County leases inked for smokejumpers, park
From our weekly issue dated May 19, 2010
Josephine County Commissioner Sandi Cassanelli congratulates Gary Buck as Dwight Ellis looks on. (Photo by Scott Jorgensen, IVN)
Years of patience and perseverance finally have paid off for members of the nonprofit Siskiyou Smokejumper Base Museum Project, which has signed a 10-year lease to rent facilities at Illinois Valley Airport near Cave Junction.
The lease with Josephine County officially was signed by all parties during a 15-minute meeting Monday, May 17 at the county commission conference room at the courthouse in Grants Pass.
Smokejumper museum advocates Roger Brandt, Gary Buck, Jack McCornack and Airport Manager Alex Grossi attended.
Commissioner Dave Toler moved approval of the lease agreement; Commissioner Sandi Cassanelli seconded; the motion passed 3-0.
In a press release dated Saturday, May 15, the smokejumper group announced its intention to restore buildings, install interpretive waysides and add a visitor center with gift items and displays. A deli is planned in the historic mess hall, used when the site was the Siskiyou Smokejumper Base operated by the U.S. Forest Service.
The smokejumper base at I.V. Airport was the first aerial firefighter operation in Oregon history, the release said, and one of the first four in the nation“s history. It is now the only one still standing in its original location with its original buildings, the release said, and the parachute loft is believed to be the oldest in the United States.
During the May 17 meeting, Brandt said that the group wants to install a self-guided tour at the site and make it wheelchair accessible, with push-button door openers. Brandt handed a written copy of his proposal to the commissioners.
Brandt said that the lease agreement will open many economic opportunities for Illinois Valley residents. He added that there is a “real wave of enthusiasm“ for the museum project. He added that other groups and volunteers also want to aid in the process.
And interest has been expressed for establishing a Civil Air Patrol branch on the site, Brandt said.
After the meeting, he praised Cassanelli for her work in bringing about the lease. Brandt said that in five years, people will talk about the museum the same way they do the Oregon Caves National Monument.
Also signed was a five-year lease between the county and the Kerby Union High School Commemorative Park Association.
Signed on Friday, May 14, the lease provides the association with exclusive use of a 120-by-100-foot parcel of land on the corner of the county public works maintenance yard at 24253 Redwood Hwy. in Kerby, immediately adjacent to the RCC Belt Bldg.
Under terms of the lease, the association must pay $1 yearly rent to the county, as well as all property taxes and utility expenses.
No open containers of alcohol will be allowed on the site, and the lease agreement can be terminated at any time upon mutual consent of both parties.
The association is allowed to construct a park, but any plans must be submitted to the public works department beforehand.
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