Local News

The Grants Pass Committee on Public Art learned Monday that the City Council is prioritizing all spending decisions -- especially when it comes to paying for public safety services. During its workshop session yesterday, the Grants Pass City Council voted to table a motion by the committee to spend $15,000 to activate the Redwood Alley mural. A lengthy staff presentation followed on Public Safety Service and Funding. City Manager Aaron Cubic started and ended the presentation that included Public Safety Advisory Committee Chair Alan Hart, Police Chief Warren Hensman, Fire Chief Jimmy Sanchez and Finance Director JC Rowley. The Grants Pass Police Department currently has 57 sworn officers and Hensman wants to increase his staffing to 62 full-time officers. Grants Pass Fire & Rescue currently has 27 full-time firefighters and Sanchez wants to increase his staffing to 33 firefighters. Hart said the public safety committee believes both agencies are understaffed, but the question is how to pay for more personnel. Rowley pointed out that 73% of the cost of public safety is personnel and there are "no easy options" to find additional funding. He shared several possible.options. After deliberations, the majority of the Council was adamant about not raising taxes while incrementally increasing police and fire staffing. They directed staff to present those options at a future workshop session.

 

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) issued 12 penalties totaling nearly $757,000 in June for various environmental violations. Fines ranged from $2,250 to $464,678. Alleged violations included a construction company filling in a stream and wetland without the required stormwater permit, a pulp and paper mill violating its air permit, and a vessel owner not immediately collecting and removing spilled diesel fuel. Locally, the Medford Water Commission was fined $6,000 for a wastewater violation in Central Point. The agency allegedly discharged chlorinated water into Bear Creek and Lazy Creek without a permit. Recipients of DEQ civil penalties must either pay the fines to the state treasury or file an appeal within 20 days of receiving notice of the penalty. They may be able to offset a portion of the penalty by funding a supplemental environmental project that improves the environment. DEQ works with thousands of organizations and individuals to help them comply with laws that protect Oregon's air, land and water. The state agency uses education, technical assistance, warnings and penalties to change behavior and deter future violations.

 

The City of Grants Pass -- in partnership with the Oregon Department of Transportation -- has an agreement to wrap utility boxes with vinyl artwork. This project will further the City's goal of creating vibrant art throughout the city to be enjoyed by all citizens and visitors. All art must be original and proposals will be recommended by the Grants Pass Committee on Public Art, with final approval from the City Council and ODOT. An artist stipend will be awarded each box, depending on the method used. Local artists, artist teams and students are encouraged to apply. The Art Box Project is a public art program intended to transform traffic control boxes into distinctive works of art. The art should be whimsical, fun, family-friendly and highlight nature. The program celebrates local artwork, deters graffiti and involves residents contributing to the beautification of the city. All applications must be received by 5 p.m. on August 15th. Please submit all required application materials by emailing "dpearce@grantspassoregon.gov," with the subject line "Art Box Project."

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office jailed a woman for assaulting a man with a weapon during an altercation in the Wilderville area late last week. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies arrested 41-year-old Angelica Dawn Borreson for the incident on Redlands Drive on Friday at 10:42 a.m.. Deputies said a neighbor called 9-1-1 at 4:30 a.m. to report that Borreson and an unidentified man were screaming while a dog was barking at the home. The caller said the pair had been fighting off and on for several months. The male was said to be bleeding from an injury to his face when he left the home in a Chrysler minivan. According to the Sheriff's Office, the call did not meet call-out criteria after the male victim left. However, deputies responded a few hours later and found the man unconscious in the driver seat of the van with a lip injury and bump on his head. He refused medical treatment. Deputies then responded to the incident location and placed Borreson into custody. An unidentified weapon was recovered and logged into evidence. Borreson was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Felony 3rd-Degree Assault and Felony Unlawful Use of a Weapon. She was being held without bail.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office arrested a man for stealing a vehicle from Reedsport following a weekend traffic stop near Cave Junction. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies pulled over a 2016 Chevrolet Silverado pickup near the intersection of Waldo and Rockydale roads on Saturday shortly after 7 p.m.. Deputies said they spotted 36-year-old Zachrie Mencarelli driving the Silverado that had been reported stolen by the Reedsport Police Department. After the traffic stop, they placed him into custody at gunpoint. Mencarelli was transported to Grants Pass and lodged at the Josephine County Jail on felony charges of Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle and Possession of a Stolen Vehicle. He was being held without bail. The Sheriff's Office notified Reedsport PD of the stolen vehicle recovery. The victim was contacted and made arrangements to pick up the vehicle that had been towed to Cave Junction.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man for stealing an expensive bicycle from a southeast city apartment complex late last week. The Police Department was alerted to the bicycle theft at the Garden Grove Apartments on Fruitdale Drive on Friday morning. Police said the victim reported the bicycle was stolen out of the back of his truck around 3:15 a.m.. The caller said the bike is a TREK with MAXXIS wheels. He said it is a one-of-a-kind bike with custom forks, frame and after-market parts with an estimated value of $8,000. Officers reviewed surveillance video and identified the suspect as 28-year-old Aleksandr Uchytil. He was spotted with the stolen bicycle at Baker Park around 12:15 p.m. and placed into custody. The bike was returned to its rightful owner. Uchytil was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Felony 1st-Degree Theft and he was being held without bail.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man on three local warrants and for drug possession while investigating a theft complaint at a gas station-convenience store. According to the Police Department, officers responded to the call at Speedway in the Grants Pass Shopping Center on Friday around 8:20 p.m.. Police said an employee advised a male subject possibly stole some items and fled toward the Parkway Village Shopping Center. They located the suspect, detained him and identified him as 43-year-old Gabriel Feliciano. He was not in possession of any stolen items, but he did have a methamphetamine pipe that was seized. Feliciano was found to be wanted on three Grants Pass warrants charging him with failing to appear in court for 1st-Degree Criminal Mischief, 2nd-Degree Burglary, 2nd-Degree Theft and 2nd-Degree Criminal Trespass. Feliciano was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the warrants plus a new charge of Meth Possession. He was being held without bail.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office arrested a man for drug possession after a weekend report of suspicious activity at a Murphy area residence. According to the Sheriff's Office, deputies were alerted to the incident at a home in the 200-block of Canaan Street on Saturday at 7:38 a.m.. Deputies said the resident called 9-1-1 to report a male subject sitting in a sport utility vehicle that was parked in their driveway. The subject had been there for nearly an hour with his door propped open. The caller said she needed to leave, but did not want to go out to her car with the man there. Upon arrival, deputies contacted 62-year-old Terry Anthony Carnicello and found him to in possession of methamphetamine. Carnicello was lodged in jail for Meth Possession and his SUV was impounded.

 

Two men were tragically killed over the weekend when their disabled pickup truck was struck in Prospect. The double-fatal collision -- which occurred on Friday at 10:04 p.m. -- is being investigated by the Jackson County Serious Traffic Accident Reconstruction (STAR) Team. The Jackson County Sheriff's Office reports 67-year-old Arthur Rowden and 51-year-old Gary Tate -- both of Prospect -- were standing outside of a 1987 Toyota pickup that was disabled with its lights off in the eastbound lane of Mill Creek Road when it was struck by a 2002 Chevrolet Trailblazer driven by an 18-year-old Prospect resident. Emergency Communications of Southern Oregon received the initial crash report, dispatching deputies and the Prospect Fire Department. Firefighters were the first on scene and they confirmed Rowden and Tate were deceased. Next of kin have been notified. Detectives said the young driver is cooperating with the investigation. At this time, investigators do not believe speed or impairment were factors in the crash and no criminal charges have been filed. The STAR Team is a multi-agency group of investigators comprised of personnel from the Jackson County Sheriff's Office, Medford Police Department, Ashland Police Department, Central Point Police Department and Jackson County District Attorney's Office.