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Monday, June 19, 2023
Klamath Basin Weather
Monday, Juneteenth
A 30% chance of showers and thunderstorms. Cloudy with a high near 58. Winds gusty at times to 17 mph. Overnight a slight chance of showers, low near 34.
Today’s Headlines
The Klamath County Office of Emergency Management is being reviewed by the state Office of Emergency Management for the way it is handling its finances.
During a Thursday Klamath County Board of Commissioners meeting, commissioners voiced their concerns about its emergency management office being reviewed by the state.
Commissioners said OEM is reviewing the department because of missing or incorrect billing for grants it was receiving.
Documentation from the state shows a number of missing quarterly reports from the county emergency management office.
OEM said the county also failed to provide interagency agreements for organizations that they partnered with on grant projects.
The missing or incorrect documentation could end up costing the county thousands of dollars in potential reimbursements.
Though commissioners noted the review by OEM is different than an audit.
Commissioners said they spoke with Emergency Manager Brandon Fowler and Sheriff Chris Kaber about the situation.
Fowler’s position is part of the Klamath County Sheriff’s Office.
The City of Klamath Falls is facing a lawsuit worth $5.5 million for alleged breach of contract, fraud, tortious interference with a business and three other counts.
Cauble & Whittington LLP, representing Dan Martin Construction LLC, filed the lawsuit Tuesday, May 2 in the Circuit Court of the state of Oregon for the County of Klamath due to the City of Klamath Falls’ failure to sign a contract for phase 2 of a construction project for a new subdivision currently called Hidden Valley (formerly known as Sierra Heights).
According to the lawsuit, waiting on Klamath Falls to sign a contract for phase 2 on the construction project has cost plaintiff Dan Martin Construction more than 43 months of progress resulting in economic damages.
The situation dates back to 2014 when Martin first acquired the subdivision after a former developer defaulted on a loan. At the time, all that was required by Klamath County was the name of the subdivision to be changed and that there be no changes to any parameter of the previously approved subdivision.
Dan Martin Construction then contacted the City of Klamath Falls asking if there were any additional requirements needed. Not hearing back from the city, the county issued a final approval of the subdivision in April of 2015.
Working with the county, the city and sanitation districts on finalizing the underground infrastructure, the phase 1 contract was signed and Dan Martin Construction successfully completed it by building 22 homes.
Three years into the subdivision project and having fulfilled the first construction loan agreement, in 2018 Dan Martin Construction was ready to begin Phase 2 when, according to the lawsuit, listed defendants former city engineer Scott Souders and Director of Public Works Mark Willrett approached Dan Martin (owner of Dan Martin Construction) and informed him that “there was a big problem with proceeding on the project because of the pump station on the subdivision.”
According to the lawsuit, the City of Klamath Falls under direction from Souders and Willrett “moved the goalposts” and required that Dan Martin Construction build and make operational a new pump station before any water would be made available for phase 2.
According to the lawsuit, Martin signed the new agreement under duress as witnessed by the project’s Civil Engineer of Record Mark Cross so as to prevent a halt to construction.
In the fall of 2019, Phase 2 underground water infrastructure was completed by Dan Martin Construction and was approved by the city, the lawsuit states, however Souders and Willrett refused to sign the contract bringing the subdivision project to a halt as the issue became the pump station.
Doing research for the build on the pump station, the lawsuit states, Martin discovered that within the Master Water Plan created by the City of Klamath Falls in 2010 the city stated they would allocate $200,000 for the upgrades required for the pump in the then-Sierra Heights Subdivision.
At the time the lawsuit was filed, the contract for phase 2 had still not been signed and Martin’s permits had expired and his company was 43 months into a 60-month loan agreement.
The Klamath County School District (KCSD) Board of Directors filled an empty seat at the table this week at their regular board meeting.
During the meeting Thursday, June 15, the board chose a replacement for the Zone 2 director position vacated by Laura Blair when she resigned April 12.
After the KCSD board interviewed each of the candidates, Brooke Kliewer was appointed to fill the position.
Two years into her first term, Blair had resigned in response to the enactment of legislation which requires elected school board members to disclose all economic interests.
With that business taken care of, the board turned its attention to its budget.
After adopting a third supplemental budget, the board also voted to approve the district’s budget for fiscal year 2023-24 with a total of $158,538,636.
The latest supplemental budget addressed a liability issue within the Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) fund.
Director of Business Services Dennis Clague said the discrepancy arose from a differentiation between the amount of PERS funding deducted from employees compared to the amount assessed by PERS upon an employee’s retirement.
“The evaluation can and often does identify errors or omissions in the employee’s portfolio,” Clague said. “If they’re accurate, PERS makes an adjustment.”
A reserve fund for this purpose has run dry, leading the board to its decision to allocate $600,000 from the general fund to reconcile invoices.
Klamath Falls Streets Division crews are set to perform maintenance on streets this week.
Work will occur from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday, June 20 through Friday, June 23.
Crews are scheduled to perform asphalt repairs at the following locations:
- Tuesday: Shasta Way between Washburn Way and South 6th Street
- Wednesday, June 21 through Thursday, June 22: South 6th Street between East Main Street and Adams Street
Additionally, paint crews are slated to paint crosswalks, legends and curbs Tuesday through Friday in the downtown core on Klamath Avenue, Main Street and Pine Street.
Finally, sign maintenance and sweeping will be performed Tuesday through Friday throughout the city as needed.
Detours and signage will be in place where needed. Work might be delayed due to weather, equipment breakdown or unexpected emergencies. For more information, call the City Public Works Department at 541-883-5385.
Fire season for Klamath and Lake counties started on Friday.
Fire District 1 responded to a small roadside brush fire Friday morning, jumping right into the season. Even with cooler temperatures, fuels that are green can burn and grow rapidly. Crews were able to quickly stop the spread and extinguished the fire. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
On Thursday, June 15, members of the Klamath County Fair Board, Fair Manager Derrick “DJ” Rowley, and Klamath County Commissioners, Dave Henslee and Derrick DeGroot ceremoniously broke ground on an RV park project at the Klamath County Fairgrounds / Event Center (KCF).
The new facility will double from its previous size of 24 shared sites to 48 full hookup campsites.
The RV community can expect standard amenities inside the campground, including: campsites with both back-in and pull-through options, accommodations for RVs up to 65 feet in length, a fully landscaped facility, and paved driveways. Each site will offer concrete pads, picnic tables, freshwater connections, 30/50-amp electrical service, and sewer drains.
In addition, the facility will be secured with a privacy fence around the perimeter and include its own coded entry gate for easy access off Crest Street. Separating RV traffic from fairground traffic, reducing congestion at the main gate.
Programmers are developing an online booking system to make stays automated. Allowing travelers to easily book their stay and check-in 24 hours a day, without the need to visit the main office during regular business hours. Greatly improving the overall experience.
In addition to the spacious sites, a new ADA-accessible bathhouse with restrooms and showers will be constructed on the north side of the RV park.
This project is the latest in a series of updates for the fairgrounds. In 2021, the fairgrounds / event center crew added more green space as well as utility upgrades to the food court west of the Stillwell Arena. As well as improvements to the meeting rooms in Linman Hall. Soon, additional improvement projects will include new food court bathrooms as well as South 6th St. frontage re-design, and a new maintenance shop.
The campground will be the largest capital project on the 55-acre property since the construction of the Event Center in 2000.
Construction of the RV park is expected to be completed in the late fall of 2023.
Firefighters are working on extinguishing a fire that sparked yesterday in the Marble Mountain Wilderness.
The Klamath National Forest Service says that the Bear Fire was spotted June 17 in the vicinity of Bear Wallow Peak.
Smokejumpers were sent to the fire on the afternoon of June 17, but the forest service says the jumpers were unable to jump because of erratic winds.
Today, Klamath Hotshots have been helicoptered into the Bear Fire, and plan on spiking out on the fire.
Klamath National Forest officials say the fire is estimated to be about a quarter acre at this time.
The Klamath County Economic Development Association (KCEDA) has announced that Klamath Basin Oktoberfest, is officially scheduled for September 23rd, 2023.
Whether you wear lederhosen or Levi’s, what’s for certain is you won’t want to miss this festival come fall. The event has had groundbreaking attendance in previous years, attracting between 2,000-3,000 people on average, representing a welcome mix of local residents and travelers from regions throughout the West Coast. According to representatives of KCEDA, the event is on track to bring in record-high attendance.
Located at the Bill Collier Ice Arena on the Running Y Ranch & Resort, the event will take place on Saturday, September 23rd from Noon to 9pm. As a regional gathering, The Klamath Basin Oktoberfest is designed to bring the community and tourists together to celebrate the remarkable brew, food, and entertainment options that exist right here in Southern Oregon.
In addition to the many notable vendors participating at the event, there is also a wide selection of family friendly games and activities for people of all ages to enjoy.
Around the state of Oregon
1,800 nurses are on strike at Providence hospitals
Some nurses at Providence Portland Medical Center, Providence Seaside Hospital and Providence Home Health and Hospice went on strike Monday, June 19.
Providence officials told Pamplin Media Group news partner KOIN 6 News the hospitals will remain open and staffed while they reassign employees and bring in traveling nurses to take care of patients at the impacted facilities over the planned five-day strike.
“We do have a replacement workforce, poised and ready to go that will step in to take care of the patients,” Jennifer Gentry, the Chief Nursing Officer for Providence’s Central Division told reporters today.
The two sides have been negotiating a new contract for months. Nurses want better pay, health care, sick time and working conditions, including relief workers when nurses are on break, so nurses don’t have to double up patient loads.
Providence administrators say that hospital officials will not negotiate with nurses while the strike is underway. They say they have offered double-digit wage hikes to nurses, as well as other incentives. Stay tuned.
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