1 a, "r,, - September 26, 2012 COMMuNITv (PINION Page 5
I! Veterans
From page 1
He and others thanked "the
citizens of Linn County, who, in
the worst economic time since the
Depression, ponied up $10 mil-
lion, voting 2-1 to approve this,"
as Nyquist put it.
"We proved we could raise
money," said fellow Comissioner
John Lindsay, noting that "roughly
56,000" people voted in favor of
the facility. "Nobody else in the
state could raise that kind of mon-
ey. If not for the citizens of Linn
County, there's no way any of
these events could take place."
The new 154-bed facility will
be built on 12 acres adjacent to the
Samaritan Health Sciences Cam-
pus in Lebanon. The project's
contractor, Lease Crutcher Lewis
of Portland, will begin site work
by October, which will include
the site utilities, temporary roads,
parking areas and establishing the
building pads.
Funded by federal grants and
local matching funds, the facility,
to be named Edward C. Allworth
Veterans' Home, is expected to
open in late-2014.
Allworth, a captain in the U.S.
Army, was a World War I Medal
of Honor recipient whose personal
heroism just days before the sign-
ing of the Armistice in November
1918, led his company across the
Meuse River and canal under fire
and forced the enemy back, over-
coming machine gun nests and
capturing 100 prisoners - more
than the number of his company.
He later taught at Oregon Agricul-
tural College (now Oregon State
University), where he was known
to students as "The Major," serv-
ing as manager of the Memorial
Union for 38 years.
Jim Willis, director of the
Oregon Department of Veterans'
Affairs said serving the ever-
increasing needs of our veterans,
especially our older vets, is a pri-
ority we take seriously.
"That is why the new vet-
erans' home in Lebanon is being
constructed. Naming the new
home after of one of Oregon's
bravest soldiers from World War
I is fitting,' he said. "We want al-
ways to honor the brave and cou-
rageous service of all veterans by
providing them with superior care
in the season of life when they
most need it. The Edward C. All-
worth Veterans' Home will be a
testament of Oregon's regard for
its veterans."
State Sen. Fred Girod, R-
Stayton, who noted that his uncle
was a physician in Lebanon "for-
ever and ever," also credited those
who made the veterans' home hap-
pen.
Though he said he was "an-
gry" over the decision to reduce
the size of the Lebanon home
and locate another in Roseburg,
he said he was gratified "to see
this go forward and the Legisla-
ture didn't foul it up. I feel really
blessed." Girod credited state Sen.
Brian Boquist, R-Dallas, chair
of the Veterans Committee, for
"straightening this thing out in the
Legislature."
The new home is expected to
employ about 200 people, includ-
ing administrators, medical staff,
custodians and bus drivers.
Sweet Home Economic De-
velopment Director Brian Hoff-
man, who was in the audience at
the ground-breaking, said the new
home will be a plus for Sweet
Home.
"Obviously, this is a benefit
for our veterans - accessibility
for families and veterans in Sweet
Home," he said. "But I definite-
ly believe, from an employment
perspective, it will have the same
kind of impact that Western Medi-
cal University has, where Sweet
Home residents will work in that
facility.
"When these jobs are created
regionally, it gives our residents
options for employment, which
brings income into our commu-
nity. But just as importantly, if we
move towards being the highly de-
sirable living community we can
be, improving our quality of life,
we need to realize that when these
things are happening in the region,
it's beneficial for Sweet Home.
"It's not just talk, It's actually
happening."
Rep. Sherrie Sprenger, R-
Scio, told the crowd that building
the facility will be only the begin-
ning of the community's commit-
ment to veterans.
"Next year, when we're past
the groundbreaking and we open
the doors, does that mean we've
done our part? No. That's when
we take our family and we come
visit. The Sprenger family is go-
ing to step up to the plate. I don't
know what we're going to do. I
might be cleaning toilets."
Willis said that personal at-
tention will be key for the elderly
veterans, some of whom, he said,
will be far from family.
"I can't tell you how much
visiting the home means to veter-
ans," he said.
"But," he added, "do not
play Texas Hold 'Em with veter-
ans who have been playing for 65
years. You may be just playing for
cookies but you won't have any
cookies."
Photo by Scott Swanson
Rep. Sherrie Sprenger speaks to the crowd of some 200 people, many of them veterans and their families, who
turned out forthe groundbreaking ceremony to kick off construction of the veterans home, shown below.
Small House Concept
II Railroad
From page 1
agreement with the BNSE
"The issue of private railroad
crossings is one of great concern
to railroad operators and regulators-
industry-wide," Comell said in the
statement.
"This is because of the sig-
nificant risk exposure each crossing
poses by creating a point where the
railroad intersects with the public.
Trends in transportation planning
practices discourage at-grade cross-
ings, seeking instead grade separa-
tion in an effort to avoid this expo-
sure to protect both public safety and
the railroad's business interests.
"Railroad operators are required
by their regulators at a state and fed-
eral level to document and report and
maintain all crossings along their
rights-of-way, including the sig-
nals, approaches, and surfaces of the
crossings."
According to the statement,
industry practices for railroads to
accomplish this, comply with regu-
lations and recover a portion of the
high cost involved in these activities
may include:
• Requiring property owners to
carry specific liability limits on their
insurance policies as well as name
the railroad as an additional interest
on their policies, and to indemnify
the railroad in the event of a loss;
• Obtain a crossing permit from
the railroad operator;
• Payment of maintenance
fees.
While the AERC cannot speak
to the practices of prior owners of
the railroad right-of-way or other
railroad operators in the region, it
has adopted policies to address the
issues related to railroad crossings
along its right-of-way that it believes
adequately address these concerns,
the statement said.
"Additionally, the AERC has of-
fered to make financial arrangements
with property owners such that costs
related to obtaining crossing permits
and payment of maintenance fees can
be paid over time," Cornell said in
the statement. "We encourage inter-
ested and affected parties to research
this issue through reliable sources of
information, such as railroad regula-
tory agencies at the state and federal
level, in order to understand this mat-
ter in its proper context.
"The AERC is committed to
the revitalization and safe operation
of the 77-mile railroad upon which
we operate and providing excellent
transportation service to the indus-
tries in our communities. Our goal is
to contribute to the economic com-
petitiveness of Linn County busi-
nesses and industry, to boost the
traded sector, and to grow manufac-
turing and traded sector, family-wage
employment."
The New Era contacted Cornell
to find out more about the charges,
how they were set.
"We're not going to talk any
more about it," Cornell replied.
"That serves as our statement right
there. It's just gotten out of hand --
pretty ridiculous."
The Oregon Department of
Transportation's Rail Division and
the Federal Railroad Administration
are state and federal agencies that
primarily govern railroad issues and
operations.
For more information, visit
www.oregon.gov/ODOT/RAIL/Pag-
es/index.aspx and www.fra.dot.gov.
