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Umpqua Post
AN EDITION OF
Winchester Bay Sanitary District postpones changes BY STEVE LINDSLEY The Umpqua Post
By Steve Lindsley, The Umpqua Post
Running with H.E.A.R.T. Ashlay Schuttpelz of Reedsport runs past the Umpqua River Lighthouse during the Lighthouse and Lake 5K Walk/Run. The run started down the hill from the lighthouse, passed the historic structure and looped around Lake Marie before ending at the Marina Activities Center in Winchester Bay. The run was sponsored by the Reedsport School District Employee Wellness Program, H.E.A.R.T (Healthy Educators are Relaxed and Toned) and OEA Choice Trust.
Fair season begins
The Winchester Bay Sanitary District, at a meeting July 17, decided to hold off on amending an ordinance dealing with mobile vendors. The district considered changes to the ordinance to address a temporary vendor, JT’s BBQ, which is operating on U.S. Highway 101 until October. The vendor, who operates out of a food card, has no seating for customers and has no restroom facilities. The board decided, for now, since the property owner is hooked up to the district, it wasn’t necessary to require John Teller to also hook up to the system. The proposed ordinance would address that issue. “It’s requiring the property owner, not the lessee, to be responsible for what he puts on his property,” board president Debbie Ludwig said. “And, if he so chooses to develop his property to follow the ordinance. “It’s not specific to mobile vendors.” “At this point,” said district manager Ray Davenport, “the district is in no way, shape or form (saying) a mobile food vendor has to connect to the system. We are simply looking at the situation, considering amending an ordinance that would require a property owner to being responsible. “The property owner would be responsible to have a mobile food vendor connection, if the property owner allowed the mobile food vendor to be stationary on that property longer than 30 days.” Davenport explained the district spreads the cost of operation, maintenance and debt service for
wastewater treatment “as equitable as possible” among customers. “Ordinances are developed,” he explained, “to govern the sewer system and maintain this equality. There have been ordinances developed over the years that are a result of system-users complaints about other system users’ practices.” Some of those complaints in the past, he said, have come from food-service providers in the district. “This is little bit of a controversial deal,” Davenport continued. “As you know, Winchester Bay is a tourist-oriented community ... for the most part ... and it can be a little bit competitive at times for food establishments doing business because, let’s face it, they only make their good money five or six months out of the year, so it gets a little tough in the winter months.” He said the mobile vendor is a unique challenge and suggested the board table any changes while he researches how other communities handle mobile vendors. That could include checking on other cities’ food cart communities. “I can understand where some people might not feel comfortable with you being there,” Ludwig told Teller, “simply because they’re paying taxes, they’re paying sewer rates, they’re paying electrical, they’re doing all the things you’re not doing.” Ludwig, who declared a conflict of interest for the vote, is the owner of a Winchester Bay sports bar and restaurant. “I kind of invite competition, if you will,” she continued, “because, as you said before, it’s bringing other people in.”
SEE WINCHESTER BAY, PAGE A6
DEQ urges Gardiner Sanitary District to resolve without delay BY STEVE LINDSLEY The Umpqua Post
By Lou Sennick, The Umpqua Post
Wash, rinse, repeat Two Hampshire and Durock cross hogs, right, are washed up by Hailey Ramirez on Monday morning at the Coos County Fair. The Twin Oaks 4-H Club member brought her hogs out to the fairgrounds and before putting them in their pens, gave them a bath. release. “And with this all-star lineup we will have many other attractions: X-Treme Air Dogs and America’s Got Talent Olate Dogs, Aulani Hula Halau Dance Studtion, comedian hypnotist Alan Sans, Tangled Threads and our local talent show: Fairs’ Got Talent.” The teen zone challenge invites
all teens to participate in the “One Ton Food Drive Challenge.” Teens who show student ID and bring canned food donations will receive $1 off gate admission to the fair daily. The food will benefit families in Douglas County through United Community Action Network.
Port of Umpqua votes to pay off loan The Port of Umpqua is close to being debt free, after voting Wednesday, July 17 to pay off a loan to the Douglas County Industrial Development Board. “The port entered into an agreement to construct industrial facilities,” Port Manager Charmaine Vitek said, “which included — in the industrial park downtown — storm sewers, catch basins, culverts, manholes ... grading necessary to allow drainage of the industrial park, work on the streets, paving, creating curb and road access ... miscellaneous improvements to the industrial park.”
Weekly news from the Heart of the Dunes
Wednesday, July 24, 2013 | Serving the Reedsport area since 1996 | theworldlink.com/reedsport | $1.00
LIGHTHOUSE AND LAKE 5K WALK/RUN
It’s the fair season in Coos and Douglas counties. The Coos County Fair and Rodeo is July 23-27, 770 Fourth St., Myrtle Point. Entertainment includes the Texaco County Showdown, Kings Point, Bay Area Teen Idol, Big Creek Rendezvous, Border Patrol and Charlie Freak. The fair and rodeo parade will be at 10 a.m. Saturday. Exhibits include Western Express Railroad and Brad’s World of Reptiles. The open rodeo will be Friday night, which includes kids events; bulls, barrels and team roping; a chicken scramble for age 8 and under and a 4-H pig scramble. Saturday will feature Rockin’ Cage Kart Racing. More information is available at www.co.coos.or.us/departments/c ooscountyfair.aspx. The Douglas County Fair is August 7-10 at the fairgrounds just off I-5 in Roseburg. Entertainment this years is Dwight Yoakam, Clay Walker, 3 Doors Down and Whitesnake. All concerts are free with gate admission. Reserved seats went on sale March 16. They’re available at the fair’s website at www.douglasfairgrounds.com. “We are looking forward to an exciting, high-energy fair,” said fair director Harold Phillips in a news
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That loan, originally for $140,500, came in 1980. In 1988, the port entered into an agreement to pay back the loan as it was able. It was a no interest loan and the district has been paying it back in spurts. “Throughout the years,” Vitek said, “the port has paid different amounts at different times. Sometimes lump sum. Sometimes monthly. This commission just wanted to get it off the books and get the money back to the county, so it’s not on our books, and so that the county can use the money for other projects.”
The final $23,800 was approved for payment at the end of July. “I want to compliment this port,” commissioner Keith Tymchuk said. “I think this establishes that our word is good.” Vitek said, except for a loan on the port offices, the port is debt free. “My recommendation is we pay it off,” Tymchuk said, “and thank the county. We are in ... good financial shape.” In other action, the port commission welcomed new board member Dennis Clemens. He was also named as the district’s assistant secretary.
As the Gardiner Sanitary District (GSD) board tries to decide whether to separate from the city of Reedsport wastewater treatment plant or move to a facility on the old International Paper site, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality made it clear a decision must come very soon. Keith Andersen, western region administrator for the DEQ, attended the board’s July 18 meeting. “As I mentioned in May,” Andersen told the board, “we’re very interested in what the district expects to do.” The district was coming off a “one-stop” meeting in Salem, designed to see if the district would qualify for grants or loans to build the system to the IP site. No grants or loans were available until the district resolves and ongoing dispute with the city of Reedsport over payments. Both sides say the other owes money. The city admits to some addition errors in billings to the district, but says the district still owes money for treatment of wastewater and payments for the city’s wastewater treatment facility. It’s a dispute that stretches back for years. Reedsport City Manager Jonathan Wright went so far as to write a letter to Gardiner Sanitary District customers in June. “GSD has discontinued payment for services,” the letter read, “and is currently in arrears $18,847.16. GSD has been notified of their delinquency and the city has requested payment.” He urged the GSD board to “come back to the table and continue to discuss their options. We
have requested that GSD mediate this situation and are hopeful they will decide to work with us.” The GSD board did vote, at it’s July 18 meeting, to pay Reedsport $25,483 toward wastewater processing. Meanwhile, the pipe repairs are at the front of the DEQ’s mind. “We wondered if the board had concluded what it’s plan of attack was,” Andersen said. Board chairwoman Jackie Degman said they are moving toward trying to resolve the differences with Reedsport. “We haven’t had any contact with Reedsport for awhile,” Degman said. “We sent to the mayor and City Council letters and have not heard anything from them. “We’re tying to settle our dispute with Reedsport for the funding agencies,” she said, “before we can proceed with anything.” “We do think that’s a very important first step,” Andersen told the board. “At this point, we would encourage you strongly to plan to go ahead and choose the least-cost option. We know that option is completely implementable. There’s no additional investigation that would be required to do that. “Our bottom line is we think it’s important for you to move forward, at this point, expeditiously.” “We’re trying to do that as fast as possible,” Degman responded. “I understand that,” Andersen answered. “It’s been almost five years now since we signed the original MAO and we feel like we’ve given the district a lot of
SEE DEQ, PAGE A6
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