By Christy Solo and Wayne Lee – Editor and Sports Editor
Eagle Point
The month of August saw Eagle Point School District 9 kick off the process of finding a new superintendent after Andy Kovach announced his intention to retire. “I don’t know if there is ever a good time,” he stated. “I think the fact that our board is working well together and are united in many of the characteristics they would like to see in a new superintendent makes this a good year to begin a search.” In other school-related news, Eagle Point High School saw the replacement of its nearly 15-year-old stadium athletic field.
The planning commission met to hear a pair of proposals. The first was a plan from Lakeland, the local assisted living facility that is looking to construct a 100-bed memory care facility on the property where the vacant medical office currently stands. There were questions regarding noise, parking and the current lack of a sidewalk on the west side of the entrance. The commission agreed the mitigation efforts were acceptable and voted to move the project forward for council approval.
The other proposal was for a 41-home housing development off Alta Vista Rd. across from Poppy Village that borders the county line. Several objections were raised by the public regarding traffic impacts on Alta Vista and drainage issues at the back of the parcel that has a steep, downward slope at the back. The commission also voted to move the project forward.
The city council closed out the month. The first was the city’s quest to fund a necessary Stormwater Master Plan that began in 2023. The initial estimate was $130,000. The city applied for and received a grant of $97,920 from the state Department of Environmental Quality. However, a request for proposals and the estimated costs came back much higher than estimated due in part to the permitting process requirement of a Geographic Information System that greatly improves understanding and relationships by creating a digital map with all the overlaying information available in order to make better decisions in real time.
The city found there was additional grant money available from DEQ. They applied for, and were granted, the maximum award of $100,000 which left them $61,000 short of their goal. “I’ll be coming before you in the future,” said Public Works Director Bret Marshall.
The other item was the settlement of a personnel matter that dated back to August of 2023. The city had decided to fire one of its police officers. As a personnel matter, all the details are confidential, but the process involved union representatives, lawyers and a variety of legal actions before both sides came to a separation agreement of $200,000, half to be paid by the city and half to be paid by the City/County Insurance Services.
The month closed with the Eagles’ football team opening their season at Central where they were shut out 42-0.
Shady Cove
During the Aug. 4 council meeting the deadline to accept applications for the vacant council seats to Sept. 5 carried 2/1 with Winfrey as the no vote.
The motion to change the zone for the new park from commercial to public land carried 3/0.
Parry gave a report on drainage work which needed to be done on Hannah’s Way. Per an agreement in April the cost for the repairs would be split by the original contractor, the homeowner and the city.
Parry said her plan to pay for the city’s $75k portion was to apply for a grant. Councilor Steve Mitchell asked Parry what her “Plan B” was if the city did not get a grant. Parry said there “is no Plan B.”
Parry ended her report by reading aloud a letter which concluded with, “The path forward is clear: we will honor our Charter, maintain professional excellence, and focus our collective energy on serving our constituents effectively. I am committed to collaborating with every member of this Council who shares these fundamental principles.”
Note: It is not the city administrator’s option to “collaborate” or to pick and choose (for whatever reasons good or bad) the council members they will work for; because they were hired by and work for the entire council.
Citizens had a lot to say during the Aug. 21 council meeting. During public comment they spoke out against the Sept. 5 deadline for council applications. They felt the seats should be filled sooner.
Additionally citizens felt Parry’s performance review should be done after new councilors were appointed.
Mayor Lena Richardson said new appointees would have no experience working with Parry in a professional capacity, so would not be able to responsibly participate in a review. This was supported by city counsel Green.
Mitchell pointed out that Jim Hubbard’s council seat had been vacant for over a year and no one applied – despite multiple announcements and even pleas from council for someone to apply – nor did anyone ever complain that there wasn’t a full council.
Winfrey read aloud a 1,463-word document which centered on her opposition to the time extensions for the application deadlines.
The upshot was that she felt the two motions to extend the application period were “illegal” because they were made during council comments.
Note: Per the city’s charter agenda items should be added during announcements at the beginning of a meeting, so there was a procedural error. Oregon State Law states that topics can be added to agendas during meetings – so the motions were not illegal.
During staff reports Parry said the city did not get the grant for the work on the Hannah’s Way project and she would now come up with a Plan B.
Other August News: The Oregon Department of Transportation held a public meeting on the Hwy 62/234 roundabout project. Eagle Point High School got a new football field. Jackson County Library Services announced several new services including free notary services, a mobile bookmobile and after-hours pickup lockers at some locations.
