Local News

Firefighters extinguished a Wednesday afternoon grass fire near Cave Junction. The Illinois Valley Fire District and Oregon Department of Forestry responded to the reported fire in the 6,000-block of Holland Loop Road at 3:47 p.m. yesterday. IVFD officials said arriving units quickly located and snuffed out the half-acre vegetation fire. After the blaze was declared out, mop-up work was completed. ODF was investigating the cause of the fire.

 

Rules to address the Grants Pass City Council during regular business meetings were changed by a unanimous vote last night. The primary change was reducing the amount of time citizens may speak during the public comment period from three minutes to two minutes. In the current rules, citizens must submit a public comment card prior to the public comment section of the meeting. The cards are available at the city administration office from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Cards will be received up to the time of public comment. The Council may ask two questions during public comment with citizens being given one minute to respond. The public comment period will be limited to a total of no more than 30 minutes. In special circumstances, the City Council has the discretion to extend the period. City councilors also adjusted their own rules of attendance. Current rules state that Council members can only attend electronically six times per year. The vote was to expand that to 10 times annually. The current rule was only two councilors could attend electronically, but that rule was dropped. All executive sessions must be attended physically.

 

Following a month-long investigation, the Jackson County Sheriff's Office Special Victims Unit (SVU) has arrested a 20-year-old Medford man for multiple counts of sex abuse of an underage victim. According to the Sheriff's Office, detectives arrested 20-year-old Brayden Cyrus Edelman on Wednesday at 11:30 a.m. in Medford. He was charged with one count of 1st-Degree Sex Abuse and two counts 2nd-Degree Sex Abuse before being lodged at the Jackson County Jail. Jackson County Public Information Officer Aaron Lewis said the investigation into Edelman started in mid-May. Although Edelman lives in Medford, he said the crimes occurred in White City. SVU detectives believe Edelman may have other victims who have yet to come forward. They said the case remains under investigation and it will be prosecuted by the Jackson County District Attorney's Office. Anyone with information on Brayden Edelman is asked to call SVU Detective Jill Wenzel at (541)-770-8928.

 

For the second time this week, Grants Pass Police arrested a man for violating a court order by returning to his estranged mother's residence. The Police Department reports officers responded to a domestic disturbance at a home in the 1400-block of SW Bridge Street on Wednesday shortly after 3 a.m.. Police said a woman called 9-1-1 to report that her son came back to her home, was inside the house and he was not supposed to be there. The caller stated that "one of the kids" may have let her son inside, but he walked out the front door and left on foot. According to the report, the 34-year-old man had been arrested for violating a restraining order at the residence on Monday afternoon. The order clearly states that he is not allowed to enter or remain on the premises. Responding officers observed the man on the property and placed him into custody in the backyard -- the same place he was arrested on Monday. The suspect was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Contempt of Court-Restraining Order Violation. He was being held without bail.

 

The Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division (OSHA) has fined a Grants Pass roofing company more than $86,000 for workplace safety violations such as repeatedly failing to safeguard workers from fall hazards. OSHA cited GB Roofing, LLC, following an inspection of a job site in Eugene where work was being done to replace the roof on a retirement home. The check was conducted under OSHA's prevention-based emphasis program addressing workers exposed to fall hazards that could seriously injure or kill them. According to the inspection, employees were working on the roof without fall protection. They were exposed to a potential fall of about 20 feet to the ground. The company had violated a rule requiring employers to ensure that fall protection systems are provided, installed and implemented where employees are exposed to a hazard of falling six feet or more to a lower level. It was the third time since May 2022 that GB Roofing violated fall protection requirements. GB Roofing was also cited for failing to provide eye protection to employees who were exposed to flying particles from the use of pneumatic staplers. It was a serious violation carrying a penalty of $1,153. During the inspection, the company corrected the violations identified by Oregon OSHA.

 

May was a busy month for Grants Pass Fire & Rescue. With its normal fare of emergency medical service, motor vehicle accidents and fires, the agency saw a 1.5% increase of activity in May of this year compared to May 2023. According to information provided by Grants Pass City Manager Aaron Cubic, Grants Pass firefighters and paramedics responded to 27 motor vehicle accidents, 16 fires and 10 drug overdoses last month. There was a total of 461 calls answered by Grants Pass & Rescue in May. They also included 149 for emergency medical service, 73 for lift assists, 30 for assists to the public, 29 for rescue situations and six for assists to other agencies. Events of note last month included the Wildland Readiness Exercise in Merlin where over 50 firefighters participated in wildland fire drills over three days. There was a three-alarm fire in Josephine County that required a recall of off-duty crews. During Boatnik, firefighters staffed as fireworks standby, bicycle medic teams and parade operations. The total number of calls for service through May of this year was 2,114.

 

The City of Grants Pass is still soliciting applications for new construction of residential housing developments that will serve qualified low- and moderate-income households -- but time is running out. The City has more than $479,000 from the Housing Opportunity Fund to distribute to qualified projects. The deadline to apply for these funds is this Friday at 3 p.m.. To be eligible for this funding, the resulting units must serve households whose income is at or below 80% of the Area Median Income for rental housing or 100% of the Area Median Income for homeownership units. The City's current housing incentives such as the Affordable Housing System Development Charge Waiver, Urban Renewal Funding and Community Development Block Grants are expected to be available and may supplement projects submitted under this Notice of Funding Availability. In 2021, the City of Grants Pass adopted the Affordable Housing Construction Excise Tax, which is the funding source of the Housing Opportunity Fund. The overall purpose of the tax -- per Senate Bill 1533 in 2016 -- and its accompanying rules is to help local jurisdictions address their communities' housing needs.

 

The Grants Pass City Council awarded significant grant funding aimed at adding affordable housing to the City during its regular meeting last night. The City Council first approved an ordinance vacating the property line of two lots at 165 SW Jefferson Road and SW G Street. Both lots are the property of a single owner who wishes to build a single dwelling home with detached garage. The Council then approved a resolution authorizing the City Manager to execute a special use permit allowing Grace Roots, a local nonprofit, to operate a support housing unit at 336 NE C Street. The unit would be referred to as Hope Home and would support pregnant individuals with substance use disorders. A full range of services would be provided along with sanitation concerns and security. An affordable housing grant of $747,500 from the American Rescue Plan Act was approved for the creation of water and sewer connections at the Fruitdale Townhomes and Cottage Development of up to 20 owner-occupied affordable homes at 1907 Fruitdale Drive. Home Bridging will sell the homes to families at or below 120% of area's median income. A $749,000 grant for Home Bridging was also approved for public infrastructure at 235 NW Scenic Drive by the Urban Renewal Agency. Doug Bradley, Sue Densmore, Susan Slocum and Constance Palaia were appointed to the Tourism Advisory Committee.

 

Now that spring is nearly over and shrubs and trees have leafed out, Grants Pass officials want to remind residents of the city's requirements for maintaining their vegetation in the public right-of-way. Summer officially begins today at 1:50 p.m.. Grants Pass City Code requires property owners to maintain vegetation in the public right-of-way along their properties. The right-of-way include sidewalks, planting strips, curbs and gutters adjacent to city streets. Trees and shrubs alongside city streets must allow the safe passage of motor vehicles and may not limit the visibility of drivers. Low-hanging tree branches must be trimmed to a minimum of 15 feet above roadway surfaces. At corners, shrubbery must be trimmed to a maximum height of 30 inches for a distance of 20 feet from an intersection. Weeds growing in cracks or seams of sidewalks are trip hazards and must be removed. Low-hanging tree branches must be trimmed to a minimum of 8 feet above the sidewalk. Shrubs and trees must be trimmed back so they do not encroach on sidewalks. Vegetation hanging over the curb or growing in the gutter interferes with drainage and street sweeping and must be removed. Shrubs should be trimmed back at least 6 inches from the curb. If you have any questions, please call the City of Grants Pass Streets Division at (541)-450-6110.