March 21, 1974
A public hearing to determine whether a health hazard exists in the Foster-Midway area will be held by Oregon State Health Division. A survey discovered 101 faulty subsurface sewage disposal systems in the 225 properties sampled. The public hearing will allow residents to submit testimony, which will be included in the report and, later, the division will determine whether a health hazard exists. Should it be found there is a health problem, the territory will be annexed to the City of Sweet Home.
Burlington Northern Inc. awarded a bid for its 11.5-mile old Holley Branch Railway right-of-way to the City of Sweet Home. The city will pay $46,120 for the property, which was about $4,600 more than the bid from a group of ranchers whose properties abut the land. The city, however, agreed it would sell that portion of the right-of-way outside the city limits to the group with a mile of external easements retained by the city.
Court action to vacate a newly-hired Dr. Raymond D. Ranes from the East-Linn Medical Center was withdrawn. The hospital board filed a forcible entry and detainer suit against Ranes in mid-February to remove the physician after numerous misunderstandings, mainly regarding finances. Judicial action has been withheld until next week. Ranes currently works as an emergency room doctor in Las Vegas, but a committee is raising money to help establish him in an office in Sweet Home, should he decide to stay.
The Sweet Home-East Linn Chamber of Commerce is seeking the interest level of residents for a commuter bus that would transport between Holley, Crawfordsville, Foster, Pleasant Valley, Liberty and Sweet Home. It was a question originally posed by rural resident Mrs. Scofield, who noted it would help conserve gas during the fuel shortage.
Senior Citizens Center Inc. was offered a section of upper Sankey Park by the City Council this week. The location is to be used as a site for the Seventh Day Adventist Church building, which the senior citizens expect to obtain and relocate to the park in August. In other business, the council instructed the city manager to look into the acquisition of property owned by State Division of Forestry between Holley Road and Westwood Lane. If acquired by the city, the property will be used for the proposed Strawberry Hills – Stonebrook Park.
Enforcement of dog control leash law ordinances have been a problem in the city. The city manager and police chief have hired Del Bryant, a 20-year veteran retired from the U.S. Army as a part-time dog control officer. He will go door-to-door to check if dog owners have properly licensed their animals. Owners of loose dogs will be cited, which starts as a $20 fine and goes up in $20 increments up to $100 and a 50-day imprisonment.