City approves possible mushroom ban

The Cave Junction City Council reconvened Aug. 8 for their first meeting of the month at City Hall. Mayor Meadow Martell and the four Councilors Ethan Lane, Tina Casey-Jones, Jean Ann Miles, and Jesse Dugas were present and ready to tackle the lengthy itinerary that had been placed before them.
Public Works Director Alex Ponder updated the council on the many things that his office has been doing, including the design of a new welcome sign on the north side of town, and the several new sidewalks that are being poured despite the difficulty the recent heat wave provides to the task. He also announced that the city will soon have its very first vac trailer, essentially a large pressure washer is meant to aid in cleaning valves and catch basins around town. The vac trailer is a game changer, as it will speed up what was previously a lengthy cleaning process and mitigate many potential dangers for public works employees.
Teresa Stover provided the monthly library update, elaborating on the steady efforts being made to bring the library’s architectural planning to bid. She is hopeful that plans will be drawn up as soon as late September, and for the renovation to be completed by the summer of 2023. She also mentioned that because the new library is being funded by local taxpayers, it can certainly be used for emergency purposes once completed.
A request to waive the city’s municipal code was brought forth by community member Brodie Woodworth, whose residence off Kerby Avenue has allegedly benefitted from the implementation of a six-foot-tall fence around the property. Woodworth explained to the council that he had initially constructed this fence to deter the local transient population from using the property as a “squatting ground” as they had before his family had moved in, and that his intention behind the construction of this fence was merely to keep his family and his property safe. Unfortunately, the city code only permits fences with a maximum height of four feet around residences in town. While council members were sympathetic to Woodworth’s plight, they denied his request because it opened the floodgates for others to seek similar exceptions to the existing code. Martell also pointed out that there aren’t very many people out there who could hop a four-foot fence easily, and so Woodworth’s request was denied in a 5-0 vote.
He was subsequently instructed to decrease the height of his fence and locate his property pins so that he could ascertain that the fence was built in the proper place.
The updated city charter was read for the second time, with the motion to bring the new charter to the voters this coming November, passing unanimously. Another measure surrounding the implementation of psilocybin service centers was also brought forward. Ordinance 595 would place a temporary ban on the existence of said service centers within the city of Cave Junction. This ban would last for two years, and would allow for the OHA to firmly determine the rules and regulations for these establishments before bringing them to the valley. This idea also passed unanimously and will be brought to voters later in the year.