By Nicole Montesano • Staff Writer • 

Johnston touts plan to find new site for fairgrounds

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Comments

CubFan

So Johnston wants to get grants to pay for this vision. Isn't this what Carrie Martin did before she was fired last week? Write grants? Hmmm... Sounds like the BOC decision to fire Carrie is already costing us money.

Terrigramma

This is so confusing. The commissioners eliminated positions and cut funding to HHS and turn around and want to buy land for the fairgrounds??? Hmmm… health services or fairgrounds? Tough decision. And then to state they would look for grants to pay for it after eliminating the grant writer. One of us needs a padded cell.

Culbert

There are a few items in this article referring to county parks that are confusing or are inaccurate:
1. The site of the former boat ramp called Monroe Landing at Whiteson has not been reevaluated as suitable to re-establish since it was washed away many years ago, and is now overgrown and abandoned.
2. The upgrade planned for Dayton Landing Marine Park focuses on repairing the dangerous boat ramp, rather than focusing on the parking lot.
3. Establishing an off-leash dog park at Stuart Grenfell Wayside Park is a good idea, and would likely be appreciated by travelers along St. Hwy. 18 since the State Dept. of Transportation doesn't offer a similar facility between McMinnville and the coast. The county does offer an off-leash dog park at Ed Grenfell Park.
4. The property donated to the county as a park that is not on the county parks website is properly called Judge Renne Park. The western half is deed restricted for equestrian uses. Since the county recently extensively overhauled its website, county staff and the Parks Advisory Board are working to get the parks pages updated.
5. The parks website pages do not list the railroad ROW along St. Hwy. 47 as a park because it has always been considered a transportation corridor, and not a park. The grants obtained to purchase the ROW and begin improvements were transportation-related.
6. The lease for Wrex Cruse Wayside Park is from the Cove Orchard Sanitary District.
7. There have been no discussions by the Parks Advisory Board during my tenure over the last 12 years about transferring any park lands that are "unused and not accessible" so as to save on maintenance and reduce liability. We have recommended transferring ownership of Crabtree Park outside Dundee to the CPRD, since the CPRD, and not the county, has always been the one managing it.
8. The deed for Charles Metsker Park is deed restricted for group use only, so is not open to the general public.

fiddler

Well, bowl me over, lads! There it is! Berschauer wanted to sell the RR right of way to farmers. Folks, she does not represent taxpayers.

Please vote for Bubba!

fiddler

Berschauer is on the side of farmers, the largest recipients of tax breaks and subsidies in the state imo. We taxpayers pay for those subsidies! And she wants to “sell” the RR right of way to them? For how much? Fifty-cents per $10,000 valuation?

Vote her OUT!

YamCoCan

It’s absolutely awful to hear that fairgrounds should be prioritized over healthcare and some parks should be sold to pay for others.

Loretta

Not sure how this article about Kit Johnston can be twisted to be about Lindsay B. but anyway, back to the subject, I am not in favor of using new found land to build a new fairgrounds. I think it is better to find ways to make better use of what is already there and not use up land unnecessarily.

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