Council members press for special district for fire and EMS; extend closing of WAC till June ‘22

By George Custer/ Interim Editor — Mayor Kathy Holston indicated that there are two additional items being requested to be placed on the agenda: Special Districts and the tree lighting event. Mayor indicated that a discussion on the special district may happen but that no voting on the issue may occur.

Having received no public comments, Oakridge Mayor Holston announced a planned meeting on the Oakridge warming center for December 6^th at 6:30 p.m. She’s hoping for a good volunteer turnout. The meeting will also be advertised in the community. As Board member on Lane Regional Air Protection Agency (LRAPA), she said their previous meeting discussed their dues structure and indicated that Oakridge’s rate may be reduced in the future.

The mayor also asked the Council members to try harder to get their faces on the screen during Zoom Council meetings. She also announced that rumors about the City Administrator’s replacement are prevalent around town and that a voting block of councilors are behind the rumor. She hopes the rumors aren’t true. Councilors Hollett, Spliethof, Kinyon, Bjornson, and Coker all took offense to the “voting block” term, individually, during their separate comments.

The Tree Lighting and holiday parade will be on Saturday, December 11^th, at Banner Park. Time is to be announced. Councilor Spliethof worried that having the tree at Greenwaters Park might be susceptible to vandalism.

Councilor Bjornson asked about the vaccination requirements for the City’s employees. Brian Cutchen, the City’s Administrator (CA), responded that only firefighters and paramedics are required to be vaccinated. Police are not required, nor are any other personnel.

Councilor Hollett pushed for the formation of a committee to investigate the possibility of establishing a rural fire district. Her desire is to work with the City of Westfir and the Hazeldell Fire District to hopefully find solutions to Oakridge’s own financial and staffing problems. Mayor Holston appreciates Councilor Hollett’s enthusiasm on the matter and asked her to work with the City Administrator who has already recently performed background work on the subject. Councilors Spliethof, Coker, and Bjornson asked to be on the committee along with Councilor Hollett. The Mayor had planned to be on the committee as well but bowed out once it was voted on and approved to form an inquiry committee of three. When no other Councilors were willing to step aside, the formation of the committee was pushed to the next council meeting. Councilor Whitney believes that it may be premature to form the committee without first reviewing the existing work that has been done by the CA. When asked by Councilor Whitney for input, the City Administrator said he needed time to put together a brief and felt it inappropriate to speak “off the cuff” on the special district question.

The City Administrator asked the City’s RARE participant and Oakridge Air representative, Grace Kaplowitz, to brief on their ongoing projects. She introduced Joshua Proudfoot from the Good Company who spoke about the progress made in the five-year program. Stove changeouts, insulation and heat pump installs are at the heart of the program that has been a success story to date with much more to come. The wood heat program has also been very successful with funds coming in grant form from the EPA. Nearly six hundred air filters have been distributed to homes with high needs. Curriculum development, training, and teaching continue.

Mr. Proudfoot went on to announce what Oakridge is doing about clean air and homes is getting attention statewide and further. Oakridge and Good Company are also looking to help relocate people out of mobile and manufactured homes and into better air quality homes. Work with St. Vincent DePaul for grant funding is ongoing.

Guen DiGioia, from Oakridge Air, also spoke on the stove changeouts. There’s a significant need for vendors because of existing workloads. She went on to explain the process of home weatherization upgrades.

Dustin Rymph, also a RARE participant and Oakridge Air representative, spoke primarily about fire wise actions and how Oakridge citizens have come together to recognize the threat that wildfires pose to their community.

Councilors Hollett, Whitney, Spliethof, Kinyon, as well as Mayor Holston, thanked the presenters. The mayor went on to ask the meeting participants to pass this information along. On Sunday, 12 December, volunteers are needed to help with hanging door hangers announcing a smoke alarm program.

An alcohol permit was requested by Mike Ripley of Mudslinger Events for an event at Greenwaters Park. Approved unanimously. Veterans for Vets Disc Golf Tournament received a fee waiver for use of portions of the Oakridge Industrial Park.

The subject of closing the Willamette Activity Center (WAC) was discussed. Bev McCully, Chairperson of the Upper Willamette Community Development Corporation (UWCDC), spoke on the importance of the food box program to the community and the consequences of closing the WAC. She explained further that the UWCDC has been searching for an alternative location, but to no avail. The City Administrator announced that the WAC and gym cost approximately $65,000 a year to keep open. However, funds from the American Rescue Plan Act may be available to help defray that cost. Also, the cost to operate the WAC has already been budgeted for and the decision should be delayed until spring.

Exact costs for utilities were not available to the Council, but the CA indicated that the UWCDC is currently paying $205 per month. A motion was made and passed unanimously to delay a decision on the WAC closure until June 2022.

Ms. Kaplowitz, Oakridge’s Economic Development Coordinator, briefly spoke on the progress of housing projects in development for early January.

Other items on the agenda included:

Police Chief Kevin Martin announced that 28 cases of candy were handed out quickly on the streets during the fall event. A joint Lane County grant is being provided for the installation of a new repeater that will be hooked up and operational soon. The fire department had 80 calls last month and a meeting was held requesting additional funding. Toys for Tots will be held in December as a drive-through at the fire station. Robeart Chrisman gave a very thorough rundown on the maintenance departments activities for the month. The City’s water system was not only explained in details in layman’s terms, but also the systems operational numbers, limitations and capabilities. Councilor Kinyon asked about the chlorine taste and smell that was mentioned some time ago. Mr. Chrisman said that, when left in the pipes for a time, the existing chlorine will get stronger and asked that people let their water run for a short time to alleviate the smell and taste. He also said that the City has reduced the chlorine input from 1.2 to 0.6.

Councilor Spliethof asked about the radiation levels in our water. The maintenance chief reported that DEQ says Oakridge has very good drinking water. Mr. Chrisman says he enjoys his work.

A discussion of the signage and wayfinding grant ensued. The cost allocated to the project was questioned by Councilor Kinyon. The answer given was that the signs are of formidable construction and are currently within budget. Ms. Kaplowitz also said the signs would involve heavy framework and stonework.

The fee waivers for events was discussed. Councilor Spliethof asked if we were going to allow fee waivers for everybody or what? Councilor Hollett indicated that she would always vote for waivers for charities.

The City Administrator brought forward a discussion of the proposed ordinance signage on tobacco. He recommended that the City give it back to the State based on cost, revenue, and enforcement. Ordinance read in full. Vote to give back to the state was unanimous.

A tree between the Oakridge Lodge and Guest House and its neighbor is being removed and donated to the City to use as its holiday tree. City will try to find a place to place a live tree next year. Volunteers are being sought for decorating the City tree and for serving refreshments at the tree lighting event. Also, the public is invited to decorate their own vehicles and drive slowly during the event.

Councilor Coker withdrew her request to be on the special district committee. With that move, Councilors Hollett, Spliethof, and Bjornson will make up that committee. Trudy Hammond, an Oakridge resident, thanked tonight’s presenters and the acceptance of vehicles in the parade.