By GARY CARL and PAUL SCOTT/for The Herald — Mayor Bryan Cutchen, following the usual Pledge of Allegiance to our flag, issued a Red Cross Proclamation Letter in recognition of March being “Red Cross Month”. Tom Reitter, Steve Carter & Ruth Seeger, representatives from the American Red Cross, Cascade Regional Volunteers, were in attendance to receive the proclamation.
Next, Mayor Cutchen presented former Mayor Kathy Holston an award from Lane Regional Air Protection Agency (LRAPA) In recognition and appreciation of her leadership and service in promoting the role of local government in the Lane County air quality program.
An audit deficiency …
Per ORS 297.466 when a cities financial audit results in findings of deficiencies by an auditor, the city must adopt a “Plan of Action” to address those deficiencies. Our Fiscal Year 2020-2021 Audit Report had two such deficiencies which needed to be addressed through a Plan of Action. The council approved the FY 20-21 Plan of Action letter to be signed by the Mayor and then filed with the Oregon Secretary of State.
Allocations of funds…
Devin Vanscoy, organizer of The Triple Summit Challenge, a three-day trail running race event, received a partial waiver of $1,000 in park rental fees and a $1,000 award from the Rural Tourist Marketing Program, (RTMP). The nature of the races requires that contestants stay nearby to be ready to begin the next day’s race. Lodging establishments should expect a banner weekend. Dates and times for the event will be published separately.
$250 from non-allocated general funds was approved to purchase a commemorative “shadow box” to present to Reserve Police Officer Charlie Diaz in recognition of his 21 years of service to our community.
The council approved $2,500 from ARPA funds to fix the leaking skylight on the roof of the library.
Coming in from the cold…
Kathy Holston and the Warming Center volunteers requested to keep the Warming Center open through the month of March on nights when it is below freezing. The fiscal impact to the city for insurance is about $400. To date, sixteen community members have donated their time to serve on the shifts in December, January & February.
In addition, the Oakridge High School shop class, under the supervision of shop teacher Ed Mooneyhan, built and donated a storage shed to be used by the Warming Center. Kathy’s request was granted.
And our Realtor of Record is…
After careful consideration and review of the RFP process, the city announced Joy Kingsbury as the cities’ Realtor of Record until December 2024.
The tentative agreement with Junction City regarding Dispatch Services is under review and is shrouded with uncertainty. Council expressed concern that Oakridge not be without reliable dispatch services. Mayor Cutchen suggested that he review the matter with our City Administrator.
Draft Request For Proposal (RFP) for Willamette Activity Center (WAC)
Architect…
The council approved the draft Request for Proposal (RFP) for immediate posting to hire an architect for the renovation of the WAC.
George Custer lives in Oakridge with his wife Sayre. George is a former smokejumper from his hometown of Cave Junction, a former captain in the U.S. Marine Corps. and ran a construction company in Southern California. George assumed the volunteer duties as the Editor of the Highway 58 Herald in 2022. He loves riding his Harley-Davidson motorcycle, building all things wood, and playing drums on the weekends in his office.
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