Health Options Digest
January 30, 2005
Coalition for Health Options In Central Eugene-Springfield (CHOICES)

In This Issue

From the Editor

Week In Review
    With news stories tripping all over each other, life sure isn't dull!
    Of course, the dominant story continues to be the labor dispute between LTD drivers and management. A last round of mediated talks is scheduled for today (Sunday). If no agreement is reached, drivers may go on strike Tuesday. Insofar as Governor Kulongoski appoints the LTD board of directors and thus is ultimately responsible for LTD, we urge him to step in before matters come to a strike that could severely affect many people who depend on LTD to get to school, work, shopping etc.
    The Jaquas agreed to not challenge PeaceHealth's plans for a regional medical complex at RiverBend in exchange for greater river protections and a somewhat shorter hospital building. But other groups -- including CHOICES -- continue to have concerns with PeaceHealth's plans. Tomorrow (Monday) is the deadline for anyone to file an appeal of the latest round of Metro Plan and Gateway Refinement Plan amendments.
    Meanwhile, the Springfield Planning Commission began reviewing PeaceHealth's master plan -- again. The plan hasn't changed much since it was last reviewed a year ago, but the "rules" have changed in response to court decisions. Although Springfield and PeaceHealth are pushing to get the master plan approved quickly, a successful appeal of the previously adopted Metro Plan and Gateway Refinement Plan amendments would bring the master plan to a halt -- just as happened last year.
    On the other side of the Willamette River, Triad is pressing for a signed contract to purchase EWEB's downtown site. We have to wonder what Triad is thinking, as "shotgun marriages" often don't end up well, especially when there are other suitors waiting in the wings.
    Speaking of which, before EWEB and the City of Eugene go running to John Musumeci, we'd urge them to first see how his previous "marriages" have turned out. We must admit that Arlie's drawings for the EWEB site look gorgeous and we'd love to see something like that on the river front. But it'd be nice to see examples of other similar developments that Arlie has successfully brought to completion.
    Of course, health care costs continue to skyrocket, an issue that affects most of us directly or indirectly. While LTD drivers want to hang on to their existing health care coverage, health care workers in Seattle recently voted to accept a contract offering reduced health care benefits.
    While President Bush talks about Social Security, the bigger elephant in the room is Medicare.
    Bob Emmons counters Steve Greenwood (and Hugh Prichard) in thinking about what kind of development, if any, is appropriate for our river fronts.
    Local governments are talking about bringing an adequate convention center to Lane County.
    Two new restaurants just opened in downtown Eugene. Their stories provide insight into the challenges and benefits of developing downtown.
    Eugene raised its local gas tax an additional two cents. Florence citizens will get a chance to vote on that city's local gas tax.
    Construction on Interstate-105 is about to begin.
    Lastly, Measure 37 is sure to be a big topic of debate in the Legislature and around the state.

Looking Ahead
    This Tuesday, Governor Kulongoski will kick off the Lane County Economic Forecast conference. We hope the LTD buses will still be running then, and urge people to express that wish directly to the Governor.
    Also on Tuesday, Community Health Benefits Workgroup of Lane County (CHBW) and Oregon Health Action Campaign (OHAC) will hold a priority-setting meeting.
    Also on Tuesday, the Eugene, Springfield and Lane County Planning Commissions will hold a public hearing related to a public safety special district.
    And also on Tuesday, EWEB will hold its regular meeting in Vida. We wonder if some folks from Eugene will head on over to talk about the latest Triad request.
    On Friday, the Oregon Land Conservation and Development Commission (LCDC) will hold a public hearing on weakening transportation rules governing developments such as PeaceHealth's RiverBend project. The current rules resulting in PeaceHealth contributing $8 million to make sure that needed roads will be in place when the hospital opens. Under the proposed new rules, PeaceHealth probably wouldn't have contributed the money and the Oregon Department of Transportation probably could not have afforded to have needed improvements ready in time. LCDC is scheduled to take final action on March 16.

Looking Back
    A few weeks ago, Bob Keefer... err, ok, it wasn't Bob Keefer. It was a spoof. At any rate, we mentioned Sacred Heart Hospital and the Mayflower Theater, but didn't quite have our history right. But alert reader Tim Christie pointed us to his excellent story from a few years ago. We found the look back enlightening. You might, too...

Delicate operation: By leaving downtown, Sacred Heart risks alienating some in the community, and it wouldn't be the first time

By Tim Christie
The Register-Guard		June 3, 2001
    In March 1986, Sacred Heart General Hospital was embarking on yet another expansion of its campus west of the University of Oregon.
    In previous years, the hospital's broad shoulders had knocked some popular neighborhood establishments out of the way, including Lenny's Nosh Bar, a late-night student hangout.
    Now the 60-year-old Mayflower Theater on 11th Avenue was in the way of a planned medical laboratory, and the hospital's plans to tear it down were running into opposition from some UO students who wanted to save the run-down building on historic grounds.
    The Eugene Historic Review Board scheduled a public hearing to consider designating the theater as a historic landmark, barring the hospital from razing it. Hospital officials, who had acquired a city demolition permit months earlier, didn't wait for a decision.
    Some 33 hours before the hearing, they dispatched a demolition contractor to destroy the building. The move sparked an uproar, and the chairwoman of the historic review board likened the hospital's action to a lynching before a trial.
    The hospital's young community relations director defended the hospital's decision.
    "We believe there shouldn't have been a trial in the first place," he said at the time. "The fact that there even is a 'trial' about this is, I think, a travesty of the planning system."
    That hospital spokesman was Alan Yordy, who now serves as chief executive officer of PeaceHealth Oregon Region, Sacred Heart's corporate parent. He still believes tearing down the Mayflower was the right thing to do. (more...)

Rob Zako, Editor
343-5201
rzako@efn.org

Calendar

Tuesday, February 1 -- Governor to lead off economic conference

By Sherri Buri McDonald
The Register-Guard		January 18, 2005
    No one has a crystal ball to predict what will happen to Lane County's economy this year. But the next best thing may be the Lane County Economic Forecast conference -- an annual event since 1993.
    The conference will be held from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Feb. 1 at the Hilton Eugene & Conference Center, 66 E. Sixth Ave.
    Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski will be the opening speaker. He will be followed by two panels: one of University of Oregon professors who will discuss issues affecting the local economy, and a second made up of working economists.
    The UO speakers are Ronald Davies, associate economics professor, speaking on foreign investment and how to encourage exports; Larry Singell Jr., economics professor, discussing Oregon's minimum wage; and Bruce Blonigen, Knight professor of social science, on tax incentives for business.
    The economists are Tom Potiowsky, state economist; John Mitchell, regional economist for U.S. Bank; Brian Rooney, the Oregon Employment Department economist for Lane County; Bill Conerly, an independent, Portland-based economist; and Ed Whitelaw, an economics consultant and UO economics professor.
    The session includes a forecast by the panel on job growth, housing construction and real estate prices in Lane County.
    The event is produced by the Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce, The Register-Guard and the University of Oregon College of Arts and Sciences. The main sponsor is Northwest Natural.
    Advanced registration is recommended. For cost and other information, contact the chamber at 484-1314, or visit www.eugenechamber.com.

Slant -- Economic Conference

Eugene WeeklyJanuary 27, 2005
    The annual Lane County Economic Forecast conference is coming up from 2 to 5 pm Tuesday, Feb. 1 at the Eugene Hilton and we will be watching to see if the discussion is all theory and hopeful projections based on statistical analysis of employment numbers, trade balances and tax incentives -- or whether there will be serious talk about the economic realities of poverty, hunger and disenfranchisement in Oregon. We value the insights and perspectives of economists, but too often the human factors of destitution are missing in their academic models and formulas. More info on the conference is available at http://www.eugenechamber.com or call the Chamber of Commerce at 484-1314.

Tuesday, February 1 -- Community Health Benefits Workgroup of Lane County (CHBW) and Oregon Health Action Campaign (OHAC)

By Mary Ann Holser, Coordinator, CHBW, and Ellen Pinney, Executive Director, OHACJanuary 19, 2005
    5:30 pm -- 7:30 pm, Eugene Public Library, Bascom Room, 100 West 10th, Eugene, Appetizers and Refreshments Served
    As a respected community leader who has, expressed concern about health access for the medically and economically vulnerable in Lane County, the Community Health Benefits Workgroup of Lane County and Oregon Health Action Campaign (OHAC) invites you to attend a special 2005 priority-setting meeting.
    Presenters scheduled include Kevin McAndrews, Director, Peace Health Patient Financial Services; Bob Dritz, Executive Director White Bird Clinic; Steve Manela, Manager, Lane County Health and Human Services Commission and Ellen Pinney, Executive Director, OHAC.
    For the first hour of the meeting, speakers will address access initiatives currently underway in Lane County including:
    * Hospital financial assistance policies: update on McKenzie-Willamette and Peace Health
    * 100% Access Initiative
    * Lane County's new Federally Qualified Health Center: expansion, roles and challenges
    * National and state legislative action on hospital charity care
    * Oregon Health Plan / Medicaid budget issues.
    The remainder of the meeting will be dedicated to developing priorities for 2005.
    We request a RSVP to Tom Holser in our Eugene office: tholser@comcast.net or telephone (541) 343-5132.
    The Community Health Benefits Workgroup of Lane County is a project of the Oregon Health Action Campaign (OHAC). Established in 1985 OHAC is a coalition of individuals and organizations who have come together to empower the consumer voice in the development of quality, responsive health systems that allow all people to access the health care they need, when they need it from the providers of their choice at an affordable cost.

Tuesday, February 1 -- Joint Eugene, Springfield and Lane County Planning Commissions
    Public Service Building, 125 E. 8th Ave., Eugene
    5:30 pm, Work Session, Board of Commissioners' Conference Room
    7:00 pm, Public Hearing, Harris Hall
    Amendment to the Eugene-Springfield Metropolitan Area General Plan Policies to Clarify and Provide Greater Flexibility in Service Delivery for a Public Safety Special District. For more information, contact Kent Howe, 682-3734, kent.howe@co.lane.or.us

Tuesday, February 1 -- EWEB meeting moves to Vida Community Center

The Register-GuardJanuary 30, 2005
    VIDA -- The Eugene Water & Electric Board will hold its regular board meeting at the Vida Community Center at 6 p.m. Tuesday.
    In addition to its regular business, the board will provide an opportunity for public comment on any issue. Tuesday will mark the second time the board has met in the McKenzie River Valley.
    EWEB spokesman Marty Douglass said the upriver meetings are an attempt by the utility to improve communications with its McKenzie-area customers. Those ratepayers have been complaining for years that the utility has been out of touch and not listening to their concerns.
    "This is part of our overall effort to reconnect with EWEB customers," Douglass said.
    Agenda: http://www.eweb.org/about/commissioners/meetings/2005/0201_agenda.htm

Friday, February 4 -- Land Conservation and Development Commission (LCDC)
    8:30 am, Agriculture Building, Basement Hearing Room, 635 Capitol St. NE, Suite 150, Salem, (503) 373-0050 ext. 271
    9. Public Hearing on Proposed Administrative Rule Amendments -- OAR 660-012 (Transportation Planning Rule) -- Regarding Review of Plan and Land Use Regulation Amendments. The proposed amendments would revise requirements in Section 0060 that apply to local government review of plan and land use regulation amendments. The revisions are based on the work of a joint subcommittee of the LCDC and the Oregon Transportation Commission in response to LUBA and Court of Appeals decisions in the case of Jaqua v. City of Springfield. This is the first hearing on these proposed amendments. (A second hearing and possible adoption is scheduled for the Commission's March 16-18 meeting.) The Commission will accept written and oral comments. Persons wishing to comment should be prepared to limit oral testimony to three minutes. For additional information, please contact Bob Cortright at 373-0050 ext. 241, or by email bob.cortright@state.or.us.

Tuesday, February 8 -- Springfield Planning Commission
    The planning commission will make a recommendation on the PeaceHealth master plan at a public hearing scheduled for 7 p.m. The recommendation will then be forwarded to the Springfield City for consideration.

Wednesday, February 9 -- Eugene City Council
    A. WORK SESSION: Hospital Ordinance, City Attoney's Office

Tuesday, February 15 -- Joint LCDC/OTC TPR Subcommittee
    1:00 pm, ODOT Human Resources Center, Suite C, 2775 19th Street SE, Salem
    The Subcommittee will review and discuss proposed amendments to Section 0050 and 0070 of the Transportation Planning Rule (TPR), and may discuss other proposed rule amendments. These amendments were promted by the Court of Appeals' ruling in the case of Jaqua v. City of Springfield (PeaceHealth). The public is invited to attend.
    Questions about the Transportation Planning Rule Evaluation should be directed to Bob Cortright at 503-373-0050 x241, or via email at bob.cortright@state.or.us.

Wednesday, March 16 -- Land Conservation and Development Commission (LCDC)
    Agriculture Building, Basement Hearing Room, 635 Capitol St. NE, Suite 150, Salem, (503) 373-0050 ext. 271
    Public Hearing on Proposed Administrative Rule Amendments -- OAR 660-012 (Transportation Planning Rule) -- Regarding Review of Plan and Land Use Regulation Amendments. For additional information, please contact Bob Cortright at 373-0050 ext. 241, or by email bob.cortright@state.or.us.

PeaceHealth

PeaceHealth Opponent Steps Aside

By Andrea Ash, andreaash@kezi.com
KEZI		January 25, 2005
    "The Jaquas at this point will withdraw from the current controversy," explained Al Johnson, attorney for the Jaqua family. After two years of fighting PeaceHealth's proposed hospital complex at RiverBend, the Jaqua family is bowing out, but not without a few conditions.
    "What this settlement will do is put in place long term permanent protections for the river corridor," explained Johnson, during a joint press conference with PeaceHealth officials. (more...)

Hospital setback plan satisfies foe

By Joe Harwood
The Register-Guard		January 26, 2005
    PeaceHealth has made peace with a major opponent of its proposed $350 million regional medical center next to the McKenzie River by agreeing to increase riverside buffer zones and lower building heights.
    The settlement between the Bellevue, Wash.-based nonprofit hospital corporation and riverside residents Robin and John Jaqua announced Tuesday removes a big impediment blocking the RiverBend medical complex: the Jaquas and their well-heeled land use attorney.
    But other critics of the hospital plan said they would continue to fight. (more...)

Jaquas, PeaceHealth make a deal: RiverBend hospital will be shorter, farther from river

By Amber Fossen
The Springfield News		January 26, 2005
    At RiverBend, Tuesday was armistice day. A settlement has been reached.
    PeaceHealth officials and Al Johnson, a Portland attorney representing Robin and John Jaqua in their effort to prevent a proposed regional medical center at RiverBend, announced Tuesday afternoon that the couple and the hospital have settled. (more...)

Editorial -- RiverBend rebounds: PeaceHealth reaches settlement with Jaquas

The Register-GuardJanuary 26, 2005
    PeaceHealth's plans to build a new regional medical center on its McKenzie River site in Springfield reached a positive tipping point Tuesday with the announcement of a settlement that removed an enormous legal obstacle from the project's path. (more...)

Planning commission hears more from PeaceHealth opponents

By Bob Keefer
The Register-Guard		January 26, 2005
    SPRINGFIELD -- The planning commission heard public testimony but took no action Tuesday on the master plan for PeaceHealth's proposed RiverBend hospital complex. (more...)

Planning Commission reviews zone change

The Springfield NewsJanuary 28, 2005
    The Springfield Planning Commission met Tuesday night for a work session and public hearing regarding PeaceHealth's proposed RiverBend master plan and zone change. (more...)

McKenzie-Willamette/Triad

Triad presses EWEB for formal contract

By Joe Harwood
The Register-Guard		January 26, 2005
    The Eugene Water & Electric Board is feeling a little heat from Triad Hospitals Inc.
    Triad has begun pushing EWEB to enter into a more formal contract to sell 22.5 acres of the utility's headquarters site for a new McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center.
    But just what that contract might look like, and whether it would set a price for the EWEB site, is unclear. The sides apparently still remain far apart on price. (more...)

Letter -- Arlie plan a better use of site

By Henry Masterson, Eugene
The Register-Guard		January 27, 2005
    The Register-Guard editorial on Jan. 16, "A New Ball Game," begins as an admonishment of Arlie & Co. for scrambling the dynamics of the negotiations over the Eugene Water & Electric Board's riverfront property.
    Read on and the tone changes almost to an endorsement for the city and EWEB to follow the "initial buzz" and take a long, serious look at the Arlie proposal. Also, there is an implied request for the public to weigh in and let the Eugene City Council know where the public stands. I urge the council to make the right turn and avoid the years of mistakes made by other cities respecting waterfront development.
    The Arlie proposal meets the requirements of the Eugene Downtown Plan. A hospital does not require a waterfront location to attract patients. Eugene needs a waterfront that will attract tourism and future preservation of the downtown district.

Health Care

Health care workers go with less-benefits deal

The Register-GuardJanuary 25, 2005
    SEATTLE -- Nurses and other workers at Group Health Cooperative have voted to ratify a new contract after lengthy negotiations that included a five-day strike last summer.
    Health benefits were the sticking point for the nonprofit HMO and its workers, represented by Service Employees International Union Local 1199.
    More than 96 percent of workers voted to accept the contract, the union announced Monday.
    The 2,000 workers covered by the union contract now receive health benefits with no premiums or deductibles.
    The new contract includes monthly premiums.

Letter -- Real crisis is Medicare funding

By Mark Thoma, Eugene
The Register-Guard		January 26, 2005
    The hunt is on for weapons of mass Social Security destruction. With any luck, the administration can reassemble the highly skilled team of information gatherers and analysts that has been so successful in the past.
    George Tenet, a previous medal winner in this area, would be a good choice to lead the administration's search for the evidence that will convince us that nothing short of war on the Social Security system will prevent future suffering.
    Once he and his highly skilled team have concocted the evidence supporting the administration's preconceived ideological position, perhaps Colin Powell can present it to the American people. I hope he uses charts and pictures like last time. Those were really convincing. Pundits can be paid to promote the agenda; Fox News and Social Security Veterans for Truth can help, too.
    What other methods of mass deception will be used to convince us the system is in serious trouble? Even using overly pessimistic growth rates for the U.S. economy, the system is not in any danger in the foreseeable future, and the changes the administration proposes will not help the average person.
    There is, however, an actual problem to solve. The Osama bin Laden of unfunded liabilities is Medicare. This problem is much larger than the most dismal projections for Social Security, and much more immediate. An administration that truly cared about helping the average person would work on real problems, not problems invented to support an ideological agenda.

Health plans tailored to part-timers, contractors

By Joshua Freed
The Associated Press		January 28, 2005
    Part-time workers, contractors, and early retirees who usually wouldn't qualify for corporate health insurance could get coverage under a plan announced Thursday by a consortium of dozens of large companies.
    The HR Policy Association said about 25 companies, including Ford Motor Co., International Business Machines Corp., and Sears Roebuck and Co. planned to offer the coverage.
    Workers would be offered a choice of six levels of benefits, from a $4.41-a-month discount card to full insurance policies. UnitedHealth Group Inc. is providing four of the plans and said it expects to begin enrolling customers on Sept. 1. (more...)

Nearby Developments

Letter -- Smart growth won't save river

By Robert Emmons, Fall Creek
The Register-Guard		January 28, 2005
    In a Jan. 7 guest viewpoint, public policy consultant Steve Greenwood contended that we can both develop the Willamette riverfront and preserve its health. He's noticeably vague, however, as to how this may be achieved.
    Embracing the mythology that growth is inevitable, Greenwood promotes the familiar smart-growth fallacy that opts for higher urban density as an antidote to sprawl. He implies that University of Oregon professor David Hulse's Willamette Basin Futures Report supports riverfront development. But as Hulse's computer-generated flyover of the Willamette Valley from 1850 to the present reveals, the Willamette watershed needs our protection, not more develop- ment.
    While Portland has done a commendable job restoring parts of its riverfront, much of the damage to the river's health has been done and won't be readily undone. However smartly, Portland keeps growing, and developers continue to build new houses and businesses in wetlands and riparian setbacks.
    Rather than take harder steps to address the root causes of growth -- overpopulation and overconsumption -- development facilitators such as Greenwood make an easier living by dressing up in green and pretending we can have our cake and eat it, too.
    In the Eugene area, we still have an opportunity to get ahead of the curve. However, honoring the river rather than exploiting it requires the humility to recognize that with limitations begin possibilities: the opportunity to make our absence the model of our presence.

Wanted: A good convention center

By Amber Fossen
The Springfield News		January 26, 2005
    Location, arts, culture, and athletics are just some of the reasons Lane County attracts visitors each year. But without enough meeting and convention space and an undersupply of hotel accommodations, Lane County is missing out on opportunities to host.
    Springfield city councilors were asked Monday night to work with other local jurisdictions on a regional strategy to bring needed convention space to the metropolitan area to help bolster the travel and tourism economy. (more...)

Funding available for development projects

The Springfield NewsJanuary 28, 2005
    Beginning today, Jan. 28, applications for funding by the City of Springfield Community Development Block Grant and HOME Investment Partnership Programs will be available from the Community and Economic Development Division of the Development Services Department at Springfield City Hall, 225 Fifth St.
    A portion of the CDBG grant and a portion of the HOME grant has been reserved by the city's Community Development Advisory Committee for ongoing activities. (more...)

New lights will bathe city below in bright white light

By Amber Fossen
The Springfield News		January 28, 2005
    Downtown Springfield will soon have a different, brighter hue.
    After more than a year of pushing the idea forward, the Downtown Springfield Association got a Community Development Block Grant for $46,400 that will go toward replacing downtown's lights -- the ones that cast a muddy yellow hue -- with white metal halide lights. (more...)

Symantec settles on India call centers

By Sherri Buri McDonald
The Register-Guard		January 25, 2005
    SPRINGFIELD -- The Symantec work went to India after all.
    A spokesman for Symantec Corp., a California-based security software maker, confirmed that the company is using a subcontractor in India to handle customer service for its retail customers.
    That work was previously handled for Symantec by a call center in downtown Eugene. (more...)

Big utility takes over plan for Coburg power plant

By Joe Harwood
The Register-Guard		January 24, 2005
    Black Hills Corp. has been moving west from its South Dakota base for decades, but it didn't hit the Oregon Trail until two years ago.
    Black Hills partnered with Eugene-based energy developer Gary Marcus in 2003 on a plan to build a natural-gas-fired power plant two miles north of Coburg -- a town with its own pioneer roots.
    Like others who have headed West, Black Hills is coming in search of opportunity. (more...)

Retail Notebook: Two new restaurants add spice to downtown block

By Joe Mosley
The Register-Guard		January 27, 2005
    Looking for hints that downtown Eugene may have turned a corner on its much-detoured route to vitality and prosperity?
    Consider Max Stabin's reasoning when he decided to open a Thai Restaurant, Sweet Basil, in a former secondhand store on Pearl Street, between the Eugene Hotel and the Greyhound bus station. (more...)

Transportation

City Council OKs 2-cent-per-gallon boost in gas tax

By Edward Russo
The Register-Guard		January 25, 2005
    Eugene motorists will pay a little more at the gas pump starting about April, but the increase won't have anything to do with rising world oil prices.
    The City Council on Monday night increased the city's 3-cent-per-gallon gas tax by 2 cents in order to generate more money to pay for street repairs.
    New City Councilors Andrea Ortiz and Chris Pryor joined Councilors Gary Pape, Jennifer Solomon and George Poling in approving the increase. Councilors Betty Taylor, David Kelly and Bonny Bettman opposed it. (more...)

Editorial -- A plain-vanilla street tax: Eugene council adds 2 cents to price of gas

The Register-GuardJanuary 28, 2005
    The Eugene City Council could argue about the ideal way to pay for street repairs until everybody wore jet packs and didn't need streets anymore. Or it could face the fact that the city needs money to arrest the deterioration in the condition of its streets, and turn to the tried and true method of raising it -- the gas tax. The council showed common sense Monday when it approved a 2-cent-per-gallon increase in the tax. (more...)

Florence tax on gas will go to a vote

By Winston Ross
The Register-Guard		January 26, 2005
    FLORENCE -- If this town raises its gas prices, it won't be without a vote of the people.
    City recorder Barb Miller announced Tuesday that Lane County elections officials have determined that enough residents have signed petitions to guarantee a citywide vote on whether to add a 3-cent tax to the price of gasoline.
    At 450 validated signatures, officials stopped counting. That was fewer than half the signatures collected by organizers of the petition drive in about one week.
    As a result, the referendum will appear on the May 17 ballot, Miller said. (more...)

Drivers will soon feel pinch of road work on interstate

By Matt Cooper
The Register-Guard		January 25, 2005
    If you've long had an intimate relationship with Interstate 105 -- and 30,000 daily commuters do -- it's time to start seeing other roads.
    Work begins this week on Eugene's three-mile share of the interstate's crosstown spur.
    Major closures will come during the busiest construction period, April 27 to June 20. (more...)

Massive I-105 project will reroute traffic

By Amber Fossen
The Springfield News		January 28, 2005
    EUGENE -- As work gets underway on the Interstate 105 highway improvement project this week, it might not be so noticeable. But in a few short months, nearly 60,000 commuters will be impacted by the massive construction project. (more...)

State transportation workers to be penalized for kickbacks

The Associated PressJanuary 30, 2005
    SALEM -- A dozen state transportation workers who accepted gifts from a cleaning chemicals company that sold products to state offices will be penalized, officials said.
    The punishment will vary from a letter in their permanent employment files to a temporary pay cut, said Kevin Neely, a spokesman for state Attorney General Hardy Myers.
    The gifts ranged in value from $25 to $100. (more...)

Mayor urges resolution of transit union dispute

The Register-GuardJanuary 25, 2005
    Eugene Mayor Kitty Piercy has offered her services to the Lane Transit District and Amalgamated Transit Union Local 757 to try to avoid a strike of transit workers that could shut down the LTD system on Feb. 1. (more...)

Letter -- LTD workers' pay above average

By Eric Nichols, Eugene
The Register-Guard		January 25, 2005
    Now they've done it. In her Jan. 17 letter, Betty Barton speaks about having to potentially pay a deductible on Lane Transit District health insurance, saying "It's much easier to shell out a huge deductible when the paycheck is much larger."
    I was under the impression that LTD workers are some of the highest paid unskilled to semi-skilled workers in the area. Seems to me I recently saw an ad from LTD recruiting a person to clean buses. I believe the starting wage was over $13 per hour.
    That's as much or more than some college-educated workers are making -- people who have invested thousands of hours and thousands of dollars to better themselves. My unpopular (in Eugene) position is this: Paying a deductible for health insurance is a given for the vast majority of the population who are given the opportunity to have it. Health costs have risen dramatically, and more and more employers are facing difficulties in paying the rising costs.
    Finally, this entitlement attitude does not float in the real world. In my opinion, union people working for LTD get far more than average employees and yet can't seem to get enough.

Letter -- Health squabble not new to LTD debate

By Vernon Bell, Springfield
The Springfield News		January 26, 2005
    About four and a half years ago the management and the union workers at Lane Transit District negotiated a contract. Ken Hamm was the general manager at that time.
    Both parties agreed to the contract and it was accepted by both parties. Then about halfway through that contract, Ken Hamm changed it by making the employee pay part of the health insurance. In the contract health insurance was paid for by the employer. The employees took Lane Transit District to court and Ken Hamm lost the decision.
    Now the contract is up and Ken Hamm wants to punish the employees for standing up for their rights. Revenge is no way to run a public transit district.

LTD Negotiations Continue

By Jodi Unruh, unruh@kval.com
KVAL		January 26, 2005
    DOWNTOWN EUGENE -- After more than 12 hours behind closed doors Tuesday, Lane Transit District and union officials say they're still at an impasse, but they will resume talks again Wednesday night. (more...)

Susan A. Ban -- LTD simply can't sustain health care costs

By Susan A. Ban
The Register-Guard		January 27, 2005
    I write as a citizen who works with low-income people and who serves as one director on the Lane Transit District board. The concerns and perspective I share are my own and represent neither the board nor management of LTD. (more...)

Letter -- Avert a strike

By Kris and Debbie Bluth, Eugene
Eugene Weekly		January 27, 2005
    An open letter to Lane Transit District: While we realize that labor negotiations are inherently complex, we aren't interested in taking sides right now; we only wish to state simple facts.
    Our TV news gives the impression that the worst we can expect from a strike will be students carpooling to class, but reality is nowhere near that simple. Your passengers take the bus to work, to go grocery shopping, and even to meet doctor's appointments. Due to low income, age, or disability, LTD is the only means of transportation for many of these people. It is no exaggeration to say that many lives and livelihoods will come to a halt if a strike commences.
    Both social services and local retail will be hurt, money will be lost, and hostility will fester. Any walkout, however brief, will be disastrous to Lane County.
    Some may respond to this by saying that LTD is not a charity or altruistic enterprise, but a business. We accept that, but fail to see the business sense in treating your customers in such a shabby and disrespectul manner. We are your lifeblood, we pay your salaries, and without us, LTD ceases to exist.
    We've patiently endured service cuts and fare increases, and we deeply resent being held hostage by your inability to reach a compromise.
    You often claim that your passengers are your top priority. If this is the case, then now is the time to prove it; if not for your own good, then for ours. You've asked for our trust and we've rewarded you with loyalty on a daily basis. We beg you to take any step necessary to settle this dispute and avert a strike. Our community is depending upon it.

Slant -- Governor and LTD

Eugene WeeklyJanuary 27, 2005
    Why does the governor of Oregon appoint members of the LTD board? Shouldn't they be elected? But because he appoints the board, should he weigh in on union-board disputes at some point when the public interest is at stake? Sounds like leadership, an old-fashioned concept.

Slant -- RideShare Alliance

Eugene WeeklyJanuary 27, 2005
    Heard about The RideShare Alliance? Turns out the website (www.rideshare.us)that helps people all over the country with transportation networking is the creation of a local guy, Jason Reynolds, who designed it as a university class project. Might come in handy if LTD goes on strike. The website is geared to helping people get to events, but Reynolds says it can also be used for carpooling. LCC reportedly uses it already.

Letter -- LTD should expand service

By Lynne Schwartz, Eugene
The Register-Guard		January 27, 2005
    When I moved from New York City to Eugene two years ago, I was delighted to discover that the buses here are well-equipped for wheelchair users and can also transport bicycles.
    However, there were many problems with the system for someone like me. I don't own a car and am not able to ride my bicycle year-round. Most of the time I use the bus system to get around.
    I have had to adapt my livelihood due to the limited service on weekends and evenings. It has not been easy, but I value energy conservation and protection of the environment.
    I hope that during these negotiations the needs of Lane Transit District management, LTD workers and the public will all be communicated clearly. If there is a silver lining to the conflict, it is that people are paying attention.
    Let's use the resulting energy and good will to bring about beneficial changes. Personally, I would like to see two things happen: plans to increase bus service so more Eugeneans will choose LTD for their daily transportation, and assurance to LTD workers of viable wages and health coverage.

LTD, union continue talks in effort to avert strike

By Randi Bjornstad
The Register-Guard		January 27, 2005
    The prospect of avoiding a strike that could shut down the Lane Transit District's bus system as early as Tuesday seemed a bit more hopeful Wednesday night as negotiators for the transit agency and the union representing many of its workers adjourned after more than 12 hours of mediation. (more...)

No Agreement

By Sophie Soong, soong@kval.com
KVAL		January 27, 2005
    EUGENE -- It's a drawn-out battle that has been going on for weeks: Lane Transit District and its bus drivers trying to work out an agreement on their contract.
    But as the February 1st "strike date" draws near, time may be running out for L.T.D. and union workers to settle this peacefully. They met for about two and a half hours Thursday evening, all to come to a conclusion that no agreement can be made. (more...)

No deal yet between LTD and transit workers

KMTRJaunary 27, 2005
    Progress has been made in the negotiations between the Amalgamated Transit Workers Union Local 757 and Lane Transit District, but not enough to reach a deal.
    The two sides got back to the bargaining table Thursday for a second consecutive day of mediation. LTD has extended a final offer which union negotiators found unacceptable.
    A spokesman for the union says they have given concessions, without management doing the same. (more...)

Editorial -- Big sexy projects don't make LTD any more useful

The Springfield NewsJanuary 28, 2005
    As Lane Transit District and its union continue their struggle this week, the risk of a strike is more real every minute. But here's the sad part: For an awful lot of Springfield residents, it doesn't make a lick of
    difference.
    Why?
    Because although they spend enormous sums of cash on gorgeous new bus stations and sexy new technology projects like bus rapid transit, that seems to be the only form of growth at LTD. And projects like that do nothing to change the fact that, for a lot of people, LTD does not operate a bus system that provides a credible alternative to driving their cars. Never has. (more...)

Letter -- Support LTD's union workers

By Star Holmberg, Springfield
The Register-Guard		January 28, 2005
    The Register-Guard's Jan. 17 article "In the bus we trust" gave compelling details on how riders would be affected by a Lane Transit District strike, especially those riders with developmental disabilities. In preparation for a strike, I am trusting that many who read the piece from start to finish will step forward and assist those who would be left stranded.
    Those same volunteers can show support for the bus drivers by encouraging LTD management to propose a resolution that is fair to the union workers wishing to maintain their benefits.
    Having ridden on the bus, I've observed the patience inherent in accommodating the developmentally disabled as well as the challenge of dealing with some rude youthful riders. A bus driver's job is by no means a piece of cake, and she or he is clearly a valuable part of our community and deserving of compensation.
    Still, some will insist that unions are a bane on society, that union workers are greedy and that they provide nothing of value to others. Actually, quite the opposite is true.
    In communities where union workers are employed, local employment standards are higher than in communities where unions are nonexistent. Unions set the bar, and in our nation's history they were integral to getting the 8-hour day, the weekend and an end to child labor.
    Furthermore, unions are key to efforts that provide the lowest-paid workers with their minimum wage. Ironically, the developmentally disabled are very likely among the recipients of that wage.

Letter -- Most workers pay for insurance

By Mike Paudois, Springfield
The Register-Guard		January 28, 2005
    Lane Transit District employees need to wake up and realize it's 2005.
    Welcome to the real world. Costs of health insurance premiums for everybody have gone up significantly in the past years. Where have they been? Oh, I know; they've been covered by a fantastic benefit package.
    Are they really unaware that individuals and families who don't have the opportunity to work for a tax-funded organization often pay for 100 percent of their major medical insurance as well as having deductibles of $5,000 or more? Our premiums go up too, every year -- and most of us don't get a cost-of-living raise on a regular basis, either.
    These members of our community should be expected to contribute toward their own health costs, just as the private sector already does. I am not willing to continue to pay for 100 percent of my own family costs as well as contribute more to their costs through my taxes. After all, when it comes down to it, if they get their way, I and every other taxpayer will end up paying for them.
    In addition, they threaten the community with a strike and are willing to disrupt many of their riders' lives in a significant manner if they don't get their way. That's selfish and just plain wrong.
    This letter isn't written with a sour grapes attitude -- it's reality.

LTD, union fail to reach deal on health plan

By Randi Bjornstad
The Register-Guard		January 28, 2005
    A two-hour mediation session Thursday evening -- on top of 13 hours the day before -- failed to bring the Lane Transit District and its unionized workers to a meeting of the minds, increasing the likelihood of a Tuesday strike. (more...)

Riders wait nervously for word on bus strike

By Amber Fossen
The Springfield News		January 28, 2005
    After more than 12 hours of negotiating Wednesday, the Lane Transit District and Amalgamated Transit Union Local 757 had yet to reach a contract deal.
    An additional negotiation session was planned for 5 p.m. yesterday at the Eugene Hilton -- after The Springfield News' press deadline.
    Both parties were unable to discuss the negotiations Thursday morning. (more...)

LTD Strike Update

By Cathryn Stephens, stephens@kval.com
KVAL		January 28, 2005
    There's no progress to report in efforts to avert an LTD bus strike. The union representing workers plan a noon time rally Saturday.
    Meanwhile, a citizens group has formed to urge the transit district and its employees to enter a cooling off period. If there's no new contract, drivers plan to walk-out on Tuesday. Both sides are bracing for next week.
    We caught a ride with one driver would might walk off the job. She's spent the last 18 years on the road driving a bus for LTD. (more...)

Editorial -- Strike would hurt LTD: Governance shouldn't be part of dispute

The Register-GuardJanuary 29, 2005
    What good is a union that's never willing to strike? A union must be prepared to use its ultimate weapon -- workers' ability to withhold their labor -- in defense of what it perceives to be its members' interests. Otherwise, it's not a union -- it's a social club.
    And what good is a public board that isn't committed to the public interest? Honoring such a commitment sometimes requires saying no to demands, including union demands, that the board believes will hurt the agency and the general public in the long run. Otherwise, the board isn't really in charge.
    So here we have the Lane Transit District board and the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 757, each playing its assigned role in an increasingly fractious contract dispute. The drivers and other workers represented by the local could go out on strike as early as Tuesday, shutting down the transit system. Neither the board nor the union can be faulted for standing up for what it thinks is right. It may, however, be useful to let people on both sides know how the dispute looks from the outside. (more...)

Letter -- Cutbacks concern LTD drivers

By Pam Mamula, LTD Operator, Eugene
The Register-Guard		January 29, 2005
    I feel compelled to address Randi Bjornstad's one-sided articles on the impending strike at Lane Transit District.
    If the company were going to continue to pay the whole health care premium at 100 percent, as we have it now, what would be the point of increasing the health reserves from $700 to $988 for each employee? The 1.5 percent cost of living allowance LTD is offering is all the raises it is offering each year over a four-year span. That is what is in the contract I have on my kitchen table.
    Personally, if LTD were offering a 4 percent raise including a 1.5 percent cost-of-living adjustment each year over a four-year span, I would feel OK with paying my health insurance premiums. But I am a single person. I can't speak for my co-workers.
    For me, the issues include recalculating our vacation time -- taking away up to two weeks from higher seniority drivers. Prep time is the time the driver takes to make sure the bus is safe to take out on the road. The drivers have been concerned about the cutbacks on routes, even going so far as taking LTD to court to try and change routes back to the way they were before manager Ken Hamm showed up.
    There are issues here that affect the public in ways that Bjornstad has chosen not to address. For the most part, I really like this job. I have bad days and good days like everyone else, but it is not an easy job.

Idle LTD buses may push other plans in motion

By Susan Palmer , Anne Williams and Sherri Buri McDonald
The Register-Guard		January 29, 2005
    Educators and employers throughout central Lane County are scrambling to help students and staff find alternative ways to school and work as a possible bus strike looms. (more...)

Bus Drivers Rally As Possible Strike Looms

By Andrew Padula, andrewpadula@kezi.com
KEZI		January 29, 2005
    Talks between the bus drivers union and Lane Transit District have stalled. But just a day before both sides are scheduled to sit down for one last mediated session. A citizens group is stepping in to try and avert a threatened strike. (more...)

Janaury 30, 2005
Letter -- LTD workers are being selfish

By Michael J. Fuchs, Terrianne O'Rourke And David Fuchs, Eugene
The Register-Guard
    The Lane Transit District drivers and staff should realize that they provide a public service to people whose lives depend on the transportation provided by LTD.
    This strike is letting down especially senior citizens and the disabled who have no other options to get to work or to see their doctors. Whatever gripes the drivers and staff have should never get in the way of this service that they help provide for LTD's customers who don't have health insurance.
    We are truly disappointed and feel that the drivers and staff are being too selfish at this point in time. Please, don't strike! (more...)

Janaury 30, 2005
Letter -- LTD is being mismanaged

By Melinda Raven, Springfield
The Register-Guard
    What's going on with the Lane Transit District?
    Why are the employees preparing to strike?
    Why have 200 employees signed a petition of no confidence in General Manager Ken Hamm's ability to run LTD?
    Why aren't the citizens of Eugene and surrounding areas up in arms over the excessive capital expenditures by the general manager?
    Everyone who has an employee or is self-employed in the area serviced by LTD pays the payroll tax. Do they realize that their money is being spent on grandiose projects and not to support service for the riders?
    Hamm started with a capital expenditure budget of $2 million when he came on board four years ago, and the budget is now $27 million for 2005. He has done this while cutting the number of routes served and the hours of service, resulting in a 24 percent cut in service in the last three years.
    Hamm and his board of directors have also requested an increase in the payroll tax.
    If this is the way you run your business -- buying new buildings, remodeling, repainting and buying new vehicles, while cutting your services and service hours and raising your rates -- then support Hamm.
    If, however, you see this as a way to business ruin and in this case a gross abuse of the way your taxes are being spent, contact Rep. Peter DeFazio, your LTD board representative and Gov. Ted Kulongoski -- and don't forget to write letters to the editor. Help save LTD. (more...)

Transit leaders stand firm as union rallies for solidarity

By Jim Feehan
The Register-Guard		January 30, 2005
    Lane Transit District employees called for no backsliding on health care benefits at a rally Saturday leading to another mediation session today with LTD, a last-ditch effort to avert a threatened strike on Tuesday.
    About 150 unionized transit workers and supporters filled the Bascom-Tykeson conference rooms of the downtown Eugene library to call for solidarity and sing union protest songs set to classic country and folk tunes.
    Meantime, LTD spokesman Andy Vobora on Saturday said the transit agency's offer hasn't changed since it made a final offer based on consultation with LTD's board of directors.
    Union spokeswoman Carol Allred said LTD workers should not be apologetic about the health benefits they had under its old contract. (more...)

Pressure's on: LTD strike won't be easy ride

By Joe Harwood
The Register-Guard		January 30, 2005
    As workers and managers of the Lane Transit District approach the eve of a possible strike, neither side is likely to be sleeping well.
    If the 227 drivers, mechanics and other workers go on strike Tuesday, they walk away from solid jobs and face the prospect of getting by on $100 a week in strike pay and whatever savings they've managed to squirrel away.
    Transit district leaders, on the other hand, could pay a heavy political cost should a walkout create a community backlash. (more...)

Other

Letter -- Developers are back on top

By Norm Maxwell, Lorane
The Register-Guard		January 25, 2005
    It's business as usual at Lane County's Board of Commissioners. After a respite from automatic pro-development land use decisions under Commissioner Don Hampton, we are back to the regular 3-2 vote for every half-baked developers' scheme that comes before the board.
    The latest tool in vogue with developers is the "marginal" land ploy. You can claim any piece of farm or forest land is too marginal to grow crops or trees and should be developed and the board will blindly vote 3-2 for the scheme because development is good. Oh, yeah, and property rights, of course.
    Our new East Lane commissioner bragged during the primary election last May that "he didn't need a job." I certainly hope he isn't drawing a salary now. Just because he shares the name of his family dynasty doesn't make him an asset as county commissioner. Keep an eye on Commissioner Faye Stewart. If he fails to be anything other than another rubber stamp for developers, vote him out next election.
    Developers will make lots of money with the guaranteed 3-2 vote of the board. The question is, will you?

Letter -- Labor costs hurt public services

By Stu Burge, Springfield
The Register-Guard		January 28, 2005
    The well-being of the general public would be well served if The Register-Guard were to assign an investigative reporter to compile a fact-based review of local public employee salaries and benefits in the cities of Eugene and Springfield, Lane County, park districts, public utilities, school districts and certainly the Lane Transit District.
    For many years, the taxpayers have heard the continued cry for more money from public agencies. I believe the reasons are all too obvious: The majority of their operating budgets go directly to employee salaries and benefits, which increase each and every year.
    Bob Duey, Springfield's highly respected finance director, provided me with actual costs for the current year, as follows: Salaries and benefits for the average city employee total $80,287; this consists of $60,172 in salaries and $20,115 in insurance and retirement benefits. That translates to $6,691 per month total, or $38.60 per hour. It's an increase of 7.28 percent over the previous year.
    I am informed that Springfield faces a budget shortfall of $700,000 in the coming year and $2 million the year following. I can only assume that other jurisdictions are facing the same dilemma.
    We as a community must find a reasonable solution that is fiscally responsible if we are to cease operating in red ink and with decreased services. Elected officials must learn to say no to increasing labor costs that exceed reasonableness.

Outstanding employee award goes to city manager

By Bob Keefer
The Register-Guard		January 29, 2005
    City Manager Mike Kelly was given the Lane Council of Government's Outstanding Public Employee Award for 2004 at a banquet Thursday night. (more...)

Measure 37: Views

Bob Stacey -- Measure 37 not the answer to land use issues

By Bob Stacey
The Register-Guard		January 25, 2005
    Oregonians often cannot imagine living anywhere else. Things are truly different here: We pioneer new ideas, have a deep sense of stewardship and actively plan for growth in our communities. Our quality of life is superb, and we are rightfully protective of it. (more...)

Ginny Paseman -- Measure 37 restores owners' rights

By Ginny Paseman
The Register-Guard		January 28, 2005
    After reading the Jan. 25 guest viewpoint by Bob Stacey of 1000 Friends of Oregon about Measure 37, I would like to give a rural landowner's viewpoint on how Oregon's land use planning system came about and why Measure 37 passed with 60 percent of the vote. (more...)

Editorial -- Do us all a favor
Lawmakers should fix what's wrong with Measure 37, rather than help a chief petitioner around a flawed law

The OregonianJanuary 29, 2005
    As the chief petitioner and the public face of Measure 37, Dorothy English deserves to be first in line for a property claim under the land-use law voters approved in November.
    She does not to deserve to be exempt from the very law she helped persuade Oregonians to adopt.
    Yet legislators are considering bills that would allow English -- and English alone -- to sidestep the planning rules that apply to other property owners in Oregon. The proposals in the Senate Environment and Land Use Committee would allow English to split her 19 acres west of Portland into seven or eight lots. (more...)

Measure 37: News

Washingtonians look at land use
Dissatisfied landowners send out feelers for an initiative akin to Oregon's Measure 37

By Foster Church
The Oregonian		January 26, 2005
    VANCOUVER, Wash. -- When Oregon quakes, it's natural that Washington feels a tremor.
    That's happening now as the potential impact of Oregon's Measure 37 begins to ripple across the Columbia River. The measure, which voters passed by 61 percent in November, has fundamentally changed the state's pioneering land-use system to allow landowners to apply for relief from rules implemented since they acquired the property.
    If they can show that the value of their property has been reduced, the government responsible for the rule must waive it or pay for the loss of value.
    That landscape shift has environmentalists, homebuilders and others with an interest in land use questioning whether the wave of discontent that prompted the Oregon backlash will splash across the border and prompt a similar initiative measure in Washington, where, some believe, enough landowners are also angry. (more...)

Measure 37: Claims

Farmland owners claim right to build casino
The Measure 37 filing, which includes a golf resort near St. Paul, may be the first to seek a gambling site

By Ron Soble
The Oregonian		January 26, 2005
    Two Marion County brothers want a green light to build a casino, hotel and golf course on their farmland near St. Paul under a Measure 37 claim.
    The plan targets about 285 acres west of Interstate 5 owned by Mark A. McKay, 41, and his brother, Dean A. McKay, 39.
    The land is part of the family's original 160 acres purchased in 1856 before Oregon was a state, Mark McKay said in a letter to Sterling Anderson, the Marion County planning manager. (more...)

Land claims mostly for homes
Clackamas County has received more than 30 Measure 37 claims, primarily seeking to change farm or timber zoning

By Sarah Hunsberger
The Oregonian		January 27, 2005
    Clackamas County's Measure 37 claims are proving to be about what supporters of the measure say they intended.
    Of the more than 30 claims the county has received, most are from longtime owners of rural acreage who want to build a few houses or divide and sell part of their land for residential lots.
    There have been no dramatic proposals for plopping a big-box retail store in a cow pasture or building a racetrack in a residential area.
    The claims are coming from just the kind of landowners that the supporters of Measure 37, headed up by the property-rights group Oregonians in Action, had in mind when they came up with the measure, said John Charles, acting president of the Cascade Policy Institute, a free-market think tank. (more...)

Corvallis gets complaints over M37 claims

By Becky Waldrop
The (Corvallis) Gazette-Times		January 23, 2005
    Directions by the Corvallis City Council on how to implement Measure 37 have raised the hackles of some citizens seeking to file claims under Oregon's new land use law -- and raised questions about access to public records.
    An attorney representing potential claimants has complained that the public does not have access to city records that relate to Measure 37, in this case documents recording local zoning history.
    That complaint was noted by city staff at the council's work session Jan. 10. City Attorney Scott Fewel told the council that the city has an obligation to make records accessible, even if those documents could be used to build lawsuits against the city. (more...)

Measure 37 case moves to fore

By David Bates
The (McMinnville) News-Register		January 25, 2005
    Local land-use activists look at the Measure 37 claim filed by Maralynn M. Abrams and envision the grassy fields west of McMinnville overrun with hundreds of new homes.
    Facing a claim sorely lacking in detail, but raising major implications through its scope and scale, they subjected it to a worst-case analysis and sounded the alarm.
    Abrams' son, John, who lives on the land, doesn't think that's fair. His mother has nothing of the kind in mind, he says. (more...)

Measure 37 set for first local airing

By David Bates
The (McMinnville) News-Register		January 29, 2005
    Yamhill County Commissioners are expected to review half a dozen or more Measure 37 applications Tuesday when they convene for their regularly scheduled informal work session.
    As of Friday afternoon, Planning Director Mike Brandt had completed only one staff recommendation for a waiver request, however, and it's not for the one west of McMinnville that has land-use activists most alarmed.
    His initial recommendation is for a claim filed back in December by Renee Callanan of Sheridan, who wants to build two additional dwellings on 45 acres of farmland at 14316 Gopher Valley Road.
    Callanan has owned the property since August 1967. Brandt is recommending the board waive land-use regulations enacted since that time so she can build.
    Under county procedures, each staff report must include a determination as to the accuracy of the property owner's estimate of lost value due to new land-use rules.
    Callanan claimed a loss in fair market value of $520,000, but Brandt figures that's more than five times too high.
    Brandt said the mandate is to compare what the bare land is worth without building rights to what it would be worth with building rights. He said Callanan included the value of the two new houses she proposes to build, which is not the way it works. (more...)