Those who campaigned against the plan by the Arkansas-based retail giant to rezone a 32-acre plot of land to use as a store site were thrilled with the results of Tuesday's special election. 

"I'm ecstatic, I thought it was going to be much closer than this," said Patty Berg, who led the fight against Wal-mart. "My feeling is that not only is it a sweet victory, it's an amazing victory. I think what our community said is we can't be bought and we control our future," she added. Some 4,015 people, or 61%, voted down the plan. Source: 8/25/99 Coos Bay World.

In a special election Tuesday to settle the issue, 4,015 people, or 61% voted no on the plan by the Arkansas-based retail giant to rezone a 32-acre plot of land to use as a store site. Some 2,605 people, or 39% of those voting, approved the plan. Some residents saw the vote as either a David and Goliath battle against "big box" stores or an open-arms welcome to the nation's largest private employer. The port site, known locally as the "balloon tract" because of its shape, has sat idle for nearly 20 years since Union Pacific Railroad shut down its engine turnaround area. 

The issue has caused a swirl of controversy across this small, onetime timber town. Laura Reneau owns a small, upscale clothing boutique in the city's revitalized Old Town section not far from the proposed Wal-mart site. She planned to vote against Measure J, despite the fact she would not likely be competing for customers.

"Eureka is unique. The bay is unique," she said. "Why put something as common as Wal-Mart on our coastline? If we all spend locally, we build our local economy." Becky Solorio of Arcata, who travels 10 miles to Eureka to work as a maid in a plush hotel, said she would have shopped at Wal-mart. She said she had several unemployed friends who would happily snap up a job there. 

Although voters blocked Measure J, the retailer can try again through traditional channels: first to city government for approval, then to the California Coastal Commission. Source: 8/25/99 The Register-Guard, by The Associated Press.

As the coastal invader turned the foredunes into a tangle of grass and roots, it trapped blowing sand and caused the dunes adjacent to the beach to grow higher and higher, up to 40 feet in some spots. All along the coast, the once-low foredunes turned into walls of grass and grit that blocked the supply of blowing beach sand needed to replenish the coastal dunes sheet, encouraging the spread of vegetation. But since early this month, a fleet of Oregon National Guard bulldozers has scraped away grass and roots on two stretches of foredunes opposite the overlook and lowered them to encourage the sand inflow.

"If we're completely successful over a period of years, you'll be able to stand out on the overlook and see almost nothing but open sand between there and the ocean," Dave Braley said as he stood on a grassless foredune being reshaped by rumbling olive-drab bulldozers.

Braley, assistant ranger for the U.S. Forest Service's Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area, said the grass removal and reconfiguration project is the result of a welcome partnership with the Oregon National Guard that began last year. The National Guard needed a place to train would-be bulldozer operators. And the Guard's bulldozers are ideal for the foredune work that the recreation area staff hopes will slow the loss of open sand near the popular dunes overlook, which draws more than 500,000 visitors annually.

Last year, Guard bulldozers cleared a little more than a half-mile of foredune, stripping it of vegetation and lowering it by about 5 feet. But the hoped-for inland movement of sand over the lowered foredune didn't happen. Most of the sand movement was north or south.

Dune experts advised that the foredune remained too steep and was turning the wind, which usually blows from the southwest in the winter and the northwest in the summer. So this year, bulldozers lowered the dune another 4 feet and made the approaching slope from the beach gentler - a shape Braley expects will lead to more movement of sand into the interior dunes.

By the end of next week, the dozers will finish clearing and lowering another section of dune to the south, about two-tenths of a mile long. This will bring the amount of reshaped foredune to slightly less than a mile. Braley said the goal is to clear about two miles of foredune north of the nearby Tahkenitch Creek outlet. The Guard will soon end this summer's dunes work, but Braley hopes the big dozers will return next summer.

National Guard Sgt. Scott Springer said the dunes provide a good training ground for new bulldozer operators. He nods at a nearby cluster of powerful tracked machines moving back and forth across the sand, methodically lowering the foredune. "Two and a half weeks ago, these guys didn't even know how to start the dozers," he said.

The Guard, making use of six D-7 Caterpillar bulldozers, began carving up the foredune after the Forest Service burned the grass off a 1.3-mile section of sand. Up to 10 trainees at a time, most from units in Coos Bay and Newport, have rotated through the project, part of a Guard program that teaches members to operate heavy equipment by doing work for public or nonprofit agencies. "When you're out in the brush, you can tip over a Cat or rip up a track," Springer said. "Out here, you can operate free from obstacles, really work the Cat hard and not be afraid of tipping it over."

Braley said if the Forest Service had to pay the going rate for the work done this month, it would have cost about $60,000. He said the recreation area staff will monitor the project for the next decade and watch for an increased inflow of sand. "If it works here, we may do it someplace else," he said.

Last year's work already provided one welcome result. Two pairs of Oregon Coast snowy plovers, a threatened shorebird, nested this spring in open sand in front of a foredune stripped of beach grass last year. Both pairs produced offspring.Scientists believe the European beach grass is a major reason for the downturn of snowy plover populations because it has eliminated much of the birds' dry-sand beach nesting area.

Braley said it's unthinkable to clear the beach grass foredunes along the entire 45-mile length of the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area. There's just too much of the hard-to-kill grass, and the Forest Service doesn't have the resources to move that much sand.

But it makes sense, Braley said, to restore the dunes in front of the high-profile dunes overlook to a natural state. Much of the beach grass cleared from the foredune is expected to regenerate from deeply buried roots. And as the grass comes back, Braley said the Forest Service will attack it through mechanical means, hand-pulling, burning or herbicides.

Beach grass and other unwanted vegetation that has already spread into the open dunes between the overlook and the ocean will also be removed. Members of the Guard moved inland to do some of that work this month.

"We don't know whether this will work," Braley said. "But we do know the open dunes are rapidly dying." At least this small part of the dunes, he hopes, can live on for generations to come. Source: 8/24/99 - The Register Guard, by Larry Bacon.

Levels of the poison -- which can cause death in high doses -- go well beyond the marks set for safe drinking water by the federal Environmental Protection Agency and the World Health Organization. Some arsenic concentrations were as high as 2,000 parts per billion, or 40 times the EPA standard and 200 times the World Health Organization's limit. While arsenic can leach into ground water from pesticides, wood preservatives and manufacturing processes, nearly all the arsenic revealed by the U.S. Geological Survey study was naturally occurring. The agency's findings -- which were announced Thursday -- come from tests at 728 wells and springs throughout Lane, Linn and Washington counties. 

State health officials said the problem of naturally occurring arsenic in the three counties has been known for years and shows up largely in wells that draw water from volcanic bedrock. "It's a concern," said Dennis Nelson, ground-water coordinator for the Oregon Health Division. "We've suggested for some time that folks be aware of what's in the water they drink and then take precautions." Rural residents with wells, especially bedrock or deep wells, should have them tested annually for arsenic, he said. Wells in the flat areas of the Willamette Valley usually have low amounts of arsenic, according to the study. 

Too much exposure to arsenic can cause nervous disorders, respiratory distress, gastrointestinal problems, skin changes and cardiovascular problems, according to the EPA. Long-term exposure to arsenic has been linked to skin cancer. In the study, about 8 percent of the samples exceeded the EPA's standard for arsenic and 22 percent of the samples exceeded the health organization's standard. Source: 8/17/99, The Oregonian, from the Associated Press.

Earlier this year, Fred Meyer began looking into building a new store on a 10-acre parcel adjacent to McDonald's in the north part of Lincoln City. But the company discovered the site was too cost-prohibitive. 

"We'd like to come, but when we got into figuring all the costs on that site, we just couldn't make it work," said Marilyn Coffel, community outreach manager for Fred Meyer. "We looked at all the projections, and the figures were too high. We just can't move forward there."

The company has no immediate alternate plans, but is not ruling out future development in Lincoln City. "We're always looking for sites and good markets," Coffel said, "We'll be keeping our eyes open." Source: 8/11/99 News-Times, by Gail Kimberling.

Also in 8/11/99 News-Times - Report on Newport City Council meeting -- Fred Meyer not opening Lincoln City Store -- In other city council news, it was announced a new Fred Meyer retail store will not be coming to Lincoln City after all. According to Holden, Fred Meyer had been in negotiations with Dennis Regen of Prudential Taylor & Taylor Realty, Inc. in Lnicoln City. "I just know that the call I got they said it wasn't going to happen and I didn't get into the reasons why," said Holden in an interview Tuesday. Holden said the person he talked to on the phone wasn't associated with Fred Meyer but had worked on the brokering of the project for the last 15 months. Rob Boley, a Fred Meyer public relations officer, was unavailable for comment at press time Tuesday. Source: 8/11/99 News-Times.

The city of Westfir received $112,000 to make improvements to the city's water system. Most of the water lines throughout the city were built when Westfir mill operated during the 1950s and earlier. The design process involves hiring an engineer to prepare bid documents and environmental assessment of line replacement, water intake, storage and treatment improvements.

The city of Creswell recently received $640,000 in state funding for design of improvements to its wastewater facility. The improvements are required by the Department of Environmental Quality. The Creswell City Council is to request proposals for engineering services next month. Source: 8/10/99 Register Guard.

Every Wednesday, The Grove explodes with life as hundreds of Boiseans trek downtown for the weekly Alive After Five, where people mingle, drink beer and wine, and listen to live music. By 6 p.m., the event is in full swing. Hundreds pack the square, which is framed by the city's convention center, sports arena and a 250-room hotel. Looking north, Eighth Street stretches toward desert foothills -- one of Boise's defining views. The newly renovated street is lined with outdoor cafes. Outdoor dining on warm summer evenings has become a passion for Boiseans. Restaurant owners can't put the chairs out fast enough. 

Boise is a model for what Vancouver, Wash., hopes to become. As Boise did in its downtown planning, Vancouver hired Portland's Zimmer Gunsul Frasca to prepare its $800 million Esther Short Redevelopment Plan. And Vancouver's planned downtown special events center is modeled after Boise's.

Downtowns are the heart of any city. The city that loses its downtown loses an identity, a central experience that draws people together, gives them pride in place and a common experience. It's the rare city that can develop a civic identity once the downtown has been abandoned or superseded.

Boise and Vancouver nearly lost their downtowns 30 years ago, as did hundreds of other cities. The cause in most cases was the same: A suburbanized, car-centered culture sought convenient shopping with convenient parking.

Huge malls blossomed in the suburbs, close to freeways, sucking away business. Downtowns fell into disrepair. Cities sometimes sought cures that compounded their problems. Vancouver, which lost business to Jantzen Beach and later to Vancouver Mall, allowed card rooms into the downtown, which cheapened and further degraded it. A brewery towered over Esther Short Park, a central downtown square. The brewery closed in 1986, and the city tore it down in 1993, leaving a vacant lot. 

Vacant lots, failed efforts Boise launched a counteroffensive in the mid-1960s. Instead of allowing a mall to be built outside downtown, the city laid out an eight-square-block urban renewal area, acquired the buildings and bulldozed them with the intention of attracting a mall to the heart of downtown. But the city was unable to find investors, and the land sat grimly vacant for more than 20 years. "It was awful," said Nancy Vannorsdel, who came to Boise in 1979 and is president of the Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce. "It was vacant buildings, cracked and broken sidewalks, and empty lots. It was very sad." 

To a generation, downtown Boise meant a vacant lot. "It looked like Beirut," said architect La Marche, who came to Boise in 1953 and watched the disaster unfold. "It was really ugly." Serving everyone's needs But all around him now, downtown Boise is sprucing up and redeveloping, brightened by flowers and glistening new or handsome renovated buildings. The turnaround began in the mid-1980s, when city leaders abandoned the downtown mall idea and allowed a regional mall to be built near the freeway. That freed the downtown core for a new development plan. La Marche led a team that included Zimmer Gunsul Frasca and oversaw the redesign. 

The Grove, at the center of the old redevelopment area, came first, in 1986. "The Grove was absolutely critical to us," La Marche said. "It gave credibility to the effort. Also, it gave the community a public heart, where you could gather, have fun and talk, and begin to develop the atmosphere of activity and pedestrian involvement." 

The entire redevelopment project required dozens of large and small decisions: from the design of the convention center; to the placement of the hotel, arena and convention center; to the design of a fountain in The Grove's center. "It was like stepping into the middle of rattlesnakes," La Marche said. "This was fraught with politics. Everyone claimed ownership, and everyone had something to say." Yet somehow, the needs of everyone -- the handicapped, parking activists, environmentalists, businesspeople, historic preservationists, transportation experts -- were accommodated.

The city used tax increment financing for a parking garage and other improvements. That allowed other developments to build in the once-desolate eight-block area, including the convention center in 1990, the arena in 1997 and the hotel in 1998. Redevelopment allowed the city to consciously design its downtown and encourage a new look that was traffic-friendly, but which did not allow the automobile to dominate. 

Garages were camouflaged. Eighth Street was narrowed from 80 feet to 40 feet, creating a more intimate feeling. But the city turned down a plan to eliminate vehicular street traffic altogether, thus avoiding the fate of many unsuccessful downtown pedestrian malls. Underlying the Boise plan is a vision of a mixed-use downtown, in which no particular activity dominates.

This also is the center of Vancouver's redevelopment plan, in which residential, commercial, office and retail uses complement each other. It means the downtown never empties completely. In addition, both cities emphasize a pedestrian-friendly environment, where people comfortably walk to jobs, restaurants, shopping and even their homes. 

In Boise, just north of The Grove on Eighth Street, La Marche leads visitors to the two-story Capital Terrace, which fills two-thirds of a block. Shops line the building's street level. An escalator climbs to the open second floor, where an open terrace extends along three sides of the building. On warm nights and summer afternoons, restaurant and bar patrons sit outside and gaze down on the Eighth Street scene. The shops and restaurants provide a wall around an inner garage, completely hidden from the street. "The key is that people feel very safe and very comfortable in this city," said Vannorsdel, the Boise Chamber of Commerce president. "They like to come downtown. 

Vancouver city leaders have visited Boise to learn how it was done. A planned special events center is modeled after Boise's arena, and Vancouver is using the same principals who developed the Boise facility. Vancouver also is imitating The Grove: The $2.2 million redesign of Esther Short Park will include a civic square. The cities both share a vivid, rowdy history and a tradition of civic involvement. Boise is only slightly larger, with 152,000 residents to Vancouver's 135,100. They also both have well-defined downtowns that include buildings in a mix of ages and architectural styles.

The nearest towns of any size to Boise, however, are hundreds of miles away, whereas Vancouver's downtown always will be overshadowed by Portland. Vancouver hopes to turn its proximity to Portland to an advantage by becoming an accessible alternative destination, while creating a niche as a home for smaller conventions and events. Bringing community together Boise's revived downtown, by all accounts, has been an economic energizer. 

New buildings are sprouting around the area. An estimated $160 million in private investment has flowed into the downtown in new buildings and renovations, and another $20 million is anticipated. To date, 70,000 square feet of new retail space has been added, along with 317,000 square feet of office space, in addition to the convention facility, the hotel and the arena. Between 1994 and 1999, the number of downtown restaurants doubled to 90. 

A 25-story office and residential tower at Eighth Street across from The Grove will include another 60,000 square feet of retail and office space. But perhaps more significantly, it also will add 110 condominiums to the downtown's residential stock. For La Marche, Boise's downtown is an area that is still becoming. He grumbles about the design of the downtown hotel. He would like to replace some of the smaller Eighth Street buildings with larger structures that would include retail and residential spaces to create a more dense atmosphere. And he would like to tinker with The Grove's surroundings. But on a Wednesday evening, with live music playing and a packed crowd returning happily to downtown, it's difficult not to enjoy success. 

"The idea behind this whole thing was to create a gathering place for the community," he said. "And that's what it has become." Source: 8/9/99, The Oregonian, by Foster Church.

In 1997, the National Forest Foundation - the nonprofit, fund-raising arm of the U.S. Forest Service - entered into an agreement with Subaru to promote sales of the Japanese carmaker's new sport-utility vehicle, the Forester.

As part of the deal, the Forest Service allowed agency icon Smokey Bear to show up at major auto shows around the country on behalf of Subaru, with the agency's logo prominently displayed on the doors of the Foresters. Subaru, in turn, loaned the Forest Service 34 Foresters and promised to donate some money from vehicle sales for joint foundation-Forest Service projects. For rest of story by Lance Robertson: Link to The Register Guard.

As he slipped on his shorts after an hour's soak, Brogan was approached by two men in the distinctive green uniform of the U.S. Forest Service. They asked him if he had his permit, a requirement for anyone visiting the springs near Cougar Reservoir.

"Busted," Brogan said. The "visitor contact technicians" could have fined Brogan $50, but instead they escorted him down to the trailhead, where he dropped $3 into a locked metal pay station known as an "iron ranger" before pedaling off.

From the Oregon Dunes to the swamps of Florida, America's national forests and parks are fast becoming the Land of the Fee, where hikers, boaters, beachcombers, motorists and sightseers increasingly must pay to play. Congress approved an experimental program in 1996 to collect special fees at designated spots. It was set to expire in 2001, but the new fees probably will become a fact of life: The Clinton administration is pushing to make them permanent.

And except for U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio of Springfield and a few others, there isn't much opposition in Congress to the fee-demonstration program - though pockets of discontent do exist among the public, especially in the Northwest. A Bend man is leading a national "day of protest" next Saturday at more than two dozen fee sites around the country, including several in Lane County and Oregon. For the rest of the story by Lance Robertson: Link to Register Guard