Rogue Valley News, Tuesday 2/14 – Snow Hits the Region, Oregon Parks and Recreation Department Scraps Idea for Jet Boat Concessions at TouVelle Park

The latest news stories of interest in the Rogue Valley and around the state of Oregon from the digital home of Southern Oregon, Wynne Broadcasting’s RogueValleyMagazine.com

Tuesday, February 14, 2023 

Rogue Valley Weather

Snow Hits the Region

Many of us woke up to some snow this morning. Schools had posted delays and it’s a good reminder that we’re smack dab in the middle of winter still.

Northbound I-5 was being held at Oregon state line because of winter weather conditions.

Caltrans District 2 and the Siskiyou County Office of Emergency Services made the announcement around 7:30 am this morning. For more updates on road conditions, check QuickMap.dot.ca.gov in California and TripCheck.com in Oregon.

Oregon Parks and Recreation Department Scraps Idea for Jet Boat Concessions at TouVelle State Recreation Site

The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD) has opted to set aside the idea of establishing a jet boat concession agreement to serve visitors at TouVelle State Recreation Site. 

The decision comes after several months of staff research and public outreach. Because the park doesn’t set rules for use of the Rogue River, the decision does not affect whether jet boats will continue to travel the river and visit the state park.

TouVelle is a 59-acre park on the banks of the Rogue River near White City. The park serves an estimated 400,000 visits per year and is popular with anglers, boaters, picnickers, birdwatchers, waders, and day hikers. The park features group day-use shelters and charges a parking fee ($5 per day, $30 per year).

Rules for use of the river are not set by OPRD, and motorboats—including jet boats—are currently allowed. To expand recreation service at the park, a pilot project using a short-term “Special Use Permit” allowed a local jet boat business—Rogue Jet Boat Adventures—to operate from the park, meaning they could post their business name and conduct transactions at the site. The pilot project ended in late 2022 and staff began studying whether to pursue a formal concession agreement, which typically last five years or more.

To work toward a decision, staff spoke with park visitors, held a local public open house meeting, talked directly with nongovernment organizations and partner agencies, and conducted an online survey that produced 1,600 responses (results). While jet boat use is allowed on the river, OPRD was interested in understanding how people felt about potentially encouraging this use around the park. The outreach showed generally high satisfaction with the park, strong support for jet boat service from people who have patronized it, and equally strong concerns from people who feel the social and biological effects of increased jet boat traffic either need more study, or will degrade the river.

The park management team led by District Manager Dani Padilla and Park Manager Nathan Seable led the review and concluded the park is not yet ready for a concession. Since jet boats are allowed on the river, visitors should expect to still see them while visiting the park. Any member of the public, including business owners, are allowed to use park facilities so long as they don’t advertise in the park or conduct business transactions there, and follow all other park rules.

“Parks need to grow and change as we work to serve a larger population, and especially different kinds of people including those new to outdoor recreation,” says OPRD District Manager Dani Padilla. “But the park has to be ready, and we have work to do updating TouVelle before we consider adding new services.”

“Visitors who used Rogue Jet Boat Adventures liked the experience and that’s one of our two goals: help people enjoy the park, and protect it and the river for the long-run,” adds Park Manager Nathan Seable. “We want to be a good neighbor, and it’s pretty clear more community conversation is needed outside the park on this kind of question.”

OPRD has no plans to resume studying the possibility of any kind of concession at this time. TouVelle is open year-round from dawn to dusk. 

RCC Students Share Top Win at YSSO Concerto Competition

JACKSON AND JOSEPHINE COUNTIES – Rogue Community College (RCC) violin student T.J. Snyder, a 2022 graduate of Grants Pass High School, shared top honors with Ashland High School student bassoonist James Dyson at the recent concerto competition of the Youth Symphony of Southern Oregon (YSSO).

Snyder earned his win amongst the five finalists at the Jan. 31 competition by skillfully performing the first movement of Violin Concerto in E Minor Op. 64 by Felix Mendelssohn, accompanied by pianist Anna Christina Streletz, a member of the RCC Chamber Music Ensemble. 

Demonstrating fine bassoon playing abilities, Dyson joined the winners circle following his performance of Mozart’s Bassoon Concerto in B-flat Major, accompanied on piano by Southern Oregon University (SOU) piano professor, Dr. Alexander Tutunov.

As a reward for taking top honors, Snyder and Dyson both receive the opportunity to perform their concerto movements with the YSSO during the ensemble’s upcoming spring and fall concerts.

Snyder will perform his winning concerto with the YSSO during the Spring Concert Series’ two performances, May 20 at SOU’s Oregon Center for the Arts Music Recital Hall in Ashland, and May 21 at the Craterian Theater in Medford.

Dyson will perform his winning concerto with the YSSO during the Fall Concert Series – dates and locations to be announced by YSSO later this year.

Snyder entered RCC last fall to continue studying music and has been active as the lead violinist in the RCC Chamber Music Ensemble and as the co-concert master of the YSSO. He plans to complete his associate degree at RCC and transfer to the University of Oregon to pursue a bachelor’s degree in violin performance. 

“I am incredibly honored,” said Snyder about his win.  “I feel that I have made a major step forward in my violin playing, as measured by such. I have played violin for eight years and first desired to so I could play the antique violin in possession of my family; that is now the violin on which I play.  My plan is to play violin professionally.”

Dyson, still a junior in high school, hopes to continue playing music throughout his life but isn’t sure he will major in music while in college since both math and science hold his interest as well. “I am honored to have been selected as a winner, and I can’t wait to perform next fall,” said Dyson. “I’ve always wanted to perform in front of an orchestra!”

Founded in 1988, the YSSO nonprofit organization offers training and performance opportunities to young instrumental musicians and presents high-quality performances of symphonic and orchestral music to Southern Oregon audiences.

Cynthia Hutton serves as the YSSO music director and conductor. Young musicians are encouraged to audition for membership, and scholarship opportunities are readily available allowing students to participate who might otherwise face financial barriers.

For more information about the YSSO, please contact Executive Director Sharon Wilson at 541-858-8859 or info@ysso.org.

Camp White Young Marines Honored as “Division 6 Unit of the Year”

The Camp White Young Marines in White City, Oregon has received the highest award given in an eight-state area in their division. Named by the Young Marines National Headquarters, the Camp White Young Marines has been named the “Division 6 Unit of the Year” for their outstanding community service activities and leadership opportunities for their youth members.

These outstanding young people have performed thousands of hours of volunteer service in the White City, Oregon area community and are consistently volunteering for veterans’ groups and honoring our veterans. Led by Unit Commander Curtis Matthews, the group is excited to be chosen for this honor.

The unit will now compete with five other units nationally for the top honor awarded by the Young Marines, the National Young Marine Unit of the Year.

For more information about the Camp White Young Marines visit the website
https://youngmarines.org/unit/campwhite/page

Governor Orders Flags Flown Half-Staff For Gresham Firefighter

Governor Tina Kotek has ordered flags at public institutions flown at half-staff until sunset on February 15th to honor Gresham Firefighter Brandon Norbury. He died suffering cardiac arrest while on duty.

Here’s more from the announcement from the governor’s office.

Norbury dedicated his life to serving others. He was a member of the elite U.S. Navy SEAL Team 2, he was a Gresham Police officer for seven years and a Gresham Fire Department firefighter for nearly 15 years. Norbury’s memorial service is planned for Wednesday.

Brandon Norbury dedicated his life to the service of others. After graduating high school, Norbury joined the U.S. Navy, ultimately becoming a member of the elite Navy SEAL Team 2. During his military service, Brandon received his Emergency Medical Technician-Paramedic certification and was honorably discharged in 2000 after 10 years of service to his country.

In 2001, Norbury graduated from the Police Academy in Monmouth and joined the Gresham Police Department. During his seven years with the department, Norbury served as a Patrol Officer, Firearms and Taser Instructor, Department Armorer, and a member and instructor for the Police Department’s Tactical team.

Norbury joined the Gresham Fire Department in 2008 and fearlessly served as a Gresham Firefighter and Paramedic for nearly 15 years, spending most of his time at Station 31 and Station 76.

“I am grateful to Brandon Norbury for his lifelong service and dedication to his community and country,” Governor Kotek said. “My thoughts are with Brandon’s family, loved ones, and colleagues in this moment of great loss.”

Oregon Lawmakers Working To Make A Deal On Major Housing And Homelessness Bill

Lawmakers are working quickly to pass a massive housing and homelessness bill: House Bill 2001 is a combination of five housing bills which adds on to GovernorTina Kotek’s proposals.

House Bill 2001, a combination of five housing bills, adds on to Gov. Tina Kotek’s emergency order she signed on her first full day in office last month. It includes a number of different initiatives that both parties and various stakeholders have reached compromises on.

Lawmakers say they want it to be on the governor’s desk for signature by the end of March.

Kotek’s homelessness state of emergency left out 26 rural counties in Oregon. Her order was based on point-in-time counts. Those counts are one-time physical counts of homeless individuals that every region does each year. It determines how most federal funding is distributed.

The governor’s order included only the regions that saw a 50% or more increase in unsheltered homelessness over six years. HB 2001 looks to set aside extra money for the rest of Oregon.

“This really allows the rest of Oregon that felt that the PIT counts are hard to do in really large areas where you don’t necessarily see people who are houseless from the road,” said Rep. Maxine Dexter, D-Portland. “It allows for them to get investments.”

How much money that will include has not yet been determined, but Dexter said it will be separate from the $130 million Kotek has asked for.

At the beginning of her term in office last month, Kotek urged lawmakers to spend $130 million to add 600 low-barrier shelter beds, keep nearly 9,000 at-risk families from becoming homeless and to help get 1,200 unsheltered Oregonians off the street by the end of this year.

The package of bills also increase eviction protections, adds more resources for homeless youth, and funnels money toward housing development.

Eviction protections sparked a lot of public interest from the start of this year’s legislative session. A few weeks ago, a public hearing on Senate Bill 799 was packed with landlords and tenants testifying for and against the bill. Lawmakers and stakeholders on both sides had to compromise, and a watered down version on that bill is now part of this larger package.

“The bill retains six of the critical issues that were in Senate Bill 799, and it removed two of the issues that were in Senate Bill 799,” said Sybil Hebb, an attorney with the Oregon Law Center.

For example, it removes a 60-day safe harbor period that would give tenants more time to seek rent assistance, but it increases the notice for nonpayment eviction from the current 72-hour notice to a 10-day notice.

Dexter, who is sponsoring the package, said it took a lot of work behind the scenes to reach an agreement.

“There were conversations that followed up on that hearing to get to a place where both tenants and landlords felt like they were moving a bill with the package that everyone could either be supportive of or neutral,” she said.

She said the best way the public can have influence in the conversation around these bills is to engage with the different advocacy groups that represent the different constituencies or the different stakeholders.

The five bills that fall under the umbrella of House Bill 2001 are:

• House Bill 2456 and House Bill 2454 cover resources for homeless youth;
• House Bill 2981 and Senate Bill 534 cover money for housing development;
• Senate Bill 799 extends time for eviction notice for nonpayment and also increases the amount of time before trial for evictions.

Have your voice heard. A public hearing in the House Committee on Housing and Homelessness is scheduled for House Bill 2001 Tuesday, Feb. 14 at 8 a.m. in HR F at the Capitol. Read more about the bill, register to testify and submit testimony here. Read the -1 amendment, which contains the details that will be discussed Tuesday.

Three Bills Being Considered In Oregon Would Ban Or Reduce The Use of Some Plastics

Three bills could soon make grocery shopping and dining out more sustainable.

Senate Bill 545 would allow consumers to use their own clean containers at grocery stores and restaurants.

SB 543 would ban the sale of prepared food in polystyrene foam containers, and the sale of those containers, as well as foam packing peanuts, in Oregon.

And SB 544 would create a program to reduce the use of single-use plastic food ware and packaging.

The public can weigh in on the proposals at a public hearing from 1-3 p.m. Feb. 14 in the Senate Committee on Energy and Environment, in Hearing Room B at the Oregon Capitol.

Study Shows “Slow Down, Move Over” Has Not Improved Tow Driver Safety In Oregon

New studies from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety reveal just how dangerous it is to be stranded on the side of the road. Researchers say 60% of first responders and tow workers have experienced a roadside near-miss and 15% have survived being hit by a passing vehicle. 

Between 2016 and 2020, more than 1,700 Americans were killed while outside a disabled vehicle; ten of those in Oregon. An average of two emergency responders are struck and killed every month in the U.S., including tow truck drivers.  

Evey state has its own version of “Slow Down, Move Over.” In Oregon, drivers are required to reduce their speed and change lanes, if possible, when going past a vehicle on the side of the road with flashing lights or other signs of distress. But the AAA Foundation found flashing lights, cones and flares caused drivers to change lanes but not slow down Bentley – now a Safety and Training Specialist for AAA-Oregon – says most people will move over if they see law enforcement on the side of the road, but not other emergency vehicles or a disabled motorist, “I think it comes down to: people don’t want to get a ticket, essentially. But I wouldn’t say the ‘Slow Down, Move Over’ rule has – I wouldn’t count on that one bit to have made a difference in our safety, day to day.”

The AAA Foundation found vehicle-mounted digital signs work best in getting people to obey the law. Bentley says that’s why drivers who break down need to take precautions before that help arrives, “Think of your safety, your passenger’s safety, because you’re really the one who’s looking out for yourself. So, get as far off the road as you can.”

For drivers passing disabled vehicles at highway speeds, he adds, “Whether it’s a tow driver or a construction zone or even just someone who’s broken down, I would recommend: be considerate, imagine it’s yourself in that position and react accordingly.”