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The Canyon Weekly
October 16, 2014
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Volume 5, Issue 42
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Canyon Life Museum opens “new” building
Saturday’s open house unveiled the beautiful restoration of the oldest commercial building in Mill City The former Santiam Lumbering Company Building, the oldest commercial building still standing in Mill City, is now ready to become a vital part of the North Santiam Historical Society and Canyon Life Museum, said organizers. The North Santiam Historical Society purchased the building on Wall Street in 2009, thanks to a generous donation from Josephine Reid. Built in the 1890’s, it was originally three stories tall and housed Mill City’s railroad depot, post office and the Wells Fargo freight and money exchange of-
fices. The Santiam Lumbering mill manager, John Shaw, and his family, also lived in the upstairs apartments. Over the years the building has been home to numerous businesses. Restoration was recently finished ahead of schedule thanks to a grant from the Fred Meyer Memorial Trust. Special thanks are extended to Bill Shepard and Dale Kirsch for their careful demolition of the interior of the building and to Dan Benjamin and Jenny Reid for their exceptional skills in saving and restoring the building.
Mill City Planning Commission addresses Governor Kitzhaber on issue of field burning Group says smoke in Santiam Canyon’s wilderness area is a violation of the Federal Clean Air Act
By Gay Stuntzer Every year, the 6,000 to 8,000 residents of the North Santiam Canyon are forced to breathe air polluted with smoke from field burning. It is common knowledge among local residents that burning is not allowed when winds are blowing in the direction of major population centers, but is allowed when the wind blows from west to east, straight toward the canyon. On October 6, 2014 members of the Mill City Planning Commission sent a letter to Gov. John Kitzhaber and Oregon Department of Environmental Quality Director Dick Pedersen asking for relief. The planning commission believes the continued degradation of our air quality violates state guidelines which are designed to ensure that residents of low-income communities do not face inordinate environmental hazards and health risks. Commissioners have shared the letter with members of the Oregon Environmental Justice Task Force. Smoke from field burning also drifts into the Mt. Jefferson Wilderness Area which is in violation of the federal Clean Air Act according to the Planning Commission State officials say field burning in Oregon
has been reduced by 90 percent in recent years. Unfortunately, the remaining 10 percent has a severe impact on residents of the North Santiam Canyon - especially those who suffer from asthma or other respiratory disorders. Following are excerpts of the letter sent. The entire manuscript can be read at Mill City City Hall. Editor’s Note: this letter was edited for space. Copies of this letter are also available by email. Please direct all correspondence/comments to Gay Stuntzner, PO Box 686, Mill City, OR 97360, 503-8972236, d.g.stuntzner@frontier.com and/or David Leach, PO Box 758, Mill City, OR 97360, 503-897-2762, adleach@wbcable.net. Dear Governor Kitzhaber and Mr. Pedersen, Annually, in the months of August and September, citizens in the North Santiam Canyon are forced to breathe the noxious smoke-filled air due to agricultural field burning. Our city and county officials in the Canyon receive complaints each year from citizens who are experiencing severely detrimental health issues, such as trouble breathing, burning eyes and skin irritation. Phoned complaints to the State Department of Agriculture concerning smoke incursions have
produced no relief, and after many years of no action, many of us are frustrated and see no further use in calling. After complaining numerous times, one Mill City resident has been placed on the ODA Smoke Notice List which regularly advises: “Test fires will be conducted in the (various) areas today with the possibility of limited open field burning to follow. There is also a possibility of other test fires in surrounding fire districts. Please do not respond to this message. This message is for information purposes only.” Such a response does nothing to reduce the impact of poor air quality, and the “do not respond” directive serves to reinforce our belief that we have no alternative but to accept the smoke. Although significant reductions in field burning have been made, from our standpoint these reductions have primarily served to placate complaints from larger population centers while our air quality is apparently of little concern. In addition, the filthy black residue coats everything outdoors -- sidewalks, decks, patios, garden vegetables -which is then brought inside. We have observed over the years that burning is allowed only when the wind is not blowing from east to west, (cont’d on page 4) 1