The Bridge - City of Lowell

The Bridge
Making community connections
The Bridge
Open House and Ice Cream Social
at the Lowell Grange!
Saturday, May 5th
1:00—4:00 p.m.
Volume 14, Issue 11
May 2012
Inside this issue:
School News
Visitors to the Lowell Grange Open House will be treated
to free ice cream and cookies on Saturday, May 5th.
Grange members are excited to show off the newly remodeled kitchen which will allow members to expand
their fundraising efforts. Fundraising events help finance
the restoration of this historic building. Built in 1913 as
the area’s elementary school, grange members are working hard to restore the hall in time for its 100th birthday
next year.
The Grange is a non-profit, fraternal organization that
welcomes new members who are interested in promoting
and supporting their community, helping people in need,
developing leadership skills and having fun. The Lowell
Grange sponsors Lowell Cub Scout Pack 937 (and their
free family movie nights), Lowell Girl Scout Troop #221,
the Dexter Farmers’ Market and numerous community
events.
Come hear all about what’s going on at the Grange and
see the improvements accomplished to date this Saturday,
May 5th from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.
The Grange is located at 51 East 2nd Street. For more information, please contact Jim Burford at 541-915-8976 or
Maggie Osgood at 541-937-3759 or send an email to
[email protected].
Band and Choir Head to
State Competition
Thanks for Support
Track Teams
Earth Day Activities
BOGO Book Fair
p. 2
p. 2
p. 3
p. 3
p. 8
City Beat
Budget Committee Meeting
& Public Hearing
p. 4
City-wide Clean-up
p. 4
R-O-W Maintenance
p. 4
Public Hearing: Partition
and Variance Appl.
p. 5
Council Actions
p. 5
Volunteer Recognition p. 5
Fire District
Focus on Fire Safety
Prepare for Summer
p. 6
p. 6
Other
Grange Open House Cover
MFWWC Meeting
p. 7
Texas Hold ‘em
p. 7
Boy Scout Fundraiser p. 7
Bunco, Bunco, Bunco! p. 7
Park Clean-up
p. 7
Farmers Market Opens p. 7
Page 2
SCHOOL NEWS
The Bridge
Lowell Music Headed to
OSAA State Championships!
A busy month for the Lowell Music program has resulted in some very exciting accolades and opportunities. On
April 5th, the Lowell HS Concert Choir won their classification at the OMEA District 12 Choir Festival, received
a “Superior” rating, and earned a berth in the OSAA State Choir Championships! In fact, despite being matched
against schools fifteen times our size, the Lowell Choir placed second out of all competitors, even beating reigning
6A state runner-up South Eugene on their home turf. Lowell is one of only nine 1A/2A choirs invited to the State
Championships, held this year at George Fox University on May 3rd. We are scheduled to perform at 11:40 a.m.,
and all are welcome to attend the day’s performances at Bauman Auditorium ($8 adults, $5 students).
As with the choir, the Lowell HS Concert Band has experienced some recent major successes. Attending the
George Fox University Invitational Band Festival on April 6th, the Lowell Band also received a “Superior” rating
and state-qualifying scores. Indeed, some of our students who participate in both ensembles – including Aidan
Barney, Lincoln Casarez, Maxwell Casarez, Grant Chapman, and Colten Nichols – managed to qualify for State
Championships in two different activities on consecutive days! Lowell is one of only seven 1A/2A bands who
will be competing for a state title at this year’s competition, held annually at Oregon State University’s LaSells
Stewart Center. Our performance is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. on May 10th, with ticket prices same as above for the
full slate of ensembles.
There is an additional exciting note, as well: Lowell High School is the only public small school (1A/2A) in the
state of Oregon sending both its band and choir to the OSAA State Championships! In fact, outside of the 6A
classification, this is a rare accomplishment for all schools in our state. Says Music Director Paul Burch, “I could
not be prouder of what our kids have accomplished. They are remarkable young people and they have truly done
our community proud.”
With our busy schedule still in full swing, upcoming dates for our local spring
concerts remain undetermined at this time, as we work with sports schedules and
other events in the offing. Please check the school website and reader board for
this info as it becomes available. Also, please see next month’s Bridge for a recap
of Lowell Music’s California Tour (April 26-29) and the 2012 Mountain West
Music Festival (April 11). In the meantime, a big “thank you” goes out to all that
have supported this program over the past four years. You are a big reason for its
ongoing success!
Thanks for the Support
By Superintendent Aaron Brown
A short time ago a vandal struck the Lowell bus barn, slashing tires and causing thousands of dollars worth of damage. This also resulted in school having to be postponed. When the needed tires weren’t available between the local
Springfield, Eugene, and Oakridge Les Schwab stores, the Les Schwab store of Oakridge promptly called their main
distribution center in Prineville and had them delivered within hours. It wasn’t only necessary to have the fleet ready
to roll the next day for school but our state qualifying band and choir had a competition to get to the following day as
well.
I want to give a huge thank you to all of those involved in helping the school district in their time of need. Besides
the Oakridge Les Schwab going above and beyond, I want to thank the citizens of Lowell that pooled money in order
to offer a reward to anyone with information leading to those responsible for this senseless act. I also want to recognize City Administrator Chuck Spies for allowing the Oakridge Police to aid in the investigation.
It’s an honor to be part of a small community and watch people come together to help make things right. Thanks
again everyone!
Volume 14, Issue 11
Track Teams are Off and Running!
Page 3
Varsity Track Team
This year’s turnout is exceptional with 27 members
strong! Team members include seniors Tiffany Jackson, Chris Young, Jaren Nichols and Max Casarez;
juniors Kodye Harvey, TJ Kinnamon, Bodi Wilson
and Zack Coffin; sophomores Emma Nolan, Emily
Chapman, Sky Moskowitz, Paige Alvarez, Savannah
Hepner, Austin McNichols, Brandon Chittim and
Colten Nichols; and, freshmen Akayla Devereaux,
Milika Poggemeyer, Chase Love, Aidan Barney, Hali
Asher, Sam Harshbarger, Bailea Trimble, Sean Castellani, Grant Chapman, Luke Kinnamon and Tanner
Harvey. Head Coach Dan Goss is assisted by
Christie Poggemeyer.
Junior High Track Team
Another huge turnout at the junior high level has
coaches busy with 33 members! Team members
include Pamela Alvarez, Anna Cardwell, Sophia
Casarez, Julia Donnell, Tessa Fergason, Lily
Lane, Morgan Long, Eden Smith, Raelynn Trimble, Mahsen Asher, Jacob Barlow, Cody Beebe,
Jay Brandt, Noah Casarez, Christopher Chapman, Lane Gilliland, Andrew Griffiths, Cory
Hern, Brendon Johnson, Devin Johnson, Kenny
Lane, Khayman Lister, Brayden Long, Tyler
Long, Tanner Melton, Alec Nolan, Colton Riggs,
Isaac Smith, Zachary Smith, Hayden Trimble,
David West, Brian Wilson and Emmett Wilson.
Head Coach Brian Chittim is assisted by Jill
Chapman and Christine Griffiths.
Without a regulation track at Lowell, all meets are elsewhere so please try to turn out
and support these hard working student athletes. Check the schedule on page 8.
Lowell School District Earth Day was a resounding success! In cooperation with the Middle Fork
Willamette Watershed Council, US Army Corps of
Engineers, US Forest Service, SOLVE, Oregon
State Parks and Lane County volunteers, on April
20th 2012 a combination of 88 high school and elementary school students participated in Earth Day
clean-up and service projects at three local county
and state parks. Students at Elijah Bristow State
Park cleared more than 5,000 sq feet of Scotch
broom from potential western pond turtle nesting
habitat, five cubic yards of English ivy were removed at Pengra boat launch; and at Fall Creek
County Park four cubic yards of ivy were removed, several acres of blackberry were thinned, and five acres of
park were cleared of downed trees and woody debris from winter storms. The stewardship of these students has
helped improve the quality of our public lands. We thank them for their hard work.
Volume 14, Issue 11
City Beat
BUDGET COMMITTEE MEETING NOTICE
Public Hearing
Use of State Revenue Sharing Funds
A public meeting of the Budget Committee of the City
of Lowell, Lane County, State of Oregon, to discuss the
budget for the fiscal year July 1, 2012 to June 30, 2013
will be held at the Lowell Fire Station, 389 N. Pioneer
Street, Lowell, Oregon. The meeting will take place on
the 8th day of May, 2012 at 7:00 p.m. The purpose of
the meeting is to receive the budget message and to receive comments from the public on the budget. A copy
of the budget document may be inspected or obtained
on or after April 27, 2012 at City Hall, 107 E. 3rd Street
between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. or on the
City’s website at www.ci.lowell.or.us on the Government Page. This is a public meeting where deliberation
of the Budget Committee will take place. Any person
may appear at the meeting to discuss the proposed programs with the Budget Committee.
At this meeting, the Budget Committee will also conduct a public hearing regarding the use of State Revenue Sharing Funds. Citizens are invited to recommend
uses for State Revenue Sharing Funds distributed by the
State to the City of Lowell.
City-wide Spring Clean-up Effort
Planned for May and June
The Lowell City Council has designated the months of
May and June as Spring Clean-up Months for the City
of Lowell. The Council asks that all residents use these
two months to clean up their own property, assist
neighbors who need help to clean up their property and
join in volunteer efforts to clean-up and improve public
property. At a minimum, property owners are requested
to bring their property up to City standards. The Council is encouraging voluntary efforts during May. During
the last two weeks of June, City staff will conduct a
city-wide code enforcement inspection and any properties that are still out of compliance will receive notices
detailing what needs to be done to come into compliance. If property owners are unsure as to the standards
that apply for maintenance of properties in Lowell,
please contact City Hall at 937-2157.
Councilor Pam Bryant has volunteered to organize assistance for residents who need help because of disabil-
Page 4
By City Administrator Chuck Spies
ity or infirmities or just to get trash or large items to
the dump. If you are interested in volunteering to
help others in Lowell clean up their property or if you
need such help, please contact Pam at 541-913-6512
or by email to [email protected].
The Council hopes that this annual concerted effort
by all Lowell citizens will help make our city one that
we can all be proud of living in and equally proud to
share with summer visitors to our homes, parks and
recreational areas and to our Blackberry Jam Festival.
A Reminder on Right-of-Way
Maintenance Responsibility
The Lowell Revised Code requires property owners
to maintain the landscaping within the public right of
way adjoining their property free of tall grass and
noxious vegetation including blackberry vines. The
City of Lowell simply does not have the resources to
provide landscape maintenance within our public
rights-of-way and the only way it will get done is if
property owners step up to do it. The majority of
property owners in Lowell already do keep these public areas in front of their properties free of tall grass
and other noxious vegetation and the City thanks each
and every one of you who have accepted this responsibility. For those who haven’t, we ask that you voluntarily step up to maintain these public streets and
alleys adjoining your property.
Public Hearing
Partition and Variance Application
The Lowell Planning Commission will conduct a
public hearing regarding an application by the City of
Lowell for a partition of City owned property on
North Alder Street identified as Tax Lot 3200, Assessor’s Map 19-01-15-14. This is a portion of the Cityowned Hyland Cemetery property which had previously been declared excess and approved for a lot line
adjustment to attach it to property owned by Richard
and Susan Montgomery at 84 N. Alder Street. Because the City was unable to obtain a clear title to the
property to be transferred via lot line adjustment, the
City must create a separate parcel which can be quit
claimed to the Montgomerys. The proposed parcel
size is 3,421 sq ft (approximately 30 ft x 114 ft) and
The Bridge
Page 5
will also require approval of a variance to allow a
non-conforming sized lot to be created. Minimum lot
size for the R-1 Single Family Zone is 7,000 square
feet.
The hearing will be conducted on Tuesday May 22,
2012 at 7:00 p.m. at Lowell City Hall, 107 E. 3rd
Street, Lowell. Persons may testify in person or in
writing. Written comments may be mailed to the City
of Lowell, P.O. Box 490, Lowell, OR 97452 or hand
delivered to City Hall. Written comments must be
received before 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday May 22, 2012.
A copy of the application, site plan and decision criteria are available at City Hall for review. A copy of
the report will be available for review 7 days prior to
the hearing. For more information, contact the City
Administrator at 541-937-2157.
Lowell City Council Actions
This report of actions taken by the Lowell City Council is a regular feature of this newsletter and is provided to inform citizens of recent decisions made by
the Council.
From the April 3, 2012 meeting:
• Adopted Resolution 574, which approved a 2.0%
cost of living pay increase for City employees
effective July 1, 2012.
• Adopted Resolution 572, authorizing issuance of
sewer revenue bonds in the amount of $379,000
for the recently completed sewer system improvement projects.
• Adopted Resolution 573, authorizing issuance of
water revenue bonds in the amount of $948,000
for the recently completed water system improvement projects.
From the April 17, 2012 meeting:
• Approved City employee benefits for the fiscal
year beginning July 1, 2012 at the same levels
currently being provided.
• Adopted Resolution 575 approving a 2% increase
in water rates and a 6% increase in sewer rates to
be effective on June 1, 2012.
On the web:
www.ci.lowell.or.us
Volunteer Recognition Corner
This is a regular feature of The Bridge to recognize the
many community volunteers who dedicate time and
effort to make our community a better place to live.
Volunteers Help Complete Park Projects
On Saturday, March 31st, work was completed to clean
up storm damage at Rolling Rock Park. Thanks to Ken
and Kathy Hern, Bill George, Jim Burford, Steve
Paulson, Dave Cabrera and Tony Noland for chipping and removing all the tree debris left over from the
earlier snow storm.
On Saturday and Sunday, April 14th and 15th, volunteers painted the new Rolling Rock Park Stage and prepared the area around the stage where fill had been
placed for reseeding the lawn. Thanks to Jim and
Karen Burford, Ken Hern, Warren Weathers and
Don and Julie Swain for helping with this effort. Special thanks goes out to Siuslaw Bank employees Cathy
Morgan, Michelle Kinney, Mike Sherman and
Brenda Polston for volunteering to help with the project on Saturday and to Gale Miller and Cory Carroll
of Pape Material Handling, for providing the scissor
lift without which the painting project would have been
impossible to complete.
Finally, thanks to Hal Heideman for his many hours
spent mowing Paul Fisher Park and to Larry Garratt
and Ken Hern for mowing Rolling Rock Park.
Volume 14, Issue 11
Page 6
FROM THE LOWELL FIRE DISTRICT
By Chief Keith Hoehn
Focus on Fire Safety
Prepare Your Home For Summer
The facts speak for themselves: the relative risk of
Americans over the age of 65 dying in a fire is 2.6
times greater than that of the general population. The
risk worsens as age increases. People age 85 and older
die in fires at a rate 4.4 times higher than the rest of the
population.
It looks like we might have a spring after all. With the
warmer weather, everyone is itching to get outdoors.
Our minds and bodies start thinking about cleaning up
all the damage from winter storms, planting flowers
and general home clean up.
The leading cause of fire deaths in older adults is smoking and the leading cause of fire injuries in older adults
is cooking. There are a number of precautionary steps
older Americans can take to dramatically reduce their
chances of becoming a fire casualty, these include:
•
Don’t leave smoking materials unattended and
never smoke in bed.
•
Never leave cooking unattended. Use a timer to
remind you that you are cooking.
•
Keep anything that can burn at least three feet away
from heat sources, like portable space heaters,
wood burning stoves, and fireplaces.
•
Place a smoke alarm on every level of your home,
including the basement, and both inside and outside
bedrooms.
•
Know at least two exits from every room. Make
sure all doors and windows that lead outside open
easily.
For more information on how to reduce your fire risk,
contact the District Office at 541-937-3393 or go to
www.lowellfiredistrict.org.
While we are in the mood and you are doing all those
clean up activities, try doing it with a wildfire safe
program in mind. Making your property and structures less vulnerable to wildland fires is easier when
you start early and keep it in mind throughout the
year. Hear are some tips on making your home wildfire safe this spring.
Flying embers and creeping ground fires may ignite
your home in a wildfire. Building and homeowners
can help their structures survive a wildfire. Steps include:
Reducing ignitable fuels around your home by:
• Removing all dead plants, trees, branches and
debris within 30 feet of your home.
• Storing firewood 30 feet away, or more, from
your home and other buildings.
• Removing needles and leaves from gutters, roofs
and decks.
• Removing limbs hanging over your roof.
Reducing home and structure flammability by:
• Screening all openings with 1/8 inch or smaller
non-corrosive metal mesh.
• Using fire resistant roofing such as tile, composition shingles or metal.
For structural wildfire protection resources call the
Fire District Office at 937-3393 or go to the District’s
website: www.lowellfiredistrict.org
Volume 14, Issue 11
Page 7
In and Around Our Community
The May General Council
meeting of the Middle
Fork Willamette Watershed Council will be held
at the Oakridge High
School on Wednesday,
May 23rd from 6:30 to
8:30 p.m. The topic will
be Water Quality of the
Middle Fork Watershed.
The findings and recently published water quality report
will be presented and Dave Belyae of DEQ will share
the latest news and history of the clean-up effort of the
Highway 58 tanker truck spill. For more information,
contact Barrett Frobose at 541-937-9800
Texas Hold ‘em Events Continue
If you’re looking for a fun time, come on down to the
Lowell Grange and join your friends and neighbors
every first Friday and third Saturday for Texas Hold ‘em
poker tourneys. This month the dates are Friday the 4th
and Saturday the 19th. Doors open at 5:00 p.m. and
the tourney begins at 6:00 p.m.
Buy-in is just $10 and instruction is available if you don't
already know how to play. 18
years and older only
please. Refreshments will be
available for purchase to
benefit the Grange Building
Restoration Fund.
Boy Scout Pizza Fundraiser May 31st
Boy Scout Troop 116, which includes Lowell and Pleasant Hill scouts, is holding a fundraiser at Papa’s Pizza in
Springfield on Thursday, May 31st.
Print your flyer from Papa’s website:
http://www.papaspizza.net/fundraisers/05_31_12%203.pdf
or pick up a copy at City Hall or Lundy Elementary.
BUNCO, BUNCO, BUNCO!!!
Join your friends and neighbors on Saturday, May 12th
at 6:00 p.m. for a fun evening at the Lowell Grange.
All seats will be pre-sold for just $10 each, so contact
Maggie at 541-937-3759 to
reserve your seat now!
There will be lots of prizes
to win. Proceeds will be
used to help restore the
grange building for its 100th
birthday in 2013.
Fall Creek Park is looking for people to have fun on
May 19th. We will be working on removing English
ivy, to be followed with a potluck. Ivy work begins at
10:00 a.m. and the potluck at noon. Bring your own
chairs, table service and favorite dish, plus loppers and
gloves for a great family event. For more information,
call Maggie 541-937-3759.
Dexter Lake Farmers’ Market Starts May 13th!
Opening day of the Market will be a great way to celebrate Mother’s Day on Sunday, May 13th. There will
be fresh veggies, plant starts for your garden, crafts,
eggs, baked goods, wood-fired baked pizza, organic
goat cheese and more! The Market will run each Sunday from May 13th through September 30th, from noon
until 3:00 p.m. at the Dexter State Recreation Site off
Highway 58.
There’s space available for more vendors so call
Marion at 541-937-3034 if you’re interested.
www.DexterLakeFarmersMarket.org
Library Book Sale!
Thursday and Friday, May 10 & 11
8:00 a.m.—4:30 p.m.
Located at City Hall
107 East Third Street
Proceeds will be used to purchase new
office chairs for the computer desks.
The Bridge
Making community connections
65 South Pioneer Street
Lowell, OR 97452
PRSRT STD
ECRWSS
Phone 541 937-8405 Fax 541 937-8709
On the Web: www.lowell.k12.or.us
U.S. Postage Paid
Permit #1
Lowell, OR 97452
Postal Customer
Lowell/Fall Creek
The Bridge is a cooperative effort of Lowell School District #71,
City of Lowell and Lowell Rural Fire Protection District.
Upcoming Meetings and Events: May 2012
1—Varsity Softball and Baseball v. Crow, 4:30 p.m.
City Council Meeting, 7:00 p.m., City Hall
2—Varsity Track @ Mountain West Open, Blue River, 3:30 p.m.
Varsity Softball @ Central Linn, 4:30 p.m.
3—Kindergarten Registration, 2:00-3:00 p.m., Lundy Elementary
JH Track Meet @ Mapleton, 4:00 p.m.
Park Advisory Committee Meeting, 6:00 pm., City Hall
4—Varsity Baseball @ McKenzie, 4:30 p.m.
Texas Hold ‘em at the Lowell Grange, 6:00 p.m.
5—Varsity Softball v. Reedsport, DH 11:00 a.m.
Varsity Track @ Gilchrist Invitational, 11:00 a.m.
Lowell Grange Ice Cream Social & Open House, 1:00-4:00 p.m.
15—City Council Meeting, 7:00 p.m., City Hall
16—Fire Board Meeting, 7:00 p.m., Lowell Station
17—Student Led Conferences, 3:30-7:00 p.m.
Lundy Science Fair, 6:00-7:00 p.m., Lundy Gym
High School Science Fair, all day until 7:00 p.m., HS Gym
18—No High School classes today, Student Led Conferences from
8:00 a.m. until noon at the high school
OSAA 1A State Track Championships, Monmouth, 1:00 p.m.
19—OSAA 1A State Track Championships, Monmouth, 1:00 p.m.
Fall Creek Park Work Party/Potluck, 10 a.m./Noon
Texas Hold ‘em at the Lowell Grange, 6:00 p.m.
20—Dexter Lake Farmers’ Market, Noon-3:00 p.m.
7—Varsity Softball and Baseball v. Monroe, 4:30 p.m.
7-11—Scholastic Book Fair, Lundy Elementary
8—Lowell Booster Club, 5:30 p.m., Lundy Community Room
Blackberry Jam Committee Meeting, 7:00 p.m., City Hall
City of Lowell Budget Committee Meeting & Public Hearing,
7:00 p.m. Fire Station
9—Half-day of school today, Curriculum Day
Varsity Baseball @ Oakridge, 4:30 p.m.
10-11—Lowell Library Book Sale, 8am-4:30pm, City Library
11—Varsity Softball v. North Douglas, 4:30 p.m.
Varsity Baseball @ Siletz, 4:30 p.m.
JH Track District Championship @ McKenzie, time tbd
12—Mt. West 1A District Track Championships, Blue River, Noon
Bunco, Bunco, Bunco! at the Lowell Grange, 6:00 p.m.
13—Dexter Lake Farmers’ Market opens, Noon-3:00 p.m.
21—School Board Meeting, Lundy Community Room, 7:00 pm
22—Planning Commission Meeting, Public Hearing, 7:00 pm,
City Hall
23—Half-day of school today, Curriculum Day
Middle Fork Watershed Meeting @ Oakridge High, 6:30 p.m.
27—Dexter Lake Farmers’ Market, Noon-3:00 p.m.
28—Memorial Day — No School, City Hall closed
Scholastic Buy One, Get One Book Fair
Lundy Community Room
May 7, 8, 10 and 11 — 3:00-6:00 p.m.
May 9 — 1:00-3:00 p.m.
Help support our schools’ libraries,
contribute to the $One for Books Program!
Clip and save for future reference — Check the school’s reader board for game changes due to weather