County 2011-2012 COMMUNlTY RESOURCE GUlDE AND ...

demise.
tant.
There was no clear audience
consensus July 28
during a packed hearing
on letting voters decide
whether to honor Clackamas
County’s $25-million
pledge to TriMet to
pay for light rail through
Milwaukie. But when the
smoke cleared three hours
later, the commission
voted 3-1 against giving
them the chance.
It was the first public
hearing on the funding
commitment since the
Board of County Commissioners
promised the
money to TriMet back in
January 2010.
The commission vote
effectively halts efforts to
put the issue on the ballot
anytime soon. Commissioner
Paul Savas was the
lone no vote.
Nine different commissioners
have voted in favor
of the county’s piece of
the light rail project over
the years, pointed out
Strategic Policy Administrator
Dan Chandler, who
said staffers believe that
Suspect surrenders in hit-and-run accident
Above is a TriMet simulation of the light rail going over S.E.
McLoughlin Boulevard at Robert Kronberg Park looking west.
At right is the audience at the packed three-hour public hearing
Thursday, July 28, before the Board of County Commissioners,
who ended up voting 3-1 not to refer the county's $25-million
commitment to the project to voters. Attorneys warned the
commissioners that the commitment is legally binding and, if
they reneged on their agreement, TriMet could sue.
Beardslee, executive director of Wild Fish Conservancy, who
The federal government dealt a blow last week to local wants a focus on dam operations, over-harvesting, hatchery
politicians and Willamette Falls sport fishing by revoking practices and stocking non-native fish.
Oregon's authorization to kill California sea lions.
“Addressing a single one of these pervasive problems
Advocates from Oregon City and West Linn had hoped would help salmon far more than killing sea lions at Bonneville,”
Beardslee said.
that legal trapping and euthanizing of sea lions would
spread from Bonneville, but the National Marine Fisheries Hunt pointed to millions of dollars spent on hatchery and
Service has at least delayed killing of sea lions in Clackamas fish-ladder technologies that would be wasted if sea lions
County following lawsuits filed by the Humane Society of were ignored.
the United States and the Wild Fish Conservancy.
“Again, it's not a distraction at all, and there are and will
Rep. Dave Hunt (D-Gladstone) expects the federal agency continue to be very aggressive measures taken to improve
will approve a renewed Oregon
hatcheries
Department of Fish and Wildlife
and dams,”
application to euthanize sea lions
Hunt said.
in time for the 2012 fishing season.
“My approach,
and
During the next two seasons,
ODFW will continue nonlethal
Dave Hunt is mulling whether to run for re-election in Oregon
House District 40. He's also considering a challenge to most reason-
hazing of sea lions at Willamette
able people's
Falls, but Hunt and his supporters
Charlotte Lehan as chair of the Board of County Commissioners
approach, is
see legal hurdles at Bonneville as
or a run for state labor commissioner.
to focus on
preliminary to fulfilling Clackamas
Hunt has represented Gladstone's district at
everything:
County interests.
the state level since 2003. He's led his party
fisheries, hydro
and these
Meanwhile, wildlife protection
and served as House Majority Leader but was
groups celebrated a new lease on
recently replaced by Tina Kotek (D-Portland).
bin.
Blaming sea lions is just a “distraction” from more politically
difficult ways to protect salmon, according to Kurt
t have
OC, Putnam also excel in tournament
the county as a whole will
benefit from it.
County counsel Stephen
Madkour called the
pledge “a binding, enforceable
agreement” that put
Clackamas County on
the hook in writing for
either payment or interest
charges by Sept. 2, 2013.
“The fact that this board
is of a different composition
than it was in 2010
is of no consequence,” he
said.
According to Madkour,
failure to comply with
the funding commitment
would be a “material
breach of contract,” which
would open the county to
TriMet lawsuits. When a
board enters into a contract,
it is not legislation,
so he noted that it’s not
subject “to initiative or
referendum attack.”
As the specter of litigation
rose up, many argued
that disagreement over the
light rail project doesn’t
matter at this point. Others
would look forward
to a lawsuit from TriMet
as an alternative to urban
renewal debt.
It's official: Don’t refer to the 22 acres of bankrupt
paper mill property in Oregon City as “Blue Heron.” The
real-estate bonanza will now be known as the “Willamette
Falls opportunity” by City Manager David Frasher
as he works with a bankruptcy trustee's marketing
team.
At a commission meeting last month, Mayor Doug
Neeley joked that he would hit a buzzer anytime he
heard a reference to Blue Heron, and Frasher offered
him a can of silly string to help enforce the language.
Joking aside, the property has become serious
business for Oregon City, West Linn and surrounding
Clackamas County, as government agencies prepare for
redevelopment of the site according their various goals
of public access, economic development and taking
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Third time’s a charm?
Developer trying to annex 6.5 acres this go-round
Battle for the Bridge
Rivals take to the gridiron
Recall effort exposes
political rift in OC
veloper Fred Bruning abandoned
last month, but also agreed to make a prereq-
Urban Renewal Commi sion
for Nicita's disinterest in uisite tha the developer
A reca l petition filed last boosting busine s. Bruning couldn't stomach — namely
week heightened a political and supporters like Fowler a signed sales agreement
rift between Oregon
City Commis-
Nicita's criticism of price of the land owned by
have blamed and a concrete purchase
sioner Jim Nicita
the project for its Sco t Parker.
and local busine s
“The real story behind
people such as
“What businesses the conduct of this deal
former Mayor Dan
need to see is lies in executive session,
Fowler, who owns
whether we want so that's why I'm supporting
an e for to ge those
the Abernethy Center
and other prop-
and I think our transcripts released. Then
them here or not,
erties downtown.
leaders should have the public can see the real
In a May 3 email
been cheerleading reasons why The Rivers deal
to encourage
this great project died,” Nicita said.
lobbying commissioners
to support
can,” Fowler said. release of the transcripts
in every way they Fowler said he doubted
The Rivers project,
“When you have would change his mind
Fowler wrote, “We
someone who's an on the i sue, saying public
have to let our commi
sioners know
they refuse to meet
elected o ficial, and statements are more impor-
tha this is a project
with busine ses “They're just a lot of
that is important
and they don't things that are rea ly performance
i sues that go
to Oregon City and
support e forts to
we expec them to
bring 1,000 jobs beyond the Rivers — it's
get it done. If they
into town, it wastes more of an a titude,” Fowler
don’t, we wi l work
taxpayer money.” said. “Idea ly commissioners
to remove them
Nicita responded would say, 'We're going to
from o fice. It is that
by pointing out he be pu ting conditions on
simple. If we have
campaigned and a development agreement
commi sioners who
won his 2008 election
with a public but we go to ge this right,
that are going to be tough,
won’t work for wha the
majority of this community vote on urban renewal and a the end of the day
wants, then we don’t want and criticism of The Rivers we rea ly wan to see this
them as our leaders.” project as two of his major happen.'”
This past week, Fowler campaign promises.
Petitioner Rex Parks Jr.
noted his views haven't “I've always been a very did not respond to telephone
or email requests for
changed. He said he plans rigorous observer and analyst
of The Rivers,” he said. comment last week. Both
to suppor the reca l e fort,
not only for Nicita's opposition
to the landfi l-topping always aimed to protect they have no previous ac-
Nicita argued that he's Fowler and Nicita claimed
shopping center, which de-
taxpayers' interests as a quaintance with Parks.
commi sioner, and the
" .I think our
leaders
should have
been cheerleading
this
great project
in every way
they can.”
Advertiser Index
A Storage Place of Clackamas.....................39
ABC Roofing Company, Inc...........................27
Adventist Health............................................45
Allstate Insurance/Sally Wolfe.......................31
Amicus Data..................................................50
Beemer, Smith, Munro & Co. LLP................20
Bernard’s Garage, Inc...................................21
Bob’s Red Mill Whole Grain Store.................18
Burns and Olson Realtors.............................19
Canby Asparagus Farms/Casa de
Tamales......................................................... 18
Cascade Eye Associates...............................46
City of Milwaukie..........................................44
Clackamas Community College....................42
Clackamas County Office of
Sustainability........................Inside Front Cover
Clackamas County Tourism &
Cultural Affairs..............................................48
Clackamas County Water Environment
Services................................................. 29, 40
Clackamas Fire District #1 - Admin
Headquarters................................................29
Clackamas Pediatric Clinic...........................47
Clackamas Review.......................................56
Columbia State Bank....................................22
Community Solutions for Clackamas
County...........................................................42
Design Correspondence...............................20
Diesel Web Productions................................40
Divine Frozen Yogurt.....................................18
Edwards Enterprises.....................................35
Gentle Dental..................................................3
Gladstone Family Dentistry...........................26
The Grove Restaurant and Bar.....................18
Harmony Road Music Center........................33
Higgins Signs................................................49
Honest 1 Auto Care.......................................22
Kaiser Permanente.......................................46
Kellogg Bowl.................................................23
Kirkland Union Manors.................................37
Chris Ling, Financial Services.......................28
Metropolitan Pediatrics, LLC.........................46
Milwaukie Bowl.............................................23
Milwaukie Sunday Farmers Market.............19
New Seasons Market Inc.....Inside Back Cover
Northwest Primary Care................ Back Cover
Omg! Onthank Marketing Group..................20
Oregon City Acupuncture..............................20
Oregon Institute of Technology.....................43
Oregon Pediatrics Happy Valley PC..............47
Oregonians Credit Union...............................49
Pietro’s Pizza.................................................18
Pioneer Pacific College.................................38
Providence Milwaukie Hospital.......................1
Rivermark Community Credit Union.............48
Royalton Place..............................................38
Stafford Smiles.............................................26
Stone Creek Golf Course...............................51
Sweet Tomatoes...........................................18
Tim’s Automotive, Inc...................................22
To Your Home from Willamette View...........47
Waste Management of Oregon.....................43
Westmoreland’s Union Manor......................37
Willamette View............................................50
56 2011-2012 North Clackamas County Chamber of Commerce Business Directory www.yourchamber.com
Making a difference,
one club at a time
and planting roses, a vine schools are in trouble
ple and other greenery. because of budget cuts, and
es were members fel that cleaning
the area would “imide
in the
Digital
Divas
Bicyclist killed
Klenia Moscoso (right), an eighth-grader at Rowe Middle School in Milwaukie, helps a
co league ground a wire so they can safely insta l parts inside a personal computer. They
were among dozens of kids ages 10-17 taking part in the Geek Squad Summer Academy
July 19-20 sponsored by North Clackamas School District and Metropolitan Family
Service at Lot Whitcomb Elementary School. Participants learned abou the latest
technology through four courses: PC Hardware, Digital Video, Digital Photography and
Digital Music. For more information on the Geek Squad and on the academy, visit
h tp: /geeksquadacademy.com or ca l 503-353-5672.
Milwaukie City Council
approves garbage hike
ee increase goes into effect Monday
54-square-foot commercial
Cavs make mark
BCC nixes vote on light rail
Attorneys: TriMet could sue if county reneged on $25 million
Latest score in sea lion
battle: Feds, 1; state, 0
Hunt mulls political future
Don’t call it
‘Blue Heron’
Willamette River separates
views of bankrupt mill site