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Philomath
City News
Published for the Citizens of
Philomath, Oregon
"the little town that could"
Spring 1999 |
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| PHILOMATH Y2K READY |
"Ready
or not, here it comes" is the message we all receive almost daily regarding
the so-called Y2K electronic crisis. The City of Philomath has reviewed its critical
service systems and has concluded that City services will function as usual on and
after January 1, 2000.
The greatest threat to the City is loss of electrical service that would affect,
among other things, City water operations. While both Pacific Power and Consumers Power do
not believe there will be any power outages, the City has taken the precautionary step of
securing two Federal surplus diesel generators to provide power to run water production
and treatment facilities, if necessary. Backup power is presently in place at sewer pump
stations and will not be impacted by loss of electrical service or computer malfunctions.
The Finance Department has also replaced its outdated computer software with Y2K
compliant programs for utility customers and its various accounting programs.
The City encourages citizens to become informed on this matter and take those steps
that they feel are necessary to minimize any possible disruption to their households.
Handouts with tips on what you can do to prepare for Y2K problems are
available at City Hall. |
PHILOMATH HAS GREAT KIDS!
DO YOU KNOW ONE? |
 UTILITY RATE NEWS
Starting with the July utility bill, customers will notice an increase
in sanitary sewer fees. The base sewer rate has been increased 10 cents per month along
with a 15 cent per unit increase (one unit equates to 748 gallons of water).
The rate increase is necessary to accomplish the goal of keeping the City's Sanitary
Sewer Fund self-supporting from sewer user fees.
Water and storm drain utility rates will remain at their present levels for the new
fiscal year that will run through June 2000.
The new utility rates were developed to be consistent with the City Council’s goal
of holding the combined utility rate increase to a maximum of 3% for a typical residential
customer. |
 Do you know a
middle or high school student who is volunteering his or her time to a worthwhile
community service in Philomath or the immediate surrounding area?The City Council would
like to recognize and reward such positive student contributions in our community through
the Philomath Community Service Youth Recognition Award.
The selected student will receive a letter from the City Council for their school
portfolio, a $250 cash award from the Philomath Community Foundation, and have their name
inscribed on a plaque located in City Hall.
Contact the City Manager’s office at 929-6148 for details. Philomath’s kids are
special; let’s do all we can to show them they are respected and appreciated! |
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AROUND THE CITY |
PHILOMATH COMMUNITY FOUNDATION:
MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN PHILOMATH
Philomath’s own Community Foundation is one year old and
looking ahead to a second year of supporting worthwhile community projects. The past year
has seen funding given to support:
- The interim skateboard facility at the Nazarene Church;
- Humanities and Arts project for the Shrewsbury Renaissance Faire;
- A video of Philomath made in conjunction with the Philomath High School media class;
- Philomath High School seniors’ alcohol free graduation party;
- Annual $250 cash award to the Philomath Community Service Youth Recognition Award.
Pending projects include:
- Developing a native camas plant and butterfly refuge viewing area in Marys River Park;
- Assisting the funding of hanging flower baskets for the downtown area;
- Support for the Parent Enhancement Program (PEP). This program assists and provides
mentors for teen parents in Philomath.
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Please take a
moment to consider how you might contribute to the Foundation’s work in Philomath
through your tax-deductible donation or gift.
UNHERALDED VOLUNTEERS MAKE
LIFE SAFER HERE
(by Philomath Police Chief Russ Hunt)
Philomath is known as a city of volunteers. There are numerous volunteer groups and
individuals that give the city their time and it’s fitting that they are recognized
for their service. However, there is one group of volunteers who may be overlooked every
year.
This group is the Philomath Police Department Reserves. These individuals who give
their time and service to Philomath do so under the most extreme circumstances. They put
their lives on the line every time they volunteer. There is no greater sacrifice than
placing the welfare of others ahead of your own personal comfort and safety, and that is
what these volunteers do every time they put on their uniforms!
| The Philomath Police Department would not be able to
provide the service it does without the help of the reserve officers. --Police Chief
Russ Hunt |
We have six active reserves and a Chaplain for the Department with reserve status.
These seven individuals have given the City of Philomath 1,827 hours of free services in
1998 alone. They have also received 486 hours of training. In addition to their free time,
they have worked 516 hours on paid status. Overall, the reserves have given 2,829 hours to
the city. |
 The Philomath Police
Department Reserves are a very vital part of the volunteer spirit of Philomath!WATERSHED ASSESSMENT COMPLETE
The Marys River Watershed Council hired consultants Ecosystems
Northwest to conduct a watershed assessment of the Marys River. The results will be
available to the public mid-May at the Philomath and Corvallis public libraries.
The assessment team looked at the history of the Marys River watershed, and the current
land uses and their impacts on water quality and watershed health. The assessment provides
an overview of the fish present in the River, the soil types present in the basin, the
socio-economic overview of the basin and various water quality issues as they relate to
watershed health.
The Marys River Watershed Council is a grass-roots citizens group that serves as a
voluntary forum for local watershed residents, landowners, managers and users to
understand, educate and exchange watershed ideas; investigate watershed needs and
concerns; keep current on watershed plans and actions; solicit help on how to maintain and
improve this local watershed environment, and facilitate the implementation of
on-the-ground projects.
For further information about the council, please call or e-mail Sandra Coveny at
758-7597 or sandrac@peak.org. Council
meetings are the first Wednesday of the month at Philomath City Hall from 7 to 9 PM. |
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MAY/JUNE
CALENDAR OF MEETINGS
(all meetings are held at city hall unless
otherwise noted) |
May 10 City Council,
7:30 PM
May 11 Budget Committee, 7 PM
May 13 Transportation/Traffic Safety Commission, 7 PM
May 18 Retail/Beautification Action Team, 7 PM
May 19 Planning Commission, 7:30 PM
May 24 City Council, 7:30 PM,
May 25 Budget Committee, 7 PM
May 25 Community Response Team, 7 PM |
June 3 Public Works
Committee, 5:30 PM,1515 Willow Lane
June 8 Benton County Commissioners local meeting, 7 PM
June 10 Transportation/Traffic Safety Commission, 7 PM
June 14 City Council, 7:30 PM
June 15 Retail/Beautification Action Team, 7 PM
June 16 Planning Commission, 7:30 PM
June 22 Community Response Team, 7 PM |
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NEW CITY SERVICES AVAILABLE |
| The Philomath City Council has recently authorized the City Manager to
negotiate a contract for additional planning services for the City's land use program. For approximately the past three years, the City has provided a planner on
a minimal schedule of 4 hours one day per week to handle all of the City's current and
long range planning activities. This arrangement has generally kept pace with the demands
to process current land use applications such as variances, land partitions, and
subdivision reviews. However, long range planning, including Periodic Review, has had
little attention.
Under the new arrangement, a planner will be available 2-3 days
per week to work on land use matters and also act as the City's volunteer coordinator to
better utilize volunteers that are interested in working on various projects in Philomath.
Citizens that have land use questions or are interested in volunteering their own or their
group's time on a community project may call 929-6148 to schedule an appointment with the
City Planner. |
City of Philomath
PO Box 400
Philomath, OR. 97370 |
Newsletter by Bonnie. To email your
comments to Bonnie <click here> |
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