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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPermit Electrical 2007-11-28 - - - - ~ II mbc JRtgistcr-Q5uarh . . inside II I' SECTION C I on Calendar C2.. 11 For The Record C2 II WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 2B, 2007 Obituaries C4 II Senior Editor. Christian Wihtol II I 338.2381 . cwihtol@guardnet.com a " I Springfield to help fmance mobile home park repairs The city will pay up to $40,000 to fix the hazardous electrical systems near the homes of low-income residents in Thurston By JACK MORAN The Register-Guard SPRINGF1ELD - The lights will stay on at a Thurston area mobile home park for low-income seniors, where city officials plan to fIx a long- neglected electrical system that they believe endangers tenants' safety. KOPT sale may silence . progressIve talk radio Oregon Public Broadcasting is buying the AM station, The city will pay an electrician up to $40,000 to make emergency repairs at ChaJet Village Mobile Home Park on South 54th Street. The promise of assistance - in the form of federal money the city has set aside to help low-income homeowners - provides relief to park tenants who feared for weeks that their power might be shut off. "People have been really scared about this," 78-year-old park resident Betty Smith said. "They got a notice (from the city to make repairs) and a lot of them don't have any money for that." "It's just great that the city can help us with this," she said. Smith and other tenants unwit- tingly sparked a full-fledged city investigation into electrical safety Please turn to PARK, Page C3 I II II THOMAS Homme Register-Guard Springfield is paying as much as $40,000 to help low-income residents fix faulty electrical systems at a mobile home park near Thurston. The park manager threatened to evict residents if they didn't make repairs. Unionized workers slrike deal with Ll'U Th" t"ntnt;,~f' thrpP-,'pf"'" ~ BRIEFLY NORTHWEST Oregon tops report card for school food policies PORTLAND - A national health advocacy group rated Oregon and Kentucky the best in its report card on healthy food policies in schools. No states received an "A" from the Center for Sci- ence in the Public Interest. But Oregon and Kentucky both got an A-minus. Oregon rated an "F" in last year's report, but the state has since passed a school snack and beverage policy that limits calories, fats and sugars. The center reports that two-thirds of states have weak or no nutrition stan- dards to limit junk food and soda sales in schools. . Teen ejected from truck dies at the scene BIGGS - A 16-year-old girl died Tuesday when she was ejected from the back of a pickup that rolled down an embankment on Highway 97 in Sherman County, the Oregon State Police said. Four others were hurt in the crash that happened as the group was return- ing to Lindsay, Calif., from a Thanksgiving visit to Wash- ington. Leeanna Garza died at the scene. Investigators were trying to determine whether she was ejected before or after a canopy detached froin the pickup, Sgt. Julie Wilcox said. Her grandfather, 58-year- old Faustino Garza, was driving the pickup when he lost control on icy shoulder. THE REGISTER-GUARD CITY/REGION WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 28. 2007 Park: Low-hanging power lines, loose electric boxes pose danger Continued from Page Cl at Chalet Village earlier this year, after a previous park man- ager insisted that the residents pay for various system repairs throughout the complex. The group went to City Hall to fmd out who should finance the upgrades. "We knew we weren't respon- sible for all of the work," tenant Cecil Waggoner said. City electrical inspector Guy Dixon followed up on the inquiry by visiting Chalet Vil- lage. He found power lines lying on or hanging just above the roofs of 14 mobile homes, which he said posed a serious safety hazard to residents. . Wires cormected to several other homes were hanging per- ilously low to nearby sidewalks, constituting another danger. A third problem involved loose electric boxes attached to nearly 50 carports and storage units throughout the complex. "We had no idea how much would need to be repaired," Smith said. Dixon said that unless the system was promptly fixed by a licensed electrician, city offi- cials would order electrical service discormected at the 14 mobile homes where low-hang- ing lines sit on or near roof- tops. "It's dangerous, and we want to see it repaired so people aren't living at risk," Commu- nity Services Manager Dave Puent said. But the city could not per- suade the park's owners - who live in Southern California - to immediately pay for repairs. "Working with the owner wasn't getting us anywhere," Puent said. So, the city agreed to fund improvements that involve elec- trical wiring cormected directly to mobile homes owned by low- income residents. Substandard eqUipment attached to carports and storage units would be fIxed at the owner's expense. City officials on Tuesday vis- ited Chalet Village to explain the situation and begin signing up low-income park tenants for repair assistance. "We're calling this an emer- gency (because) it really is a serious issue that needs to be taken care of," housing pro- gram specialist Kevin Ko told about 30 park tenants who gath- ered for the meeting. Waggoner, a three- year park resident, said he and his neigh- bors appreciate city officials' help. "They didn't have to come out here and let everybody know the federal money is avail- able," said Waggoner, 68. "We do have a lot of shut-ins here who don't have transportation, other than a bus pass. So it is nice that (city offiCials) were able to sign people up here, rather than make them go to City Hall." Park manager Doug Wirrig, who began work at Chalet Vil- lage three months ago, is hiring an electrician to fIx equipment attached to the park's carports and storage units, as required by the city. Wirrig works for Chalet Village MHC, a limited liabil- ity company based in New- port Beach, Calif., that owns the mobile home park. He took over management duties after the dispute with residents sur- faced. "I came in in the middle of this, and we are on top of it now," Wirrig said. "1 am glad the city Is helping the residents, because J know there are plenty of people here who need the help." Radio: Station may collaborate with KLee Continued from Page Cl takenly think the two are con- nected. ''I'm not worried about it at all for a number of reasons," Barton said. "I'm in this busi- , ness to provide a service to Eugene Parkway. While it did lure a devoted audience, said Churchill Gen- eral Manager Paul Danttz, the advertising required to support the expenses never quite mate- rialized. Local staff cost about special. " Dantu holds out hope that Schultz - the national talk show host - will still be able to put together a deal that could save Air America in Eugene. Churchill Media also owns two Spanish language stations, one C3 Quality Tables Starting at $189500 ^ WilIamette ~ oW/ (', Pool Tables ~ Game Room Supplies ~ & Accessories $693 " o z I ANDREASON'S CREMATION & BURIAL ~ER'~CE 24.HOUR PHONE 485.6659 320 N 6th Street, Springfield andreasonsprin@aol.com Andy Andru.on .- .. I. i~~ ^ ~~II^ I