervision of Russ Plaeger of the Sandy River Basin Watershed Council and Isaac Sanders of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Plaeger explained the fine points of the operation, Sanders spiked the salmon carcasses from their containers, and the workers grabbed up the fish and carried them to the creek for the finale: the perfect toss.
“It’s an outside-the-box educational experience for the students,” Slovacek said. “I believe in the project and what it’s trying to accomplish. If the runs come back, we won’t have to do this.”
Slovacek, never caught without her enduring sense of humor, added: “And it’s done without a morning brandy.”
Yates was not in the front of the line for grabbing up a salmon carcass.
“I don’t even like fish,” she said, backing away from Sanders’ offerings as the first of the monsters splatted on the snow.
Eventually, Yates was forced to face the inevitable. After all, there were extra credits at stake. She carefully looped a stringer through the gills and mouth of her “Moby Dick” and trudged off toward the creek to join the crowd – a Pacific salmon carcass in tow, skidding willingly over the snow.
Yates’ first toss was a bust. Missing the stream entirely, the carcass bounced once and settled on top of a rock on the bank.
“It’s just laying there. But I’ll get better,” she said, without a trace of conviction.
Meanwhile, others were delivering carcasses unerringly into the stream, against tree trunks and in the shallows where the nutrients would do the most good.
But Yates stuck with it, finally getting the hang of the distance required.
“My tosses are getting better,” she said after a couple treks to the stream. “I’m actually getting into it.”
Before long, Yates was a fish-toss veteran, throwing with the best of them.
Freshwater environments are dependent on the ecological process that this mass transfer of nutrients provides. Historically, large runs of adult Pacific salmon provided entire watersheds with critical marine-derived nutrients and organic material. However, declining native salmon runs have truncated this massive flow of nutrients and organic material resulting in lower nutrient levels.
This deficiency hinders the recovery of our salmon populations.
The carcasses come from adult salmon that return to the Sandy Hatchery on Cedar Creek.
The project will enhance fish habitat by increasing stream productivity and the abundance of prey leading to improved fitness and growth rates of juvenile salmon.
If the salmon are able to grow to a larger size before they migrate to the ocean, they have a better chance of surviving the journey.
According to Plaeger, this year’s target rate is to distribute 2,000 pounds of carcasses per stream mile.
The project’s objectives are to increase the production of naturally spawning populations of salmon and steelhead in key tributaries of the Sandy River; increase the production of cutthroat trout and other native fish species; provide secondary benefits for terrestrial carnivores and birds; and engage the community in watershed stewardship through a hands-on approach to learning about salmon and watershed ecology.
The 2009 project is funded by the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board’s “Small Grant” program. ODFW and the Mt. Hood National Forest provide vehicles and staff to support the project.
by Larry Berteau/MT
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| Periwinkle A Threat To Trillium, Others posted on 12/02/2009
(This is the seventh in a series on invasive species that inhabit the Mountain ecosystem.)
Vinca — or known better by its common name, periwinkle — is easy to spot on the Mountain in these winter months.
It’s a low-growing, evergreen ground cover with small, blue-purple flowers during summer. When native plants are leafless or have died back, the periwinkle thrives.
It forms dense mats that can shade out natives such as trillium, yellow wood violets and tree seedlings.
“During a recent visit with a homeowner on the Salmon River I was puzzled to not see any red alder seedlings in a large area of their property,” said Russ Plaeger of the Sandy River Basin Watershed Council.
“Then I noticed how dense the vinca was and realized that it was preventing the alder seeds from landing on bare ground and germinating.”
In this situation the periwinkle was interfering with natural forest processes and preventing the establishment of trees that could help reduce erosion problems for that landowner.
To make matters worse, during winter high water, sections of the stems of periwinkle that are growing along a creek may break off and float downstream. Because the plants spread primarily by runners, the pieces that break off can take root and grow in a new location.
“Fortunately, vinca isn’t spread by seed, so unlike English ivy the birds won’t help it move into our local forests,” Plaeger said.
“But the fact that it can readily spread along streams means vinca isn’t a good choice for streamside zones.”
Periwinkle originated in southern Europe and northern Africa and was introduced into the United States for use as an ornamental garden plant.
Periwinkle’s evergreen leaves are smooth, heart-shaped, 1 to 2 inches long and are arranged opposite each other on the stems.
The flowers are found on upright stems while the non-flowering stems grow along the ground.
The sprawling stems will root when they come in contact with the soil.
It likes moist, shady areas which makes it a threat to the riparian zones along local streams.
This plant is an excellent example of the challenge that gardeners on the Mountain face when bringing in a non-native plant.
Can I keep it under control or will it spread to nearby undeveloped areas.
Because periwinkle can re-root and form new plants it is best to avoid putting them into a compost pile.
Hand pulling the vines is a good option particularly in the winter while the soil is moist.
A rake will lift the vines off the ground for better access to the roots.
Mowing can also be effective if the area can be accessed.
At present, there are no biological controls for periwinkle.
by Larry Berteau/MT
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| Ski Camps Slated At Ski Bowl posted on 12/02/2009
GOVERNMENT CAMP — Young skiers intent on continuing to grow into the sport of skiing are welcome to register for any of three Learn to Race Ski Camps scheduled in December and January by the Mt. Hood Ski Education Foundation.
Learn to Race sessions are designed to introduce young skiers and new racers to the sport of alpine racing.
Prior racing experience is not required, however, skiers should be able to ride the lifts, negotiate intermediate terrain and put on their own equipment.
Learn to Race Sessions 1 and 3 are scheduled on three consecutive Saturdays in December or January.
Session 2, the Holiday Camp, is held on three consecutive days over winter break.
Cost per session is $105, which does not include lift tickets.
Skiers age 6-8 must be accompanied by an adult during their training sessions.
Learn to Race Session 1 will be held on Saturdays, December 5, 12, and 19.
Learn to Race Session 2 (Holiday Camp) is scheduled for December 28-30.
Learn to Race Session 3 is set for Saturdays, January 9, 16 and 23.
To register, visit www.mthoodacademy.com
All Learn to Race sessions are conducted at Mt. Hood Ski Bowl.
Coaches train with young skiers from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. with a one-hour break for lunch.
Young skiers who are excited to continue racing may apply the Learn to Race fee toward registration fees for the regular season of the Mt. Hood Race Team.
The Mt. Hood Race Team is comprised of 80 young skiers, mostly from the Portland area who compete in slalom, dual slalom and giant slalom events around Mt. Hood from January through April.
The Mt. Hood Ski Education Foundation, Government Camp, is home of the Mt. Hood Race Team, Mt. Hood Academy and the Mt. Hood Academy Ski Team.
For more than 25 years, MHSEF has been providing rewarding experiences in winter sports and recreation for youth and families.
A year-around program, MHSEF supports participants with fitness education, winter training, racing, winter time boarding school, summer camps and community outreach.
by Monica Cory/For The MT
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| Town Hall, But Where's The Town posted on 12/02/2009
District 52 State Representative Suzanne VanOrman made an appearance.
Pat Whelden of the U.S. Census Bureau was there.
Newly elected board member George Wilson took his chair.
A quorum of the Board of Directors of the Villages at Mt. Hood showed up.
All of this, throw in a free pancake breakfast, and a grand total of 19 members of the community were on hand for the Villages Town Hall Meeting Nov. 21.
By any count, it was a disappointment.
Undaunted, the board carried on with the Villages business.
VanOrman announced the opening of her new office in Sandy, although the hours are still to be determined. She reviewed a couple committee assignments she has been handed, and of Johnson & Johnson funding she had attracted for children’s health legislation, and described the new car she had recently purchased and the mileage she had already logged.
The office phone number: 668-7913.
Whelden touted the new short form census questionnaire being distributed for the 2010 counting of American heads. The form is much simpler than previous attempts, colorfully coded in English (blue) and Spanish (green). The only odd guideline, in part, reads: “Do not count anyone in a nursing home, jail, prison, detention facility.” The grouping is the odd part.
An election was held for the open spot on the board. Wilson ran unopposed, and won his seat.
The board reviewed its survey results that were reported in the November issue of The Mountain Times. Fifty-nine surveys were turned in – 1.3 percent of the community population.
From this, the board will develop an action plan.
The board also announced a new Web site for the Villages, which is promised to be online by Christmas. It will include: content controlled by the board; no editorial comments; a community calendar; a key-word search; a contact form; and a mailing list.
The breakfast was served up by The Still Creek Inn and included pancakes, sausages and coffee.
As unanimous as Wilson’s election, all (19) agreed the breakfast was delicious.
by Larry Berteau/MT
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| School District Garners 'Outstanding' Grades posted on 12/02/2009
Missed it by that much.
Welches Middle School scored 84 on the state achievement index — six points short of earning an overall Outstanding rating — and settled for a Satisfactory.
Welches Elementary picked up a 77 on the index, and also earned a Satisfactory rating from the Oregon Department of Education’s annual school report card.
Sandy High shed its Satisfactory rating of last year and earned an Outstanding for 2009.
“Our state report cards once again show that our educators are working hard to help our students achieve,” said Shelley Redinger, superintendent of the Oregon Trail School District.
SHS Vice-Principal Melissa Sandven cites increased student achievement to be a benefit of teaching strategies and staff collaboration.
“Teamwork is key,” Sandven said. “Our teachers work together in Professional Learning Communities (department teams) to assess student needs, design curriculum and assessments, develop integrated classroom projects, and more.”
Welches Middle profited from heavy lifting by Grade 6 students in reading and math. Eighty-seven percent of sixth graders met or exceeded standards, compared to 73 percent throughout the district and 77 percent statewide.
The same class had 83 percent who met or exceeded standards in math, compared to 78 percent in the district and 73 percent statewide.
Seventh graders in math exceeded district and state standards (81-80-78), as did eighth graders in reading scores (73-70-70).
Welches Elementary scored highest in Grade 5 reading, with 78 percent meeting or exceeding standards, compared to 78 percent (district) and 76 percent (state).
Sandy High scored above the state average on the index in reading, writing and science with scores of 72 percent, 68 percent and 66 percent, respectively.
The state index showed 66 percent (reading), 55 percent (writing) and 58 percent (science).
All 10 schools in the district rated Outstanding in student attendance, and three schools — Kelso Elementary, Naas Elementary and SHS — rated Outstanding overall.
All of the other schools attained an overall Satisfactory.
“I’m proud of our staff for their intense focus on increasing student achievement through rigorous instructional practices,” said Debbie Johnson, district teaching and learning director. “Our teachers continually improve their practices through professional development and peer collaboration.”
School report cards for all Oregon Trail schools are available on the Web site at www.oregontrailschools.com.
by Larry Berteau/MT
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| Pounds Disappear Off Mountain posted on 12/02/2009
If you see 211 extra pounds lying around, we know where it came from.
The Take Off Pounds Sensibly club celebrated its first year of operation at the Dorman Center, and 11 enthusiasts gathered to tell tales of their new slim figures and what it means to them.
TOPS crowned a king and queen, with Bob Miller and Nancy Ray comprising the suddenly slimmer court.
Miller shed 20 pounds in the first year, and has added as much energy to his lifestyle as lost weight.
“I can do more things now,” Miller said. “My diabetes is under control, my blood pressure has been lowered, and I’m doing more work in my garage and around the yard.”
Miller credits the group’s support and his new treadmill as the keys to his garnering the crown.
Ray was not present. She was celebrating her 65-pound weight loss by sporting her new figure around Arizona for a well-deserved vacation.
Mary Page has been with TOPS for six years – and was dubbed a queen previously – and coupled her first year at the Welches club for a 50-pound loss overall.
“I had a younger boy friend, but I kicked him out,” Page said, with only a sparkle in her eye to suggest any exaggeration. “After I lost all that weight, I didn’t need him around anymore.”
Club leader Donna Marshall disappeared 21 pounds during the first year, and credits the club’s atmosphere of “no pressure” and “no finger pointing” to her success.
But Marshall’s main benefit was “My towel got smaller,” she said. “I don’t have to dry off with a beach towel now. I’m down to standard size.”
Vickie McMullan has only been with the TOPS program for six months but took off nine pounds in the process.
“I still have 15 to go,” McMullan said. “But already I have more energy to play with the grandkids, and I’ve gained friendship and learned accountability (with the club).”
The local TOPS will host an open house at 10:30 a.m., Jan. 2, 2010, at the Dorman Center for members and newcomers.
Those interested in dropping some weight, making new friends, and moving down one towel size can contact Donna Marshall at 668-0901.
by Larry Berteau/MT
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| Property Tax Ax Falls on the Mountain posted on 10/31/2009
(MT) – Property tax statements are in the mail, and if Mountain residents are feeling the pinch, there’s good reason.
Welches – and surrounding communities of rural Sandy, Boring and Government Camp – residents were hit with a 28 percent hike, the largest in the taxing district.
Property taxes increased throughout the county largely due to new permanent rates extending nearly county-wide. The voter approved levies of the County Library District, which has a permanent rate of 39.74 cents per thousand, the County Extension and 4-H District with a permanent rate of 5 cents per thousand, and the Oregon Trial School District bond levy of $2.28 per thousand were major contributors to the increase.
In comparison, the city of Sandy (23 percent) was the only area hit nearly as hard.
Metro Portland and rural Canby followed at a relatively meager 9 percent.
This property tax statement is the thirteenth statement issued under Measure 50 – the constitutional property tax limitation passed by voters that has shaped Oregon’s property tax system since May 1997.
The 2009-2010 property tax total to be collected for all districts in the county is $601,008,884, an average increase of 8.7 percent over last year’s total of $552,657,758.
Taxes generated from new construction, new money measures approved by voters, and the required increase of 3 percent in taxable assessed value on most existing properties were the primary reasons for the $48.3 million increase.
More than half the increase ($27.4 million) was the result of new voter approved money measures passed in the November 2008 election.
Most property owners saw their taxes spike beyond what is expected from the typical 3 percent growth in assessed value required on most property under Oregon’s tax system. The increases are larger because voters approved eight new money measures including two new permanent rates, one new local option levy and five new bonded debt levies that will be seen in their respective areas.
Measure 50 changed Oregon’s property tax system in several ways. It lowered 1997 assessed values to 1995 levels minus 10 percent; limited assessed value growth to 3 percent a year; and set permanent tax rates for each taxing district. The tax system also allows voters to approve additional money measures that may increase their taxes in excess of the 3 percent.
For Jan. 1, 2009, the total real market value of property in Clackamas County is $54.5 billion. This is a 9.3 percent decline from $60 billion in 2008. The assessed value for tax purposes grew from $34.5 billion to $36 billion – an increase of 4.5 percent. A significant gap between real market value and assessed value still remains. Property taxes are calculated on the assessed value.
The average single family home has a market value of $339,000 with a taxable value of $218,000. The assessed value of an average home in Clackamas County is equal to 65 percent of its real market value. The assessor’s values represent the property value as of the assessment date – Jan. 1, 2009 – and reflects the change from Jan. 1, 2008 to Jan. 1, 2009.
The question arises of why did the assessed value and property tax go up while the real market value went down? Since Measure 50 passed in 1997, market values have grown much faster than the 3 percent increase in assessed value required by law. As long as the market value is greater than assessed value, the 3 percent annual increase in assessed value will continue and taxes will typically increase
about 3 percent unless the property has new construction, other Measure 50 exception value or new money measures are passed by the voters.
Property taxes in Clackamas County support 126 local government taxing districts, including 17 cities and 18 school districts. Other taxing districts providing services include fire districts, public safety, water districts, the Port of Portland and Portland Metro.
Full payment of taxes is due Nov. 16, 2009, to receive the 3 percent discount. A 2 percent discount is given if two-thirds payment is received by Nov. 16. No discount is allowed on a one-third payment and additional one-third payments are due Feb. 16 and May 17, 2010.
Taxpayers can file value appeals with the Board of Property Tax Appeals through Dec. 31, 2009. BOPTA’s phone number is 503-655-8662.
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| County Says 'Neigh' of Attempts to Stable Outfitters posted on 10/31/2009
That clop-clop you hear may be brought to you by a pair of Percheron geldings, or it just may be the gleeful beating of Kory Reese’s heart.
An ordeal that has been a year in the making — due to a neighbor’s complaint about Whiskey Creek Outfitters — has ended well for Reese’s business.
“This has been a very long year dealing with this permit process,” Reese said. “We have had a lot of ups and downs along the way … (but) the verdict is in and we have gotten the green light.”
Whiskey Creek Outfitters, located on Welches Road, became the center of a maelstrom when Reese’s neighbor, Sam Nagy, complained to the county about the business — generally that the business was too close to his house, and more specifically the manure piles.
“They moved into our neighborhood and there was immediately a problem with their dogs running loose,” Nagy said. “I’m the kind of guy that stands up for his neighborhood, so I called animal control.”
Subsequently, the Reese’s fenced in their dogs.
“But the big thing was their manure piles,” Nagy said. “They dumped manure next to my property. This was intentional. So I filed a complaint with the county.”
Outfitters provides horse-drawn carriage rides – sleigh rides in the winter – to the Mountain community, including plus rides for special events at The Resort on the Mountain.
The complaint arrived at the Clackamas County Court and hearings were
held June 25, and the final one on Oct. 1. At the final hearing the court concluded “that the applicant sustained the burden of proof that the proposed use does or can comply with the relevant approval standards of the Clackamas County Zoning and Development Ordinance … therefore the hearings officer approves the application subject to the conditions at the end of this final order based on the findings and conclusions in this final order.”
At the initial hearing there were piles of compliance criteria that took a year to work through, according to Reese.
“They were requiring that I clear 300 feet line-of-sight in both directions from my driveway,” Reese said. “There was no way I could do that. That meant no business.”
But Reese kept working on the process, getting a lift from members of the community that wrote letters of support, and soliciting and receiving help from Sen. Rick Metsger (D-Welches).
“There was nothing civil about the problem with my neighbor,” Reese said. “But the process was quite civil with the county. I worked with the planning department, and with the help from friends and the senator, all of a sudden the conditions began to change.”
The rancor between the parties was evident.
“If they had practiced being good neighbors, none of this would have happened,” Nagy said. “But they don’t care. Besides, I think, eventually, someone is going to get hurt on those wagons.”
The county determined the driveway was fine the way it was, and since she only turned right with her wagons the line of site was reduced to 250 feet in one direction.
The bottom line was “I’ll have no problem complying,” Reese said.
Nagy respects the opinion of the county.
“I know where they’re coming from,” he said. “The hearings officer based his ruling on existing laws. It was the finest he could do.”
Outfitters features a pioneer style covered wagon, a sleigh, and a vis-à-vis carriage pulled by Percheron draft horses – Duke, 8, and Bob, 11.
Last year, Reese left behind her mortgage business and started up Outfitters when Duke and Bob were put up for sale. The Percheron pair had enjoyed a life of show hitches and parades in Battle Ground, Wash. and moved to the Mountain Aug. 2, 2008.
“I cannot express how much the community’s support means to me, my family and this business,” Reese said. “Thank you for all your letters and listening to my cause. I know I can ramble on.”
Nagy was more cautious.
“How we proceed will be up to the Reese’s,” he said. “I will hold them to being good neighbors.”
Supporters are invited to a Victory Party/Open House at Whiskey Creek Outfitters to be held from 3 to 8 p.m., Nov. 20, at 27378 Welches Road.
“Come down and meet the horses and hang out for a while,” Reese said.
by Larry Berteau/MT
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| Lolo Pass Break-in Leaves Owner Shaking posted on 10/31/2009
The community was violated again with a house robbery in Rhododendron.
Kristin Roberts, 59, had her home invaded during the daytime hours of Oct. 12.
“I came home about 3 p.m. and found my front door kicked in,” Roberts said. “I was panicked. I started shaking. It was terrible.”
When Roberts entered her Pinewood Lane home — 1 1/2 miles off Lolo Pass — the place was ransacked.
“I said, ‘I’ve been robbed’,” she said. “They had thrown everything on the floor. I was worried for my cats as well. I have four of them and they are not allowed outside.”
After searching through the debris Roberts discovered all her cats were safe.
Missing items included keys to her rentals, two TV sets, $3,000 in diamonds, a camera, a sound system and her social security card.
“They also stole a credit card,” Roberts said. “And they tried to use it.”
Roberts’ credit card company notified her of the attempt by someone in Colorado.
“These guys aren’t very bright,” she said. “They have a friend in Colorado. I want everyone to know this is going on. There’s never been anything like this in this neighborhood before.”
The Clackamas County Sheriff’s Department arrived on the scene 30 minutes later.
Roberts said she had insurance, “But of course they reassess everything. But I guess it’s better than nothing.”
Roberts believes the break-in had to have been planned by someone local.
“I certainly don’t know who did this, but it has to be someone who has been here before,” she said. “It had to have been planned, like knowing when I wasn’t going to be here and when my neighbors weren’t going to be home.”
This is the first reported break-in since 2008 when a spate of robberies took place in the Elk Park Road neighborhood. Four houses were hit in a six-day period from Nov. 6 to Nov. 12. Losses in these incidents included a $10,000 ransacking of Steve and Lisa Siegfried’s residence.
No suspects have been turned up by the sheriff’s department investigation.
by Larry Berteau/MT
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| Park Camping and Day-use Fees on the Rise posted on 10/31/2009
(MT) — When you put up your tent next year, the cost is going right up with it.
For the first time in 13 years, Oregon state park camping and day-use fees will increase in 2010.
The Oregon State Parks and Recreation Commission made the fee hike official Sept. 29. Day-use rates will increase Jan. 1, 2010, from $3 to $5 per carload for a daily permit. On May 1, 2010, RV campsite rates will increase by $4 per night, and tent site rates will climb by $3 per night.
“Visitor fees are a major source of funds for park operations,” said OPRD Recreation Programs manager Richard Walkoski. “We’re no longer funded by state taxes. In the 13 years since our last fee increase, costs to run parks have increased steadily while the visitors’ share of park revenue has fallen dramatically.”
State park operations are also funded by a share of Lottery profits dedicated to state parks by Oregon voters in 1998, and a portion of the recreational vehicle registration fee, according to Walkoski. Because both funding sources have declined, the increased visitor fees are expected to keep the park operations budget even with last year.
OPRD initially proposed increasing tent camping by $4, but reduced it by a dollar following a lengthy public comment period.
The Oregon Legislature approved the increased state fees during the 2009 session.
There are two types of state park campgrounds: value and destination. Value campgrounds are usually smaller, less well-known sites that charge less. The new nightly rate for a full hookup (sewer, electricity and water) and electric hookup (electricity and water only) campsites will be $20 for value parks and $24 for destination parks starting May 1. Tent sites will rent for $17 or $19. RV and tent campsites rates are discounted by $4 per night from Oct. 1 to April 30 every year to promote fall, winter and spring camping.
Overnight cabin and yurt fees will also increase by $4 and $9, respectively, making the new rates $39 for a basic cabin and $36 for a basic yurt.
All of the new rates are summarized online at: www.oregonstateparks.org/rates.php?season=1. |
| Villages Board Gets A Meal Served 'Warm' posted on 10/31/2009
The Villages at Mt. Hood had plenty on its plate at the Oct. 6 Board of Directors meeting.
From issues ranging from formation of a visitor information services task force, to the evolution of an action plan spinning off the September Mountain survey, to the prickly issue of incorporation, the board had a variety of victuals to munch on.
Visitor info services
Board member Rick Applegate served up the appetizer with a motion to authorize a task force to pull together community leaders to solve an economic issue facing the community: “Namely, inadequate CCTCA (Clackamas County Tourism and Cultural Affairs) funded visitor information services for our community during the next 12 to 36 months,” Applegate’s motion stated.
“It’s time we get something done,” Applegate said. “The county won’t help. People’s livelihoods are at stake.”
The county tourism board is satisfied with the Zigzag Ranger Station’s efforts to provide information to tourists and visitors, but limited hours – specifically in the winter months – seem inadequate to Applegate, and as it turned out to other members of the board as well.
Applegate pointed out that current plans to add space at the ranger station, a task CCTCA says will be completed by 2012, leaves a serious void for the community.
Applegate cited the plan does not address:
1. Covering weekends year round;
2. Offering extended early evening hours;
3. Offering the visibility needed for visitors staying in our area (the ranger station is on the way out of town); and,
4. Does not provide sufficient capacity to properly guide visitors to area businesses.
The discussion was lively with the motion finally passing by a 5-3-1 margin. Board members Applegate, George Wilson, Brigette Romeo, Pat Buckley and Doug Saldivar cast yea votes. Chair Bob Reeves, Judith Norval and Shirley Dueber opposed the motion, and Pat Sharp abstained.
The motion included setting up another meeting to develop an interim visitor information services plan for the community.
Community Survey
The survey review process was the main course. The board discussed the results and decided on a system to give weight to the community responses.
The survey attracted 57 responses, 41 turned into The Mountain Times and another 16 mail-ins to the Villages.
There were nine issues addressed in the survey, each asking for a high, medium or low priority rating.
The results found that “improving road design on Welches Road for pedestrian and bike safety” topped the priority list with 32 points of “high” interest in the weighting system.
Environmental protection projects was a close second with 31 high-interest responses, followed by tourism development (26), increasing recycling opportunities (23), permanent closure of Miller Road Quarry (23), linking of community transportation system (22), encourage economic growth (22), construction of a community center (15), and water availability (14).
The Villages will work on an action plan in light of the survey at the Town Hall Meeting, Nov. 21 (see info box, this page), and will encourage community input.
To City, or Not
For dessert, the board tackled the issue of incorporation for the community, and the discussion was not always so sweet.
A point was made as to the unsavory aspect of such discussions.
“We should be facing controversy,” said interim board member George Wilson. “If we don’t start dealing with real issues, it’s dishonest if we don’t.”
“Some are fearful, some are advocates,” Applegate said. “But the community is sick and tired of inaction.”
“There’s an impression we don’t do anything,” said board member Doug Saldivar. “We recommend but we can’t make decisions.”
“We must be prepared (for this issue of incorporation),” said board member Pat Buckley.
Pat Sharp offered a middle ground, suggesting that the board should turn its attention to the issue in a methodical manner.
“We must educate ourselves first,” she said.
The dessert being finished, one thing was certain: this delectable will be served up again in future meetings.
In other business, the board:
-- Approved a $250 award to Gary Randall to create a Villages logo; and
-- Accepted the resignation of Robert Baker from the Main Street Program.
by Larry Berteau/MT
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| Destruction on Hwy. 26 posted on 10/02/2009
ONE DEAD, ONE SERIOUSLY HURT, ANOTHER ATTEMPTS TO FLEE INTO THE WOODS
In the half-light of an autumn afternoon, this place seems eternal. A few leaves are turning and the evergreens remain stalwart, unchanging, forever.
But the artery that cuts through this place is a constant reminder of the fragility of life — the seemingly senseless and random violence that can strike on Hwy. 26.
Gary Lee Berry, 71, of Welches, attempted a left turn from Woodsey Way onto westbound Hwy. 26 in the twilight hour of Sept. 16. A witness advised the Oregon State Police that a Pontiac Grand Am passed an eastbound vehicle at a high rate of speed and crashed into Berry’s Ford Taurus.
Berry lost his life.
Shortly after the accident OSP Trooper Scott McLeod patrolled near milepost 41 and came upon the scene of the two-vehicle crash –— Berry’s Ford disabled in the westbound lane and Jeffrey Jacobs, 28, of Milwaukie, was in his Pontiac in the ditch on the north side of the highway.
McLeod checked the Pontiac and found Jacobs pinned in his vehicle. Before the trooper was able to check on Berry, Hoodland Fire Department and an AMR ambulance arrived on the scene and confirmed that Berry was deceased.
After medical personnel treated Jacobs and removed him from the car, Jacobs tried to escape into the woods but was overtaken and detained by McLeod and an AMR paramedic, according to OSP.
Jacobs was transported to Legacy Emanuel Hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries.
Berry was using safety restraints and his car’s air bags deployed.
Hwy. 26 was closed until 4 a.m.
The night before this fatal accident, Mike Headrick, 44, of Welches, was seriously injured in a single-vehicle rollover on the highway near milepost 42 in Zigzag.
Headrick, operating a 2001 Ford Expedition, was eastbound when he drove off the right side of the highway onto the shoulder at approximately 1:50 a.m., according to OSP Trooper Will Brindza. The vehicle came back onto the highway across both eastbound lanes where it rolled and came to rest on its wheels in the left eastbound lane.
OSP reported the crash was alcohol-related.
The victim was transported by LifeFlight to Oregon Health Sciences University. Hoodland Fire Department assisted at the scene.
Brigette Romeo, 16-year partner of Headrick, told The Mountain Times that he was recovering and the prognosis was good.
“He’s now out of ICU,” Romeo said. “He suffered major head trauma and there is possible vertebrae injury. Surgeons had to open his skull and relieve pressure on the brain. But he is coherent.”
Romeo indicated that doctors said they got him to the hospital just in time.
“They told me it was a good rescue,” she said.
by Larry Berteau/MT
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| Welches Logger in Negotiations with City of Gresham posted on 10/02/2009
FALLEN DOUGLAS FIR WORTH $35,000 AND 49 NEW TREES IN OPENING OF TALKS OVER CODE VIOLATION
“It looks like I’ll be planting the Rutledge Logging Memorial Forest for the city of Gresham. Hopefully they won’t want any statues or benches.”
That was the assessment of Tom Rutledge, 62, of Welches, and owner of Rutledge Logging & Tree Works, regarding the ongoing negotiations with Gresham officials.
The city levied a civil fine ($35,000) and mitigation penalty (planting 49 trees) against Rutledge and holds him jointly and severally liable with the developer for the cutting of a Douglas fir in November on the property of the Persimmon Homeowner’s Association.
According to Gresham Assistant City Attorney Ashley Berman, those penalties are presently being discussed with Rutledge and his attorney.
“We are in the process of settling with Mr. Rutledge, but it’s not finalized,” Berman told The Mountain Times. “The amount is being negotiated down. That amount was $35,000 for the code violation, determined by its aboreal value, and mitigation planting of 49 five-foot tall Douglas firs to replace the fallen tree.”
The number of trees in the “Rutledge Logging Memorial Forest” was determined by 49 2-inch caliper trunks versus the 98-inch caliper trunk of the original tree, according to Berman.
When asked whether justice was being fair and balanced in this incident, Berman responded: “I understand your question, but I can’t necessarily comment. I will say it’s unfortunate.”
Rutledge was hired by developer Matthew Morrell — of Gresham’s Morrell & Morrell, Inc. — to cut down the tree because a prospective buyer of a Morrell property on S.E. Deer Creek said the tree was blocking the view of Mount Hood. The falling of the tree was a condition of the sale.
One week after the tree came down, the house sold for $785,000.
“The tree was probably still shaking when the buyer signed the papers,” Rutledge said.
Despite his enduring sense of humor, the Welches logger is looking at considerable personal loss.
“For simply doing my job, I could lose my house, my land and everything I own,” Rutledge said. “I live next to the Sandy River, but I fear the grinding wheels of bureaucracy far more than the threat of an angry body of water. I’ve never been hammered like this before.”
The city claims Rutledge should have determined that the property was not on Morrell’s development site before cutting the tree.
“Right,” Rutledge said. “For me to determine legal ownership of that tree, I’d have to commission a survey, go through county records, figure out if the property in question was in escrow, had dual ownership, and whatever, just to do my job. If I operated like that a $150 tree-cutting would cost me $10,000."
As to the negotiations, Rutledge has turned that over to his attorney.
“I’m aware of negotiations, but it’s in his hands,” he said. “While everyone else was going to college, I was fighting a war. I don’t talk legal-speak. I assume he’ll get me the best deal possible.”
Berman was not insensitive to Rutledge’s plight.
“The city is encouraging of people’s livelihood,” she said. “But it also has an obligation to uphold the law.”
by Larry Berteau/MT
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| Bizarre Suicide Case Unraveled in Rhody posted on 10/02/2009
It has been determined that a man found dead of a gunshot wound to the head in Rhododendron was a suicide.
The incident occurred Aug. 31 in an undeveloped campground 50 yards from the south side of Hwy. 26, just south of East John Lake Road.
Investigators responded to the campsite where the deceased male was discovered, with a clearly visible wound to the head.
The deceased was forensically examined during an autopsy performed by the Oregon State Medical Examiner’s Office Sept. 1.
“The deceased has died as a result of a gunshot wound,” was the terse statement released by Larry Newman of the ME’s office.
The victim has been identified as a 53-year-old construction worker from Las Vegas who had come to Oregon to look for work.
Homicide and Violent Crimes Unit investigators located a commercial-grade blowgun at the campsite. The blowgun was sent to the crime lab for examination. As a result of the forensic examination, it was determined that the blowgun was the instrument the victim used to discharge the self-inflicted fatal round to his head.
Investigators described the blowgun as being approximately 30 inches long and made of an aluminum-grade metal. This blowgun is not typically used to discharge ammunition.
However, in this case, the victim was able to make use of the blowgun to deliver the fatal shot.
“It was a suspicious and complex crime scene from the beginning,” said Jim Strovink, public information officer for the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office. “It was a pristine area. A vehicle was there, no weapon, no suicide note.”
Apparently the victim put a round in the blowgun and set the instrument in the campfire, put the barrel to his head, and waited for the heat from the campfire to fire the round, Strovink said.
by Larry Berteau/MT
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| Golf Course Signs Are A Wedge Issue: Liability vs. Neighborly posted on 10/02/2009
Signs posted recently at the Resort at the Mountain have some members of the community crying “out of bounds.”
The response from the Resort could be described as “you get a mulligan.”
Signs went up the last week of September along the golf course on Fairway Avenue letting passersby know that the Resort is private property and walking and biking is not allowed.
Tricia Hudson, of Welches, was alarmed at the new rules.
“I am very disappointed,” Hudson told The Mountain Times. “Safety is the number one reason I walk at the golf course nearly every week for the last four years.”
Hudson’s strolls are most important to her as she suffers from seasonal affective disorder (SAD).
“The open golf course provides the most sunlight which helps decrease the number of symptoms due to many dark and dreary days the cloud cover creates up here.”
Frank Casarez, general manager of the Resort, is stuck in the sand trap of the complaints. He has received others from golf course property owners regarding the newly posted signs.
“We’ve also had guests (golfers and lodgers) complain about the course being used as a playground,” Casarez said. “It’s only a few people who have caused this. I know that.”
But in August a woman (not a guest) crashed her bicycle on the course and died of her injuries. The issue of liability flew off the tee directly into the cart of the Resort’s lawyers.
“We have to protect the Resort,” Casarez said. “People need to know this is private property. The signs are not to alienate anyone in the community. We care about the community. But there’s also the liability issue.”
Casarez emphasized the Resort’s desire to be a good neighbor, but part of being a good neighbor is to be a responsible one.
“We want people to use the Resort, but we also need protection,” he said.
Casarez also knows the history of the Resort and realizes that locals will continue to walk and bike on the property.
“We’re not going to police it,” he said. “We can’t patrol the golf course. People will do it anyway. We know that. But it’s also not a public park.”
However, marshals will have the right to enforce the private property rules and if they see someone holding up golfers or creating a safety hazard they will do so.
But to the casual walker or biker who is being courteous and yielding the right of way to golfers, there will probably not be an issue with the marshals, according to Casarez.
“We’ve told our marshals not to be difficult, or rude, and to treat people with dignity,” he said. “And, we’ve told them they shouldn’t say anything if there are no golfers in the area.”
So there are new signs — a liability issue — but it appears that courteous and alert locals may continue to play through.
by Larry Berteau/MT
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| Hiker Rescued After Journey to Devils Peak posted on 10/02/2009
(MT) — A day-hike to Devils Peak turned into an overnight survival expedition.
John Colvin, 48, of Portland headed up the Green Canyon Trail in Rhododendron Sept. 7 with Devils Peak being the ultimate destination. Spending the night in the Mount Hood National Forest was not on the agenda.
At 10:19 a.m. on Sept. 8, ground searchers located Colvin and escorted him back to the trailhead and his vehicle.
The morning after Colvin headed out (1:30 a.m.), his wife called Clackamas County Emergency Communications to report he had not returned as planned. The concerned spouse had traveled to the Green Canyon trailhead in search of her overdue husband. She informed dispatchers that her husband’s vehicle remained parked at the trailhead, but she had been unable to locate him.
Sheriffs also learned that the missing spouse had called his wife about 4 p.m. on the day of his hike from Devils Peak summit and reported he was starting his descent and was in no jeopardy.
That was the last contact the spouse had received from Colvin.
Clackamas County Search & Rescue responded to the trailhead and established a command post. Volunteer SAR organizations also responded to the scene – including Mountain Wave Emergency Communications, Pacific Northwest Search and Rescue, American Medical Response and a Clackamas County 4x4 group.
At 7:30 a.m. on the second day Colvin called his wife again on his cell phone. The cell phone activation enabled SAR personnel to use its data
to triangulate the missing hiker’s precise location. Colvin was told to remain at his present location and wait for searchers.
He was rescued a few hours later.
It was discovered that Colvin had spent the night off-trail, was able to build a fire and utilized a space blanket for added warmth.
He was not injured and was comfortable considering his situation and circumstances.
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| 'Dream' Yields Garden Gifts posted on 10/02/2009
Iwakt is an American Indian word for dream.
The local community garden is aptly named.
Iwakt Community Garden center has produced its first crop, and it’s a dream.
“The most prolific vegetable and the most craved one was the tomato,” said Blythe Nordbye, board member of the center. “I don’t think there is a plot that doesn’t have a few (tomatoes) and most have many plants all producing abundantly.”
The dream started in April 2009 with the completion of the fence and water line for the garden, located on Salmon River Road adjacent to the Dorman Center. Locals scrambled for the plots, space was sold out, rocks were cleared, the dirt arrived and planting started immediately.
The first year’s bumper crop featured stalwarts such as broccoli,
cabbage, peppers, peas, beans – but no zucchini, the most prolific vegetable ever.
Nordbye asked master gardener Lily Miller about the miserable zucchini crop. Miller believes that this summer has had such a range of temperatures – warm days and cold nights – that might have had an effect on the zucchini. Miller hastened to add that each growing season is different, so perhaps zucchini will join the dream crop next year.
Members pay a one-time fee of $50 that provides dirt, hoses and other garden expenses. Each plot has a yearly rental fee which provides for the water, and the amount depends on the size of the plot.
Plot sizes include 4x10, 10x10 and 10x18, with fees of $20, $30, $40, respectively.
“When the garden was laid out, plots were decided by the board and assigned to the garden members as per their request,” Nordbye said. “I don’t think there was one request that was not (provided).”
Initial garden plot requests were overflowing, and there are currently six people on the waiting list for next spring.
The board includes Margaret Lowe, Lily Miller, Norm Thompson, Pat Sharp and Nordbye.
The garden was a considerable community enterprise and the dream team included: Don Mench, installing the water system; Brian Gautney, excavation; John McMahan, tilling and removing boulders; Doug Sharp, Pete Nordbye, Christy Slovacek, Cheryl Collins, Bob Chudek, and Mench, fence installation; Norm Thompson, bulletin board; Margy Lowe, workshop facilitator; Winona Avila, composting; Lisa Riversong, sign creation; Miller, master gardener; Pat Tritco, tree cutting; Molly Espenel, Web site; Clackamas County, fencing and posts; Boring Park, dirt; and Frank Frajo, Wildwood Annex Water District.
by Frances Berteau/MT
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| Ivy Monsters Lurk on the Mountain posted on 10/02/2009
The tendrils of the ivy search along the trunk and limbs of your favorite tree, cling and caress, flower and flourish, and you rock on your porch swing and you are pleased.
But you are deceived.
English ivy is so widespread in western Oregon you probably think it belongs here.
But you are wrong.
If you think it came from Europe with some of your ancestors, at least you got that one right.
“If English ivy has turned some of your shade trees into ivy monsters, you can fight back,” said Russ Plaeger of the Sandy Basin Watershed Council. “On hot summer days you’ll be glad that you saved those big trees and the shady oases they create.”
The weight of large masses of ivy vines can topple mature trees – especially during an ice storm when the evergreen leaves collect a coat of ice.
Killing these ivy vines accomplishes two important things. First, the trees will be protected and their health will improve by eliminating the added weight of the ivy leaves and making more sun available. Dense ivy growth can actually shade the needles or leaves on the host tree. Second, by killing the ivy in the top of a tree the vines will not be able to flower and produce seeds. That means fewer new ivy plants, and less work in the future.
Local resident Mitch Williams is a great example of the positive difference that individuals can make in efforts to control English ivy,” Plaeger said. “Over the last few years Mitch has volunteered his time to pull ivy and lead local youth crews on ivy control projects in the Barlow Trail Park at the confluence of the Sandy and Salmon rivers. The ivy is no longer out of control there.”
English ivy has both juvenile and mature plant forms. The leaves on juvenile plants are deeply lobed with three to five hairs on the leaves and young shoots.
Immature plants do not produce seed during the juvenile phase which lasts up to 10 years.
Mature plants have leathery, dark-green leaves that are un-lobed or only slightly lobed on the edges. When mature plants begin to grow vertically they produce flowers.
Mature vines produce clusters of small, greenish-white flowers in autumn which lead to dark-colored berry-like fruits in spring. Many birds eat the fruits and aid the spread of ivy into local forests.
It is possible to develop a game plan and set priorities to get ahead of the ivy. Persistency will free up the trees and other native plants which provide better habitat for native song birds and other wildlife.
Ivy that is growing on the ground can be pulled or dug up. The fall through springs is a good time to do this while the soil is moist. Some people react to the ivy’s sap so it is a good idea to wear gloves. Vines can be disposed of by piling them so they’ll dry out to prevent re-rooting or put into yard debris containers.
The vines growing on trees are pretty easy to kill. Begin by cutting out a section of every vine on the trunk of each tree. Use a pair of sturdy lopping shears and follow these simple steps: 1. Make the first cut at shoulder height and cut each vine as you work your way around the tree; 2. Make a second cut at knee height and go completely around the tree; 3. Pull, or gently pry, off the cut sections of vines.
Avoid damaging the thin bark of trees such as red alder. Be sure no vines are hiding in the furrows of the bark. As the cut vines die, the leaves will dry out and fall off.
The new ivy-free zone can be kept clear by pulling new vines by hand while they’re young and supple.
“To make your accomplishment last even longer, you can pull and dig the ivy vines out of the soil so that you have a cleared circle around the base of each tree,” Plaeger said. “If you want to go for the gold you can remove all of the ground ivy from your site.”
Fortunately, English ivy can no longer be sold in Oregon for outdoor or landscaping plantings, Plaeger said. “But concerned gardeners should also be careful with any of the other ivy cultivars that can also become invasive.”
by Larry Berteau/MT
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| MEL Ready to Roll posted on 09/02/2009
There were dignitaries by the bucket full: plenty politicos, eager photographers, sturdy service organization reps, even a quorum for the Town Hall meeting.
But the show belonged to MEL – all 113 miles of him.
Or maybe he should be called Son of MEL, or MEL II, or MEL the Much Improved.
“The seats are better and bigger,” said Joyce Le Doux, of Alder Creek, the operations supervisor of MEL and the driver that wheeled the new beast into the parking area of Welches Elementary for the Aug. 15 Town Hall Meeting of the Villages at Mt. Hood.
“It’s easier to clean, has two wheelchair positions (instead of one), arm rests and a power door opener instead of the old manual door opener,” Le Doux said. “It even has a cool CD player.”
And instead of the 245,461 belching miles that the first bus had amassed – this MEL stood tall sporting a meager 113 miles on its shiny, new odometer.
MEL is the second in a line of Mountain Express buses that serve the Mountain community – its route stretching all the way to Estacada.
Villages chair Bob Reeves has been the ramrod in acquiring the latest version of MEL.
“The first engine went through two cracked heads, three rebuilt engines and six lift pumps,” Reeves said. “The City of Sandy and our contractor (Wheels) supplied us a backup bus at no charge when ours was down. With Clackamas County now our fiscal agent it’s much easier to obtain grants and the state likes working with a public agency.
“We are still raising funds for the match required of the grant for our second bus.”
State Senator Rick Metsger (D-Welches) was handed the snipping chores for the official MEL ribbon cutting. Despite a less-than-perfect pair of scissors – this wasn’t Metsger’s first ribbon rodeo – he performed the solemn, and often times silly, duty with aplomb.
“Kudos to the community,” Metsger said, after a singular stroke. “Ridership shows this was the right thing to do. We managed a huge transportation bill through the legislature this session which contributed to funding this bus.”
County Commissioner Bob Austin acted as master of ceremonies and passed along a tank full of praise.
“Here’s tangible evidence of a lot of hard work and dedication,” Austin said. “This bus will add to the service of this area. It was manufactured locally (Woodburn). It’s great to have a reliable bus for the community with 1,500 trips per month, taking 700 cars off the road.”
County Commissioner Jim Bernard pumped more praise.
“There’s a lot of criticism of how government is awful,” Bernard said. “But this is an example of what it can do – and in a hurry.”
Through it all MEL was stalwart, sucking up the praise like clear mountain air through an intake valve.
In other business the board:
-- announced the schedule and deadlines for the vacant board position to be Sept. 1 for applying, Sept. 8 for county review, and Sept. 10 for the appointment;
-- and, showcased local community service organizations including Hoodland Fire District (Mic Eby), Mt. Hood Chamber of Commerce (Loren Holm), Clothes for Homeless Vets (Eileen Vigil), Oregon Trail School District (Shelley Redinger and Julia Monteith), Hoodland Public Library (Beth Scarth), Friends of the Library (Judith Norval), Hoodland Senior Center (Jeri McMahan), Mt. Hood Corridor CPO (Don Fulton),
Mt. Hood Lions Club (Mary Emmel, Lloyd and Shirley Savage), Wy’east Information Center (Sandra Palmer), Neighborhood Missions (Pastor Berry and Tommie Kirkendahl), Hoodland Women’s Club (Kay Baker and Signe Merz) and Welches Post Office (Brenda Manley).
by Larry Berteau/MT
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| Local Phone Directory Still on Hold posted on 09/02/2009
The two boutique phone directories – one for Sandy, the other for the Mountain community – are still not published, nearly a year after monies were collected from advertisers.
Jim Jones, owner of Cascade Telecom Development, told The Mountain Times (July 2009 issue) that his tardy directory would be printed and distributed by the end of July. He cited a recent bout with cancer as the reason for the delays.
“I feel most badly for the new advertisers, as they have had to wait for their ads all this time,” Jones said in the July issue.
July came and went, as has August, and still no phone directory.
Andrea Galusha, owner of Andrea’s Wine Gallery, is one of the new advertisers who have been waiting for the directory – one that was originally to be published in November 2008 to replace the 2007-2008 book.
“I’ve had many conversations with them (CTD), and I documented everything,” Galusha said. “He was always saying he was going to the printer at the end of the month.”
Frustrated with the delays, Galusha recently altered her tactics.
“The last call was July 1, and I left a voice mail saying I wanted my money back,” she said. “Of course, I haven’t had a return call. I don’t expect to get my money back.”
Disgruntled advertisers for the Sandy directory rallied Aug. 15 in Meinig Park to air their grievances. Jones was invited to the rally but did not show until the closing stages.
Jones was prodded to the park in a phone call with Debbie Saniti, of Frank Saniti, Jr. Painting, in which she urged Jones to come and face the advertisers that had supported him for the past year and a half.
Jones arrived and told the business owners he would try and make it up to everyone.
“I know my integrity is in the toilet now,” he told the crowd.
At that rally Jones promised the directory to be “on the streets” by mid-September.
Mary Whitney, of Whitney Signs, asked Jones if he had his check book, and to give folks their money back.
“It’s not what we really wanted,” Whitney said. “But at least it’s a start.”
Jones proceeded to write refund checks to several advertisers.
Erica Dodson, an advertising sales representative for CTD for more than three years, was surprised he wrote the checks.
“He’s not been returning phone calls so I didn’t think he would face the people,” Dodson said.
She is no longer an employee of Jones, but weathered the storm of delays of the still-unpublished directory.
“He (Jones) was always running behind,” she said. “He would say ‘it should be going to the printer this week.’ I wish I had a dime for every tim
e I heard the word ‘should.’ The advertisers have been told one excuse after another.”
Dodson doesn’t buy Jones’ cancer excuse.
“I’ve just heard too many excuses from him,” she said. “The bottom line is the book isn’t out. I don’t want to sound cold, because I’m not. I’m just tired of the ‘shoulds.’”
Several Mountain advertisers are in the same boat as Galusha and her wine gallery.
Sally Schneider, of Weddings and Other Bloomin’ Occasions, paid up front in 2008 for her first ad in the directory to coincide with her opening. She said the ad cost her between $200 and $300.
“That’s a lot of money for me,” Schneider said. “I’m a new business and it was really important to me to get the word out.”
Like many others, she has been frustrated by Jones’ failure to communicate.
“I’ve called many times and left messages,” she said, then added with a drip of sarcasm, “You might say I’m just a tad upset.”
Schneider was quick to point out that former sales rep Dodson has been very pro-active in trying to assist her.
Kelley Mackenstadt, of Mogul Mountain Pizza, coughed up $345 for her ad.
“I’ve been in the phone book every year,” Mackenstadt said. “You pay for something, you expect to get what you paid for. It’s important to us. I’ve been ripped off, and I don’t know what to do.”
Numerous follow-up phone calls to Jones — ironically — went unreturned.
by Larry Berteau and Frances Berteau (MT)
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| Manicures on Fingers of Salmon River in Full Swing posted on 09/02/2009
By Larry Berteau
The Mountain Times
You can almost hear the fish slapping their fins in glee.
The restoration of side channels on the Salmon River continues – and the immediate beneficiaries are the Chinook salmon, Coho salmon, winter steelhead and cutthroat trout.
“The side channels of the Salmon River provide essential habitat for threatened and endangered species of salmon,” said Russ Plaeger of the Sandy River Basin Watershed Council – the group spearheading the effort. “The restoration efforts are an excellent example of what can be accomplished through a partnership between private landowners, agencies and non-profit organizations.”
The restoration at a fever pitch in August in the Arrah Wanna area of the Salmon River as a Spyder hoe, log trucks and workers placed large logs at the site.
“The logs are placed at locations within the side channels where they will create deep scour pools, which provide cover and rearing habitat during the summer low flow periods and holding water in winter during high flow events,” Plaeger said. “This is particularly important for juvenile Coho, but adults benefit as well.”
Stream complexity and habitat diversity is important for salmon and other species such as Pacific lamprey. Logs in the channel help to create complex, diverse physical habitats by scouring pools and trapping gravel.
The long term goal is to recreate habitat conditions that will improve runs of fall and spring fish species. The limited amount of side channel habitat and pools in the main river are two of the factors that presently limit the productivity of the Salmon River, according to Plaeger.
Much of the habitat in the Sandy River basin was lost as a result of actions during the 1964 flood. A number of side channels that had been used for adult spawning and juvenile rearing were blocked off and large wood was removed from the river channel and flood plain.
These actions decreased overall habitat diversity, prevented the flow of water into some historic side channels and significantly reduced the habitat that juveniles depend on.
Side channel projects have been completed on National Forest and BLM land. An important private-public partnership accomplished restoration work on the Wee Burn and a side channel at The Resort at the Mountain. Private landowners on the half-mile Arrah Wanna side channel have been working with the Forest Service and watershed council to restore and enhance habitat.
In the fall of 2008 a helicopter was used to place logs in a group of side channels in the Miller Quarry vicinity. This summer, work is planned at some site in the Mt. Hood National Forest and at the BLM’s Wildwood Recreation Area. The Forest Service, The Freshwater Trust (formerly Oregon Trout) and BLM are leading the instream habitat work while The Nature Conservancy and the watershed council are leading efforts to control invasive plants and replant native trees and shrubs.
Each of these organizations is a member of the Sandy River Basin Partners, a coalition of private and public organizations working on salmon habitat and watershed health throughout the Sandy River basin.
The work completed to date has made more of the side channels suitable as nursery habitat, spawning habitat for adults and as a refuge from winter storms.
Funding for the projects comes from a number of sources, including: Payments to Counties funds; U.S. Forest Service appropriated funds; Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board; EcoTrust; and other private sources. |
| Community Reaches Out For Vets posted on 09/02/2009
(MT) – Oregon’s homeless veterans got a hand up at the recent “Stand Down” event held in Portland.
The Mountain community struck a major chord at the event as most of the items handed out had been donated by people on the Mountain.
Clothing, backpacks, shoes and other necessities were among the items made available for our veterans.
“By noon, 95 percent of the clothing and survival gear was in the hands of homeless and at-risk veterans,” said Eileen Vigil, community coordinator.
The 2009 Stand Down was organized by Central City Concern, the Department of Veteran’s Affairs, WorkSource Portland Metro and Hire Oregon Vets. The event featured 32 potential employers and dozens of service providers. More than 600 veterans attended.
Throughout the day hot food was served and there was live music. As with other Stand Downs held annually throughout the U.S., this one made available a variety of information and services, including: resources for rehabilitation; retraining and employment; community and legal services; veteran’s advocates; counseling and psychiatric professionals; even hair cuts, medical screening and X-rays.
“It is impossible to attend an event like this and not be permanently affected by the weight of the needs of homeless vets,” Vigil said.
On any given night the VA estimates 200,000 veterans sleep on the streets of America. Nearly 400,000 experience homelessness over the course of a year. Conservatively the National Council for Homeless Veterans estimates one out of three homeless men sleeping in a doorway, alley, or box in our cities and rural communities has put on a uniform and served the country.
About half of all homeless veterans served during the Vietnam War era. Most observers believe more Vietnam veterans have committed suicide over the past 30 years than the 57,000 who died fighting the war.
“My husband and I have gathered, donated, delivered clothing and gear for veterans, and we regularly deliver to the VA outreach coordinator on the streets of Portland,” Vigil said. “This Mountain community has shown a generous spirit, enabling us to provide ski jackets in winter, rain gear, gloves and other warm clothing. This summer we also began delivering business clothing to the nonprofit Central City Concern for their Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program.
“Anyone who would like to join us in our year-round effort is enthusiastically invited, whether it be via contributing a pair of new socks, or a $2 mylar emergency blanket, or an article of clothing from your closet.”
Cards are placed throughout the Mountain community with contact information and wish lists updated monthly. Contact the coordinators at: supportveterans@earthlink.net.
Drop-off sites for donations are: Designers Hair Center, Welches; Mountain Building Supply, Welches; Mt. Hood Roasters Coffee Company, Rhododendron; Wy’east Book Shoppe & Art Gallery, Welches; and The Mountain Times, Welches. |
| Church Brings 'Gifts' to the Mountain posted on 09/02/2009
(MT) – The Hoodland Lutheran Church is bringing in the classics, and a star-studded field of headliners, for the “Blessed Gifts” concert and lecture benefit on the Mountain.
Blessed Gifts will be presented at the local church as a major fundraiser, taking place from 2 to 4 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 4. The event will go a long way in the church’s commitment to helping Mountain community members who need help. Tickets are $10, family $30.
The composers of the selected music, Schubert, Schumann, Barber, Chopin, Beethoven, Bach and Elder Joseph of a Shaker community all overcame great obstacles in their lives.
Ticket sales for the benefit will kick off Sept. 6 at the Wy’east Book Shoppe and Art Gallery, or ducats can also be obtained by calling the church at 622-3916.
The program was planned by Sandra Hyslop (Mountain Profile, Page 2), a resident of the Mountain community and three performers from Portland.
The performers will describe the hardships that the composers endured in their lifetimes.
Pianist Sandra Hyslop has performed solo recitals, concertos with orchestra and chamber music concerts with a variety of instruments and voices.
Having woven her passions for music, language and people into a rich tapestry, she returns to Oregon after many years living in other parts of the United States.
Elizabeth Ecklund, a mezzo-soprano, will also appear for Blessed Gifts. She has performed around the U.S. and western Europe. Her particular passion for the modern composers, often under-represented in recitals and concerts, has in no way diminished her love for the titans of song composition.
Robert Huffman holds a degree of Bachelor of Music from the University of Oregon School of Music and has traveled to France and studies for three years with Noel Lee. He now resides in Portland where is principal pianist for Portland Ballet.
Sarah Watts, a violinist from Portland, has degrees from Virginia Commonwealth
University and Manhattan School of Music. She has played background music for television documentaries, free lancing and recording.
She currently teaches at Mt. Hood Community College as well as playing future concerts in Nevada and Massachusetts.
The Neighborhood Missions is a community outreach program sponsored by Hoodland Lutheran Church which responds to family needs by providing food and financial assistance for heating supplies, medicine, utility payments, gasoline vouchers, transportation and bus passes to people in need.
Neighborhood Missions began more than 20 years ago and has evolved into a dynamic group of people on the Mountain serving their community.
Committee members are on call for a week at a time on a rotating basis.
The mission invites anyone who is interested to come to a meeting.
The membership is open to those who are not members of the local church.
Clarence Edelman is chair of the organization and can be reached at 622-5694.
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| An 'Old Man's Beard' Can Be a Bother posted on 09/02/2009
Bet your “Old Man’s Beard” wasn’t 100 feet long.
And there’s a good chance it wasn’t imported from southwest Asia or Europe.
Old Man’s Beard – also referred to in gentler terms as Traveler’s Joy – is an invasive Clematis species hanging out on the Mountain.
“With each individual plant capable of producing more than 100,000 seeds per year there’s the potential for this species to spread quickly along our local rivers and creeks,” said Russ Plaeger of the Sandy Basin Watershed Council. “That’s why we’re asking area residents to help control this plant.”
The Beard – unlike the kindlier English ivy vines that grow directly on the trunks of trees – drapes from the limbs of the trees that they’re growing in. The vines use trees as a superstructure to help them reach up to the sunny tree tops.
The result is the dense Beard blocks the sunlight to the host plant’s leaves and can eventually kill trees. When the vines are numerous their added weight can topple trees. As a consequence, Old Man’s Beard destroys food and habitat for native songbirds and other wildlife.
The leaves are opposite one another on the vines and each leaf usually has five leaflets. The elongated, heart-shaped leaflets typically have smooth edges. Because the leaves are deciduous, the vines are bare during the winter except for the white seeds.
Young vines are ribbed and purple in color. Older vines are woody, often gray-brown in color.
“The prolific, puffy, white seed heads, like super size cotton balls, are a distinctive feature of the plant,” Plaeger said. “They’re visible from late summer through autumn.”
In other words, the Beard is hanging out right now.
To control the Old Man, vines can be cut at waist height killing the upper portions of the plant – then the lower sections can be pulled out and roots dug out of the ground. The vines should be disposed of to prevent them from sprouting.
“Although this invader is already present in the Welches-Zigzag area, it isn’t widely established,” Plaeger said. “We ask people to report sightings of Old Man’s Beard to the Sandy River Basin Watershed Council at 503-668-1646. |
| Mercury, Fire Danger on the Rise posted on 08/03/2009
The puff of smoke that jumped off Boulder Ridge Trail on the Fourth of July was a stark reminder of the danger that lurks in our forest community.
The weather has been hot and dry, turning the woods into a tinderbox.
The Boulder Ridge fire was small – about a quarter acre on BLM land – but could have been much worse if not for the quick response of the Forest Service.
“Two Forest Service engines did the initial attack,” said Rick Acosta, public affairs officer for Mt. Hood National Forest. “The fire was then turned back to Oregon Department of Forestry after containment for monitoring.”
Fireworks were the reported cause of the blaze.
While the Forest Service went into action, Hoodland Fire Chief Mic Eby saw the smoke but was not required to respond due to the distance required to get to the site.
“I was dyin’ to go,” Eby said. “Instead, we just watched it.”
Fortunately, that was the only incident on the Fourth, Eby said. “People were good about their fireworks this year. There were some illegal fireworks, but they were safe.”
On July 21 ODF put into effect restrictions on all private and BLM forest lands in Clackamas County. These restrictions include:
— A ban on smoking in the forest, except in closed vehicles;
— A ban on open fires, including campfires, charcoal fires, cooking fires and warming fires, except in designated campgrounds;
— A ban on chainsaw use between 1 p.m. and 8 p.m. in any area under Industrial Fire Precaution level 1 or 2;
— A ban on vehicles, including motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles, except on improved roads or for the commercial harvest of agricultural crops;
— A ban on fireworks;
— A ban on blasting and exploding targets between 1 p.m. and 8 p.m.;
— A ban on cutting, grinding and welding metal between 1 p.m. and 8 p.m.; and
— A ban on mowing dry or cured grass with power-driven equipment between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m.
On July 24 increased restrictions were imposed on fire wood cutting and other industrial activities within the entire Mt. Hood National Forest.
A Level III Partial Shutdown is now in effect – shutting down all fire wood cutting by members of the public even though they may have a fire wood permit. The area affected is the entire Barlow Ranger District and the eastern portion of Hood River Ranger District of Mt. Hood National Forest. Familiar to industrial operators as Unit 1, the area is located east of Hwy. 35 and east-southeast of the Hwy. 35-Hwy. 26 junction.
The fire danger is high in all fire precaution units of Mt. Hood National Forest, Acosta said, but there are no other public use restrictions at this time.
“If campers have need of a camp fire, they are encouraged to be very careful, keep their fires small, and to have their fire surrounded by an effective fire ring which keeps the fire contained,” he said.
People leaving camp fires unattended can be cited and held responsible for all fire suppression costs.
by Larry Berteau/MT
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| Claggett Sent to Mental Hospital for Evaluation posted on 08/03/2009
(MT) — The hits – and misses – just keep on coming for former Clackamas County Deputy Sheriff Brandon Claggett.
Claggett, 38, the so-called “Weed and Seed” officer for the Mountain community until running afoul of the law himself, is now being evaluated to determine if he is competent to stand trial, according to the Circuit Court.
The latest transgression was Claggett’s alleged violation of the terms of his pre-trial release, according to sheriff’s public information officer Jeffrey Green.
Claggett found himself before the court after his electronic monitoring device transmitted a tamper alarm at 4: 30 a.m., July 10. When deputies arrived at his home, Claggett was not there, his pickup was gone, was considered armed and dangerous, and his young son was believed to be with him.
Forty minutes later his pickup was spotted in the Sandy area – near the residence of his estranged wife, Jamie – and deputies took Claggett into custody. His son was returned unharmed to the mother, Green said.
At the time of the early morning arrest, Deputy Steve Shelly said Claggett had a slight odor of alcohol on his breath and had told him that he was depressed, couldn’t take it any more and needed mental help, according to CCSD public information officer Jim Strovink.
A grand jury indictment was quickly presented accusing Claggett of additional charges including unlawful use of a firearm, unlawful use of a weapon (a knife), unlawful possession of a firearm and second-degree criminal mischief.
Clackamas County Circuit Court Judge Kathie Steele and Deputy District Attorney Shannon Kmetic immediately tacked on a full bail amount of $1.1 million.
At a hearing before Circuit Court Judge Eve L. Miller the following Monday, Claggett’s attorney asked permission for the mental evaluation and Miller granted the request.
Claggett is now being held at the state mental hospital and another hearing has been slated for Aug. 25 to determine if he is competent to proceed to trial, according to Kmetic.
If it is determined that Claggett is incompetent he will be held at the hospital until he is capable of defending himself.
Prior to the recent July events, the deputy had been arrested in May and indicted by a grand jury on charges of coercion, unlawful use of a weapon, menacing, misdemeanor assault, pointing a firearm at another person – threatening his estranged wife at gunpoint – and unlawful possession of a firearm
.
Claggett resigned from the sheriff’s department in October, 2008, following an investigation that found he took a teenage girl on unauthorized rides in his patrol car and that he had e-mailed explicit photos of himself to her while on duty.
The district attorney decided not to charge Claggett in that case.
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| Steiner Cabin Tour to Roll Through Mountain posted on 08/03/2009
Roll up, roll up for the Cabin Tour. It’s coming to take you away.
The Steiner cabin tours are a popular annual event on the Mountain, and “this year’s tour promises to be informative and entertaining,” promised Lloyd Musser, curator of the Mt. Hood Cultural Center and Museum.
The tour begins at 10 a.m., Aug. 15, at the museum in Government Camp.
The tour of Mount Hood area log cabins celebrates the 1930s craftsmanship of Oregon builder Henry Steiner. This year’s event features an added attraction – the work of William Lenz. While Steiner was erecting cabins, Lenz was building lodges.
The work of these two craftsmen dot the Mountain landscape, from Steiner’s functional creations in Government Camp and Rhododendron, to Lenz’s lodges such as Zigzag Inn, Good Times Saloon, Barlow Trail Inn and Brightwood Tavern.
Steiner’s style had nothing to do with the idyllic cottages from fairy tales. Rather, his intent was to create functional and economically assembled homes. However, he failed – in one respect. His cabins are precisely what one might imagine if asked to think of how that storybook “cozy little cabin in the woods” might appear.
Steiner was famous for using onsite materials for his cabins, sometimes used in unique ways. Typical of his style is the wagon wheel or sunburst gable, a basalt rock fireplace, arc-shaped front door made of a split curved tree, gnarled tree root used for a front door handle, and unique log beams supporting the gabled porch roof.
Unlike today’s cabins which are made with big logs and erected with cranes, Steiner built his cabins all with 12-inch and smaller logs.
When asked why, John Steiner (Henry’s son) had a simple response.
“Two reasons,” he said. “One, trees this size and smaller could be bought for $1 each from Sandy Lumber lands after they cut the bigger trees for railroad ties. Two, two men can lift and place a 12-inch log without machinery.”
He is considered a master of the Oregon Rustic style and the tour is designed to acquaint visitors with both this native northwest design as well as to offer a chance to tour wooded cabins ostensibly straight out of a storybook.
Space is limited for the tour and Musser urges participants to purchase will-call tickets prior to the event.
Tickets may be purchased at the Mt. Hood Cultural Center and Museum in Government Camp, or by credit card by calling the museum office at 503-272-3301.
by Larry Berteau/MT
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| Free Parking Shut Down at Wildwood Recreation Site posted on 08/03/2009
The free parking at Wildwood’s recreation site has gone the way of the free lunch.
No longer is there any such thing.
The sign went up at the Bureau of Land Management park on July 27, and some blood pressures went right up with it.
“That sucks,” was the initial reaction of Kat Martin of Zigzag. “It’s really a shame. A lot of people don’t have the money (to pay the $5 entry fee).”
The sign points out that the decision to close the free parking area was primarily a safety issue.
“It (the decision) came from the district office (in Salem),” said Donna Hansen, eight-year park ranger at Wildwood. “If people had been logical this probably wouldn’t have happened.”
When the six spaces were full, often times cars would double park behind them, even flow out onto Hwy. 26, according to Hansen.
Mark Marshall, the site’s park manager for five years, echoed Hansen’s sentiment.
“We had to do it,” Marshall said. “It was getting out of hand. We understand the issues (with some). It was a tough deicsion.”
“After all the years this parking area has been there, why is it now a safety issue?” Joe Synak asked in an e-mail to The Mountain Times.
Other people contacted the MT about the closing of the free parking area, and the overarching themes were the economy, and the greed of BLM.
“Times are tough, I know that,” Hansen said. “But you still have to use your head. You can’t park wherever you want just because you don’t have five dollars. It’s more than just the money. It’s safety.
“They may choose not to believe that, but it’s the truth.”
Martin has a 16-year-old dog she walks in the park – or used to walk in the park.
“It’s awful,” she said. “It’s not like I hang out there all day. But, as the gal at the booth told me: ‘Did you see the sign?’
“Well, I saw it and I don’t like it.”
According to Hansen, there’s another sign on the way. ODOT will be putting up a sign on Hwy. 26 warning park goers of no free parking along the four-lane highway.
The 580-acre recreation site is a popular day-use area for locals and visitors, featuring five miles of interpretive trails along the Salmon River.
by Larry Berteau/MT
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| Villages Board Tackles Question of Interim Post posted on 08/03/2009
What the Villages of Mt. Hood board of directors meeting lacked in decisions, it made up for in questions.
The July 7 meeting was highlighted by a lively discussion regarding the appointment – or not – of an interim director to replace Nancy Dougherty who resigned from the board on July 3.
Although not required to do so, the board decided to continue the tradition of appointing an interim member who would serve until an election was held at the Nov. 21 Town Hall Meeting.
On that, everyone agreed.
How to proceed became a more complicated process.
One possibility was to appoint someone on the spot.
Another was to give the community sufficient notice and to take applications prior to an interim appointment.
Sufficient notice became an issue when it was determined that the Board of County Commissioners would have to approve the applicants, and, as county liaison Christine Roth pointed out, the county board’s August schedule for meetings is historically light and unpredictable.
George Wilson, who ran unsuccessfully for a board seat in the last election, offered a solution.
“I already applied (for Dougherty’s interim replacement),” Wilson told the board. “The BCC has already approved me. I’d be more than happy to serve.”
Director Brigette Romeo suggested the board appoint Wilson, but the idea did not gain traction.
Instead, the board opted for tradition and worked on the schedule for taking applications for the interim post.
At the suggestion of director Rick Applegate, the board decided to hold a special meeting Aug. 13 to elect the interim member. The motion passed on a 6-2 vote, with directors Judith Norval and Shirley Dueber casting the dissenting votes.
After the meeting – and much give and take over scheduling and allowing opportunity for applicants as well as proper notice – Roth issued an e-mail announcement that the deadline for applicants to the interim slot was Aug. 27.
In new business chair Bob Reeves opened the discussion regarding the June work session of the board in which it heard Dave Lythgoe’s proposal that the Mount Hood Corridor Community Planning Organization join up with the Villages.
Reeves indicated he had attended the corridor’s July meeting in which the CPO had elected interim officers pending its September election of permanent officers.
The discussion bounced back and forth with the board weighing many options, including: (1) the CPO should make its own decision; (2) the Villages should invite the CPO’s chair Roy Bellows to the Villages next meeting; (3) it might be premature to address the issue since there is a CPO election in September; (4) the Villages should hear from the CPO about its interest and to learn of the CPO’s goals.
Reeves made it clear this was not a “hostile takeover” by the Villages and that the board would set up a meeting between the two entities.
In other business, the board:
— Announced a raffle to be held Aug. 29 at the Huckleberry Breakfast as a fundraiser for the Mountain Express Line with the prize a Sept. 18 trip to the coast and the contact is director Judith Norval;
— Director Doug Saldivar asked a communication committee and Web site be considered at the next work session and it was agreed on by the board;
— Sandra Palmer asked for support of her efforts to provide tourism information at her book store and gallery and it appeared the board was receptive and sensitive to all she had done; and
— Director Pat Sharp proposed the board – in an effort to give more flexibility to decision making – work sessions also include a business meeting, with the board in agreement and Reeves indicated it would be considered on next month’s agenda.
The Aug. 4 Board of Directors Meeting, from 4p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Hoodland Fire District Meeting Room, includes the following agenda items:
— Unfinished business: Web page; Mountain Times communications; workshop change to regular meeting;
— New business: Wy’east Information Center; timeline and process for new director appointment.
by Larry Berteau/MT
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| Artist Community Evolves with Mountain Passion posted on 08/03/2009
(Editor’s note: An artist and writer from Rhododendron, Riversong takes a personal look at the culture of the Mountain artist’s community.)
While the Russian government today quarrels over whether the painted wooden matryoshka dolls are part of their true culture, art life here on the Mountain is far less complicated.
Artists from our area are making new efforts to keep artistry alive by following in the footsteps of Oregon’s dynamic arts culture scene.
“Every nook of our community holds a number of talented people,” boasts multimedia artist Josh Frazier, Welches, whose new Artists’ Market at the Skyway Bar & Grill in Zigzag has created a fresh vibe on the Mountain.
Every Sunday afternoon, local painters, jewelers, leather crafters and musicians gather for a traditional working artist market.
“We can exchange techniques, talk with our customers and have a personality cast out there,” Frazier said.
“Our goals are to nurture art,” said Tony DiMicoli of Zigzag. “Our artists’ community is a well kept secret that is beginning to evolve. We’ve got to support that.”
DeMicoli is a director and events promoter whose Portland Artquake, Oregon Bite, Waterfront Blues Festival and Portland Rose Festival have become national culture icons.
His annual Festival of the Forest at Wildwood Park, September 12-13, will provide live music, art booths, food and a festival atmosphere for our locals to enjoy.
Speaking of best kept secrets, Rhododendron sculptor Jason Johnston recently has been awarded Best of Show at the Bend Summer Festival.
Bringing light to the adventurous spirit here are Johnston’s bronze casts of skiers, kayakers and rock climbers.
“I’m always proud to represent Mount Hood when I’m on the road,” Johnston said. “We’re known around the world to have the ultimate backyard and I express that in my sculptures.”
“Customers are impressed with the artists’ deep relationship with nature,” said Sandy Palmer, owner of Wy’East Book Shoppe and Art Gallery
.
She admits much lower sales of artwork this year but admires the work that keeps her customers connected to their experiences here.
“The artwork evokes memories on the mountain and sways them to buy,” she said.
Dynamics of art culture — otherwise known as artists’ markets, galleries, exhibits and festivals — are explosive branches of art for communities to enjoy.
Passions are shared and expressed. These traits have been cultivated for thousands of years by many people of the world, especially here.
Look forward to read about more Mountain artists in upcoming issues of The Mountain Times.
by Lisa Riversong/for The Mountain Times
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| Youth Corps Puts Stimulus Funds to Work posted on 08/03/2009
In case you missed it, there were stimulus funds on display on the Mountain in mid-July.
Members of Youth Employment Support Services tromped along the side channels of the Salmon River in Arrah Wanna to ensure a protected breeding ground for fish and surrounding habitat.
“They are hard workers who seem to enjoy getting dirty to improve habitat in the Sandy River Basin,” said Marci Krass, conservation crew leader for Project YESS. “They are interested in learning more about the native plants and reasons behind the importance of the restoration projects we participate in.”
The workers vary in age from 17 to 23. Some are in high school, in GED classes at Mt. Hood Community College, and some have graduated with a GED from high school.
The stimulus funds for the projects are filtered through several agencies, with the majority coming through the Workforce Investment Act and a Portland organization called Worksystems Inc., according to Michael Oliver, conservation crew program director for Project YESS.
The 11-person crew working in Arrah Wanna was one of three crews working around the region. The program funds 170 area youth on paid work experiences for 6 to 12 weeks.
YESS is part of a larger model under the Oregon Youth Conservation Corps which provides employment to 1,200 members this summer. This makes the program one of the largest employers in the state, according to John Asher, director of OYCC, and a showcase program for the nation.
At the Arrah Wanna site, crew members installed heavy weed barrier fabric to kill canary grass in key areas along the side channel. Native vegetation will be planted in these areas during the winter of 2009-10. Cutting grass and covering the bases of the plants with a weed barrier is an effective alternative to spraying with herbicides.
Canary grass is an aggressive, persistent invasive plant that has taken over significant portions of the Arrah Wanna side channel as well as other areas along the Salmon River, according to Russ Plaeger of the Sandy River Basin Watershed Council.
Willows have also been planted and cages erected around the willows to provide shade for the small fish in the stream. The cages prevent deer and beaver from making snacks of the willows.
The side channels on the Salmon River provide essential habitat for threatened and endangered species of salmon. The restoration efforts are an excellent example of what can be accomplished through a partnership between private landowners, agencies and non-profit organizations, such as OYCC and YESS.
The work completed to date has made the side channel suitable as nursery habitat for juvenile coho and spring chinook, spawning habitat for adults and as a refuge from high river flows during winter storms.
Without the stimulus funds this important environmental work would not be done, Krass said, sweeping her arm in an arc. “Just look around. It’s working.”
by Larry Berteau/MT
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| Businesses Boom on the Mountain posted on 07/03/2009
Someone forgot to tell Mountain entrepreneurs that these were difficult times.
Or, maybe local business operators are sending a message to communities that just aren’t with it.
But whatever economic construct one ascribes to, the reality is there are no fewer than 10 new businesses either starting up, changing hands, or expanding in this summer climate.
A new grocery story in Sandy, a new restaurant in Welches, a new graphics company serving the Mountain, a new electrician, an old tavern reopening, a new computer repair business, a tool and equipment rental company, changing of ownership at a restaurant/lounge, a new coffee shop, pastries, sweets, cakes, the list goes on as new doors swing open to serve this bustling community.
“Yes, these are tough economic times, but if you don’t take a chance, you won’t get ahead,” said Ginny Thompson, half of the Jay and Ginny team starting up Salmon River Electric.
Her sentiments reflected the feeling of all the entrepreneurs.
“We’ve waited for doors to close, but they keep opening up instead,” she said.
“I’ve wanted to do this for a few years,” Jay Thompson chimed in. “There are no guarantees in this economy, but it feels right. And, it’s already working.”
From the electric company with two employees, the other end of the scale is Grocery Outlet in Sandy, launching with 29 community employees — several from the Mountain.
Locally owned by John Halverson, 40, the store’s primary focus is on discount prices.
“The first thing smart shoppers will notice is the low prices,” Halverson said. “Where most markets will have, say, a half-dozen to a dozen brands of each item, we’ll only have three or four. This, along with our opportunity buying, produces merchandise at 50 to 70 percent off what other grocery stores charge.”
Halverson grew up in Gresham, attended Centennial High and Mt. Hood Community College, and started in the grocery business “sorting bottles” when he was 16.
After one and a half years at manager’s school in South Lake Tahoe – where he met and married Laura Halverson – he was offered the Sandy store.
“It was coming home for me,” he said. “I was rea
lly lucky. I grew up fishing the Sandy River and spent plenty of time on Mount Hood.”
Like the Thompsons, he is up to the challenge despite the difficult economic times.
“First of all, it’s exciting and fun,” he said. “It may be a difficult time, but the community has already responded well to the new store.”
Grocery Outlet opened its doors May 28, with hours from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., seven days a week.
Taylor Butel, 29, is two months into pastry creations – called Bella Cakes – while continuing and expanding her
Nouveau Catering enterprise. Bella Cakes are being turned out at local favorite coffee shop, Java the Hut.
“We sell out every day,” Butel said, referring to her Java offerings. “I’m finding out lots of people haven’t had homemade pastries since grandma. The response has been terrific.”
Butel’s road to kitchen creations was an unusual one. While living in southern California, toiling as an insurance agent, she was coaxed to the Mountain by her then-boyfriend, now-husband Tom Butel, who had just bought the Brightwood Tavern.
“First thing I know I’m doing everything,” she said. “I’m in charge of personnel, bartending, and then I’m cooking in the kitchen.”
Her knack for pastries grew out of locals taking her to their homes and teaching her how to make baked goods.
After two children the tavern business was no longer an option, so she turned to the baking. Since then they have sold the tavern.
Heading up the loop, Bob Gambell is set to reopen the Brightwood Tavern in July, with manager Kim Perry at the helm – with six employees already lined up.
The tavern is a legend on the Mountain, having first served up the food and beers for loggers and millworkers in 1946.
This is Gambell’s second time around at the Brightwood. He came to the Mountain in 1976, purchased the Whistle Stop, but hearing the old tavern was for sale he immediately took on the challenge.
Years went by, the tavern changed hands, and recently shuttered. Now, Gambell – and the Brightwood Tavern – return.
“I wanted to save her (the tavern),” Gambell told local graphic artist Gary Randall in a recent interview. “There’s too much Oregon history and memories that would be lost if she were to become irreparable.”
“It will be a cleaner, cheerier, happier place,” Perry told The Mountain Times. “We are all very excited about the July opening.”
On Aug. 16, 1982, Doug Hall walked into the Inn Between and was taken by a bartender named Melissa.
“It took him six trips in here before he got up the nerve to ask me out,” Melissa Hall said.
Doug eventually came through, the couple married, and on May 21 this year bought the business that had been the object of their coming together.
“It was always a place we loved,” Doug Hall said. “And we saw it slipping away. We want to bring it back where it used to be.”
Music lineups are set for the grand opening festivities of July 16-19. (See listing, Page 19.)
The new owners are also trotting out multiple menu specials – besides the classic steaks – that include smoked meats, barbecue and Thursday veggie nights.
The Inn Between provides jobs for five Mountain workers.
The Hoodland Shopping Center has a new addition, Café Aria and Cast One On have joined forces at the new business site.
Cast One On, with its array of yarn, sweaters and shawls moved up the road from Zigzag with Kara Verdoorn as the craft(y) lady.
Lora Crampton and Nate Bent head up the new owner team of the café, with Blythe Rocha behind the counter as well. Aria features ice cream (perfectly placed next to McKenzie Dental), coffees, quiche, candy apples, cookies, muffins, cakes and Torta Rustica, which Bent describes as “shepherd’s pie on steroids.”
The rest of the food menu is a work in progress and will depend on freshness and available products.
This is just a taste of the business boom in progress. Other include Lisa Riversong’s Eruption and the McCloskey’s Tool and Equipment Rental (see stories in June issue), Mountain View Computer and Repair Services by John Levis, Kessel Kreations, and Barlow Trail Welcome by Cheryl Dixon. Look for their stories in the August issue.
by Larry Berteau/MT
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| Mountain Phone Book Delay Appears to be Over posted on 07/03/2009
The new phone book is coming, the owner says.
The Villages of Mt. Hood telephone directory, published by Cascade Telecom Development, Inc. in West Linn, is set to publish next month, nine months after the original publication date.
“I’m sorry for the delay,” Jim Jones, founder and president of CTD, told The Mountain Times. “The Mountain community has been good to me.”
Due to publish in November of 2008 – replacing the 2007-2008 book which was the last one published – Jones fell ill and hasn’t been able to fulfill his obligation to community advertisers.
He insists he will make the July date and will honor all advertisers with a 12-month book that will carry through to July 2010.
“All the advertisers will get the exposure they need,” he said.
“I feel most badly for the new advertisers, as they have had to wait for their ads all this time.”
CTD collects in advance from advertisers and most paid for their ad placement last November.
Glenn Jones (no relation), owner of Oregon Insect and Rodent Control, has been waiting for the book and for his ad to appear. When asked if he was satisfied with the promise of delivery in July, he was skeptical.
“I don’t know whether to believe him (Jim Jones) or not,” Glenn Jones said. “I’ve called and called but got no return call. Finally, he called me back today (June 24), but he really didn’t say anything. He’s apologetic, but so are our legislators.”
Kathy Gunter, proprietor of Kathy’s Kabins in Rhododendron, doesn’t see it as a major concern.
“I’m still in the old one, so it’s not a big deal,” Gunter said. “Besides, I advertise in The Mountain Times, and it’s distributed all over the Mountain.
“The way I see it, if you go into a different town, or different state, you don’t go to the phone book for a business ad. You grab the local paper. I read The Mountain Times. I like it. That’s why I advertise in it.”
Jim Jones first took ill “five or six years ago” but thought he had it beaten. “Last fall it reoccurred and I’ve had to go through three series of treatments,” he said. “The treatments have made me a bit loopy and it’s been difficult to get work done.”
He’s better now, he says, and work is going well on the next directory.
He does most of the book himself, from pagination to ad sales.
Despite these reassurances, Glenn Jones is not optimistic.
“I don’t want to be ruthless,” he said.
“I try to lead a spiritual life. But God gave me common sense too.”
He said he has no plans of advertising in the directory once the 12-month run of his ad is over.
By Larry Berteau/MT |
| Tie One On posted on 07/03/2009
By Mark Bachmann
For The Mountain Times
July is the month, late evenings are the time, and yellow mayflies are the main course.
Local lakes will soon be the incubator for the yellow mayfly (Hexagenia limbata) hatch. This 1 1/4-inch insect is the most geographically widespread mayfly species in North America — and the Mountain environment is included.
Locally, the best known Hex hatches occur from Lost Lake, Timothy Lake, the private lakes on Rocky Ridge Ranch and Merrill Lake in southern Washington.
When fishing during a Hex hatch, there is no need to get to the water before late afternoon. This is the perfect situation for the angler who wants to do some fishing after the day’s work is done.
A brief history of the mayfly life cycle tells us why.
The female Hex deposits her eggs directly on or in the water. Individual females release as many as 8,000 oval eggs, each less than one-half mm in length, which immediately sink to the lake bottom.
After several days to several months (depending on water temperature), a tiny nymph hatches from the egg. It immediately burrows into the lake sediment to feed on particulates and to construct a U-shaped burrow with two opening at the sediment surface.
The nymph continually enlarges its burrow as it grows so that the burrows of mature nymphs can be as much as five inches deep. By undulating its body and moving its feathery abdominal gills in sweeping motions, the nymph keeps the burrow oxygenated.
The nymph life lasts from about one year in warm climates to two years in colder regions – which is the case in Pacific Northwest lakes.
As with all insects, they grow by shedding their exoskeleton in a process called molting. When the nymph is ready for its final molt, it leaves the burrow at dusk or soon after and rapidly swims to the lake surface, where its exoskeleton splits lengthwise down its back.
From the raft-like exoskeleton emerges a fully winged subimago, or dun, which after only a few minutes takes flight.
This winged Hex is the only stage in the insect’s life cycle that most people see.
This is where the crafty angler comes into play.
You will usually see a few duns around 7 p.m. This is a false hatch. Unless there is dense cloud cover the real hatch starts between 8:30 p.m. and 9 p.m.
The best anglers will work from a boat or float tube. Very few places have been encountered where fishing can be done from shore or while wading. If you are in a boat be very quiet as the trout are easily spooked and will quit feeding on a hint of noise.
The angler should start fishing over Hex beds with a sinking line and a Hex nymph fly. The sink rate of the line you choose is dependent on the depth of the water. Let the fly sink to within a foot of the bottom and retrieve it fairly rapidly. A stout leader is advisable.
As the hatch progresses both the fish and the nymphs will start to concentrate near the surface. Consequently, you should carry two rods, one with a floating line and the other with a sinking line.
When there is sufficient surface action switch to the nymph on the floating line and retrieve it slowly just under the surface of the water.
Recently we have been experimenting with a floating nymph. Many fish focus on the nymph just as it starts to hatch in the surface film. During this process, the nymph is helpless. It can neither swim nor fly. The floating nymph has proven to be a deadly fish catcher.
As darkness falls and duns start to appear in sufficient number that fish start to concentrate on them, switch to a dry fly pattern. During this part of the evening a peaceful calm usually descends on the lake and the huge flies are only pale apparitions on the inky surface. In the failing light it becomes hard to tell your fly from the real thing.
So you strike at any rise that is in the vicinity of where you think your fly is, and are sometimes rewarded with a bent rod and the pulse of a heavy fish.
And this is why we fish.
By Mark Bachmann/MT
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| Villages Tinker with Board Positions posted on 07/03/2009
The Villages at Mt. Hood made minor changes in its board of directors in the June meeting.
Bob Reeves was unanimously approved to serve a second term as chair.
Pat Buckley, asking to step down as vice-chair gave the nod to the board to serve as treasurer for the next term.
Board member Pat Sharp, recently voted in for a full term, was approved unanimously to take Buckley’s seat in the vice-chair’s position.
Judith Norval was appointed the new secretary of the board.
Rhododendron SHA
In an attempt to improve the water system for the Rhododendron Summer Home Association, President Steve Graeper announced the failure of the association’s attempt to attract stimulus funds from county, state and federal governments.
Graeper cited the reason as income levels in the 97049 zip code exceeds the minimum qualification requirements for grants and the association is a private non-governmental not-for-profit association, which makes it ineligible for stimulus funds.
He indicated the board is exploring all options for funds but in all likelihood a rate increase will be put in place in 2010.
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| McKinney Takes Hot Seat in Cold Economic Times posted on 06/04/2009
“Looking different doesn’t mean we’ll be less effective.”
That’s Michael McKinney’s way of looking at the difficult task ahead at Welches Schools.
McKinney, 48, was tapped by the Oregon Trail School District as the new principal at Welches, a job he will take over in the upcoming school year. The position opened up following the incentive-retirement of Mike Sutton, an event spurred by the massive education cuts that have hit Oregon schools.
The new principal has his own approach to the daunting task that awaits.
“I believe in the asset model,” McKinney said. “I look at what the school has, not what’s missing. It’s all about attitude and approach – how we can build. Staff brings something. Parents provide input. The community pitches in. Our mission hasn’t changed – quality education for the children.”
McKinney is a devotee of the analogy, and he sees the challenge ahead for schools in that light. He does not believe quality is necessarily lost because of change.
“I was a potter for many years and I learned that creativity is always the key. You can use lots of ingredients when you’re cooking, for example. But you can change
those ingredients, use a few less perhaps, or different ones, and still have a great product.”
McKinney plans on making good use of the teaching staff – the ones who do the heavy lifting – and tackles another analogy to make his point, citing again the asset model.
“They will have specific skills and we must take advantage of them,” he said. “For example, no matter how hard I trained, or for how long, I’d never by an Olympic high jumper. We have to concentrate on a positive approach, using our resources. The negative stuff has to go away.”
McKinney comes from Firwood Elementary where he has been principal for two years. He has lived in Brightwood during that time and told a WPTCO gathering that his commute has certainly improved.
“I’m already searching out a bike route to work that avoids Highway 26,” he told the group.
He grew up in Lake Oswego, attended Portland Community College, received his bachelor’s degree by distance learning at Excelsior College, New York, through Portland State University.
He finished up his schooling with a graduate degree from Concordia University in Portland.
He began his education career at the age of 35 as an ELL facilitator at Tom McCall Upper Elementary in Forest Grove. His ELL abilities were attained in the Army at the Monterey Language School. He is fluent in Spanish.
by Larry Berteau/MT |
| A 'Sweet and Clean' Park on Barlow Trail posted on 06/04/2009
Wistful waterfalls, rambling rivulets, crowns of conifers, a trail of tales – the makeup of a new park coming to the Mountain.
The wayside trail is a collaboration between the county and BLM, and the vision of 25-year Mountain resident Mitch Williams.
“It’s sweet and clean, perfect for a hiking area,” Williams said as he showed the way through the park-to-be. “This piece had to have a purpose, or it would be clear-cut.”
The trail system will feature a wayside parking area and an interpretive loop that will result in a 6 to 8-mile path for hikers and bikers, according to Zach Jarrett, the outdoor recreational planner for BLM.
“The site plan selected for implementation provides a park design that maintains a natural feel throughout the park, focusing on day use visitation only,” Jarrett said. “Appropriate levels of carrying capacity were taken into consideration to support non-motorized trail and river users, interpretive activities, and environmental education in a way that seeks a balance between the developed and natural portions of the site.”
The park – which should be completed this summer if all goes as planned – is located at river mile 38 along the banks of the Sandy River and the Sandy-Salmon confluence where the cloudy, glacial waters of the Sandy mix with the clear waters of the Salmon.
“The location of the site, working in concert with a proposed access point at the Marmot Dam site and other existing access points downstream, makes it a good fit for the needs of kayakers, anglers, boaters and other river users,” Jarrett said.
On a walk-through with Williams, the raw beauty of the area was breathtaking. A double canopy of native cedar, Douglas fir and hemlock hold the hiker in their arms. Joe’s Creek cuts back and forth like a watery snake, fed by tiny streams that spring from nowhere and clever waterfalls that find their way over narrow ravines cut centuries ago.
The forest floor is sprinkled with a nature’s bouquet of huckleberries, spring lilies, bleeding heart, trillium, Oregon grape, and to keep the floral array from becoming sickeningly sweet: skunk cabbage.
Williams has worked for years to bring the park to this point. He has joined and cajoled county and BLM officials with one goal in mind: preserving the space. “It’s habitat. It was going to be logged,” he said.
Youth crews from BLM and members of AmeriCorps are assisting in the project.
There will be 10 parking spaces, a pit toilet, foot bridges and an ADA path through parts of the trail.
Eventually, the park will act as the primary trailhead for approximately 20 miles of multiple use non-motorized trails that have designed to the west of Forest Road 14 (Homestead Road), and to the southernmost boundary of the Little Sandy River Watershed.
But for now it’s the result of dedication and dreaming, from the efforts of Mitch Williams, who is a person who prefers to stay in the background.
At the wayside park site, he blends in.
by Larry Berteau/MT |
| Prices Bubble Up at Hoodland Liquor Store posted on 06/04/2009
(WELCHES) – The state budget cuts have hit the rocks.
More specifically, the stuff that gets poured over the rocks.
On a mandate from the Oregon Legislature, the Oregon Liquor Control Commission passed a 50-cent surcharge per bottle on all liquor stores – which includes the state store in the Hoodland Shopping Center.
Coupled with the price increase, a 30-percent cut in agent commissions was put in place.
These changes have caused a headache of hangover proportions for Glenda Peterson, the 13-year agent/owner of the Welches Liquor Store.
“I understand they (state) need to balance their budget, and the OLCC has to do what it’s told,” Peterson said. “I even agree with it. But what it’s doing to my store is devastating.”
Besides the extra work of changing price tags on every item, she has been forced to reduce the hours of her two employees.
“I had no choice,” she said. “My OLCC commission has already been reduced, retroactive to February. I feel awful about it.”
The OLCC has also demanded that agents reduce inventory. This has put Peterson in the unenviable position of cutting back on select items at the time when customer demands usually increase.
“It will be inconvenient for them, and me,” she said.
As archaic as it seems, and as much of a head-scratcher for out-of-staters as it is, the OLCC controls all liquor in Oregon, and licenses the stores that sell it. The way it works is the OLCC purchases all of the state’s liquor from distributors, stocks their stores, collects the money, then pays back the store’s agent by commission.
The agent owns the store and pays the overhead and operation costs out of the commission. But the agent does not buy or own the inventory.
The agent then sells the liquor to the public at an OLCC regulated price, as well as to bars and restaurants at a 5-percent discount.
The OLCC buys, sells, regulates, licenses and polices – itself.
The cutback is supposed to run through June, or so agents have been told. However, Peterson fears the worst.
“There’s talk of it being extended to July, even August,” she said.
Already, many agents have started closing on Sundays and holidays, according to Peterson, but so far she hasn’t done so at her store.
“That could change,” she said. “If these cuts get extended, I don’t know what I’ll do.”
Prior to the new OLCC mandates, Peterson was contemplating stepping back into semi-retirement.
“But not now,” she said. “And what’s worse, we don’t know what the state might do next. They could make more changes in the way we operate.”
Peterson finished off the conversation as dry as a perfect martini:
“It’s scary.”
by Larry Berteau/MT |
| Saldivar Joins Villages Board posted on 06/04/2009
Two incumbents held on to their positions as board members for the Villages at Mt. Hood, and one new face joined the team.
Pat Sharp and Shirley Dueber retained their chairs, while Doug Saldivar took the seat vacated by Robert Baker.
Sharp was the top vote-getter, collecting 62 votes in the election that allowed voters to cast their ballots for three candidates. Saldivar’s strong showing was reflected by his 55 votes. Dueber garnered 44 votes to keep her chair.
The only other candidate, George Wilson, fell short with 33.
Seventy-seven ballots were cast at the May 23 election held at Welches Elementary.
“It’ll take me two or three months to get up to speed,” Saldivar said, in the flush of his victory. “In the beginning, I’ll be listening a lot.”
Saldivar campaigned on a platform that emphasized support of the county’s sustainability action plan as it relates to the Villages.
“Once we remove all the political prejudices, media hype and preconceptions we can see that sustainability is a common sense conservative approach to our lives that simply means that we don’t use our resources in a way that depletes them faster than they can be replenished,” Saldivar said in his candidate statement. “It also means that we take care of our space so that our descendants can live and enjoy it as much as we do.
“If you look at sustainability on a personal level it means that you live within your budget so you don’t go broke and you maintain your home so it doesn’t fall down.”
Sharp’s vision for the future of the Villages seemed to ring true for the majority of voters.
“It is important to me to maintain our identity as Mountain villages, be a steward of the environment, ensure safety for people at home and on the road, support our local businesses, and create opportunities for healthy lives,” Sharp said in her candidate statement.
Sharp has served on the Villages board for the last five months and looks forward to better communication by the board in the future.
“I feel that we need to improve our techniques for gathering input from the community and work to sustain our mountain and river habitats,” she said.
Dueber cited her years of activity on the Mountain since becoming a resident in 1966. She has been on the board of directors at Hoodland Rural Fire Department for 29 years; is trained and active on the Trauma Intervention Program; served in executive positions for the Chamber of Commerce; and is an active member and maintains a board of director’s position with the Mt. Hood Lions Club.
In other business the board:
ƒÞ heard a presentation from the Sandy River Basin Watershed Council;
ƒÞ conducted a Q & A session with State Representative Suzanne VanOrman; and
ƒÞ introduced new County Commissioner Ann Lininger, who promised the community we would see more of her in the future.
by Larry Berteau/MT |
| Villages Awarded Fund For New Express Bus posted on 06/04/2009
(MT) -- TheVillages at Mount Hood and Clackamas County have a spanking-new bus that will be added to the Mountain Express service.
The award was in the amount of $97,733 in Federal Stimulus funds, and the money is to be used to purchase the 20-passenger bus and future preventative maintenance.
The Mountain Express has also been approved to purchase a second vehicle with Special Transportation funds which cover the cost of 90 percent of the bus.
The steering committee from the Villages is currently fundraising the $7,700 required for the second vehicle.
“The bus we are using right now is in terrible condition — we’ve replaced three engines over the last two years,” said Bob Reeves, Villages chairman.
“With the Federal Stimulus money and the STF funds, we will be able to replace our current vehicle and will be able to stop paying for the use of a back-up vehicle. We will be in great shape for at least six years.”
The steering committee has currently raised $2,980 toward its goal.
These funds came from the May 2 Mexican dinner, which brought in $1,630, and from other donations.
The Oregon Department of Transportation has received funds from the federal government specifically to to be used by small, rural transit systems for capital purchases — such as new vehicles and equipment. |
| Another Day, Another Hood Rescue posted on 06/04/2009
(MT) -- A climber was snatched off Mount Hood after suffering a 500-foot freefall in the Hell’s Kitchen area.
John Robert Craeger, 54, of Milwaukie, was climbing at the 10,600-foot level of the mountain when he broke loose.
Craeger was successfully attended to by rescue personnel on May 17 after a few gripping hours on the south slope.
The following is a recap of the events that took place.
10:30 a.m. — Clackamas County Sheriff’s Search & Rescue coordinators report some comforting information. The deployed rescue personnel representing the American Medical Response Reach & Treat team have arrived with the injured climber (Craeger) and indicate that despite being rendered unconscious initially, is now conversing with rescue personnel and in amazingly good spirits. The patient suffers from severe facial, arm and leg injuries as a result of the fall. The climber is being packaged for carry by rescue personnel to the Devil’s Kitchen area of Mount Hood. It is from this location, at approximately 10,000 feet, where an Oregon Army Air National Guard Black Hawk helicopter is predicted to land and airlift the patient from the mountain. All this is expected to happen in less than two hours.
12:15 p.m. — Sheriff’s report from Timberline Lodge the weather conditions on the mountain are not conducive for airlifting the climber from the Hell’s Kitchen area. The concern is with the helicopter rotor vibration that may create additional hazards on the present delicate and unstable surface of the mountain. Also, the warm weather has created challenges for the helicopter with respect to lifting abilities at that elevation. To insure safety to all involved, the patient has been packaged and is being transported down the mountain to Timberline Lodge. They are expected in 30 minutes. The helicopter awaits to transport the patient from the lodge parking lot to Oregon Health Sciences University Hospital in Portland.
12:35 p.m. — Search and Rescue personnel report the patient has arrived at Timberline Lodge and has been successfully airlifted by helicopter to the hospital.
Personnel involved in the rescue operation include: Clackamas County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue unit; American Medical Response; Mountain Wave Communications; Reach and Treat Team; Mount Hood ski patrol; Portland Mountain Rescue; and Oregon Army National Guard. |
| Hoodland Gets New Training Tool posted on 06/04/2009
Where there’s smoke, there’s fire — and there are firefighters happy to train.
Thanks largely to a federal grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the fire districts of East Clackamas County now have a cutting edge live fire training environment.
$288,000 came from the Assistance to Firefighters program, which was matched by $8,000 each from Hoodland, Sandy, Boring and Estacada fire districts. The result is a bright red 53-foot trailer that serves as a mobile fire training simulator. The trailer is shared between the districts.
The trailer came from FireBlast 451, a company in Riverside, Calif. This portable, self-contained fire simulator contains a stove fire simulation prop, a couch fire simulation prop and a prop designed to show what happens when flames roll across the ceiling. It also has a smoke system, a forcible entry door and simulated basement access. There is even a ventilation prop on the roof, all ready for fresh two-by-fours and plywood.
Safety features of the trailer include gas detection, temperature monitoring, pilot and flame monitoring, a fuel delivery system with fail safe valves, as well as automatic and manual safety shutdowns.
As with any profession, ongoing training for firefighting is important. Firefighters can practice medical skills and vehicle extrication skills, but there are few opportunities for firefighters to see controlled live fire situations.
Due to improved fire prevention in this era, there are relatively few structural fires, which means firefighters need to find other ways to practice fire suppression techniques.
One traditional training technique is a “burn to learn,” in which the fire department does a live fire burn of a deteriorating house. Unfortunately, these are hard to find. Besides which, they are full of potential risks like roof or floor collapse. Using the FireBlast trailer provides an extra layer of control to the firefighters and ensures that such training can happen more regularly.
Rookies as well as veteran firefighters can experience live fire situations, practice search and rescue, ventilate a building and forcibly enter a door. Moveable walls inside and multiple entries will help keep the experience unique.
The relatively minimal investment for Hoodland Fire is already paying off. According to Captain Ron Schmitt, the firefighters of Hoodland’s 2009 training company were able to use the trailer multiple times during their training rather than wait for an appropriate burn to learn, which can take months. They experienced smoke and flames in a completely controlled environment as a part of their training, becoming more competent firefighters as a result.
by Lt. Josh Baker/Hoodland Fire
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| Schools Take Deep Cuts posted on 05/02/2009
The school budget waters are murky, the personnel cuts are fluid, but there is a flood of bad fortune for certain.
Budget cuts at the Oregon Trail School District have been mandated by the governor’s office to the tune of $3 million for the 2009-2010 school year. And, it could go as high as $6 million.
“Over the past month, news from the state has been increasingly dismal,” said Shelley Redinger, OTSD superintendent. “Governor Kulongoski and State Schools Superintendent Susan Castillo have recommended that school districts develop a variety of budget scenarios, including the worst case.”
This news prompted the local school district to swing into action and develop a two-phase program to meet the daunting challenge.
The effects of Phase I of this program have already been felt in Welches. Principal Mike Sutton and Vice-Principal Debbie Borge are leaving.
Further, Phase II has targeted five positions at Welches that could fall by way of a reduction in force. These slots include two sixth-grade teachers, an elementary physical education teacher, an English language learning teacher and an English language learning assistant.
However, Phase II reductions are not yet in effect, as district Human Resources Director Ken Bucchi was quick to point out in an interview with The Mountain Times.
“We don’t know how many licensed and classified staff are going to take advantage of Phase I (retirement/resignation incentive program), and until we do we won’t know how many reductions must be made,” Bucchi said.
Phase I was implemented in late March which is an offer to district employees to take an incentive-laden resignation or retirement.
“The good news is that the program, along with cuts to administration, an administrative salary freeze, and other material and supply cuts, was successful at shaving just over $1.8 million from the 2009-2010 budget, while helping us retain the greatest number of employees possible,” Redinger said.
Phase II was implemented in mid-April to address the remaining shortfall.
“We are hoping this will save an additional $1.2 million,” Redinger said. “But this is where the process gets complex. In order to implement Phase II, we worked with our school principals to identify positions which could be eliminated for the duration of the budget crisis.”
This process means that a person currently in a position identified to be cut may not necessarily be without a job.
“If an employee in a similar position (in the district) takes advantage of the incentive program, it could create an opening for another employee to move to,” Redinger said. “We will know more when the program closes after May 5.”
No matter how it shakes out, Bucchi indicated that Welches students will feel the effects less than most other schools.
“Welches is the luckiest of all the schools,” Bucchi said. “There were fewer kids per class than others (to begin with). So, though the percentage of the cuts are spread equally through the district, there will be less actual increases in class sizes.”
Welches averages 25-27 students per class at the present time, and would increase “by two, or three tops,” Bucchi said.
Still, there will be fewer positions at Welches, though the actual number is still in flux. And, class sizes will increase, though not by as much as some schools.
“It will be a heavier work load next year for everyone,” Bucchi said. “We can’t sustain these cuts. We need another plan.”
Sandy High is facing cuts at five teaching positions (math, science, social studies, physical education and language arts), plus a computer technician and attendance secretary. A security guard slot was on the block but the City of Sandy agreed to pay for that position, according to Bucchi.
Redinger tried to be reassuring, despite the economic difficulties.
“This is a difficult and emotional time, but we all must continue working together to maintain the integrity of our school system,” she said.
“We are doing everything in our power to retain our quality staff and education programs for our students.”
by Larry Berteau/The Mountain Times
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| Sutton, Borge Step Down at Welches Schools posted on 05/02/2009
Welches school is losing a pair of leaders.
Principal Mike Sutton and Vice-Principal Debbie Borge have responded to the school district’s incentive retirement offer – a program adopted to address the budget crisis.
“It’s not what I wanted to do,” Sutton said. “I was planning on at least one more year here at the school. But I wasn’t forced out, by any means. It just turned out this way.”
Borge was looking forward to one more year as well, but the school budget and family considerations entered into her decision to leave early.
“My husband (John) decided to retire from the county and that factored in,” Borge said. “He is the love of my life and my best friend, and it’s always been family first with us. So this is OK with me. I’m looking forward to spending time with him. But it was still difficult.”
Sutton, 57, has been in education for 33 years, the last four at Welches. He grew up in Estacada, attended Mount Hood Community College, received BS degrees in health and physical education, and education at Oregon State. While teaching at Estacada he managed a master’s degree in arts of teaching at Lewis and Clark.
Borge, 56, grew up in Bend, went to Beaverton High, received a BS in education at Oregon State and attained her MS in education at Portland State. She went to work at Sandy High in 1976 as the home economics instructor. She has been at Welches for 23 years.
What is apparent is the close bond between the principals, sharing a common vision for the Mountain students, and how hard it is to leave.
“I love this job,” Sutton said. “We’re (Borge) a really good team. We have the same styles, and this has been the best working arrangement in my life. Her leadership skills are the very best.”
Borge was quick to return the praise.
“What he said,” she said. “Mike is so good at taking boys on the edge and pushing them to the right side. Since he’s been here the climate has really changed. It’s been great.”
With the joint decisions made, the staff was notified April 17, and April 20 they called an assembly to tell the students.
“It was incredibly emotional,” Sutton said. “There was happiness, there were tears.”
“No one knew,” Borge said. “It was a dark time. It was hard. And, some aren’t happy that we’re leaving.”
OTSD Superintendent Shelley Redinger was sorry to see them leave.
“I know it will be difficult to have both leaders leave the school at the same time,” Redinger said. “The Welches school community is their family … Their commitment has been outstanding, and we will all miss them.”
Sutton and Borge agreed on what they’ll miss most.
“The kids,” Sutton said. “Kids doing wonderful things. They provided something new every day.”
Borge echoed the sentiments. “I’ll miss the kids most – the hugs, the toothless smiles, the tears when they got an oops slip.”
As he looks forward, Sutton will turn his attention to another love: golf.
“I’m going to play in Scotland this fall,” he said. “My brother is a golf pro, and I’ve helped design a couple courses. I might get back into that.”
Borge wants to travel.
“Our son is on the coast of Ecuador,” she said. “And we have a good friend in France who has a chalet and vineyard.”
The Welches loss is Scotland and France’s gain.
by Larry Berteau/The Mountain Times
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| Claggett Held On Hefty Bail posted on 05/02/2009
Brandon Claggett, 38, the former “Weed and Seed” deputy sheriff who patrolled The Mountain community, was taken into custody in Oregon City April 21.
Claggett was lodged in the Clackamas County Jail and is being held on $280,000 bail, charged with first-degree kidnapping ($250,000 bail), menacing ($7,500), unlawful use of a weapon ($15,000) and assault IV ($7,500).
According to the Oregon City police they received a 9-1-1 call from Claggett’s wife who said he was armed and alleged she had been threatened by him and held against her will – although by the time of the call she had escaped.
Later, the police discovered Claggett had left his wife’s home and had driven to Salem to his mother’s home where his children were.
Oregon City police contacted Claggett on his cell phone and Claggett responded by dropping the kids off at a safe place and surrendering.
Claggett resigned last year from the sheriff’s department following a lengthy investigation that alleged he had engaged in inappropriate touching of teenage girls and exchanging sexual images via cell phone.
Those charges were eventually dropped by the district attorney after Claggett agreed to resign from the department.
The investigation is ongoing by Oregon City police.
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| Local Logger Slapped with Gresham Fine posted on 05/02/2009
A $300 tree has drawn more than $34,000 worth of fines for a Welches logger.
Tom Rutledge, 62, owner of Rutledge Logging & Tree Works, took down a Douglas fir in November of last year for a developer and is now facing a $34,295 penalty that has been levied by the City of Gresham.
The city claims the tree was not on the developer’s (Matthew Morrell of Gresham’s Morrell & Morrell Inc.) property at 3868 S.E. Deer Creek Way, rather on the property of the Persimmon Country Club Community Homeowners Association.
“I’ve cut a lot of trees for Matt (Morrell), in fact I’ve cut trees all around that area, for the country club, the estates, for at least five different developers,” Rutledge said. “But it’s above my pay grade to question the developer as to whose property it is. I make assumptions in this business. If I’m charging $300 for a tree, I don’t have the luxury of paying a thousand bucks for a survey, or to spend time at the city seeking out ownership. It doesn’t work that way. If you hire someone to install rain gutters on your house, does the contractor question whether or not you own the house?”
Morrell hired Rutledge because a prospective buyer of the 5,600 square foot house made the tree removal a condition of the sale, saying it blocked the view of Mount Hood.
After cutting down the tree, he was confronted by a neighbor in the estates, Sandie Kenny, and asked if he had permission to remove the fir, according to Rutledge.
“I said ‘yes,’” Rutledge said. “Of course I had permission. I wasn’t doing it for laughs. I’ve cut down thousands of trees in my 40 years on the job. I didn’t need the practice.”
At that point Kenny notified the homeowner’s association, Rutledge said.
The Welches logger was then hit with the fine, and a figure that was arrived at by the city’s hiring of an independent consulting arborist.
“I don’t know how the arborist came up with that $34,000 number,” Rutledge said. “The tree wasn’t worth anything. It had no commercial value. It had a broken top, a sour butt (center of tree not in center of trunk), it wasn’t worth twenty bucks. I don’t even know what a consulting arborist is. Perhaps he’s a gardener extraordinaire.”
Rutledge and Morrell have subsequently met with city officials on two occasions, but the city has not budged from its position.
In a letter to Rutledge dated March 27 from Rita Humphrey, Gresham’s senior code compliance inspector, she wrote: “We appreciated your time in meeting with us to discuss the case. However, the information you provided does not excuse the violation. A request by a prospective buyer to remove a tree in order to permit the sale of your property is not a defense to violating Gresham Community Development Code 9.1010(E). Nor is failing to determine whether a permit is required.”
“They say we owe the fine,” Rutledge said. “They say I did not seek a tree cutting permit. They’re right. But my explanation is not seen as an excuse (by the city).”
May 1 is the deadline for paying the citation, and Rutledge is in a bind.
“My insurance company is looking into it,” he said. “I’m hoping they come up with something.”
by Larry Berteau/The Mountain Times
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| Two-Car Collision Nets Two Deaths posted on 05/02/2009
SANDY — An Eagle Creek mother and daughter were killed in a collision with another vehicle on Hwy. 26 at the intersection of Orient Drive, about one-half mile west of Sandy.
Pamela Benson, 42, was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident about 5 p.m. on April 25. Clarice Marie Benson, 11, was in the right rear seat of the 2005 Toyota Corolla and was transported by LifeFlight to Oregon Health Sciences University where she was pronounced dead.
Both victims were wearing safety restraints.
Matthew Daniel Ingle, 18, of Estacada, was the driver of the other vehicle, a 1987 Toyota 4Runner. He was extricated from his vehicle by fire personnel from Sandy and Boring fire departments, then transported by AMR ambulance to OHSU with non-life threatening injuries. After being released from hospital, Ingle was arrested on unrelated charges.
According to the Oregon State Police, Benson was attempting a left turn from Orient Drive to eastbound Hwy. 26 when it was struck on the driver’s side by Ingle’s sport utility vehicle which was westbound on the highway.
Witnesses reported to OSP that Ingle failed to stop for a red traffic signal.
Hwy. 26 was closed in both directions for more than five hours during the investigation.
OSP troopers from Government Camp and Portland Area Command offices are continuing the investigation, with the assistance of the Clackamas County District Attorney’s office and the Clackamas County Interagency Crash Investigation Team.
Sandy Police Department and ODOT assisted at the scene.
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| Spike in Police Staffing Won't Provide Much for Our Area posted on 05/02/2009
The Mountain community will reap a small benefit of increased Oregon State Police presence in coming months.
A boost from the governor and legislative leaders has provided OSP with staffing increases to meet the coverage needs in metro and secondary state highways, according to OSP Superintendent Timothy McLain.
“During the last six years there were several challenges while OSP ran 20-hour daily coverage in this (Portland metro) area,” McLain said. “We greatly appreciate how many of our area partner law enforcement agencies tried to help fill in the gap caused by our lack of availability to respond. Our recent staffing level increases have now placed us to the point of being there to help the public and fellow officers when we are called.”
Although no staff increases are anticipated for the Mountain community – presently four OSP troopers operate full-time out of Government Camp from east Gresham to Warm Springs Reservation – Public Information Officer Lt. Gregg Hastings indicated this area will benefit.
“The new metro staffing will increase our ability to respond to outlying areas,” Hastings told The Mountain Times. “We will better be able to extend (to our area) and assist the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Department in high priority situations.”
However, there are no immediate staff increases anticipated for the Mountain community.
“This is another important step in reversing the declining state police presence on our roads,” Governor Kulongoski said in an OSP press release. “It took years to reverse this trend but Oregon remains on the path to ensure our communities have 24/7 coverage across the state.”
As of April 15 the Portland Area Command office and Tualatin worksite had 36 sworn state troopers assigned to patrol approximately 575 highway miles in Multnomah, Clackamas and Washington counties, according to Portland Area Commander Lt. Jason Bledsoe. Prior to July 2007, those offices had 22 troopers.
“The new recruit troopers added to our office not only is helping us return to 24/7 coverage, it is also putting visible OSP patrol presence on secondary state highway areas where we have crash and crime problems that were infrequently being patrolled on a consistent basis,” Bledsoe said. “My hope is that our renewed presence will alleviate the call load pressure on our law enforcement partners, provide an additional resource to these agencies throughout the night if needed, and help make our area roads safer.”
Department staffing increases helped OSP troopers increase statewide patrol-related contacts last year. In 2008, more than 237,000 traffic contacts were reported, a 10 percent increase from 2007. OSP DUII arrests also jumped from 4,211 (2007) to 4,478 (2008).
by Larry Berteau/The Mountain Times
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| Mountain rises, ODOT blinks posted on 04/02/2009
It wasn’t exactly "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington," but the scene that played out in the Riverside Room at Mt. Hood Villages RV Park was a pretty good sequel.
Standing in for Jimmy Stewart was George Wilson, Rick Applegate, Michael P. Jones and Keith Schacher as they vied for honors and turned in performances that were worthy of their Hollywood predecessor.
As drama goes, it was pretty good stuff for The Mountain.
The opening lines of the script were penned by the Oregon Department of Transportation when in its august opinion the Miller Road Quarry was to be the excavation and disposal site to provide rock and gravel for the Hwy. 26 slide in Sandy.
Cast in the role of the villain, the unfortunate ODOT character part fell to spokesman Rich Watanabe, the Metro East Area Manager who appeared at the Villages.
Applegate, a board member of the Villages at Mt. Hood, had already stolen the scene by calling an emergency session of the board at 3 p.m., March 3 out of protest for use of the local quarry.
Clamoring for supporting roles on exceptionally short notice, an overflow crowd showed up.
The drama unfolded as Watanabe explained ODOT’s intentions. In order to rebuild the embankment in Sandy from the winter storm damage, the department had contracted for blasting and excavation of the Miller Road Quarry. One thousand six hundred 10-yard truck loads of rock would be mined, and 1,200 10-yard truck loads of rock debris would be deposited on the site.
Applegate was the first to respond.
"What about the resort (Mt. Hood Villages RV Park) facility?" Applegate asked. His concern centered on the blasting and how that would affect the park. "That’s also a premier fly fishing area. Where’s the transparency? Why haven’t we been notified?"
Watanabe apologized for not coming to the community ahead of time.
"How do you justify using this as a disposal site?" Schacher said. "It’s going to be less than 150 feet from the river."
Watanabe assured the site was 300 feet from the river and that the excavators would make erosion control measures to compact the debris and set up two rows of silt fencing.
Schacher was not convinced. "What about the environmental damage?" he asked.
"What precautions are you taking for safe trucking out of Miller Road onto (Hwy.) 26? Will there be flaggers?"
"We don’t use flaggers," Watanabe said. "We typically put up signs."
It was Wilson’s turn to steal the show.
"I’m so angry I can’t stand myself," he said. "We’re all too familiar up here on the Mountain with being over-run by Clackamas County, ODOT, on and on. This is our community, our resources, our land. We have a working rock quarry in Brightwood. Did they get to bid?"
"I apologize again," Watanabe said. "Our projects are advertised on our Web site. I don’t know if Brightwood knew."
"Well, what is done is done," Wilson said. "I know BLM owns the land. I know this is all legal. But it doesn’t make it right. We keep getting railroaded. Until there’s dialogue, transparency, we don’t have a clue."
Michael P. Jones stood in defense of the river.
"The Salmon River is sensitive," he said. "There is no plan. You’re gonna have stuff in that river. It’s unstable ground. Just because you have mineral rights doesn’t mean you have to use them. I can show you erosion control that didn’t work. We need time to evaluate this. It’s no shock we weren’t notified."
Watanabe apologized again for the lack of communication.
The meeting went beyond the one-hour time limit, and Watanabe persevered, doing his best to respond to the partisan attack.
It seemed to end in frustration. But a Hollywood ending was coming.
On March 11, Watanabe sent this e-mail message to Bob Reeves, chair of the Villages at Mt. Hood:
"After listening to the neighborhood concerns and further discussions regarding the use of the quarry, the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) has decided not to use the Miller Road Quarry for the landslide repair project in Sandy, Oregon."
"This is the first step," Reeves said. "We now can concentrate on having the quarry closed permanently. In follow-up calls to Mr. Watanabe, I found him to be very receptive to our concerns."
"We did it," Applegate said. "This is a victory for the community and it couldn’t have happened without the coalition of community voices who gathered at Mt. Hood Village Resort at the special meeting."
Wilson thanked Applegate for organizing the meeting and for his help "in moving the issue forward … to ensure Mountain residents have a voice in how our community is to be shaped now and in the future."
For now, the quarry is safe as the screen fades to black and the credits roll.
By Larry Berteau/MT
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| Hands over head, do The Wave posted on 04/02/2009
Are you ready to catch the Wave?
Wave Broadband is in your neighborhood – or will be very soon – according to Adam Lazara, marketing director for the company.
The high-definition digital television and high-speed Internet package is being rolled out in The Mountain community.
"We began the installation the first of March in downtown Sandy," Lazara told The Mountain Times. "We’re going section by section and will be ready to provide high-speed Internet for your community in April."
The cable upgrade will follow in May.
"We will offer five speeds of Internet, and it will be lightning fast," Lazara said. "It’s a hybrid fiber optic network, with cable run to the homes."
The coverage includes the community from Brightwood, through Welches, on to Rhododendron including the Lolo Pass area.
Residents will be notified by mail when service is available to their location.
Internet options will range from a 256 Kbps downstream, 128 Kbps upstream version for $14.95 a month (with cable service) to a high speed version up to 18Mbps downstream, 2Mbps upstream for $64.95 with cable. (See information box, this page, for all options.)
Each level of service includes up to 10 e-mail addresses, any time remote access to e-mail through Web mail, and up to 100 MB of personal Web space. Customers will also be able to add Wireless Home Networking to their Internet account for a reliable, secure Internet connection to all computers – including lap tops – in their home.
"We pride ourselves on providing our customers with top-notch service and Internet speeds they can count on," Lazara said. "There is no guesswork here. You are getting what you pay for, and that’s a really reliable service at a great value. And we have a history to prove it.
"We’ve increased our Internet speeds year after year, and we have never increased our Internet prices. I think that says something about how we do business."
Additional features of Wave Internet include: technical support 24-7; no phone line required for service and Internet connectivity/speed not affected by distance from office; no costly equipment to buy or maintain; online account access and bill payment; and professional installation and set-up.
The cable upgrade, slated for May, will offer 35 high-definition channels at its launch.
"We’ll increase the number of channels," Lazara said. "There will be more over time. But in the beginning there will be all the broadcast stations (out of Portland), plus ESPN, TNT, and the like, and customers will see the complete lineup when we get out our brochures."
For residents with a high-definition television there will be a need to add a receiver box. But the best value, according to Lazara, will be to add a high-definition DVR.
Originally, Wave scheduled service to be available on The Mountain by January or February, but the rollout was delayed. Now, however, installers are on the ground in our area.
Wave Broadband is a Kirkland, Washington based cable, Internet and phone services company with systems in Oregon, Washington and California.
By Larry Berteau/MT
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| A Champ in the Hood posted on 04/02/2009
It’s a long way from Zigzag to Holland, Michigan. But it’s a road traveled by the Mountain’s dynamic Bryana Gardner.
At 21, a junior at George Fox University, she’s on top of the world – the world of Division III women’s basketball.
All she accomplished was playing starting point guard for the Bruins, going 25-0 on the 2008-09 season, and winning the national championship on the Michigan hardwood – a hard-fought 60-53 decision over Washington-St. Louis. This accomplishment came packaged in a most unlikely five-foot, three-inch frame.
"When we got to the title game, I didn’t want to have to say ‘what if?’" Gardner said. "We were all so stoked and decided we might as well do this, now. It was our story and it was worth fighting for."
But the story began on The Mountain.
Gardner lost her first name, Bryana, when she was very young. "My two older brothers (Zac and Jesse) started calling me Baby Bryana," she said. "It quickly slimmed down to BB. Now, I don’t even respond when I hear Bryana."
She wanted to be a cheerleader but her brothers wouldn’t let her. They insisted she play sports.
"Since I wanted to be just like them I started playing basketball, soccer and running track," Gardner said.
She went to Welches Elementary and Middle schools from first grade. There was no official school basketball team at the time but her father, Bryan Gardner, coached a recreation league team in Sandy. BB joined the Mountain Storm and her path was cleared for the great Michigan adventure.
Possessing a gift for the game, BB went on to Sandy High where she played varsity hoops all four years, made the playoffs three of those years, and captured first-team all-conference accolades her senior year.
She considered several small colleges but decided on George Fox, in Newberg, as an extension of her Quaker religion.
"It was a faith-based school, and that factored in," she said. "But what cinched it was when I visited the campus. I just had a good feeling. Everyone was so friendly. I knew, somehow, I was supposed to be there."
The fact that Division III schools do not offer athletic scholarships was no deterrent for BB. She toted a 3.98 GPA from Sandy High’s classrooms as well as a passion for on-ball defense on the court.
An academic scholarship helped a lot toward the financial burden of college opportunity.
Gardner started her freshman year at George Fox due to a vacancy created when two other guards left school. One of them returned her sophomore year, so Gardner played off the bench for a season. That guard graduated and the opening was there for the title season.
"Everyone had graduated from a pretty good team (made it to the Sweet 16)," she said. "This year’s team consisted of one senior, 10 freshmen, and three juniors including me. We were picked to be No. 5 in our conference."
So much for preseason predictions.
The Bruins battled through the bracket to the title game, the gym was packed, and Gardner’s parents – Bryan and Tuffy – were in the stands.
"We were so excited, the whole team," she said. "Before the game, we all knew that George Fox had never done this. The lights were bright, a huge crowd, photographers and TV cameras, but somehow, when the ball went up, it was just another game."
Not quite, but it was quite a game.
"Afterward, we went crazy," she said. "Our goal had been to be a .500 team, then as we kept winning, it grew. We couldn’t quite believe we had done it. If there’s a word for it, it was ecstacy."
Her words of wisdom for Welches athletes: Take care of stuff in the classroom. Work at academics and athletics. In basketball, for instance, "You learn to get along, work hard, do your job. Those skills and work ethic matter in the classroom as well."
In the aftermath of her accomplishments she is still riding the high from Michigan.
"Every experience changes you," she said. "This was another awesome blessing in my life. I have this story now."
And so do we.
By Larry Berteau/MT
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| Monster in our Mist: TILLIE posted on 04/02/2009
By April F. Day
Special to The Mountain Times
It has long been suspected that Trillium Lake masked many mysteries.
Certainly, the spirit of Mount Hood — that hovers over the lake like a scenic scimitar — is shrouded in secrecy.
But the veil has been lifted.
Along comes Tillie, horny head and all.
"Aye, she’s a beauty," shouted Lemon Rinds, distant daughter of the redoubtable Dr. Robert Rinds, the famous Nessie Hunter from Scotland, president of the Academy of Applied Science in Boston, master taster at the Loch Ness Single Malt Distillery, and accused (later admitted) abuser of sonar equipment.
"I have to admit I was feelin’ a bit peel y-wobbly I was," Lemon said as a ridiculous rash broke out on her cheeks. "If me daddy could see this he’d be driven back to the devil’s bottle."
Lemon had been summoned by Sylvan Hardy, the notorious vice-chair of the Loch Ness Phenomenological Society, and former beer truck driver turned raconteur.
Noted for his skill and wit – and loose operation of the fact machine – it appears Hardy was the first to spot the monster April 1 at Trillium Lake.
"It was only my experience with Nessie (of Loch Ness) that provided me the insight to spot the turmoil on the Trillium Lake surface and know it for what it was," Hardy trilled. "There were others on the shoreline busy with their hiking folly and paying no attention at the time."
Further investigation confirmed Hardy’s observation.
"I was just playing with my shutter speeds, minding my own business," said Ranz Pavlov, a camera nut from Bulgaria who was on the scene. "And there was this Hardy character jumping up and down, pointing into the lake. I shrugged it off at first until, out of nowhere, actually out of Trillium Lake, came the horned head of a hideous thing."
Fortunately, Pavlov recovered and snapped the first of what will certainly be numerous flashy, phenomenal photos of Trillium’s monster.
On the spot, true to the nature of beer truck drivers and phenomenologists, Hardy named the monster Tillie.
"It’s hard to explain, this knack for naming things in the moment," Hardy said, fondling his underwater stroboscopic camera. "We monster mavens are a marvelous phenomenon in our own right."
Lemon was thrilled with the Tillie moniker.
"Tillie is the name of a pan-fried, seldom-eaten cake in Scotland," she said. "How appropriate."
Pavlov was unimpressed with the wild fuss displayed by Hardy, and hearing of Lemon’s excitement he sank into what can only be described as a central European snit.
"In my country, when we see greeny-brown animals we fish them out of the stew," Pavlov said. "Especially if they smell. And that monster had a smell, whew, and let me tell you I’ve experienced a few. There was this Black Sea stench that spread through the Balkans, whew …" then he drifted into a self-absorbing, Cyrillic reverie.
A buzz of concern shot through the Mountain business community as fears mounted regarding a flatlander drop-off due to the Tillie affair. An insurrection was avoided when local entrepreneur Rick Peargate provided the antidote.
"You think we’re losing out?" Peargate inquired with a twinkle in his eye. "Wait until the entire Loch Ness Investigation Bureau and Academy descends on us."
The renewed enthusiasm was dampened momentarily when an anonymous, soft-spoken source (Steve Silent) intoned: "Maybe, but don’t forget. They’re Scots."
Locals are advised to stay clear of Tillie when visiting the lake as her exact intentions, and source of her odor, are not yet known. Hardy’s claim that "she’s a herbivore" may be some consolation, except in the case of Mountain Times weatherman Herb Miller and any other local Herbs.
( Editor’s note: April F. Day is an annual reporter for The Mountain Times. No foolin’.)
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| Hoodland Fire kept hopping by residential blazes posted on 04/02/2009
Two house fires were sparked on The Mountain in March.
Barlow Trail Road was the site of the first blaze on March 5. Dispatch at the Hoodland Fire Department was notified at 9:34 a.m. and the first engine arrived on the scene at 9:40 a.m.
The home, at 66081 E. Barlow Trail Road, was owned-occupied by Michael Chestnut and his wife.
The origin of the fire appeared to be in a back utility room, according to Hoodland Fire Chief Mic Eby.
"We made a good stop," Eby said. "We were able to contain the fire to the kitchen area."
An engine and water tender from Brightwood, plus an engine and tender from Hoodland battled the blaze. A total of 15 firefighters were on the scene.
The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Oregon State Police, Eby said, and there is no other information available until the inquiry is completed.
On March 11, the home of James Mowrer, at 27093 E. Riverwood Lane off Deer Park Road, went up in flames and was a total loss.
Ty Fasig and Jerry Hoskins were renter occupants but were not in the house at the time.
The call came in at 3:49 a.m. and an engine crew plowed through the snow and was on the scene at 4 a.m.
"It was a defensive fire from the beginning," Eby said. "When we got there the roof had already caved in and three trees had caught fire."
It took 17 personnel to get the blaze under control – taking a total of 27 minutes. The fire was called out at 4:57 a.m. and there was no damage to neighboring property.
The department investigation determined the cause of the fire was a faulty wood stove.
"There was no owner insurance, no renter’s insurance," Eby said. "A total loss."
Fasig told The Mountain Times that she had two cats that perished in the fire.
by Larry Berteau/MT
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| Single-car fatality on Barlow Trail posted on 04/02/2009
BRIGHTWOOD — After reportedly driving erratically through The Mountain community, Nicholas Ray Frazier, 29, of Gresham, was killed on Barlow Trail Road. He was a former resident of Welches.
At 11:28 a.m., March 8, Frazier wheeled his car down an embankment an estimated one-quarter mile east of Brightwood.
Clackamas County Sheriff’s deputies reported the lone occupant was "killed on impact."
Witnesses notified Clackamas County Dispatch earlier that they had seen a similar vehicle driving erratically on Arrah Wanna Boulevard in Welches and that the vehicle struck a stop sign while departing the area.
Frazier’s vehicle was discovered crashed on the south side of East Barlow Trail Road. The pickup was a 2002, silver Chevrolet Silverado.
The Sheriff’s Department indicated the vehicle appeared to have traveled off the roadway at a high rate of speed and down a five-foot embankment where it collided with a tree.
The crashed truck received significant damage to the cab portion of the vehicle on the driver’s side door and roof.
Deputies reported the air bag did not deploy and Frazier was found not to have been wearing the prescribed seat belt. Speed and alcohol were contributing factors, according to the department.
(MT)
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| The Ocean Adventures of Arenita posted on 04/02/2009
Packing her house on her back, Arenita — one gorgeous lady — cruises through the Pacific Ocean on her way to somewhere.
In honor of Earth Day The Mountain Times is sponsoring Arenita, a threatened olive ridley sea turtle.
She was fitted with a migration satellite transmitter in August while nesting on Las Bocanitas Beach, El Salvador.
When properly attached to their shells, the transmitters do not harm the turtles and will eventually drop off after about a year. Arenita is one of eight turtles who are currently being monitored in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans by the Florida-based Caribbean Conservation Corporation (cccturtle.org.)
Sea turtles are the ocean’s housekeepers. They eat sea grass — which is rather like lawn grass except it needs to be trimmed. These beds are breeding grounds for many species of fish, shellfish and crustaceans, but without the sea grass many would not survive.
Over the past decade there has been a sharp decline in sea grass beds and it is believed this may be linked to the lower numbers of sea turtles.
Millions of sea turtles once roamed the oceans, but now only a fraction remain. Illegal harvesting of turtles for consumption and their shells for jewelry still continues, and thousands are trapped in trawl nets or killed or injured by longlines, leading to their decline.
Marine pollution from oil spills, chemicals and petroleum products also affect sea turtles. All are endangered.
The MT is proud to have Arenita as part of the community family. An update will be provided each month as to where she is. At press time she had traveled nearly 3,000 miles since leaving El Salvador and is about 700 miles southwest of Acapulco.
Her fascinating travels can be tracked by clicking on: http://www.cccturtle.org/satellitetrackingmap.php?page=sat-elsal_arenita.
(Data © CCC)
by Frances Berteau/MT
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| Cleaning up the Scotch broom posted on 04/02/2009
The British are coming.
No, the Scots are coming.
No, the Scotch broom — a native plant to the British Isles — is coming.
"Spring is a good time to get the jump on this invader," said Russ Plaeger of the Sandy River Basin Watershed Council. "By cutting or pulling the plants now you can stop them from producing another crop of seeds."
The bright yellow flowers of Scotch broom will soon be visible along Hwy. 26 and other parts of the Mountain community.
It was first sold in California in the mid-1800s and has become widespread on the west side of the Pacific Northwest. The plant was first used in hopes of preventing erosion.
Scotch broom has taken over portions of natural areas in the Sandy River Basin and causes headaches for landowners. The Oregon Department of Agriculture estimates the economic impact of the non-native broom exceeds $40 million annually, especially due to its impact on forest productivity by slowing the reestablishment of tree seedlings in clear-cuts.
Like other invasive plants, Scotch broom can outcompete and displace the native plants and reduce the habitat available for birds and wildlife.
Mature plants range from 3-10 feet tall with young branches that are green in color. The yellow flowers, noticeable between April and June, look like a pea, and rightfully so. Scotch broom is a member of the pea family. The plants will produce seed pods, like a pea but fatter. Young plants have fewer branches and are primarily green and supple.
"Gardeners know that weeds are tenacious but with good effort you can get rid of them," Plaeger said. "Set some manageable goals for yourself — what size area can you tackle this year?"
If time is limited concentrate on cutting older, flowering plants, Plaeger advised. Next year pull all of the young plants and over time your objective is to get rid of the flowering plants and to exhaust the seed bank in your soil.
Plants up to three feet tall can be pulled by hand. They’re easier to pull when the soil is moist. The seeds can still germinate decades after they were produced which is why preventing flowering and pulling young plants before they begin to produce seed, usually by their fourth year, is important.
"If you’re persistent you will succeed," Plaeger said. "Local resident Mitch Williams and the youth crews that have worked along Barlow Trail Road have greatly reduced the infestations of Scotch broom and English ivy in that area."
by Larry Berteau/MT
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| STAMP OF APPROVAL posted on 03/03/2009
The Mountain community got in its licks.
A 42-cent commemorative stamp issued by the U.S. Postal Service on Jan. 14, 2009, honored Oregon’s sesquicentennial celebration.
The stamp’s early release allowed for a broader use throughout the initial celebration and enabled the planning and execution of more pictorial cancellations on Oregon’s actual birthday of Feb. 14.
Only seven Oregon towns were authorized to offer a special pictorial cancellation. The villages of Mount Hood — Welches, Brightwood and Rhododendron — were among the seven as a result of early lobbying and approvals.
The field was rounded out by Salem — a sure thing — plus Cottage Grove, Port Orford and Trail.
The event was made official on the 14th with an unusual three-zip-code merger at the Hoodland Fire Hall. The three postmasters were in attendance including Brenda Cauley Manley (Welches), Tim Park (Rhododendron) and Judy Hilyard (Brightwood).
The designer of the pictorial cancellation, Gary Randall, of Brightwood, was on hand to take a few bows and autograph the commemorative envelopes. This was Randall’s eighth pictorial design for the post office and sponsoring organizations.
Walter and Carol Ottoson, of Portland, were the first in line to get their stamps cancelled.
"We’re not serious collectors," Walter Ottoson said. "We were in the area and had to join in. It’s fun."
Ottoson is an avid skier and gets in "at least 60 days a year on the mountain, or it hasn’t been a ski season at all."
Walter Ottoson is 80, while Carol is "much younger" by her own admission: 78.
Meanwhile, at a booth near the capitol rotunda, USPS personnel were on hand and long lines waited to have their stamps cancelled.
USPS personnel on duty estimated that more than 4,000 cancellations were executed that day.
A mock session was held by the Oregon Senate. Welches resident and Senator Rick Metsger was on the senate floor in period attire and joined other legislators in reenacting a typical session from early Oregon statehood.
Resolutions were read and concerns aired about many subjects, including current Senator Brian Boquist who portrayed 1859 Rep. John S. McIlteeny. Boquist passed on Oregon’s first Governor John Whiteaker’s concern that Oregon was facing an inexcusable debt of $10,000.
The formal ceremony in the rotunda was attended by more than 10,000 people, according to an estimate by The Salem Statesman. All were rewarded later when the five-tier cake was served up.
Many more events will take place through October of the sesquicentennial year. Of particular interest to philatelists will be a September stagecoach mail run between John Day and The Dalles.
by Bill White and Larry Berteau/The Mountain Times
Editor’s note: Bill White, of Brightwood, was The Mountain Times newshound on the ground in Salem for the state’s birthday bash.)
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| OUR ROAD TO STATEHOOD HAD NOBLE AND NOTORIOUS CONTRIBUTORS posted on 03/03/2009
This 150 years of statehood hasn’t come easy.
Oregon’s entry into the United States came in 1859 amid torrid turmoil and dubious debate.
There was more at issue than the simple edict of manifest destiny. Slavery was the hot topic in Washington D.C. and soon-to-be Oregonians were forced to wrestle with the daunting decision of whether or not to be a slave state.
Just to prove that today’s politics are not exactly a novel concept, the power structure of the Oregon Territory held a constitutional convention to address the problem. The result, believe it or not, was that Oregonians voted against making Oregon a slave state. But, they also voted (this is the hard-to-believe part) to ban blacks from living in the state.
In typical political fashion — the present-day stimulus bill included — this satisfied no one completely, but everyone somewhat.
To wit: abolitionists were indignant over the exclusion laws. Slavery proponents chafed at the idea of a free state.
And, if further proof was ever necessary that the political poles in America have flip-flopped right along with their polar cousins, the Democrats were for slavery and the Republicans were anti-slavery.
The political battle was on and the fate of settlers was in the hands of the U.S. Congress.
Jason Lee, a Methodist missionary, was mostly to blame for the Washington D.C. debate. In 1838 he traveled to the nation’s capital to petition for Oregon’s statehood.
"We flatter ourselves," Lee said with brazen bravado and halting humility, "that we are the germ of a great state."
Ultimately Congress made its decision, though it looked more like a split decision. By a six-vote margin, 114-108 — not surprisingly along party lines — Oregon was escorted into statehood on Feb. 12, 1859.
Two days later, the soon-to-be-forgotten President James Buchanan signed the bill into law and Oregonians got to the business of fashioning a flag, removing the word Territory from all objects and testaments, and jockeying for umbrage under the federal cloak. THE DYE WAS CAST
It would have been difficult to imagine — in light of the youthful age of our state — what was to come.
Today, however, it might not have even registered on the cable news channels.
With a nod to the good work of the Oregon Historical Society, here’s a glimpse of the political follies that followed:
n In 1891, Gov. Sylvestor Pennoyer (nicknamed the "Annoyer") put the political world on tilt when he declined to leave Salem to greet President Harrison at the state line, stating: "If you will attend to your business, I will attend to mine." Dare we ask ourselves if Pennoyer would have voted against the stimulus bill but reveled in its rewards?
n John Hipple Mitchell — or John Mitchell Hipple, depending on which state he was in and to whom he was married — was found guilty of fraud and conspiracy during his term as Oregon’s senator. By the time of his conviction in 1905, bigamy was the least of his problems.
n Elected in 1911, Governor Oswald West was part of the intense social reform movement of the time. A vocal supporter of prohibition, West made waves when he sent the National Guard to eastern Oregon mining towns to combat drinking and gambling. There is no official record of the outcome, but it is suspected this was likely the first official battlefield setback suffered by the Oregon Guard.
n In 1948, Dorothy McCullough Lee — Portland’s first woman mayor — was determined to rid the city of its vices. She famously sent undercover policemen and women into Portland’s more unsavory establishments in order "to clean up sin." Her efforts were received with, at best, mixed results. She lost her bid for reelection after serving one term, totally underestimating Oregonians ability to suffer, perhaps embrace, the seedy side of a city.
n In the 1950s, the mob came to Portland. The Teamsters, lured by the city’s thriving waterfront industry, built a sophisticated organization involving shipping contracts, but also gambling, prostitution and political payoffs. The operation was uncovered in 1956 and the magnitude of the operation attracted the FBI and a federal investigator, Robert Kennedy.
n The popular former governor, Neil Goldschmidt, stunned Oregonians when allegations of an affair with his teenaged babysitter surfaced in 2004. His public life came abruptly to an end. Goldschmidt’s career aside, it was not the end of Oregon’s follies. We still have radio talk jock Lars Larson scraping at the edges of the state’s progress, or lack of it, depending on his mushy mindset at the moment.
But Oregonians are resilient, and survive in spite of it all, and guarantee a bicentennial celebration a little farther on down the rocky road.
by Larry Berteau/The Mountain Times
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| TOWN HALL: A NEW BUS LOOMS; FOREST SERVICE CHECKS IN posted on 03/03/2009
WELCHES – There’s a new bus coming to town if some money can be found. At the Feb. 21 Villages at Mt. Hood Town Hall Meeting, Chair Bob Reeves informed the community that a grant for a new Mountain Express bus had been attained.
"There have been a lot of standing-room-only situations lately," Reeves said. "And, we’re on our third engine on the old bus. The catch is we need $7,500 in matching funds."
The Villages plan on holding fundraisers to come up with the money. Jars will be put out at local businesses and there will be an art, wine and music festival this summer under the guidance of the Mountain Express steering committee, according to Reeves.
Board member Judith Norval – also a member of the library board – was pleased to note that 74 percent of the local community voted in favor of the library measure that passed with flying colors in November.
She also urged citizens to assist in forming the Friends of the Library group. Those interested can contact Norval, or Reeves and Shirley Dueber, who are also library board members.
As the new library service district is being formed – to go in effect in 2010 – to take over the Hoodland Library, among others, Norval indicated that the new board will include three members from the Hoodland area.
Forest Ranger Bill Westbrook, of the Zigzag station, was the guest speaker and he outlined the future plans of the forest service.
Included in his presentation was the multi-modal transportation plan that would include the combined effort of the forest service, Clackamas County, Oregon Department of Transportation and the Western Division of Federal Highways.
The ambitious plan is a broad concept that includes park-and-ride facilities for the Mountain, a gondola from Government Camp to Timberline Lodge and an interchange at Hwy. 26 and Government Camp.
Westbrook pointed out there will be public meetings in advance of moving forward with these and other plans.
Westbrook came under fire from the audience over fee increases for some Mountain residents, the lack of road maintenance and the manner in which some Forest Service cabin residents are not being included in census data.
Steve Graeper, chair of the Rhododendron Community Planning Organization, and president of the local summer home association complained of the 1,000 percent increase in water fees for Rhody cabin residents.
"We got no notification," Graeper said. "Our water bill went up from $127 to $1,399."
Westbrook indicated that Congress sets land-use fees and "we were caught by surprise as well. But we did send out notices."
"We didn’t get one," countered Graeper.
Westbrook said he would pass the complaint on to the regional level.
Graeper continued with the problem of road maintenance on Forest Service roads, and the "promise" of the paving of Road 20 this year that was supposedly contracted out to Turin Construction.
"We are contracting locally to work on roads," Westbrook said. "We lost a lot of funding, however."
Westbrook went on to say that the failure on Road 20 "was unfortunate" and that Turin is under contract to pave the road this year or they will be in default.
The future looks much brighter for the Forest Service due to the stimulus package coming out of Washington D.C., Westbrook said.
"The Mount Hood National Forest has 19 projects totaling $51 million (in the package)," Westbrook said. "Of that, $30 million is for road and bridge repair."
In other business, county liaison Christine Roth reported that with the county commissioners now up to five members, an emphasis on the rural areas will be implemented.
"The commissioners will conduct a road show, with a stop in April at the Villages," Roth said.
She also indicated that volunteers are needed for the county’s budget committee.
In attendance were board members Reeves, Dueber, Norval, Patricia Sharp, Pat Buckley, Robert Baker, Brigette Romeo and Rick Applegate. Nancy Dougherty was absent.
by Larry Berteau/The Mountain Times
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| Friday the 13th left its mark on The Mountain. posted on 03/02/2009
Shrouded in superstition from as far back as the 12th Century and the Knights Templar, the dreaded day claimed the life of a Mountain resident and left debris scattered on Hwy. 26 from a two-car collision.
Fred Akre, 75, manager of The Ark RV Park in Brightwood for 15 years, succumbed to a massive heart attack on the premises.
While responding to the emergency at The Ark, members of the Hoodland Fire Department had their attention diverted by a head-on collision that occurred just yards away.
“We heard the crash and felt the concussion,” Fire Chief Mic Eby said. “I leaped over a hedge and saw the wreck. Wheels were still spinning and there was junk all over the road.”
A 1996 Buick sedan was heading eastbound on the highway and attempted a left turn onto Brightwood Loop Road, according to OSP Senior Trooper Duane Larson. A westbound 1979 Dodge van got tangled up with the sedan.
“The air bag was deployed (in the Buick) and it probably saved his life,” Eby said. “The steering wheel was badly bent. There was a puppy, but he was all right.
“There was a man and a woman in the van and he was bleeding from the nose. It was probably broken.”
Richard Throckmorton, 20, of east Portland, was driving the sedan and was cited for a dangerous left turn.
Zachary Davis, 33, also of east Portland, was cited for operating the van without a valid Oregon driver’s license and driving uninsured.
The injuries were considered minor.
Highway traffic was blocked about one hour with a detour in place, according to OSP.
Fred Akre’s wife Vera told The Mountain Times she was having a difficult time getting over the sudden loss of her husband.
“I’m having a pretty tough time,” she said. “I keep getting that shock (of what happened). It still doesn’t seem real.”
Fear of Friday the 13th is called paraskavedekatriaphobia. It’s a scary word for what turned out to be tragic day on The Mountain.
by Larry Berteau/The Mountain Times
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| COME FLY WITH US posted on 03/02/2009
GOVERNMENT CAMP — The late afternoon fog was no deterrent for ambitious skiers on the Mount Hood Skibowl’s jump hill.
Gabe Bertell — a former ski racer and a parent of a Mount Hood Race Team J-7 racer — soared 72 feet to capture first place in the Feb. 11 event that commemorated the 80th year of open competition on the Skibowl slopes.
Among the intrepid was Drew Jackson — Fox 12 (KPTV) meteorologist and ski writer — who had never jumped before.
“I felt like I had to come out because I didn’t know when I’d get another opportunity to ski jump,” Jackson said.
He carefully watched other jumpers before he journeyed to the top of the hill.
He described his first jump as “terrifying” but said the second and third jumps were progressively more fun.
Showing steady improvement, Jackson traveled 20 feet on his initial jump, improved to 40 feet on the second try and finished with a 61-footer that was good enough for 10th place.
Second-place honors were garnered by Petr Kakes — operator of the Olympic Ski School at Skibowl and a former Olympic skier — who traveled 69 feet.
One foot behind in third place was Greg Knutson, a father of a J-4 MHRT Mitey Might racer.
Of the 15 jumpers, the average distance traveled was 60 feet.
Don Murray, an Air Force para-rescue medic, was staying in Government Camp with other airmen and decided to participate as a walk-up. Despite limited skiing ability, he was a crowd favorite. Murray managed a 25-foot leap, followed by a lengthy slide on his backside down the rest of the hill.
The top three jumpers were presented with trophies during a ceremony and social at Multorpor Lodge, hosted by Kirk Hanna, owner of Skibowl.
“It was a fun event that we look forward to repeating,” Hanna said. “The jumpers enjoyed it and so did the crowd that gathered to watch.”
All participants received commemorative “Come Fly with Us” awards and souvenir ski bibs.
The rest of the field included former and current Mitey Mite and Junior racers, several parents, a ski coach, a member of the ski patrol and a walk-up jumper who cagily represented himself as a member of the “Central Florida Ski Team.”
Other finishers included: Ted Robbins, 65 feet; Alex Collison, 64 feet; Steve Sarich, 63 feet; Jordan Air, 62 feet; Nick Thomas, 62 feet; Johnny Meeks, 61 feet; Drew Jackson, 61 feet; Izzy Raitt, 60 feet; Emily Sarich, 54 feet; Greg Hamlin, 48 feet; and James Cory, 39 feet.
Proceeds from the competition were presented to the Mount Hood Race Team. MHRT parent volunteers staffed the jump hill during the two-hour event.
by Monica Cory/The Mountain Times
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| FIRE DESTROYS WELCHES HOME; NO ONE HURT posted on 02/01/2009
(WELCHES) – The Hoodland Fire Department threw everything it had at a house fire, but the inevitable could not be avoided.
The home of Robert and Marylin Schuberg, at 27260 Elk Park Road in Welches, went up in flames Jan. 17. Fortunately, the house was unoccupied at the time.
"This fire was designed to test us," Fire Chief Mic Eby said. "Everything that could have happened, did. It was really something."
Eby cited the high winds as the major culprit, but the narrow access road, sparking power lines that attracted PGE trucks to the scene, gusts that blew the sparks into the face of the firefighters, four other calls received during the event, a tree down on Fairway cutting off the route to a backup fire hydrant – all these things combined to create a perfect conflagration. Senior Firefighter Scott Kline investigated the incident.
"We’re still working on the details (as to the cause of the fire)," Kline said. "But we know it was electrical and we believe it started in the garage."
The call came in at 7:59 p.m. and the fire department response was an impressive six minutes.
"We were on the scene at 8:05," Eby said. "I was in the first engine and I was on a nozzle immediately. It was a headache getting the truck in, and when we got to the house the roof had already caved in. It was lost before we got there."
The battle raged to contain the fire and save neighboring houses. The blaze licked at the thick canopy of cedar trees and the wind fanned the flames above the banks of the Salmon River.
The entire Hoodland force took part, including 23 firefighters, three fire engines, four tenders, two utility vehicles and a rescue rig.
The "loss stop" signal went out at 10:59 p.m., indicating there was no more damage the fire could cause. It had been reduced to smoldering embers in less than three hours.
The fire was called out officially at 11:30 p.m.
"Except for me, they were all volunteers," Eby said. "It’s amazing what this community can do."
The last engine returned to the station at 12:45 a.m.
During the fire calls came in of power lines down on Kirkwood, a fire alarm went off on Bright Street, a tree took power lines down on Gumjuwac and two trees fell across Barlow Trail.
It was a perfectly difficult night for the Hoodland fire team.
by Larry Berteau/The Mountain Times
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| MOUNT HOOD'S 'PEARLY GATES' WITNESS ANOTHER CLIMBER'S DEATH posted on 02/01/2009
For all its serenity and majesty it never fails to remind us of the swift sword it carries under its robes.
At 10 a.m. on Jan. 21, 10,000 feet into the sky, Mount Hood claimed another climber.
Brooke Elyse Colvin, 31, was overcome by a chunk of falling ice and was thrown 400 feet to her death.
Colvin and her husband, Thad Jonathan Stavn, 33, both of Portland and both experienced mountaineers, were climbing on the south slope between Hogsback and Pearly Gates when disaster struck.
Stavn clambered down to aid his wife but after arriving at her side discovered she was dead.
"He (Stavn) was obviously distraught," said Detective Jim Strovink, Clackamas County Sheriff’s information officer. "He was able to self-rescue even after watching his wife tumble down the mountain."
Another group of climbers had witnessed the event and called 9-1-1. A search-and-rescue crew met Stavn at the scene. Seeing that Colvin was dead, an Oregon Army National Guard UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter that was en route was called off. A snow cat was employed to recover the body.
A similar event occurred Jan. 17 when Michael Leming, 45, of Portland – ironically a member of the Portland Mountain Rescue team – was also hit by a piece of falling ice in the same area of the Pearly Gates.
Leming was tossed 200 feet down the slope, suffered a broken ankle, was completely incapacitated, but was airlifted to safety by a Black Hawk chopper.
The Portland Mountain Rescue unit is renowned for its climbing expertise and volunteer efforts conducted on Mount Hood, and fortunately for Leming members of the team were participating in a training exercise that day. They went immediately to Leming’s aid and contributed significantly to this rescue of one of their own, according to the Clackamas County Sheriff’s report.
The injured climber was airlifted to Oregon Health Sciences University Hospital where he was treated for significant injuries sustained to his ankles and shoulder.
The mountain has claimed the lives of 40 climbers since 1981, including 17 this decade.
by Larry Berteau/The Mountain Times
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| MOUNT HOOD, RIVERS GAIN WILDERNESS STATUS posted on 02/01/2009
It was a battle waged over the same time period as the Civil War but the U.S. Senate ultimately prevailed in passing legislation that permanently protects more than 200,000 acres of wilderness area around Mount Hood and other locations in the state.
Authored by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 was pushed through the 111th Congress in a special Senate session called on a Sunday, Jan. 11.
"After five years and well over a hundred meetings the Senate has finally overcome the procedural hurdles that have delayed action to safeguard some of Oregon’s most special places," Wyden said. "Countless Oregonians, including (former) Senator Gordon Smith, worked tirelessly and in a bipartisan fashion to protect these natural treasures which define Oregon as one of the most beautiful states in the union."
Newly elected Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) cast his first vote in the U.S. Senate in support of moving forward the legislation.
"Oregonians are rightly proud of our long tradition of protecting our natural treasures for future generations," Merkley said. "This bill gives that effort a boost by expanding protections for some of the most iconic and special wild areas of our state. I wish this bill had passed sooner, but I am very proud to be able to cast my first vote in support of Oregon’s natural resources."
The act passed by a convincing 66-12 margin, despite some objections from senators over the rare Sunday session.
Passage of the act had been blocked by a single senator, Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), but the new Senate was able to overcome the 59-vote requirement to overcome a filibuster.
Besides the Mount Hood wilderness area, the act also includes Copper Salmon wilderness, Oregon Badlands wilderness, Spring Basin wilderness and the Cascade Siskiyou National Monument.
Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) stood in support of the Senate’s action to expand Mount Hood wilderness by 127,000 acres plus 79 miles of wild and scenic rivers around the mountain.
"Three years ago we passed the first Mount Hood wilderness bill in the House, and Oregonians have been waiting a long time for this moment," Blumenauer said. "I am extremely pleased that the Senate has succeeded in invoking cloture for wilderness legislation for Mount Hood and other Oregon areas. I will urge my colleagues in the House to pass this package swiftly and send it to President Obama for his signature."
Locally, the wild and scenic river designations will be felt on sections of the Sandy and Zigzag rivers. Don Mench, of Zigzag, a member of the Mount Hood Corridor CPO and the Sandy River Basin Watershed Council, has been working toward this local river designation and sees the act as an important moment for the Mountain community.
"It’s an exciting time in the basin," Mench told The Mountain Times. "We’ve been working on this for a long time. It’s a big step and we don’t want to screw it up. We’re not partying yet, but …"
Mench cited work that he and his groups have done over the years to prepare for the wilderness expansion.
"We’ve worked closely with boaters, recreation enthusiasts, loggers, mountain bikers," he said. "For instance, the boundaries have been drawn so that mountain bike trails go right up to the edge of the wilderness area."
The act will also provide a land transfer in the Government Camp area. For land in Cooper Spur the government will exchange approximately 120 acres around Government Camp to the Mt. Hood Meadows LLC.
by Larry Berteau/The Mountain Times
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| 'IT SMELLED LIKE DIRT' WAS A REACTION TO FOUL WATER posted on 02/01/2009
(RHODODENDRON) – The December storm that rolled through the Mountain community took a toll on the drinking water in Rhododendron the first week of January.
Following the heavy snowfall came a warming trend and 7-8 inches of rain to usher in the New Year. This spurred David Jacob, the Rhody water master, to check on the Head Works and he noticed that Henry Creek – Rhody’s water source – was running very high, very fast and mighty dirty, according to Rhododendron Summer Home Association President Steve Graeper.
The sand filters were unable to handle the heavy sediment in the water.
"The combination of the very dirty source water and a very high demand (due to the holiday), caused our system to be consuming more water than the system was producing," Graeper said. "As a consequence the 100,000-gallon storage tank was rapidly draining down."
When Jacob assessed this draw-down rate at 1 p.m., New Year’s Day, he calculated the system would be without treated water by 10 p.m. that evening. He immediately notified Graeper and the RSHA Board called an executive session.
"The decision was, do we let the system drain down and shut off water to all customers when the tank was empty and until the tank could be filled with treated water – a time frame that was an unknown – or do we issue a boil water order and continue to supply untreated water to our customers," Graeper said. "I made the decision to issue the boil order."
That decision was made at 1:15 p.m. and officials immediately swung into action.
Jacob printed more than 350 boil water orders for distribution. Seven volunteers rallied at Mt. Hood Food and General at 4 p.m. and set out – despite the snow pack, rain and cold – and successfully delivered the notices to all 350 member households and businesses served by the water system – by 7 p.m.
Noryne Robinson was one of the recipients.
"We received really great notice," Robinson told The Mountain Times. "A board member and a volunteer brought notices around to the neighbors, we received an e-mail, we had a phone call to see if we could help pass the word, and they put up signs at the entrances to the neighborhood."
Because of the weather, melting snow pack, rain storm and the continued high turbidity of Henry Creek the association was mandated by the state to keep the boil water order in effect until the entire distribution system could be purged and filled again with treated water.
In the meantime, the Robinsons and others were dealing with the situation.
"There were no problems for laundry and showers, the inconvenience was mostly with doing the dishes," Robinson said. "I usually had to boil two big pots of water each day, one for dishes and the other for drinking and cooking. It was hard not to do what is habit. You had to think so you didn’t just automatically stick your tooth brush under the faucet, or wash an apple … We were just thankful we were not like some people that had water flooding their homes or landslides washing them away."
Still, there was the untreated water.
"The water looked fine," Robinson said. "But at first when I would run the hot water it smelled like dirt."
Finally, on Jan. 13, the Jacob’s water sample passed muster with the State Drinking Water Program and the boil water order was lifted.
Again, the volunteers got the word out.
"We were informed that we no longer had to boil water when we received an e-mail (on the 13th), had a notice on our door and the signs had been changed to say that the water was safe to drink," Robinson said.
"They did a great job of notifying everyone at the beginning and the end."
Spearheading the "great job" effort were Merv and Barbara Novinger, Dan and Sheri Holm, Jacob and his wife Becky, and Darren Miller.
by Larry Berteau/The Mountain Times
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| 4-WAY SKI CHAMPIONSHIP posted on 02/01/2009
(GOVERNMENT CAMP) — More than 200 young skiers from Oregon and Washington will compete in four different ski events in the Oregon 4-Way Championship to be held Feb. 6 to 8 at Mt. Hood Skibowl.
The event is hosted by the Mt. Hood Race Team with sponsorship support from Legacy Mt. Hood Medical Center.
During the three day competition, 9-to-13-year-old skiers from across the northwest will compete in both alpine and Nordic events, including slalom, giant slalom, classic cross country and ski jumping.
"It’s exceptionally fun for the kids because they compete in four different events and that brings a different energy to the entire competition," said Bill Gunesch, director of Mt. Hood Ski Education Foundation. "Generally our racers compete only in the traditional alpine events of slalom and giant slalom. The 4-Way includes the Nordic events of classic cross country and jumping."
These types of 4-way events were once more common than they are now.
"The Oregon 4-Way Championship dates back to 1968 and is the most talked about Mitey Mite competition held on Mt. Hood each year," Gunesch said. "It is a popular event that is steeped in tradition and is important to our young racers and to the skiing community." During recent training many of the racers will make their first attempt at jumping, assuring an exciting event for all to watch. For more info visit: www.mthoodacademy.com.
by Monica Cory/for The Mountain Times
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| WOULDN'T YOU LIKE TO FLY? posted on 02/01/2009
Mt. Hood Skibowl invites those who dare to "Come Fly with Us."
The ski area is one of the oldest, consistently operated ski areas in the country and marks its 80th year in operation by opening up its legendary ski jump hill to the public.
"Come Fly with Us" is the theme for the Feb. 6 competitive ski jumping event to be followed by an awards ceremony and social at the Multopor Lodge.
Skiers must preregister online at Skibowl.com. Participation will be limited to the first 25 people to register. The cost per jumper is a $20 donation to benefit the Mt. Hood Ski Education Foundation. MHSEF volunteers will be working along the jump hill during the competition.
The competition will run from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Each ski jumper will take one practice run, followed by a second jump which will be measured for distance.
The ski jump hill was originally developed by local skier Everett Sickler in 1928. By 1929 Skibowl gained wide-spread recognition after hosting an official National Ski Association jumping event, supported in part by members of the then newly formed Cascade Ski Club.
"Winter sports started here with ski jumping and inviting people back to jump seems like the perfect way to launch a year of events to celebrate Skibowl’s 80th year in operation," said Kirk Hanna, owner and operator of Mt. Hood Skibowl. "The event promises to be exciting for participants as well as spectators."
Each season a ski jump hill is built on the slope known as Yumper near the Cascade chair, providing ample room for the jump ramp and landing area. The jump is created for the Oregon 4-Way Challenge, a major ski competition hosted by the Mt. Hood Race Team. The 41st Annual Oregon 4-Way will take place over three days, Feb. 6 to 8, attracting 200 youth skiers.
Hanna, a former racer, expects to be one of the intrepid at the jumping event. "There are many older racers like myself who are eager to fly off the jump again," he said.
Several thousand skiers have jumped the ski hill since the inception of the 4-Way Ski Championship. Area ski club members, coaches, instructors, past employees and other friends are expected to compete.
The "Come Fly with Us" awards ceremony and social will follow the jumping competition at 8 p.m. in the lodge near the base of the hill.
Spectators as well as participants are invited to attend. The first beverage will be free.
Prizes will be awarded based on the top three longest distances traveled. Each participant will receive a commemorative award.
"We are looking forward to a fun event and great opportunity for friends of Skibowl to get together to mark this anniversary year," Hanna said.
Plans are underway for other special events, including a major anniversary party in March, according to Hanna.
by Monica Cory/for The Mountain Times
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| FLASH: MUDSLIDE CLOSES HWY. 26 posted on 01/02/2009
FLASH UPDATE, Jan 5
Highway 26 reopened all lanes east and west. The Marmot Road detour is no longer in effect. High water on Welches road has receded. Power has been restored to the majority of the Mountain community.
A mud slide rushed across Hwy. 26 west of Brightwood near Alder Creek Jan. 2 blocking all lanes.
The incident occurred about midnight New Year’s Day into Friday.
ODOT, Oregon State Police and Hoodland Fire Department are on the scene between Cherryville Hill and Brightwood. The mud slide and debris is preliminarily estimated to be up to 2 feet deep and 100 yards wide. The debris includes mud and several uprooted trees.
OSP trooper on the scene is reporting ODOT has established a detour which will probably be in place through Friday.
Flooding is also occurring on Welches Road from Birdie Lane north to the hill at The Resort.
A power outage took place Friday morning throughout the Hoodland area. It was restored at approximately 9 a.m.
A warning has gone out to all residents of Clackamas County to stay home and stay safe.
The Mountain Times will continue to post updates as information is received. Photos will follow.
By Larry Berteau/The Mountain Times
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| WINTER BLAST BURIES MOUNTAIN posted on 01/01/2009
A winter storm preceded the solstice by a week and left its powdery print on The Mountain community.
The mercury took a nose dive and the snow piled high during the wintry blast that left a white frosting on the conifers, treacherous driving conditions and annoying power outages.
Unofficial snow depths reached 39 inches in Welches after eight consecutive days of snow. Times weatherman Herb Miller reported a record December accumulation for Brightwood. A low was recorded at the Clackamas County Bank of 14 degrees (Dec. 17).
At the height of the storm (weekend of Dec. 19-21), the Welches area was getting the worst of the storm for Clackamas County, according to Tim Heider of the Oregon State Police.
"They’re getting more than a foot of snow," Heider said in a television interview. " Trees are down and Barlow Trail and Salmon River Road are buried."
The storm brought mixed reactions, creating business opportunities for some and a darned nuisance for others.
"It’s awesome," was the initial reaction from Tom Butler, owner of Mountain Sports in the Hoodland Shopping Plaza.
Butler’s business provides all things for winter recreation, and he has been anticipating the powdery arrival.
"Just in time," he said. "A little late maybe. We were sweating bullets a couple weeks ago."
Butler has been at the winter shop for 15 years – the last three as owner – and was biding his time making ski repairs because of the exposed rocks on the mountain. Still, he was of two minds regarding winter’s blast.
"Granted, it’s not all fun," he said. "I don’t like the digging out and scraping any more than anyone else. My wife (Sonya) even skidded down a hill. But it’s my business, and it’s beautiful."
"I’m disappointed," said Becky Fortune, of Welches, and mother of five children, citing the easy-driving conditions of the previous day. "Yesterday (Dec. 17) was a total waste. The schools were closed and we went shopping in Gresham."
The Fortune family’s life revolves around the Welches schools. Becky is a Title I reading aide and volleyball coach. When schools close, the Fortunes are disrupted.
"I understand the safety issue and how much guessing goes on (deciding whether or not to shutter the schools)," she said. "I don’t like to criticize anyone and wouldn’t want that responsibility myself."
But she pointed out that her son, Sean, fourth grade, lost his opportunity in the school’s Christmas program. Another boy, Will, sophomore, had to forego the finishing of his grandmother’s Christmas present.
The snow provided a business opportunity for Rick Young, of Portland.
Young was perched in the catbird’s seat near the Zigzag Ranger Station as the first chain monkey encountered by motorists heading up to the mountain. He offered his services for a "meager" $20 to the eager snow-goers.
Besides his chain installer duties, Young stalked the roadside warning drivers to pull well off the road, seeing his job as a safety official as much as a service provider.
"Look at these people," Young said, pointing at a car stopping in a driving lane. "They need to get off the road. Otherwise, they’re gonna get a $150 fine."
According to Young, he has plied his craft on Hwy. 26 for a "modest couple of years."
For the snowbirds who proceeded past Young’s checkpoint, Ski Bowl, Timberline and Mountain Meadows awaited.
By Dec. 21 Timberline reported a modest 29 degrees, four lifts in operation, 15 inches of new snow with fresh-packed powder, according to Jon Tullis of Timberline Lodge.
"It’s beautiful," Tullis said. "There are lots of problems in town but we have fantastic ski conditions."
"This is a great setup for the season," said Dave Tragethon of Mountain Meadows. "This is the lightest (powdery) snow I’ve seen in my 15 years."
The fierce weather attack was a consequence of multiple converging factors: an inversion layer overhead, winds howling up the gorge, a low off the coast, arctic air racing in from the north, and warm, wet air sliding up from the south.
The result provided something for everyone, including the guarantee of a white Christmas.
by Larry Berteau and Geoff Berteau/The Mountain Times
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| BUDGET BELTS TIGHTEN AT WELCHES SCHOOLS posted on 01/01/2009
As the plague of budget cuts filter down from the governor’s office — through the Oregon Trail School District — Welches schools Principal Mike Sutton believes he has an antidote.
"We do a lot right now," Sutton said, referring to the elementary and middle school’s attention to budget items. "Certainly, it’ll step up now, but we try all the time."
School budgets took a hit from the state when Governor Kulongoski slashed 1.2 percent of all state agency funding.
For the Oregon Trail School District, that created a $500,000 revenue shortfall for the 2008-09 school year.
Responding to those cuts, OTSD Superintendent Shelley Redinger indicated those cuts could not be absorbed, but she believes they "can be covered by cutting all nonessential services."
Redinger announced, effective Dec. 15, the district was implementing a spending freeze on these services, supplies and equipment, including field trips for all grade levels, staff development, travel or substitute costs.
"If we all pitch in on these measures, I believe we can avoid the need for staff or program reductions this year," Redinger said. "These steps will also provide a better foundation for dealing with the challenging budget ahead for next year."
Sutton believes the Welches schools are unique in the district, and are as prepared as can be for the financial crisis.
"We have an active parent-teachers organization that does a pretty good job, keeping us from dipping into the general fund," Sutton said.
"Our students do a lot of fundraising for field trips, and our February auction is a big help."
Sutton met with other middle and elementary principals the day after Redinger’s announcement to discuss ways they can work together.
"There’s lots we can do and we talked about it (at the meeting)," Sutton said. "Sharing supplies and resources will help."
Vice-Principal Debbie Borges pitches in with Sutton to cover substitute teacher needs, and that practice will certainly continue.
"Debbie and I do that already," Sutton said. "We will also be trying to schedule teacher’s doctor and dentist appointments after school, as well as student conferences."
Sutton, in his fourth year at Welches, has always kept an eye on supplies.
"I’m a stickler in that regard," he said. "There’s lots you can do. We haven’t had to buy playground balls in four years. I’ve found them in closets. You just have to look around. Paper is another big (cost) item. Those orders all cross my desk. And after the principal’s meeting, we all agreed to check with each other before we order paper or art supplies."
One area where Sutton draws a different line is athletics. This is only the second year of this program and it is already producing dividends.
"Athletics is an important piece of the student puzzle for us," he said.
"We can help with a spending freeze on equipment, but to cut the programs would be a disaster."
Sutton admits he took a look at staff and support personnel cuts, but dismissed them.
"It crossed my mind, but I can’t see it right now," he said.
"We have a program that blends four or five teachers among different classes. They have to learn a second curriculum, but they do it, and teachers and students get to know each other better because of it."
Redinger issued concerns about next year’s funding, and that discussions are underway to plan for the shortfall.
"At this time we do not have all the information we need to adequately forecast, and cannot predict final actions," she said.
Sutton was cautious about next year. "We think we can weather this first cut," he said. "But if there’s a second (cut), that will be tougher."
by Larry Berteau/The Mountain Times
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| ONE NEIGHBORHOOD IS WATCHING posted on 01/01/2009
(MT) – Violated by break-ins at their homes in November, a Welches neighborhood has responded.
Elk Park Road and Birdie Lane had four houses broken into and burglarized prompting a turnout of 35 area residents to form a neighborhood watch program.
Sara McClurg, crime prevention officer for the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Department, guided residents through the ins and outs of the program at the Dec. 6 meeting.
"She was very informative," said Betsy LaBarge, newly appointed director of the program. "We got lots of facts, figures, stats, trends, and in general found out what residents can do to prevent neighborhood crimes."
McClurg also provided information packets, window decals and lawn signs.
"It was a terrific turnout," LaBarge said. "I thought there’d be maybe a dozen show up. But people were really concerned. It was serious business. We all had an attitude of ‘we’re gonna do this.’"
At the meeting the members broke up the area into six blocks of 11-14 homes and a captain was selected for each block. Information was gathered as to tenant names, addresses, phone numbers, e-mail addresses, vehicle descriptions, number of residents and ages, and whether the residences were occupied full-time or part-time.
Further information is being collected to include identification of regular visitors such as gardeners, housekeepers, babysitters and health care providers.
"We are now prepared to keep an eye out for suspicious behavior, and watch for things that don’t look right," LaBarge said. "Plus, we got to meet other people and to know our neighborhood better. We bonded."
Another meeting will be set up soon to discuss motion sensitive lights or timers, with the possibility of making a bulk purchase to keep costs down.
The neighborhood watch program is the first of its kind for the Mountain community.
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| A BIG BOULDER ON THE MOUNTAIN posted on 01/01/2009
An avalanche sends shudders through most of us, but for a Bernese Mountain Dog called Boulder, it’s play time.
"There aren’t many Bernese used for avalanche rescue," said C.J. Svela, ski patroller and Boulder’s master.
"But he’s a Swiss dog, bred for cart pulling, and he gets the job done."
Svela and Boulder are now on the job at Mountain Meadows on Mount Hood, making the local ski resort one of three in Oregon equipped with avalanche-trained dogs. Two other pairs operate at Mount Ashland and Bachelor.
Svela worked ski patrol at Mount Ashland for seven years before joining American Medical Response in Grants Pass. He followed that with avalanche training and certification at Mount Ashland.
"I wanted to do this (work with a dog) for a long, long time," Svela said. "I was always interested in avalanche control and grew up with a love for dogs. I was on a list for three years before finding Boulder (in Salem). Most Bernese aren’t adapted to avalanche training because they are too laid back. But Boulder passed the puppy aptitude test because he got more excited than most."
Boulder set Svela back a bunch. He described it as: "$1,500 for 120 pounds of love."
After getting Boulder two years ago, rigorous training ensued, beginning with playful incentive work, "tug of war with a rag that resembles a piece of meat," Svela said. "You cater to his ancestral instincts to begin with, then work up to runaway drills where someone else holds his lead and I take off down the mountain screaming and acting crazy. The search command is given and he chases after me. Then I reward him by playing and wrestling with him."
Later, the training gets tougher. Svela challenged Boulder by running off without being seen, and Boulder had to sniff him out.
That was followed by shallow burials, then deep burials.
"The important thing is Boulder gets to play (after finding the victim)," Svela said. "To him, it’s not a crisis, it’s all a game."
During Boulder’s graduation exercise he had to find four humans completely buried in the snow. For distraction, backpacks and other articles of clothing were scattered throughout the area.
"Boulder was amazing," Svela said.
"He performed triage, finding the bodies first and the distractions after."
Boulder will be turning teacher at Mountain Meadows. According to Svela, another patroller and a young dog will be training with them.
The intrepid pair will be on Mount Hood duty, perched on the mountain top, ready for action, and hoping to never have to go to work – or in Boulder speak: play.
by Larry Berteau/The Mountain Times
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| WELCHES SENATOR HEADS CRITICAL COMMITTEE posted on 01/01/2009
(MT) – Senator Rick Metsger (D-Welches) will remain as chair of the Business and Transportation Committee in Salem.
Metsger, Senate President Pro Tempore designee, will assume the position during the 2009 legislative session, marking his third tour in the slot.
"Reinvesting in our transportation infrastructure will be a crucial issue (in 2009)," Metsger said. "Investing in transportation will allow us to get Oregonians back into work now and will help stimulate the economy. I am looking forward to leading this effort and having a successful outcome for all Oregonians."
Metsger’s appointment drew accolades from a fellow senator.
"Senator Metsger has established a unique ability to further key transportation initiatives that move Oregon forward," said Senate President Peter Courtney (D-Salem).
"In the deep economic times faced by Oregonians today, he is the right person to help the legislature identify and enact solutions that will advance Oregon’s economic future."
Governor Ted Kulongoski has already targeted transportation infrastructure investments as the key legislative priority in the upcoming session, underlining the importance of Metsger’s committee.
The Welches senator has been a member of the Business and Transportation Committee since 1999.
Metsger has also been appointed to the Rules Committee and will continue to serve as a member of the Education and General Government Committee.
He chaired the 2006 Senate Education Select Committee that created the $250 million school improvement fund, advanced by the 2007 session.
In light of the current economic crisis, Metsger’s expertise will be challenged to ensure children continue to receive a quality education.
The 2009 Legislative Session kicks off Jan. 12.
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| They work for scale posted on 12/02/2008
"Ewwww."
"This is absolutely disgusting."
"Where do I take these buggers?"
"Gross."
The objections echoed loud and clear through the forest canopy at Lost Creek campground. The stench of dead fish rose in the air. Gory blood trails tracked over the sides of a pickup truck.
The scene was genuinely forbidding. The complaints were predictably continuous. But the commitment was oddly undeniable.
The Sandy River Basin Watershed Council held its annual salmon toss on Lost Creek Nov. 15. There were local volunteers, students from Sam Barlow High, even an eager helper from Olympia, Washington.
Alex Troudt (of course, the "d" is silent), Barlow sophomore, said he was up to the task as he pulled on his wet-weather gear.
"I’m looking forward to it," Troudt said. "Besides, I get extra (class) credit."
He then took a sniff at the odor wafting from the tubs of dead salmon. He wrinkled his nose, but offered: "I can deal with it. It’s a good cause. It’s good for the environment."
The idea behind the toss is to put adult salmon carcasses – brought from the Sandy hatchery after spawning – into Lost Creek
to nourish the wild, juvenile salmon living in the creek, and to become food for
insects, birds and mammals.
The project objectives, according to Russ Plaeger, coordinator for the watershed council, are varied and include:
— Increase production of naturally spawning populations of salmon and steelhead in key tributaries of the Sandy River.
— Increase the production of cutthroat trout and other native species.
— Provide secondary benefits for terrestrial carnivores and birds.
— Engage the community in watershed stewardship through a hands-on approach to learning about watershed ecology.
And these gritty volunteers indeed got their hands on.
Molly Burbach, another Barlow sophomore, held her hands in the air, rubber gloves festooned with fish parts and donned a sour expression.
"All these fish guts and blood," she said. "This is not working for me."
Then she bent down and went right back to work. Minutes later she pulled a 15-pound salmon carcass off its string and sent it flying into the creek – a look of personal satisfaction etched on her face.
The volunteers worked diligently as the thrill of tossing the fish became paramount.
Declines in the number of returning adult salmon – 10 percent of historic levels – prompts the effort. And the carcasses are essential to the environment – far beyond providing instant nutrition.
Studies on some rivers in the Pacific Northwest have found a marine-derived nitrogen isotope in old conifers growing near the river. The only sources for that nitrogen were the bodies of adult salmon that had returned to those rivers, Plaeger said.
As the work wound down, the tubs emptied, salmon carcasses bobbing in the creek’s shallows, the volunteers trudged from the scene, shaking fish orts from their gloves, jackets and pants.
One student, still clad in his messy garb, opened his arms to his terrified classmates. "Anyone want a hug?"
There were enough to go around.
by Larry Berteau/Mountain Times
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| Break-ins shatter windows, nerves posted on 12/02/2008
(WELCHES) – Local residents in the tony neighborhood of Elk Park Road are on the alert after a spate of recent break-ins.
Four houses were hit in a six-day period from Nov. 6 to Nov. 12. Losses ranged from nothing being taken after entrance was gained through a broken window, to an estimated $10,000 ransacking of another.
Hardest hit was the residence of Steve and Lisa Siegfried on Nov. 6.
"We came home Thursday night and after Steve opened the front door we didn’t even have to go inside," Lisa Siegfried told The Mountain Times. "The family room was a mess. Steve turned to me and said ‘we’ve been broken into.’"
"I was shocked," Steve Siegfried said. "There was a feeling of being invaded. I felt safe here before – probably not so safe any more."
The first clue was a miter saw in the middle of the family room – an item that was evidently too awkward to be removed.
The couple proceeded through all the rooms and they found it difficult to assess what was missing due to the chaos that stretched before them. They had grabbed everything they could to use as carry sacks," Lisa said. "Steve’s ski boot pack was missing, pillow cases had been taken off the beds. I guess they just filled them up." An attempt to call the sheriff’s office was foiled when the phone wouldn’t work. Later, they discovered the phone had been unhooked at the outside box. A county sheriff’s deputy arrived later after being summoned by cell phone. "The deputy saw all kinds of finger smudges on the furniture and appliances, but they were made with gloves, so there weren’t any finger prints," Lisa said. Missing items included power tools, a wall tapestry, jewelry, Tibetan masks made of turquoise and coral, china, glass figurines and miniatures from Nepal, and a prescription bottle of pills for their dog – designed to curb a leaky bladder. "The directions on the bottle were pretty faded," Lisa said, unable to muffle a chuckle. "I hope they tried them." Entry was made through a window in the great room and it appeared the burglars had used a pitch fork to break the glass. Fortunately for the Siegfrieds, to access the house requires climbing a steep outside set of stairs, and Lisa figures that is why the TV, VCR, and other heavier items were not taken. They estimate their loss to be close to $10,000. "But most of the items taken were more personal, things given to us, and had no value to anyone else," Lisa said. Ironically, a month before a friend had let them know of a "couple suspicious characters" hanging out in the neighborhood. That prompted the Siegfrieds to install an alarm system. The first attempt to do so was thwarted when the company cancelled an appointment, then they showed up with the wrong equipment. While waiting for the next appointment, they were burglarized. "The alarm system was installed the next day," Steve said. Broken windows were suffered at two other residents, and a computer was stolen at a home that was entered by smashing through a dead-bolted door. All the break-ins occurred on Elk Park Road. The home of Rebecca and Karson Knutson was among those targeted. They arrived at their residence the day after the event and discovered a broken window used for entry. "Nothing was missing," Rebecca Knutson said. "They must have been scared off, or something. But the window replacement is going to cost us about $1,000." Mountain resident Mike Wherity was watching one of the homes for the residents who were out of town – it was hit Nov. 12. "I went by to check the house just before dusk and noticed the electric gate wasn’t working," Wherity said. "The lights were off, the meter had been removed from the garage and the phone system was disabled." Entry was made through a double window in the back. "The window was broken out and the place was ransacked. All the jewelry was gone. A lap-top was missing. They knew what they were doing," Wherity said. Sara McClurg, crime prevention officer for the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Department, confessed there had been an "up-tick in break-ins, but mostly cars" throughout the county. These were the first incidents to come specifically from the Mountain community. "It is conjecture, of course," but in incidents like these, all in the same general area, the (offenders) are organized and probably locals," McClurg said. She also noted that the department tracks activity like this. "It gets our attention," she said. "Our patrol deputies take ownership of districts they work in. They take incidents like these personally." Betsy LaBarge, of Cascade Property Management and a resident in the same area as the break-ins, is spearheading a prevention effort by forming a Neighborhood Watch Program. McClurg is working with the Elk Park Road residents and others from the surrounding area to form the watch unit. The first meeting is set for early December. If the program is formed it will be first one in the Mountain community, according to McClurg. "Then we’re making history," Rebecca Knutson said. "I hope we can organize," Steve Siegfried said. "People in the community need to watch out for each other."
by Larry Berteau/Mountain Times
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| Wave delayed to spring 2009 posted on 12/02/2008
The Mountain community will have to wait for the Wave to crash on its shore.
Wave Broadband purchased Charter Communications in April and took over that cable television service in our area. Supposedly, high-definition digital television and high-speed Internet was to follow in a window pegged for January or February.
Now, it won’t be showing up until spring of 2009.
"We have crews in the area working on the upgrade, but don’t have a firm launch date yet," said Adam Lazara, marketing director for Wave. "We recognize the need for high-speed Internet and we are expediting as well as we can."
Lazara pointed to obtaining the necessary permits and weather as the primary factors that are slowing the process.
Besides HD and high-speed Internet, Wave will offer movies and television shows on demand and Internet telephone service.
Once the HD and Internet services are rolled out there will be multiple packages available for each, including at least five different cable deals with "even faster Internet speeds than previously planned," Lazara said.
by Larry Berteau/Mountain Times |
| Weed and Seed deputy resigns posted on 11/02/2008
The ordeal of Deputy Brandon Claggett has come to an end.
The Clackamas County Sheriff deputy’s 14-year career concluded when he resigned Oct. 7 from the department after it was alleged he inappropriately touched a female while she was riding in his car.
Claggett, 37, was the chief drug enforcement officer for the Mountain community – a program dubbed "Weed and Seed."
According to a sheriff’s report Claggett was involved in taking a teenage girl on rides while he was in uniform and driving his patrol car. The internal investigation report also indicated the deputy had sent sexually explicit photos of himself to the girl via his cell phone.
Claggett was placed on administrative leave July 8 when the department deemed it necessary to investigate allegations of misconduct. The Department of Justice had notified the sheriffs of the allegations.
In mid-September a criminal investigation was completed and presented to the Clackamas County District Attorney’s office.
That office reviewed the allegations and chose not to continue the process based on the information at hand.
"They looked at the case and declined," Deputy Jim Strovink told The Mountain Times. "They decided the elements just weren’t there."
Following the DA’s decision, the sheriff’s office took up an internal investigation, which ended when Claggett resigned. The department stated that "the internal investigation is closed," in a press release by Lt. Kevin Layng of the sheriff’s office.
According to the report, Claggett was involved in about five patrol car rides with the girl – now 20 years old – over a three-year time frame.
It is possible the Department of Standards may take up the issue to determine whether or not Claggett can continue to seek employment as a law enforcement officer, according to Strovink.
William Bergin, a Sandy police officer, was placed on administrative leave in July due to information the department had uncovered during the Claggett investigation.
Bergin resigned from the Sandy police Oct. 24.
by Larry Berteau/The Mountain Times |
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