Share this article! Toll road hits bumps Proposals for Oregon’s only privately financed and operated toll road are having trouble getting off the ground. The Coastal Parkway, an 11.77-mile highway designed to connect Interstate 5 near Woodburn with Dayton, would run through land south of Portland that is zoned for agriculture. “I’m a little fascinated … Read more
Toll road hits bumps
Proposals for Oregon’s only privately financed and operated toll road are having trouble getting off the ground.
The Coastal Parkway, an 11.77-mile highway designed to connect Interstate 5 near Woodburn with Dayton, would run through land south of Portland that is zoned for agriculture.
“I’m a little fascinated by their assertion that there is any support for this at all,” Marion County Commissioner Patti Milne said. “We don’t need a bypass here that does nothing but solve Yamhill County’s traffic problems.”
Milne and fellow commissioners Sam Brentano and Janet Carlson are scheduled to meet with parkway promoters April 15, “just to hear first-hand where things stand,” she said.
Read the full story at OregonLive.com.
Tax for OSU criticized
An opposition group is campaigning against a five-year tax levy for the Lane County Extension, the county branch of the Oregon State University Extension.
The extension is designed to offer university programs including 4-H youth development and farms and gardens, but Friends4BetterSolutions thinks it’s unwise in this economy.
The levy would raise about $1.2 million annually. The owner of a house valued at $200,000 would pay an additional $10 per year.
The tax increase is “excessive and unnecessary,” [treasurer Cindy Land] said, especially given it comes at a time when “our community is cutting back on everything else, including public safety, health and compassionate
Read the full story at The Register-Guard.
Grants support jobless
Grant money from the Job Council is helping laid-off workers in Jackson and Josephine Counties get back in the work force.
Also helping is funding from a National Emergency Grant designed to help those laid off from 14 companies in the two counties during specific dates between October 2008 and February 2009.
“We applied for the grant in early 2009, but we didn’t hear we got it until November,” [said Katie Cole of the Job Council]. “Some people have returned to work. One thing I’ve heard from some clients is, ‘This is great, but where were you eight months ago?'”
Companies on the list are Asante Health System, the White City plant of Boise Cascade, Ashland Community Hospital, Certainteed Siding, Cascade Wood Products, Erickson Air Crane, Circuit City, Hach Analytics, Linen & Things, Johnny Cat Construction, Panel Products, Pro Tool Darex, Qwest Communications and Swanson Lumber.
Read the full story at the Mail Tribune.
Coos Bay full of salmon hope
Predictions for a strong salmon season have Coos Bay entrepreneurs hoping for improved business.
RV parks, boat dealers and tackle shops are among the businesses that are looking to take advantage of the improved season.
Travel-generated spending from visiting fishermen pumped more than $12.2 million into the local economy in 2008, according to Portland-based Dean Ryan Associates, who did an economic impact study for the state Department of Fish & Wildlife.
That dollar amount doesn’t include what locals spent on fishing, which came to another $2.5 million.
Read the full story at The World Link.
Business hits the slopes
While the winter has been relatively dry, a recent round of precipitation helped business jump for Willamette Pass Resort.
Hundreds of visitors flocked to the resort this weekend, numbers comparable to typical winter breaks and season openings.
Indeed, the snow brought hundreds of people to the mountain on Sunday — an estimated 450 — which is half of the “phenomenal” total of 900 who showed up Saturday, said Krystle Ferguson, guest relations manager for Willamette Pass Resort.
“It was a big rush,” Ferguson said. “We’re very happy with it.”
Read the full story at The Register-Guard.
