Eleven youth from the Linn Juvenile Detention Center, Benton County Juvenile Department, Albany Options School and Jack Street Youth Services, recently completed virtual and hands-on heavy equipment training, leading to certification that can help them find jobs, Juvenile Director Torri Lynn told the Linn County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday, March 22.
They spent a week working with extremely lifelike virtual equipment and another week applying those skills on real machinery. Five students were from the Linn County Juvenile Detention and two each from Albany Options School, Jackson Street Youth Services and Benton County Juvenile Department.
Lynn said youth have also been busy planting 4,500 cuttings and another 1,800 fir, cedar and pine seedlings to be resold in containers. He added that the Oregon Department of Forestry is purchasing a large number of young trees that will be used to replant burned areas in the Santiam Canyon.
Trout eggs hatched in February and will be released into the South Santiam River.
Lynn said the young people completed 81 hours of community service last month. There were 18 total youth held from Linn County last month, four from Benton County and five from Lincoln County.
In other business, the commissioners:
— Accepted a two-year $769,920 JRI Grant (Justice Reinvestment Initiative) from the state of Oregon for the Linn County Alcohol & Drug program.
— Approved a contract with North Santiam Paving for work on Upper Calapooia Drive for $98,520 and with Knife River Corporation for $66,790 for paving services on Richardson Gap Road.
— Approved vacating a portion of Monroe Street Public Road 3602-D in Crabtree.
— Were updated on numerous projects by Jenny Glass, Council of Governments Community and Economic Development Director. She noted in a written report that from December through February, Cascades West Ride Line provided 23,295 rides to 1,857 Linn County residents; 6,825 rides to 632 Benton County residents and 6,986 rides to 700 Lincoln County residents and 761 rides to 96 other people from other areas for a total 37,867 rides to 3,285 people.
— Approved the purchase of a new air conditioning chiller and cooling tower for the Linn County Courthouse from Trane Corporation for $140,576.
– Alex Paul, Linn County Communications Officer