Figure 65
Bridge over the Willamette River near
Oakridge
"I used to live in the ghetto area along
the railroad tracks. We liked it."
"We came here four years ago to retire
because we liked the climate and the beauty. We've been well received."
"The natural beauty and
cheap housing attracted me here 8 years ago."
"I stay here because it
is quiet and peaceful, for the most part."
"We moved to Eugene as a
kid because my family could not make it here. We moved back when we could. That
was the pattern."
Publics
Residents report
that the town is becoming a bedroom community, "but not too much." Although the
flow of people between Oakridge and Eugene has been a fact of life for
generations, more people are commuting today for their livelihood. However,
this pattern is not nearly as pronounced as in other parts of the Cascades. One
observer pointed out that residents of Detroit, Sweet Home, and even McKenzie
Valley have a range of urban zones to which they have access, while Oakridge
residents, in practical terms, can only get to Eugene and Springfield. This
factor may be limiting the commuting phenomenon so prevalent in the other
areas.
A number of people
pointed to the increase of low-income residents that have come to the community
in the last ten years. The perception is that the attraction is affordable
housing available in Oakridge. However, the new welfare reform act evidently is
encouraging their return to the urban area because of its requirements to seek
out work. As it is, the flow of these folks into and out of the community
continues.
"There are more low income people living on welfare
here now. They come here for the affordable housing."
Local residents
estimated retired people in the community at about 50%.
Other publics
include forest industry workers, business people, families, and youth. We were
told the only Hispanics in town run the Mexican restaurant.
Networks
See
Section Two.
Work Routines
The
decline of timber production has hit this community hard. Several boarded up
businesses, and many homes in need of renovation attest to the poor economic
conditions that characterize the area presently. Perhaps half of the housing
stock is trailer homes. The city planner stated that the population went from
5000 to 3000 in a short period of time.
"People gave up on timber. Forest products has only
one line in the economic strategy group."
"Fallers commute four hours now instead of one. They
can come back if things open up."
"Clearcuts are good for hunting, Christmas trees and
firewood. These are part of our culture."
"I've worked all over the valley - mostly trucking
logs out of the forest. I have a trailer in Oakridge because it is twice as
cheap as living in Eugene."
The
city is actively working to bring in new business and, like other Oregon
communities, has focused on recreation as the most promising area of
development. Oakridge is beginning to bill itself as the "Center of Oregon
Recreation." Outdoor stores are needed to promote skiing, mountain biking, and
boating. Only one fly shop is in town. A marketing company has been hired to
create a new trademark for the community, to market prospective businesses, and
to develop a web page for Oakridge. A new pizzeria opened during the research
period that was packed on opening night.
Residents stated
that ski shops and bike shops don't go over well because of the long
off-season. The rent is too high for these businesses. Poor snow conditions in
the last few years make it difficult as well.
A number of new
businesses have begun in the area, including childcare, foster care, and
special needs care. Creative Composites is a new plastics manufacturer. Kozy
Kamper is manufacturing facility at the Industrial Park. Many residents talked
about the loss of the Armstrong mill, which after receiving much support from
city, the Forest Service, and the community, is moving to Klamath Falls, "for a
better deal."
The City
Administrator reported that the major employers important for Oakridge residents,
along with the number of their employers, are:
Oakridge School
District, education: 110
Middle Fork Ranger
District, Forest Service: 97
Armstrong Wood
Products, secondary wood products: 42
Ray's Food Place,
grocery store: 39
City of Oakridge,
government: 32
Source: Oregon
Department of Economic and Community Development, Community Profiles, 2000.
Support Services
When residents
were asked about their community, they typically listed businesses that were no
longer present - so many food stores, bars, restaurants and other businesses.
These businesses could not survive after the decline of timber.
"Over 20 businesses have gone down."
The
City's "dark period" was between 1999 and 2001. The city almost went bankrupt
and the town became fragmented. The two newspapers were "feuding", and drawing
residents into protracted political fights that remained unresolved. Some
people attempted to start another Chamber of Commerce to circumvent the
existing one.
The
Chamber of Commerce has been inactive for the past couple years. Although it
was near bankruptcy, it maintained a minimal presence. School enrollments are
said to be declining steadily. Officials are considering merging the middle and
high schools.
"The school superintendent is leaving because
he said he couldn't carry the load anymore. This area lacks volunteer efforts.
The elementary school principal is leaving as well."
"Kids are coming to school dirty."
Greyhound
quit stopping in town a couple years back. Only seniors and disabled people
have public transportation into town. The railroad downsized a couple years
ago.
The
City is attempting to re-orient its activities to support a recreation economy.
"The City is not in the business of managing recreation," the city planner
said, and must develop its capacity. Several people commented that the new city
administrator was a "breath of fresh air" and was likely to create more
positive outcomes.
A town meeting
held in April was said by one resident to be the first one held to talk about the
future of Oakridge. Residents expressed hope that that meeting would create
momentum and agreement about vision and direction.
The water system
needs to be upgraded as the sewer system floods every time it rains. The
industrial park was established and money put into it, but now the community is
wondering what's going to happen next. Second Street is in very bad shape. The
city wishes to hire an economic development person.
"Truckers favor Highway 58 over I-5 [Interstate 5]
because they don't have to chain up so often. The City could take advantage of
this somehow."
The
Willamette Activity Center houses the social service offices in town. Many of
the offices do not open until 1 p.m. Oakridge houses a learning center from
Lane Community College that conducts customized training programs in
conjunction with Oregon Economic and Community Development Department.
Collaborative
events in the community mentioned by residents are Oakridge/Westfir Together, a
coalition against tobacco, alcohol and drugs, and the annual Halloween Party,
with 500 people attending last year. The Tree Planting Festival, begun in 1953,
is still very well attended by visitors and residents. Other community events
include the Aufderheide Road Tour, Pioneer Picnic, the Cascade Fat Tire
Festival, The Cream Puff Bicycle Race, the fall production of the Zero
Clearance Theatre Company, Westfir Bridge Lighting, and Oakridge Holiday
Decoration
Over
230 Food Baskets went to seniors this year, indicating a strong caretaking
system that is still operating.
Recreational Activities
See Section Three.
B.
Trends, Themes and Citizen Issues
Related
to Community Life
Trends
The percentage of
low-income residents is increasing because of the availability of affordable
housing.
Young families are
leaving to find work elsewhere.
Oakridge is
turning into a bedroom community.
Young retired
people move to the area, and then move away as they age when they need better medical services or
assisted living care.
After several
difficult years, there are signs of renewed energy and leadership in the
community.
Themes
1. "The biggest
thing has to do with getting over the timber boom. People can't stop talking
about trying to get timber back in town."
"I
miss the good old logging days."
2. "This area is
in a downward spiral. Why invest?" This
comment reflects the general pessimism expressed by several residents about the
business climate in Oakridge.
3. "We don't say 'no'." A number of city staff
described the open door policy that they attempt to ensure, encouraging people
to come in and talk.
"We want the family atmosphere that we had ten years
ago - the sense that we're all in this together and we have to make it work."
4. "We are
becoming a volunteer community." Residents said that before 1988, there was
money in the town. After the timber bust, the residents who didn't leave began
to volunteer for civic affairs in the face of shrinking budgets. This theme
reflects the belief of many that Oakridge has an emerging spirit and energy for
change.
"___ operated a skating rink for the kids. Most came
in for free in return for chores to keep it going. Almost every weekend, she
had sleepovers at the rink. She didn't make money and didn't want to. When the
rent doubled she quit. Most nights, there were 150 kids at the rink."
Citizen Issues Related to Community Life
City Governance
"ODOT wants to do everything cheap and fast. The
City is trying to revitalize, plant new trees, pave sidewalks, and fix streets.
We have a long-term perspective and ODOT is an obstacle."
"We need to figure out what the public priorities are. The
City has no idea how the public feels about certain things, how they would like
to see things done."
"Collaboration among the communities along Highway 58 was
poor. They didn't realize the benefit of networking."
"The
city bought all these trees and bushes for the downtown lot. They forgot about
them and the plants almost died before they were planted. It's an example of
how the city works."
"The
city tried to make all home businesses pay double sewer tax because they were
supposed to have two bathrooms. It made everyone mad and they gave it up."
"The
City has plans to bury the power lines. That's too expensive and there are more
immediate problems, like the need for a laundromat."
Services
"Lane County is talking about consolidating 911 centers,
merging Oakridge and Florence. There's a lot of forest and highway to cover.
Oakridge needs to have 24 hour service."
"We'd
still like to see the Chamber of Commerce to locate in the new Forest Service
building."
"I
heard that Oakridge was going to get a laundromat soon. That would be a good
thing because of all the trailer homes."
"A
sensible place to start with downtown is to paint the buildings."
Quality of Life
"Many kids don't want to leave Oakridge. They like
living here, but they're forced to leave because there are no jobs. I knew two
boys a few years out of high school that left for Eugene but came back because
they missed living here."
"Highway 58 is dangerous and a speed trap.
People don't realize how slow they have to drive through town."
"Highway 58 is a major eyesore. There are plans for
possible curbs and tree planting alongside businesses."
"Many
high school kids have died on 58. It has a history of fatalities. Many people
in town own a police scanner to hear about wrecks."
"Kids
have nothing to do. Drinking and drugs are a big problem. A new officer has
been hired to track tends down that are partying in the woods."
"Commuting
takes a toll on the parents. They have less time for their kids."
"I
don't want to talk with you. This is a very small community and I'd rather not
say anything."
Loss of
Business and New Development
Residents
bemoaned the loss of business during the last decade, from five video stores
down to two, from two newspapers to one (although many people thought the loss
of a paper was a blessing because of their feud). The number one issue
expressed in the community was a wish for more economic activity.
"The newspaper feud splintered the community and it still
hasn't recovered."
"A
minimum security prison was interested in coming to town, but a vocal minority
showed up to meetings and shut down the plans. That would have brought a lot of
jobs to the area."
"Since
Armstrong is closing, the only jobs left are with the Forest Service and the
schools."
Section Two:
Communication
Strategies
A. Informal Networks and Communication
Visitors use
McGillicuddy's coffee shop and deli.
The bulletin board
at the Metro Credit Union is regularly used.
Long time
residents and loggers gather at the Village Café.
True Video is a
communication spot.
The bowling alley
is frequented by seniors, drinkers and smokers and is very often packed.
Rosalina's café is
an important gathering place for mountain bikers that use the Oakridge area.
B. Formal Groups and Communication
Figure 66
Organizations With Interest in Public Lands in the Oakridge
Area
|
Organization
|
Contact Information
|
Mission
|
|
Oakridge/Westfir Chamber of Commerce
|
48248 Highway 58
Oakridge, OR
(541) 782-4146
|
Business development
|
|
Lost Creek Watershed
Group
|
Diane Davis
P.O. Box 27
Lowell OR 97452
mailto:mfwwc@efn.org
(541) 937-9800
|
Watershed restoration
|
|
Mid-Fork Willamette Council
|
Juan Welsh
P.O. Box 27
Lowell, OR 97452
(541) 937-9800
mfwwc@efn.org
|
Watershed restoration
|
Section
Three:
The
Public Lands Perspective
A. Uses of and Orientation to Public
Lands
Part of the
recreation interest of Oakridge families is for positive outlets for kids and
adolescents. The general sentiment is that young people do not have enough to
do (See Issues section). As families have reverted to commuting, time available
for family life has decreased, so that kids and youth are more unsupervised
than previous years.
Skating
and movies are not enough for kids. They go to Eugene for entertainment."
Oakridge residents
are very oriented to the outdoors and to public lands. In the past, that
orientation has mainly revolved around the timber industry and the needs of a
working population. While recreation is increasingly important in an economic
sense, recreation activities for long-time residents remain
traditional - fishing, hunting and hiking, with winter sports coming into its own.
The area is heavily used for snowmobiling in the winter, although presently not
many businesses are oriented to the activity.
Mountain biking
has become very popular around Oakridge. Mountain bike stores and enthusiasts
in Eugene talked about the efforts they have made to build mountain bike trails
in Oakridge and maintained that Oakridge is the favorite area in the region for
the sport. Mountain bike people made a point of stating that they cater to
certain businesses in Oakridge that they feel appreciate their presence.
Overall, they did not feel that Oakridge is oriented to them or to their
economic contribution.
Boat launches will
be built soon, according to a couple locals. The economic development related
to recreation has not been developed.
"We are an area of
dispersed users - fly fishers and bikers, for example. They don't spend."
Forest Service
partnerships in this area are many but include:
Youth
Conservation Corps (YCC) with high school kids;
Outdoor
School through the Oakridge School District;
Volunteer
Day;
Youth engaged
in community service;
The Middle
School is working with the Forest Service on a trails program;
Forest
Service staff serve in various capacities in the community from boards of
various organizations (school board, city council) to teaching wrestling.
The
agency also aided the development of the industrial park, which has had limited
success so far. The Family Resource Center is housed in the Oakridge Elementary
School. It offers a variety of classes for all groups in computer, art,
writing, literacy, and other topics. The Forest Service has assisted this
organization in many ways, including involving youth to put together an
informational book on Waldo Lake, paint a mural on the new Forest Service
building, and contribute art work to its lobby.
B.
Themes and Citizen Issues Related to
Natural
Resource Management
Themes
1. "People respect
Forest Service employees, but there is still bitterness about the loss of
timber." This theme appeared widespread and relates to generally positive
relationships between Forest Service workers and town residents. The anger
about timber policy is more generalized, attributed to the national level and
to "environmentalists."
"I have nothing but good things to say about the
Forest Service. Many of them are my friends. They are doing a great job."
2. "We love what
we do, but the economics has not caught up. We are losing ground." There is an
inherent resilience and determination in Oakridge at the individual level that
has not yet reached critical mass. The emerging economic strategies have not
yet taken hold enough to get people from the edge of survival into more
comfortable positions.
3. "We don't know
what the rules are anymore." Forest Service staff expressed this theme in
relation to the great number of changes that have taken past over the last
several years. It reflects the great uncertainty since timber production has
declined but new answers have not yet emerged. Timber sales, reduced in volume
and number, are offered but not sold; gridlock occurs in relation to other
initiatives. How best to help the community in its transition is not always
clear or agreed to by others.
"People have lost trust with the Forest Service.
They perceive we lost the mill, put in the fee demos, had problems with survey
and management; now there are road closures."
Citizen
Issues Related to Natural Resource Management
General
"If the Forest Service
loses anymore staff, or if they close another office, how are they going to
manage their lands? There is so much land out there."
Jobs
and Business
"I hear the Forest Service
is going to lay off a lot more people. That makes me really nervous. I also
heard the Armstrong mill is going to close down - that's another 30 people out of
a job."
"Fifty jobs are going to
be lost when Armstrong moves to Drain. The City gave them tax breaks and
incentives, but I guess they found a sweeter deal."
"Jobs in the Woods
[training program] has been good but not sustainable. It is still dependent on
funding."
"We were offered $12,000
to restore the mill site, but no one has equipment. It's a steep site. We
turned it down." [Forest Service staff]
"Working on the summer
crews as a high school kid was part of the culture of Oakridge. Now there
aren't many of those jobs and you have to know someone to get them."
Recreation
"The road closure policy
is a good one. The forest needs a breather for a while. You can still hike in."
"Road closures are good
during hunting season because it limits the poaching. It's harder on older
hunters, though, who can't walk far distances."
"Every time I go out to
hunt, there are more roads closed. It's very frustrating because we don't know
which roads are going to be closed until we are in the woods. So much of the
mountains are no longer accessible because the roads leading up to them are
closed. Road 2104 is especially a loss. It's closed because of a slide, but it
probably won't get cleared."
"Everyone says after 9/11
that we'll see more car visitors, but how will we handle them is access is
limited? A lot of mountain bikers come to Oakridge. They are impacted by road
closures and poor maintenance."
"How will fires be handled
if crews can't get to the them?" [an access concern]
"The Forest Pass is not right. We all pay taxes to use public
land. There needs to be exceptions for certain things." [This issue was
mentioned many times and many of the stores had 'Just Say No to USDA Forest
Pass.']
"The Forest Service should
fix the big crack in the Packard boat launch at the reservoir. The road needs
to be swept more often."
"We had people wanting to
fix up Crawford Hot Springs, but the Forest Service ran off people who
volunteered to make the springs better. They said they couldn't use tools to
fix the area up."
"The recreation person [of
the Forest Service] has a narrow idea of what recreation is. If you don't fit
the mold, you're out of luck."
"The increased fees to
hunt and fish have driven some people away. Many just can't afford it."
"A lot of my customers
want a map showing land ownership. It's very confusing and often changes.
Something up to date." [Sporting goods store manager]
City
Concerns
The city planner
had these ideas for Forest Service consideration:
- Bring the Rigdon trail into town,
rather than east of town;
- Give the City "special use permits" to
create recreational activities. In the past, the City has been turned
down;
- Help to clear trails on Larison Rock
for mountain biking and a chair lift. The hill lies at the base of town.
Bikers could ride into town, and two bridges already provide access across
the river.
- Keep the hot springs free of fees.
Apparently, it is one of the last ones that don't charge a fee. However,
land around the springs could be developed for resort-like activities.
- The Rigdon work center could be turned
over to the city to house public works.
C. Management Opportunities
Communication Opportunities
The language of
residents is oriented to the industrial age - the commodity production of timber,
the "Industrial Park" and so on, rather than to the emerging era of amenity
migration, "modem cowboys", and decentralized economic activity. The "big
picture" of Oregon and the region suggests ongoing resettlement of scenic
areas, including Oakridge, by: 1) young retired people bringing in capital and
energy for family-based businesses; 2) global entrepreneurs who only need "UPS
and an airport" to create home-based and web-based economic enterprises; and 3)
service businesses catering to visitors and leisure time pursuits. Learning
opportunities could be developed for Oakridge residents to explore current
efforts at innovation in their community and others, to examine state and
regional trends of which they could take advantage, and to develop the support
functions necessary for successful adaptation.
It would be
helpful for the District Office to undertake an internal "visioning" process
for what it thinks it could effectively offer to aid community transition. It
seemed to the JKA team that Forest Service people had a good understanding of
the challenges in Oakridge, but very different ideas about the role of the
agency. A clear vision should be followed by specific strategies to create
"traction" on the ground with residents. There are many successes to build
upon. However, the goal at this phase of transition would be to make "strategic
choices", that is, choices made with knowledge of limited resources and a clear
knowledge of the opportunities, so that resources are maximized. Fundamental to
the actions are those that build "social capital" in the community, so that the
capacity of residents to work together again is enhanced.
Social mapping of
key caretakers and communicators would be instrumental in helping the Forest
Service deal with rumors, create traction for initiatives, and communicate
effectively about Forest Service projects. Many staff have intimate knowledge
of communication patterns. This information should be used systematically to
create a broad-based approach to community contact. The goal should be citizen
ownership of outcomes, generating momentum, and eliminating barriers, as called
for in the Issue Management option in the section on Final Recommendations.
For certain
initiatives, including those involved with timber and recreation, a
community-based approach must include Eugene and Springfield. Again, social
mapping of caretakers and communicators in the urban zones will help stabilize
relations in the long-term, identify emerging issues for resolution, and build
support for mutual initiatives over time.
Action Opportunities
The City planner
is new to the area and has many good ideas. Further connection with the City
could be appropriate.
The Forest needs
to provide services and the infrastructure for a recreation economy, especially
special use permits, so that entrepreneurs will stimulate economic activity.
Stimulate learning
with other communities, notably Detroit, about orienting to a recreation
economy. Find ways to fast track the learning necessary to foster
entrepreneurial and support functions.
Provide outside
expertise to the Forest Service and to the community in organizing for change
by creating community-based partnerships.
Previous Chapter
