Established
in 1937
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Letters to the Editor
(Editor’s Note: Views and commentary, including statements made as fact, are strictly those of the letter-writers.)
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Typed, double-spaced letters written solely to this newspaper and/or Website are considered for publication. Hand-written letters that are double-spaced and legible also can be considered.
Cards of thanks are not accepted as letters.
* * *‘I.V. Noose’ gains a good ‘atta-boy’
From V.A. Cordova
Rancho del Cielo, Calif.Just wanted to say that your newspaper is pretty darn good.
I’ve seen many publications through the years and can say that you and your co-workers are doing an exceptional job for a weekly newspaper with a small staff.
Keep up the good work.
County library system gets a positive nod
From Sue Berglund
KerbyLet’s get to the real problem: O&C funding for the libraries has all but dried up, and not because six county library employees went to an educational seminar in Salem to help better serve the community.
There is always lots of finger-pointing, but when there is work to be done only a handful of concerned citizens collected more than 9,000 signatures on petitions so the public will be able to decide if the library will exist in our future.
If this levy would pass it would ensure that the library system would continue to provide and serve education to its communities. These people who donated their time and efforts to collecting the signatures are the real patriots of our community; and of course the people who signed the petitions.
We should applaud these people, who not only believe in a better community, but a better world.
Let’s stop the disinformation and work toward building a better community for all. Those who start volunteering and do some positive work will not only sleep better, but command more respect.
There should be fees for use of libraries
From Marilyn Arnold
O’BrienThe city of Rogue River has a caring and concerned city council. It was leery of burdening citizens with a library tax district, and so abandoned the bid for one.
I am so glad Jackson County’s library director, Ronnie Budge, secured committed help from the board of commissioners to try and find alternative ways to fund Jackson libraries. She has been quoted as saying, “We are going to roll up our sleeves and get back to work on this issue.”
The library supporters in all counties, especially cash-strapped Josephine, should seriously go after changes to the state laws which prohibit them from charging for library use, and keep looking for other ways to fund the library. What we are going to vote on in November will fund the library for 10 years; it starts out expensive and will almost double itself before it ends.
I truly hope that the over-taxed, fixed-income citizens of Josephine County will all come out to vote, and overwhelmingly vote “No” on the proposed library tax district.
She studies budget; says pool should open
From Bea Thompson
SelmaTuesday night, May 16, I attended a city of Cave Junction budget meeting.
My concern was the closing of the swimming pool. Previous to the meeting I had obtained some financial records from the city since it took over the pool in 2003. I spent several days going over the records and went into the meeting with a pretty good idea of what it cost to run the pool last year.
It is pretty confusing because the pool season is spread over two fiscal years. The city’s fiscal year runs from July 1 through June 30.
Had the pool season all been in one fiscal year, the pool would have taken in more revenue than it spent with a combination of donations and user fees. The donations were more than $23,000; and the user fees were more than $15,000.
The expenses, including pool staff, but excluding maintenance work and payroll office work by city workers, would have come in around $21,000.
Unfortunately, the city was in a deep hole from the previous pool season when it gave the Grants Pass YMCA $28,000 plus all user fees to run the pool.
This year the city has budgeted $6,400 to maintain the pool when it doesn’t open. I learned in the meeting that Josephine County had offered to contribute a quarter of the pool budget up to $10,000 if the city would match funds, and a quarter was earned by user fees and a quarter was provided by donations.
I understand that the city is strapped for cash, but it is going to spend $6,400 when the pool is closed. The rest of the city’s quarter could be provided by city staff that has to be paid any way.
The pool was run frugally and well last year by Cynthia Hobbins. The pool was heated solely by the solar panels. There is a full tank of propane ready for this year. Cynthia would be willing to run the pool again.
My question is, why close the pool this year?
Library district workers noted for ballot measure
From Whitney Lard
Volunteer coordinator, The Real Library CommitteeI appreciate the fabulous volunteers who canvassed the neighborhoods, stood on sidewalks in rain, snow and hail to gather signatures to put the formation of a library district on the Nov. 7 ballot.
Their hard work and dedication to our libraries says much about them; their belief in our community, and the value of libraries.
I also appreciate the businesses from throughout the county for being drop-off and collection points, for having signature sheets in their businesses, and for allowing our signature gatherers on their properties. They stand as bright points in the democratic process.
Hundreds of volunteers turned in more than 1,000 signature sheets containing almost 10,000 signatures. Each volunteer has my gratitude, as well as those who signed the petition, lending their voices to the future of our libraries.
Return family values to city of Cave Junction
From Tia Tibbits
Cave JunctionI am the mother of a 7-year-old child, and do not fully understand where our family values come into play in Cave Junction.
I cannot believe that there are residents in this town who actually want a strip club to go forth. What happened to family values?
As a mother speaking out for my own -- and I am sure there are a lot of other mothers in Illinois Valley that feel the same as I -- why allow a strip club into our community? We have enough of crime, and theft; not to mention drunks that lay around on sidewalks.
Don’t people understand that all of this may bring to our community outsiders looking for trouble, brawls, maybe someone seriously hurt for no reason but over a topless stripper, or just more drunks hanging around town, as if we don’t have enough already.
I cannot even take my child to the city park, because the swings, slides, and other playground equipment are so rusted and about to fall to pieces, and my child might get hurt if the equipment decides to finally break. Besides that, there are the homeless and drunks who bunk or party in the same area, where our children play.
If maybe just once our children’s safety could be considered in our council meetings and carried out, instead of thrown on the back burner, maybe there could be a chance more families would consider moving to our community.
As far as opening a strip club, I say open a business that could bring even more money to our community, and the whole family can participate in. I vote in Chucky-Cheese, or a movie theater -- or a brand-new updated city park.
We need a business that involves all ages of kids, so that the little ones are not left out nor are any parents. We need to bring back the family values to Cave Junction, and give our children a childhood they can always remember with a heart full of warm smiles and memories.
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