Junction City Lifts Water Restrictions , Mobilizes Resources For New Wells

An extended dry season which was shorter but no more popular than the one that closed city saloons a century ago ended with the lifting of all water restrictions on October 30th.  Uncharacteristic demand and reduced rates of production across all five city wells triggered the crisis as the summer stayed dry.  Work to prevent future episodes has been underway in earnest since late August, at which time the city council greenlighted a full array of measures presented by the administrative staff, public works and the city engineer.

A blueprint explaining how the City’s aggressive water system upgrade could be financed without negatively impacting other service levels or projects was unveiled at last week’s Public Works Committee meeting.  Funding for $3.1M in improvements is identified in the plan from diverse federal, state and city resources.

The majority of the money is to be spent on two new production wells on the west side of town costing $1.3M each, where the City had already drilled successful test wells in anticipation of future needs even before this past summer’s challenges with falling production and higher demand.  The City’s Water Capital Projects Fund will contribute $1.345M and a further $1M grant from the US Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development program is in the final stages of approval.  The balance yet needed for the second well will be met from one of several other smaller funding sources which together will also pay for the rehabilitation of all five of the City’s existing wells and two additional test wells intended to locate a third (as yet unfunded) new well site.

There is provision for several associated planning projects to include updating the City’s state-mandated Water Master Plan, updating the System Development Charges policy which addresses the contributions of developers to water and sewer infrastructure expansion and a hydrological study modeling the geology of the Junction City underground relevant to its water issues.  Of particular interest to those feeling aggrieved by this past water curtailment season will be work on a Water Management and Conservation Plan which among other tasks will take the opportunity to rework some of the specifics of the water curtailment process in an attempt to make the measures less inconvenient to community members.

Objectives already achieved in the City battle plan include the design work for the first new westside production well, the USDA Rural Development $1M grant application and the procurement of spare shafts and motors for the five existing wells.  The rehabilitation work for the first of those five is in its concluding stages with the other four contracts awarded and expected to be addressed in sequence as each is completed.  Other items also underway include construction documents for the first new well, design work and construction documents for the second and third new wells, water rights transfers for the first two new wells (the City is only using half of its allocated rights) and the above mentioned hydrological survey.

The coming months  will see the identification of sites on the west side for the next two test wells, designation of alternate sites near existing wells in the event redrilling becomes necessary, design modifications so that existing wells may be evaluated (video) in real time without shutting them down, provision for groundwater monitoring near well sites and work on the aforementioned Water Master, Water Management & Conservation and System Development plans and policies.  Future goals which are currently unfunded and deemed nonessential for the expedited cure of the summer malaise include the third new well, permanent emergency power sources for all wells and a secondary water treatment facility to serve the new westside wells and act as an emergency backup if the primary treatment facility were to become compromised. 

QuickCityNews 25 July 2023

Growth concerns expressed at a June Planning Commission meeting received some  highlighting when the City issued a voluntary water usage advisory after temporarily losing the production of one well during the first days of July.  With heavy consumption by the populace the brief loss of production was enough to cause the City storage tanks to drain beyond the levels normally maintained in case of a significant fire event. 

Reserves recovered as citizens responded to the voluntary call for restraint, easing off of the 1.6M (million) gallons consumed the day before the water restriction notice was posted.  That’s roughly 230 gallons per day for each of the 7,032 persons estimated as currently residing within the city limits.  The amount normally required to serve the population’s needs in the cooler months is more in the vicinity of .6-.7M gallons per day, which is in line with state and federal standards for planning purposes of 100 gallons per person per day.

The promptly repaired well is considered the backup well in the City’s system and was already being utilized to keep up with demand even before it had its weekend problem.  The City left the voluntary measures in place after its repair but that was not enough to prevent demand surging again two weeks later.  Storage levels lost ground even with all wells running–causing the move to mandatory measures.    

And so it began (on social media).  Basic math indicates that the various end-of-the-world and drastic measure scenarios on some channels may be a bit premature.  Even with the standby well on standby (off) the balance of the City’s wells produce roughly 1.1M gallons/day.  That’s in rough numbers again more than enough for the populace each to use 150% of the planning standard per day (150 gallons) totaling about 1.05M gallons/day.

Naturally growth concerns surfaced again at the July Planning Commission session in tandem with similar talking points appearing on local social media threads the same week of the imposition of the Phase II mandatory restrictions.  Advocates of stopping growth entirely in the community as a general philosophical position will be disappointed to find that the City’s powers are going to be limited by state rules governing the building moratorium process.  In the case of the new homes planned for areas already zoned and annexed into city limits, there could only be a delay and not of indefinite duration.  An action plan is due subsequent to declaring such a stoppage–a plan that will need to show how the issues used to justify the halt will be addressed and should be accomplished by a deadline when the ban on new construction will expire. 

Unbuilt houses don’t actually use any water so an immediate moratorium on building  wouldn’t address the current problem–though one could be found to be effective in buying time if more turns out to be required to achieve necessary improvements.  Ironically, the required plan accompanying a shutdown might well include conservation measures which freeze advocates might have thought they were avoiding.  It should be noted that in regard to funding the various City problem-solving options and capabilities, revenues and other benefits (jobs?) from new development–residential commercial or industrial–could be delayed or lost during a ban.

With cooperation it is possible for the City to finish the summer without being forced to select measures with unanticipated consequences while acting to deal with what in large part is a freedom of landscaping issue.  City focus continues on increased production (two successful test wells are in hand) as it has been since supply issues became apparent.  Too much drama might not find a sympathetic audience from agency sources of assistance or oversight if it seems the City can’t manage in this circumstance with 150% of normal.

QuickCityNews is not affiliated with Junction City municipal government.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

QuickCityNews 27 May 2023

A sleepy 2023 in Junction City government began to liven up this spring with discussions on managing the state’s homeless mandates, budgets versus inflation and the replacement of a retired police chief.  The tumultuous state legislative session unfolding this spring has provided some eye-openers as well.

Wide-awake driving became more important than usual during the Department of Transportation’s extended “festival” of sidewalk improvements on Ivy.  Commuter impatience led to higher speeds along with hazards on the parallel side streets of Juniper and Holly during the rush and lunch hours.  An ODOT visit to the city council in December did not provide an accurate sense of the inconveniences about to be experienced.  Spring weather found the contractors appearing to pick up the pace as they shifted attention to the west side, with the Function 4 Junction looming alarmingly close on the calendar and needing those corners clear.  The experience may have dampened any community appetite for a “road diet” — a term used by some transportation advocates for a type of plan which would change Ivy, leaving two traffic lanes , a center turn lane and two bike lanes. 

The window of opportunity for cities and counties to adjust their rules in response to the new state homeless mandates will close on July 1st.  At that time local law not compliant with new state rules will be unenforceable.  Matters where local ordinance can regulate but does not will automatically default to the new state standards.

Obligations imposed on Junction City by the 2021 Legislature with House Bill 3115 and relevant federal court rulings conflicted with the City’s code in several areas which thus needed attention before the deadline.  Codified in ORS 195.530(2)(a) the state law says in part:  “Any city or county that regulates the acts of sitting, lying, sleeping or keeping warm and dry outdoors on public property that is open to the public must be objectively reasonable as to time, place and manner with regards to persons experiencing homelessness.”   

As enacted at the May 9th city council meeting, the staff recommendations included the following:  repeal of the City ban on sleeping in parked RV’s, repeal of the 5-day cumulative parking limit while retaining a requirement that a vehicle must be moved at least one city block every 72 hours, repeal of the curfew ordinance and changing the City definition of “park” to include only developed parkland.  Rationale for these measures may be reviewed in detail on the City website insofar as what was presented and discussed during the Public Safety Committee on April 4th, the City Council work session of April 25th and the City Council meeting of May 8th.  

The City actions to this point focuses on Junction City code which would conflict with the state law going into effect on July 1st — those actions in and of themselves do not guarantee success locally in navigating the later potential ramifications of the law.  This is in part due to the Oregon legislature going farther than recent court rulings and choosing to express its intent in the type of generalized manner as to leave a lot to interpretation.

It is certain that current federal rulings and the state law going into effect July 1st block local governments from forbidding camping outright on public property without having a reasonable local alternative available.  Less certain is whether relying simply on vehicle camping which moves every 72 hours will satisfy interpretation of the law if the City chooses not to advertise or refer campers to other options.  Vague definitions involving those options could become problematic, depending on the level of homeless activity experienced in the area. 

But wait, there’s more:  another piece of new legislation was in the pipeline this spring which would have gone even farther than 2021’s Oregon House Bill 3115 just discussed.  This 2023 session’s House Bill 3501 sailed into uncharted waters with untested ideas on the constitutional uses of public spaces by individual discretion.

And has run aground on the rocks with a diverse group of other measures after the protest walkout of state senators which has delayed legislative business.  Known as “The Right To Rest Act” the legislation sought to give the unhoused particular new rights over their discretionary use of public property.  Observers quickly reacted, interpreting provisions of the bill as conflicting with the rights of the public and the custodial mission of the governments responsible for such properties.  Before the walkout, HB 3501 met stiff resistance and missed key deadlines so it is not likely to be a subject of compromise even as legislators try to salvage the session — and is presumed dead in the water for this year.  Discomfort with HB 3501 was not restricted to one political party.  

It was not a decision to be taken lightly by the senators absenting themselves to frustrate business they portray as being conducted improperly.  There is personal political risk involved due to Measure 113, made law with last November’s general election.  It bans legislators with ten unexcused absences from holding office for one term after their current terms end.  Many, including Junction City’s state senate representative, have already reached that mark.  The constitutionality of denying districts their chosen representation will be challenged unless there is compromise, with the walkouts also citing current process violations as invalidation of the attendance rule.

The annual spring budget cycle for Junction City has been uneventful without seeing major changes in policy or approach.  The city budget committee consists automatically of the sitting councilors and mayor matched with seven appointed citizens who serve rotating three terms.  Notable was the acceptance of public safety appropriations like the school resource officer, 10th officer position and agreement on dispatch contracting which encountered resistance from the council in the recent past.  Neither has the notion of contracting out for policing services with other agencies come up so far this year when  routinely in the past it has made an appearance when there is indication of transition or difficulty associated with the public safety department.  

Inflationary pressures are being felt by various city departments and their functions but a decade-and-a-half of budget reform and policy-making has left the City in good shape to weather the storm.  Consistent leadership regarding budget issues from the elected side and two city administrators committed to transparency and reform have created a sustainable budget tradition.  That both administrators were long term JC employees and department heads has led to the elimination of the past tribal wars between departments in competition for the same money at budget time.  Another department head who has served both administrators as finance director has an office wall decorated with industry awards for progress made in fiscal policy and performance.

The city budget committee concluded its review of the proposed budget in a Thursday evening meeting (5/4) which focused on services delivered by the public works department with attention paid to the continuing effects of inflationary pressures.  Deliberation on approval and referral to the city council for adoption in June was put off until the next Thursday meeting (5/11) but the week’s wait produced no amendments in that final session and the budget was approved without further modification.  The budget is balanced without service reductions but flags have been raised about certain areas needing future work to retain that balance.

No public pronouncements regarding the status of the hiring process for the position of police chief as of the Memorial Day weekend, beyond the general procedures discussed in a previous city council meeting.  The job posting closed on May 12th after which a multi-stage review process began.  Notice was made of a special city council meeting held in a closed session on May 23rd with only one agenda item:  Executive Session per ORS 192.660(2)(a) to Consider the Employment of a Public Officer, Employee, Staff Member or Individual Agent.  

May 16th special election results yielded one change on the Junction City school board.  Four of the seven seats on the board were in play.  Incumbents Ryan Ceniga and Wendy Waddell ran unopposed.  Challenger Jesse Springer did not unseat board chair Dan Allred but Jim Anderson replaced Alaire Fajardo, appointed last year.  Both successful candidates polled over 60% in a light turnout of just shy of 30% of those eligible to vote.   

QuickCityNews is not affiliated with Junction City municipal government.

 

 

QuickCityNews 05 December 2022 Open City Council Seat

Stumbling  out of the gate the very evening four of them were elected November 8th, the city council voted to reject the contract for a school resource officer — clearly bucking the headwinds of public sentiment.  Current Public Safety Committee chair and senior in time served council member John Gambee dissented, as did councilor Ken Wells, newly elected to the next two-year mayor’s term which will commence in January.

Ironic that the defeat of the SRO issue as voted on that election evening may have only bitten as deep as the formality of the contract itself.  On the agenda Monday November 28 for the first school board meeting since the negative council vote was an update from the police department.  It was clear from the police department’s presentation that the relationship based on a shared view of priorities will continue moving forward as before.

Though not carrying the contracted title of the SRO, JCPD officer Janet Deckard some time ago was designated as the department’s youth services officer and was physically present at the meeting.  She will continue to be dealing with student safety and welfare issues at district facilities and in the larger community.

Funding remains in the appropriated budgets of both the city and school district this fiscal year which was intended to be combined for an additional departmental officer, replacing the officer already occupied with school issues as operational priorities.  In other words, JCPD sees the need regardless of their force level.  How that money may yet be applied to the obvious intent of both budget committees this year remains to be seen.

When festivities do commence with the January city council meeting, the process by which filling the seat currently occupied by Ken Wells will be addressed, since he was in the middle of a four-year term on the council when elected mayor unopposed November 8th.  Mayor Beverly Ficek and former JCPD Chief Ken Hancock both filed paperwork for gathering signatures to put themselves on the mayoral ballot, but neither submitted them.

Precedent exists in Junction City whereby a council vacancy caused by an election result or occurring shortly thereafter is filled by the candidate in the recent election who came nearest to actually being elected.  That precedent was interpreted creatively in the aftermath of the 2020 election when Dale Rowe resigned his seat after the new council was seated in January and was replaced with the narrow loser in the just concluded 2020 mayoral race, Karen Leach.  Darin Olsen was the city council candidate in that 2020 race who finished with the most votes yet out of the running for a seat on the council.  As fate would have it, Olsen was once again the highest vote-getting also-ran in last month’s 2022 race, fourth in a field of six in the race for three seats.

As it turned out there was no competition for the mayor’s seat — so filling Wells’ council vacancy with the second-place mayoral race finisher is not an option (aside from a search for the best performing write-in!?).  Should the council again ignore older tradition, again passing over Olsen, they could for the sake of transparency take advantage of a convention established by a reform-minded council several years ago.  That practice involves posting publicly any vacant positions on city committees and taking applications for the record, in order to avoid the quick appointment of friends or political allies without public attention. 

Up on blocks at 8th & Greenwood, the city hall annex is scheduled to receive a foundation this week.  During this new year progress is expected as well on two building projects initiated with the funds made available by State Senator James Manning — the police annex remodeling and the upgrade of the community center.

QuickCityNews is not affiliated with Junction City municipal government.

QuickCityNews 11/14/22 School Resource Officer

The local election season ended Tuesday and with that distraction behind them the city council that met that evening ended their own prolonged season of deliberation by rejecting the school district’s offer to help pay for city public safety services.  Recognizing the increasing amount of time that police were spending on student issues during the last school year, the district had offered funds to support a dedicated school resource officer.

That offer occurred in time for the city budget process last spring and was folded into the budget unanimously approved by the 14 member city budget committee as part of funding for an additional police officer position.  Without the school district contribution the budgeted force level for the police department this fiscal year would have remained at nine officers to include the chief and deputy chief, rather than the anticipated ten.

In their turn the seven member city council voted unanimously in June to formally adopt that same budget, as they had done in their participation in the discussion and approval with the budget committee as a whole.  Dissent on the issue did not materialize until the last regular city council meeting held before school resumed.

Some dozen or so years ago a previous council mandated their review of any new contracts, with the primary intent at that time of preventing overenthusiastic staff from entering into obligations without the council’s knowledge.  That precedent evolved further into the healthy practice of reviewing existing contracts at least every five years.  Review of this school resource officer contract with the district was expected to be routine, since the concept itself was known to all parties concerned throughout the budget processes earlier in the year.

Resistance at the review was as stiff as it was unexpected at that last regular council meeting before the school year began.  The general understanding going in was of the contract as a necessary legality not needed so much to allow services already being delivered but to release the funds set aside by the district to help support those existing services and to enhance their effectiveness.  In the previous school year the prioritization of resources to needs exercised by the police department essentially had already given the district an SRO in all but name.

Nevertheless the council’s action at that August meeting in trying to table the matter until next year dismissed the judgment of the police chief regarding the allocation of resources to school safety and the judgment of the school superintendent that school safety would be best enhanced in a partnership with the community’s own law enforcement rather than contracting with an outside entity.  The council majority (5-1) overrode those conclusions, contending that current patrol resources were needed more elsewhere in the community.

What ensued over the next three month period between that August 9th “contract review” and the council rejection on election night November 8th burned up some clock but changed nothing.  Councilors in multiple public meetings professed heartfelt support for an SRO in discussions fraught with hand wringing and pearl clutching about police staffing and operations arguably not in the purview of the city council.  Favorable intent was declared–if only staffing problems weren’t holding things up–but curious interest was shown in the district looking elsewhere for help.

Ironically the emotional concern over staffing questions and the inability to yield to the professional judgment of the officials responsible for the safety of students and school staff regarding those personnel resources has led to:  less staffing for the police department.  The district contribution under the contract was already counted on by the city budget committee last spring to complete the budget for adding that tenth officer to the force.  

QuickCityNews is not affiliated with Junction City municipal government.

 

 

 

 

 

City Budget Approved

The Junction City budget committee led by the city council approved the City’s fiscal year 2022-2023 budget in their fifth meeting of the annual spring budget cycle Thursday evening, the 12th of May.  The committee consisting of the mayor and six city councilors alongside seven appointed citizen members with a unanimous vote of those present passed the budget on to the council for potential adoption in June.  The budget was in its essentials no different than that also unanimously approved in the spring of ’21.   Neither was the ’20 spring presentation much different but that was an election year for the council, so the process turned out to be intensely political.  The same balanced budget which was a product of the (then) stable leadership of a dozen years was passed with a bare majority after much hand-wringing, pearl-clutching and some acrimony.  “We need change” was the impassioned cry. 

Concerns expressed over the course of the last several weeks both in the budget committee meetings and at the May regular city council meeting focused primarily on staffing issues.  Those issues apparently did not gain enough traction to result in relevant modifications proposed to the budget as presented, neither was there a single protest vote when the role was called for the motion to approve.   The approved document is balanced in terms of projected revenues equaling budgeted expenses.   Revenue from federal ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funds totaling well over a million dollars over this fiscal year and the upcoming year are funneled in the approved budget toward the public works department for work focused on water infrastructure.    

 

City Anniversary Takes Shape

The mayor’s committee planning the observance of Junction City’s sesquicentennial (the 150th anniversary of the City’s incorporation) has issued the accompanying informational and recruitment flyer.  It is intended to function as a “living document” over the weeks ahead and will be revised as events are lined up and participating organizations weigh in.  

For further ideas and information please feel free to attend the next anniversary committee meeting on the City calendar (Tuesday, May 17th), contact the historical society at jcorhistory@yahoo.com, chat with the mayor who is speaking at the next Chamber Lunch Forum on topic (Thursday, May 19th) or of course follow the contact information on the flyer itself.  Thank you for your interest in local history. 

 

Junction City Reaches 7000

The Population Research Center is part of the College of Urban and Public Affairs at Portland State University and is Oregon’s designated agency in the Federal-State Cooperative Program for Local Population Estimates. 

Population estimates for various aspects of the state’s overall demographic are prepared as of July 1st of each year.  Preliminary estimates are released in mid-November, with those estimates finally certified in mid-December.   

Enough suspense: the preliminary population estimate posted on the PSU/PRC website for Junction City calculated as of July 1st, 2021 is 7,032 persons residing within the city limits.  Lane County actually lost a bit of population in the last year. The only other county in Western Oregon losing any ground was Benton and the cause for both counties may be found in the covid-related reduction of on site student populations for the University of Oregon (Lane) and Oregon State University (Benton).   Several lightly populated counties in Eastern Oregon lost ground as well.  The PRC/PSU press release of November 18th offers more detail on statewide trends. 

“The new estimates are the first to be release since the results of the 2020 census were published and incorporate revisions based on new housing and population counts.  The revised population estimates indicate that Oregon’s population grew from 4,243,791 on July 1, 2020 to 4,266,560 on July 1, 2021, a 0.54 percent increase.”

Also in the press release is some level of detail regarding the methodology used: “These estimates are based on the 2020 census, changes in housing units and group quarters; births and deaths; public school enrollment; employment, health insurance, tax returns, driver’s licenses as well as other administrative data indicative of population change.”

Over the last decade Junction City’s growth rate as a percentage of its total population  has outstripped the other eleven cities in the county.  Its certified population estimate for July 1st 2011 was 5,445 persons residing in the city limits. 

Local government should be wary of overconfidence in reaction to this level of growth, which could distract from keeping focus on efficient and innovative management during these challenging times.  Tax revenues surely increase with growth, but since recent development has been primarily residential, demand for services will at least keep pace.  Commercial and industrial developments, if properly assessed for infrastructure expansion required to service them, typically are considered to benefit the tax base, where residential growth is considered to yield more of a break-even situation between property tax revenues and expenses for education, fire protection, law enforcement, infrastructure maintenance, etc.

Federal printing presses have been busy keeping up with the current and previous administration’s generosity in funneling paper money to state and local jurisdictions, but the city government should not assume that the current level of largesse is sustainable.  Realistically, whenever these temporary windfalls become available, they would be most wisely directed toward shoring up critical services insofar as any strings attached to those funds allow.  Junction City has roughly a million-and-a-quarter dollars of such printed paper generosity headed its way in two installments over these next two fiscal years from previous legislation.  This potential resource was notably absent from the discussion which led to the recent city council decision which dealt with recent shortfalls in the court and planning departments by reducing the budgets of public safety and community services. 

 

 

Halls of Fame

50 years ago Dr. Gale Fletchall was having a busy 12 months of 1971.  The founding instigator of the Scandinavian Festival was one of the city’s two doctors (Pollard) who were honored with a week of appreciation for their local practice of medicine when the city limits taken by themselves (1970 census) held but 2373 potential patients/customers.  

The Scandinavian Festival was ten years old in 1971; in the decade since it was first held in 1961 Junction City’s population had seen significant relative growth: 47% between the 1960 census total of 1614 and 1970’s 2373.   The homegrown event it seemed was well serving its intentions, which combined preservation and celebration of heritage with keeping the town on the map as the opening of I-5 in ’61 rerouted interstate traffic away from U.S. 99 and Junction City.

That growth certainly didn’t hurt discussions held during 1971 which culminated in the purchase of a certain modest little building from Dr. Fletchall to serve as the new home of the public library which then was located in city hall. The library will have been open in that new home for 50 years this December, as is demonstrated with the attached image, despite the population within the city limits having nearly tripled since (7,032 in the estimate released by the Population Research Center at Portland State University this month).  Built in the late 1920’s, the building used for public functions was known unsurprisingly as Scandia Hall at the time when it was purchased from Mr. Festival himself.  Earlier in its career as a public room it was referred to as Greenwood Hall.

Before the year was out, the Scandinavian Festival Association approved the purchase of the Stuckrath Cabinet Shop building on the former site of the pioneer Fish’s Livery Stable on the SE corner of 5th & Greenwood.  After remodeling it became known as the Festival Hall of today, more precisely named–as you might have known–Gale Fletchall Hall.

 

A Little Thanksgiving History

Printed in a display ad format in the Thursday, November 25th 1971 edition of the Junction City Times — 50 years ago today.

Thanksgiving Statement By Governor

Thankfulness is not come across by accident; it is uncovered by search.

Reasons for joy do not come slipping into the mailbox or intoned over media audio; they are born, in remarkable loneliness, from the seeds of difficulty.

As long as Americans do not submerge thanksgiving into smugness and celebration into habit, we can continue to salute our unique holiday with the pride of deserving rejuvenation.

It has, we must remember, survived everything — even hypocrisy.

So, as we accept the decline of 1971 and anticipate the arrival of 1972, let the inventory be rich and the mood resilient.

We are thankful that the older citizens are being rediscovered in this nation; that the younger citizens are being recognized in this nation; that the system of systematic governmental action is enduring in this nation.

But I would single out two harbingers of hope which seem most worthy of grateful note:

That there is manifest in this nation a fresh questing for faith and ideals; and,

That we are renewed and encouraged to discover how magnificent it is to have life and to have opportunity and to have the chance to continue searching for the highroads of perfection.

With these bouyant resources growing brighter in our lives, it is with gratitude that I am once again privileged, as Governor of this State, to proclaim Thursday, November 25, 1971, as a day of Thanksgiving throughout Oregon.

[Signature]     Tom McCall     Governor of Oregon

***********

Oregon’s 30th governor served two terms (1967-1975) during challenging times in the state’s history and is best remembered for his efforts to protect, as he saw it, Oregon’s “quality of life” from the exploitation of outside interests and developers who did not share his appreciation of its importance.

The Redmond High School (Eastern Oregon) alumnus graduated from the University of Oregon with a journalism degree and went to work at newspapers in Bend, Oregon and in Idaho before working at The Oregonian in Portland and as a combat correspondent in the Navy during WWII.  Postwar he transitioned from newsprint to radio and into television with Portland’s first such broadcast station.  Later into his career as a news anchor and host of a show called Viewpoint, he gained statewide recognition (1962) by hosting and producing an award-winning television documentary Pollution In Paradise, detailing the then serious condition of the Willamette River and of air quality in the Valley.  

During his time in statewide office, first as Secretary of State and subsequently as Governor, the Willamette ceased to be one of the dirtiest rivers in the country.  Oregon’s unique public access to the state’s beaches as pioneered by Governor Oswald West early in the century was reinforced, the nation’s first anti-littering/container recycling bill was passed into law and the nation’s first comprehensive system of land use planning was established to control urban sprawl.  Portland’s 37 acre Waterfront Park, converted from part a riverside roadway along the Willamette (Harbor Drive), is named in his honor.

Have a great Oregon Thanksgiving!