By Alex Paul
Linn County Communications
At their May 5 meeting, Linn County Commissioners Roger Nyquist, Sherrie Sprenger and Will Tucker approved applying for $1,266,932 in grants from the Oregon Department of Transportation to support transportation programs in Lebanon, Sweet Home and Albany.
The requests were presented by Reagan Maudlin, Linn County Special/Rural Transportation Coordinator.
In a written report, Maudlin said the individual grant requests have previously been approved by the Linn County Transportation Advisory Committee.
If approved, the funds would be distributed during the 2027-2029 biennium.
Grants would assist the following programs:
5310 Surface Transportation Block Grant: Albany Call-A-Ride, $45,000; Chamberlin House, $12,000; Lebanon LINX, $74,616; Lebanon LINX, $312,651; Oregon Mennonite Residential Services, $9,691; Senior Citizens of Sweet Home, $217,272; Sweet Home Dial-A-Bus, $44,865; Sunshine Industries: $45,995. Total: $762,090.
5310 Rural Grant: Senior Citizens of Sweet Home Inc.: $180,685.
5310 Small Urban Grant: City of Albany, $324,157, for the Call-A-Ride senior and disabled transportation program.
In other business the commissioners:
- Approved the purchase of 15 night vision goggles and other ancillary equipment for the Linn County Sheriff’s Office, totaling $207,255.
- Announced that the 2026-2027 Linn County budget and the 4-H and Extension Service District budget are scheduled for adoption at the June 23 board meeting.
- Were updated about the Friends of Gap Road activities by Troy Jones of Harrisburg. The group opposes development of a large-scale solar panel project called the Muddy Creek Energy Park south of Brownsville and east of Harrisburg. Jones asked the commissioners to consider supporting a code revision to no longer allow conditional use permitting of solar projects on all properties zoned Exclusive Farm Use in the county. He said Marion County has banned the siting of commercial battery energy storage projects in rural areas.
- Announced that a tour of the courthouse, which was built in 1939, will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday, May 13, as part of National Historic Preservation Month.
- Awarded the Whispering Falls Campground pavement project to Jesse Rodriguez Construction of Silverton with a bid of $166,053. This project will be funded by the U.S. Forest Service through the Good Neighbor Authority Agreement. This campground, in Idanha, is managed and maintained by the Linn County Parks and Recreation Department.
- Approved a contract with Douglas Burton of Re/Max Integrity Real Estate to list certain properties which Linn County has received in lieu of back taxes. A new Oregon law specifies that real estate agents or brokers are required for the sale of properties that are zoned residential and were the primary residence of the former owner at the time the taxes were assessed. Tax-foreclosed properties being auctioned must also be listed in a multiple listing service (MLS) for at least 30 days prior to the auction.
- Approved the purchase of a generator and two transfer switches for installation at the Willamette Health Center Campus in Albany. The total cost is $72,630.