The Daily Barometer OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY • CORVALLIS, OREGON 97331
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2013 • VOLUME CXVI, NUMBER 37
DAILYBAROMETER.COM • 541-737-2231
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$4 million for intersection n
OSU, city agree to fund projects, partner for improvements at intersection By Emma-Kate Schaake THE DAILY BAROMETER
Measures 02-86, 02-87 pass Special election results released Tuesday, 44 percent of registered voters cast ballots
Levy — will begin on July 1, 2014, and will last five years. As a result of its passing, the City of Corvallis will impose a tax of 82 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value. Tax revenue from the measure will By Warner Strausbaugh go toward public services, including THE DAILY BAROMETER Corvallis-Benton County Public Library, In a vote that came down to a 4 percent Osborn Aquatic Center, Chintimini margin, Measure 02-86 officially passed Senior Center and three additional in the Benton County Special Election. police officers. Measure 02-86 — the Livability, Public Safety and City Services Local Option Tax See MEASURES | page 4 n
The construction of the new residence hall on the southeast end of campus prompted an intergovernmental agreement between the city and Oregon State University to fund the project. The land for the new building is between Adams Avenue, Washington Avenue, 13th Street and 14th Street — in the same area of McNary, Wilson and Callahan residence halls. As part of construction, OSU is required to make improvements to the surrounding area at the intersection of 15th and Washington. The intersection has been deemed unfit for current standards due to its position over the railroad and precarious pedestrian safety. “OSU is obligated to mitigate the failed intersection,” said campus planning manager Dave Dodson. “We are obligated to upgrade it from failing in the future.” This upgrade will include a realignment of 15th street, a realignment of Washington Way, the implementation of traffic lights and the removal of some of the shops on the corner. At the same time, as part of the city’s annual street reconstruction projects, the intersection at 15th Street between Western Boulevard and Jefferson Avenue is scheduled for improvements. Because OSU and the city projects
fell in roughly the same timeline and improvement area, it made the most logistic sense to combine the two projects. “We are always looking for ways to collaborate with the city,” said OSU civil engineer Mike Blair. “It was really a no-brainer for both OSU and the city.” The collaboration will save both projects money, simplify the processes with one contractor and attempt to minimize construction disruption. “Street reconstruction projects are very disruptive,” said city engineer Greg Gescher. “Bringing these improvements together into one project will minimize the impact on the surrounding street area.”
City reporter managing@dailybarometer.com
EMMA-KATE SCHAAKE
| THE DAILY BAROMETER
Address offers a look into ASOSU Students can hear legislative
Oregon State University researchers find that landscape changes, forest fragmentation affect hummingbirds
“Interestingly, we discovered that the hummingbirds arrived at their pollination sites in the exact same amount of time, which is kind of amazing,” said Sarah Frey-Hadley, a doctoral researcher and logistical coordinator of the hummingbird research within the Betts lab. By Dacotah-Victoria Splichalova The research team found that when the humTHE DAILY BAROMETER mingbirds were traveling within the fragmented Hummingbirds flitting through the fragmented forests, the birds elected to take a considerably forests of Costa Rica have caught the attention of squigglier route to arrive at their final destination Oregon State University researchers. in order to avoid crossing large open gaps of forest Matthew Betts and Adam Hadley of the Betts patches. Laboratory and the College of Forestry are both “It shows that forest fragmentation does indeed landscape ecologists whose research has primarily alter the hummingbirds’ movement patterns,” revolved around birds. Frey-Hadley said. Betts and Hadley investigate the effects of habitat The Betts team also will collect the stiles (female loss and fragmentation of species across 37 distinct part of the plant) of the heliconia flower, a bright isolated patches of forest in Costa Rica, seeking an red inflorescence that the hummingbird is highly understanding of how forest fragmentation affects attracted to for its beauty, nectar and shape. pollination services. Hadley discovered that overall seed sets (the Hummingbirds take on the role of “the pollina- number of seeds produced by flowers) were lower tor,” wherein there exists a careful plant and pol- in the smaller, more fragmented forest patches than linator interaction. The major goal of the group’s in non-fragmented patches. research is to examine how landscape changes are The data implies that there’s some limitation affecting the hummingbirds as pollinators. occurring. The research involves a translocation study to see Hadley hypothesized that it’s potentially the what the difference was between hummingbird’s quality of the pollen that’s being brought to the journey across forests that were either fragmented See HUMMINGBIRDS | page 4 or not.
Emma-Kate Schaake
The construction site of the new residence hall at the intersection of 15th Street and Washington Way.
Ecologists study hummingbird behavior n
The intergovernmental agreement designates a sharing of the cost between the two entities, which totals approximately $4 million for the improvement projects. OSU will foot $2.5 million while the city will take on the additional $1.5 million. “We are hoping to get started this spring,” Gescher said. “We are in the early design phases now, but hopefully it will start in the spring and wrap up before school starts in the fall.” The street construction coincides with the new residence hall, which is set to open for students in the fall of 2014.
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goals, reading of bills at State of the Students Address By Tori Hittner
THE DAILY BAROMETER
courtesy of Matthew Betts, College of Forestry
Taken in Costa Rica, the green hermit hummingbird must hover upside-down to feed from the heliconia flower.
All students are invited to attend the 2013 Associated Students of Oregon State University State of the Students Address Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the Memorial Union lounge. The executive and legislative branches will host the annual event, which provides students the opportunity to learn more about the goals of ASOSU and witness the legislative process in action. Expected agenda items include an official address from ASOSU president Brett Deedon and a presentation of legislative goals from Vice President Victoria Redman and Speaker of the House Thomas Bancroft. The Senate will also conduct the See ADDRESS | page 4