Board of County Commissioners - Regular Meeting

the stuff, uh, chocolate. You're broke. You too. Yes.

Well, good morning, everyone, and thank you for joining us. I will now call to order the Clackamas County Board of County Commissioners' business meeting for September 10th, 2026. Start off with County Administrator Gary Schmett. Would you please call the roll?

Yes, thank you, Chair. First, our staff support today. Billy Williams is out of the office, County Council, serving today as Acting County Council. Sarah Foreman, Acting Clerk to the Board. Tony Maranick, roll call. Online, Commissioner West. commissioner west we know you' re there. Commissioner west we can' t hear you. All right commissioner west is online so I will say that I will come back. Commissioner schrader.

Here.

Commissioner helm.

Here.

Commissioner savis. Here. Chair roberts.

Here. All right thank you if you would please stand and join me in the pledge of allegiance if you' re able. First up we have public communication and as as always testimonies limited to three minutes per person I always ask your comments be respectful and courteous as a reminder You can also email submissions for public communication at BCC at Clackamas us and they'll be accepted as a part of our public record I'll take in-person testimony first and I'll turn to our clerk that will help us moderate the in-person and virtual testimony for us. I

Good morning. If you are here in person and would like to testify, I would ask you please fill out a blue card and turn it into the basket up front. I will begin with Mr. Steve Bates. Please come forward.

Good morning, Chair Roberts and Commissioners. For the record, I'm Steve Bates, president of the Boring Oregon Foundation, the fund for the construction and operation of the Greater Boring Area Community Center. I wish to make a quick thank you to Commissioner Helm and Savas for helping with the Boring Station Trailhead Park issue. We don't have a solution yet, but because of your help, conversations are ongoing. With that said, it's an exciting time for the people of Boring. The Boring Oregon Foundation has purchased the former Boring Square Garden Center in downtown Boring as the future site of the Greater Boring Area Community Center. We intend to refurbish that property and its buildings in addition to building a meeting and exhibit hall. Our board of directors have a consensus to use Clackamas County businesses in every possible way as we proceed with this project. Our community center project is expected to cost about $3 million. We've raised $1 million to date. I'm not here to ask for money. I'm here to ask for your endorsement of our project. As we enter into our capital campaign, we'll be applying for grants and funding support from several different organizations. These organizations want to see who supports our project as they consider whether or not to participate with us. My request today is merely this. To whom it may concern, letter, of support and endorsement for the Greater Boring Area Community Center project from this austere body. That's my request, just a letter that will help us raise money for our community center. Thank you for this opportunity and I'll answer any questions if anybody has any.

All right. What I think... Oh, go ahead. Yeah, go ahead. Typically, we hold our comments to the end, and I'll make an exception here. And I know you've been in here several times. We appreciate all your effort. Commissioner Estavista, do you want to go first?

Yeah, thank you, Chair, for accommodating that and making a special exception. Steve, I just want to just say thank you for you and the Boren community for all you do. You have done an extraordinary amount of work in that area. I feel really bad about the irrigation thing we learned, you know, very, very late about, but I just want to just personally share my gratitude on behalf of your community, our community, for what you do. You're a model, and I just really appreciate the work you've done.

Thank you. Commissioner Hill.

I echo those sentiments, Steve, and thank you for being so persistent. You know, it's very hard. We have some issues and some challenges with the park, and we're working on it, but I appreciate your persistence, and I'm thrilled for this building you're going to do, and the location is fantastic. It's in the heart of Boring, and your volunteer groups and your community are just amazing. So kudos to all of you for taking part in this.

Thank you. Commissioner Schrager.

Yeah, I just have a question, Steve, and thank you for all you do. I echo the sentiments. You've been a real, just a stellar citizen, you and your family, for the whole area for years and years and years. But have you folks ever contacted the National Guard at all to do any work on the parks there? We have a close relationship with them, and at one point we had a conversation with where they look for projects to do. And I remember years ago, we had the climbing wall project that we had, and they actually were the ones that went out there and, you know,

got it up to snuff and do it so i was unaware of that really yeah because we'll try to look into it i i would say we'll try and get some contacts if you all could give me a contact information that'd be great okay we'll do that all right thank you again and keep up the great work we sure appreciate it all right clerk next

That is my last in-person registration. If you would like to testify, I'll ask you please to fill out a bill card. Otherwise, I will turn to virtual testimony. If you would like to testify, please use the raise hand feature and I will call on you in the order received. Mr. Chair, I do not see any hands raised.

All right. Thank you. Gary, what do you have next for us? Thank you. You have several presentations. The first is General Election Information Update on the November 3rd, 2026 election. Presenting is the Clackamas County Clerk, Clerk McMullen, and Justin Larson, the Elections Manager in the Clerk's Office. Welcome, and go ahead, please. Thank you.

Thank you. My name is Catherine McMullen. I'm the county clerk and head election official for Clackamas County, and I have with me... My name is Justin Larson, and I'm the elections manager in the office of the county clerk. Thank you, chair and commissioners, for allowing us this public presentation. It's an update of the November 3rd general election. How do you get the presentation started?

It should be started on your screen.

It's on my screen.

Thank you, Tony. Okay, so first we'll talk an overview of the May 19th, 2026 primary election by the numbers. There were 318,500 eligible voters for a 44.86% turnout. That's the highest turnout that we've had for a gubernatorial primary since vote by mail went to an effect in Oregon in 1998. So turnout was quite high and it was higher than other area counties around the region. We had 969 ballots, or 0.7%, that were challenged and could not be accepted because of signature issues. Either there was no signature on the ballot return envelope or the signature did not match. Our election cost per eligible voter was $1.70, and election personnel cost was $1,000, excuse me, $1,000 ballots processed for $775.00. Clackamas County Elections conducts logic and accuracy tests for each election, ensuring that our tabulation equipment functions as expected and accurately counts votes as marked. A logic and accuracy test is conducted once before ballots begin to be processed and again after all ballots have been tabulated. We do this before and after each election. For our coming election, we have an LNA test or logic and accuracy test scheduled for February, excuse me, Friday, September 18th at 11 a.m. and then again on November 25th at 4 p.m. So before and after we start processing ballots. And we have posted unofficial election results three times on election night for the primary and then six more times before official certification to the Secretary of State's office. Okay.

National Voter Registration Day is September 15th. It is coming up. We are encouraging voters to check their voter registration record online at oregonvotes.gov. You can also register to vote at oregonvotes.gov as well. We're encouraging voters to sign up for Track Your Ballot, which is a free service to voters where they can sign up and receive email, phone call, or text message notifications when their ballot is mailed to them, when it's been received by the county clerk, when it's been accepted, or if it's been challenged due to a signature issue. Voters may also request an absentee ballot if they're going to be away from home during the active voting period, and absentee ballots can be picked up as early as Monday, September 21st. To sign up for Track Your Ballot, voters can scan the QR code on the screen or they can visit us online at www.clackamas.us forward slash elections and sign up for Track Your Ballot online. This is a fantastic service that we have for voters that provides proactive communication to the voters that notifies them the status of their ballot when it's been accepted.

There have been questions around changes at the federal and state level around our elections. At this point, Oregon's vote-by-mail system has not changed. Voters should expect their ballots at the same time and vote their ballots as they normally would. County clerks and election administrators continue to comply with our Oregon election laws. We received a directive from the Secretary of State, 2026-08, that orders us or directs us to comply with state statutory regulations, including key statutory dates for mailing ballots. By Saturday, September 19th, is the deadline to mail ballots to military and overseas voters. On October 5th is the first day that we can mail ballots to voters with a non-Oregon mailing address who are not military overseas voters. And then October 14th is the first day that we'll mail ballots to all voters. Voters should receive their ballot by October 22nd mail delivery and you should contact us at Clackamas County Elections if you have not. myself and my office will continue to do our part to maintain the integrity and security of our elections and we'll comply with our Oregon statutory deadlines unless we have further direction by the Secretary of State's office we are continuing to document our United States Postal Service drop-off dates we're monitoring the delivery confirmations and we're documenting and reporting any irregularities or challenges with the mail We will also track any ballots that have been rejected for processing. We're going to continue to ensure that ballots are processed, mailed, and postmarked in full accordance with Oregon law.

General election, what is on my ballot? We have federal and state offices that will appear on all ballots, regardless of the party affiliation of the voter. Those offices include the United States Senate, the United States House of Representatives. At the state level, governor, state House of Representatives, as well as the state Senate offices will appear on the ballot. We have state judges. Special districts include Clackamas Soil and Water Conservation District officers, Mount Angel Monitor Fire District. Nonpartisan county offices include commissioners position two and position four, which will appear for a two year unexpired term. sheriff, who will be elected to a full four-year term, the county clerk, the county treasurer, and the county justice of the peace for a full six-year term. There will be additional local offices and measures, including city offices, and then 10 local measures for cities, school districts, and fire districts. Information about what is available on the ballot is on our website and will be included in the voters pamphlet, which will be mailed to voters the week of October 6th. October 6th is when voter pamphlets will begin to arrive for all Clackamas County households. October 13th is the voter registration deadline, and the Clackamas County Clerk's Office will be open to the general public until 7 p.m. Voters that are registered may update their registration until 8 p.m. on Election Day. However, for those that are not registered to vote in Oregon, their voter registration deadline is October 13th. The general election is a county-wide election. All registered voters will receive their ballots. And the Happy Valley Vote Center at the Happy Valley Public Library will be opened on October 19th, and it will be open through November 3rd with the same business hours as the Clackamas County Elections Office.

There are 26 official ballot drop sites available to return your ballot. We are recommending that voters return their ballot as soon as they're done voting to one of the 26 official ballot drop sites. They are located throughout the county, and you can go to Clackamas.us forward slash election to see exactly where all those are. If you choose to return your ballot by mail, make sure to mail your voted ballot back no later than a week before Election Day. A mailed ballot must have a valid postmark indicating that it was mailed on or before Election Day, which is November 3rd, and must be received by our office within seven days of Election Day. The U.S. Postal Service postmark no longer reflects the actual date your mail was sent. So if you choose to mail your ballot close to Election Day, you should take your ballot to a customer service counter at a local post office and request they hand postmark it. Again, we recommend that you return your ballot to an official ballot drop site and then sign up for track your ballot as well so that you can know when your ballot was received by our office. Equity and inclusion import is important in the county clerk's office What that means is that every eligible voter has the resources that they need to vote easily and without barriers Some of our recent improvements including at includes adding voter assistance technology That's available at our two voting locations allowing voters with disabilities to vote independently and protect their right to a secret ballot We have extended office hours for our voter registration deadline, the Saturday before Election Day and Election Day. Our Happy Valley Vote Center is open for East County communities, so it's a closer location to get a replacement ballot or get voter assistance. We also have 15 of our 26 official ballot drop sites that have left side drive-up access, which improves access so that voters don't have to park or get out of their vehicle to return their ballot. Election integrity is also very important at the clerk's office. What this means is that our elections are safe and secure, accurate and transparent. We continue to adhere to state and federal laws and the Secretary of State's 2026-08 directive. We've recently upgraded our ballot tabulation system to improve processing and lower the need for labor-intensive ballot duplication. We host candidate open houses and cover common elections administration questions with targeted events for candidates, for political parties, city recording staff and other partners. We've increased our observation access through signature verification and adjudication monitors. We welcome you to come and see us in action there when we're processing ballots at our office. And then our voter registration maintenance is a continuous task that's done at the county level by four election staff. And that's kind of just what we're doing within the elections division. It's important to acknowledge that conducting elections is a countywide endeavor. We have support from technological services, facilities, other jurisdictions, human resources, our county admin, county council, as well as local law enforcement partners. So it really does take the whole county to conduct a successful election, and I want to make sure to thank everybody for that. Finally, we invite voters to make a plan to vote. Again, sign up for Track Your Ballot. You can do that by going online to the Clackamas County Elections website. You can also double check that you're registered to vote and update your information on the Secretary of State's website. That's OregonVotes.gov. And please come visit us at the Elections Office to be an elections observer. It's important to us that you can see the public process for yourself because it is indeed your election. Justin and I are available for questions, and we thank you for your time.

All right. Commissioner Helm, go ahead.

Thank you for the presentation, Catherine. I had heard on the news the other day that Secretary of State Tobias Reid had requested...

million dollars for extra drop boxes do you know if anything happened with that yeah there's it's about 1.25 million emergency funding requests to the e board at the state level my understanding is that decision may be made today it does include 20 additional official ballot drop sites around the state I do not know if any would be placed in Clackamas County or if we'd have the resource to get them placed before this coming election. But the minute that I do have that information, we'll act as quickly as we can to see if we can place them, if we do get some. Thank you.

Commissioner Savas.

Yeah. I think I know the answer to this, but it'd be great to hear it from you directly. Um, I'm noticed the August 13th deadline for people to register to vote, correct?

Uh, October 13th. Yes.

Yeah. 13th. And then next day the ballots are dropped in the mail and maybe people don't realize until maybe a week afterwards, you know, or towards the election, a couple of weeks before the election, I didn't get my ballot. I didn't get my ballot and maybe they were registered or maybe they're not. Um, But really if they discover that they're not registered or assume they were registered Really that October 13th is the drop-dead date if they were never registered, right?

So it's the voter registration deadline for someone who's never been registered in Oregon If you've moved you can update your voter registration up until 8 o'clock on election night But you have to already be registered by October 13th.

That's what I want you to say. Thank you.

Yes, I

The only question I had was you mentioned 10 local measures, schools and some other ones, and I wondered if you could talk about what those are. Do you have that available? If not, I can get it from you later.

Yeah, no, it's definitely on our website, but we have measures in the city of Canby, the city of Estacada, the city of Portland, and the city of Wilsonville. The school districts are Gladstone, North Clackamas, and Silver Falls. The fire district is the Monitor Rural Fire for dissolution, and then the Mount Angel Monitor Fire for formation. And then was there any other ones? Okay, and then there's details and measure numbers on the website as well.

Okay, all right Which one monitor? Yes. Yes.

Well and you were at this meeting too. So just a comment to the our constituents, so the Mount Angel and Monitor Fire Districts are merging. So it is a two-part vote. One of them is to dissolve the Monitor, and you have to have both of them be a yes in order for that measure to pass. So it's just a very tiny portion of Clackamas County in that, but just so people understand, they both have to be yes in order to actually pass, so.

And I think there's a money component to it as well.

Yes. Oh, yes, because they're voting on a new rate as well.

Right, so they're also asking for that. What impressed me when I was out there, well, both of us were out there, was literally, I mean, they have, I don't want to over-exaggerate, but a lot of volunteers. All the farmers out there, when they have fires, all come in. They have a siren that goes off, and the number of volunteers is really incredible. Yeah. If they had to pay for all that service, it would be

astronomical so I do believe they're really trying to continue a service out there for that is critical to that community so anyway and there's a lot of other ones on the ballot as well so yeah just specifically for for that instance so both Monitor and Mount Angel will have to vote to dissolve and then they would have to then vote to form and then there's also a election for five directors that's also on the ballot so I didn't know that. I didn't know that either. Oh, my gosh. There are people running for election for positions that don't yet exist.

All right.

Okay.

So that South County better pay attention. A lot on the ballot. So, okay. Well, if there's no other questions, thank you for the information. You're doing a great job, and we sure appreciate your hard work. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Gary, what do you have next? Thank you. The next presentation is Recovery Awareness Month and Proclaiming September as Recovery Awareness Month in Clackamas County. Presenting is Mary Rumbaugh, Director of Health, Housing, and Human Services, and Catherine Caruso from LifeWorks Northwest. Welcome and go ahead.

Good morning, Chair Roberts and Commissioners. Today we would like to bring forward a proclamation to recognize September 2026 as National Recovery Month. The proclamation is being brought forward on behalf of H3S and the Clackamas Community Alliance or CCA, which is a coalition that brings together community organizations, treatment providers, people with lived experience and service providers to improve the health of our communities. The CCA works to reduce preventable harms and death from substance use through education, outreach, and meaningful engagement. I am joined today by Catherine Caruso, who is our program director at LifeWorks Northwest and chair of the CCA. And as you'll see in the room, you get a good audience today. We have our co-chair of our CCA, Jenna Nevels, with CODA, as well as staff and leadership from public health, health centers, behavioral health, and CDC. FCC divisions as well as members of the CCA Advisory Committee. It just speaks to how important this proclamation is to all of us. So National Recovery Month is observed every September to recognize the strength and resilience of people in recovery, to celebrate the gains made by those in recoveries from substance use disorders, promote evidence-based treatment and recovery practices, and to honor the providers, peers, families, and community partners who make recovery possible. The substance use crisis has created tremendous loss across the country in terms of lives lost, individuals and families impacted, and increased strain on public services. In 2024, nationally, 79,384 individuals that we know of died from a drug overdose in the U.S. In that same year, Clackamas County lost 103 lives. We are seeing drug overdose deaths declining both nationally and locally due to a combination of factors, including changes in the drug supply. expanded overdose prevention efforts, better access to treatment, and peer recovery supports. We've made a great deal of progress, but too many lives continue to be lost due to drug overdose. So Clackamas County will continue to prioritize and sustain this progress to support our community members. Thanks to this board's adoption of a recovery oriented system of care framework, We see continued investments in critical recovery services, including housing, employment, treatment, and peer support. A few examples of the great work happening here in the county. In 2025, H3S and our partners, we distributed over 6,500 Naloxone kits to community partners. 240 people at risk of overdose were connected to peer support, case management, treatment, and housing. And over 485 individuals with opioid use disorder received medication assisted treatment at Clackamas Health Centers. And through the Clackamas Community Alliance, staff work alongside community partners to improve the health of our communities. Last year, the CCA provided quarterly naloxone trainings to 155 people and hosted educational events focused on recovery housing and building a recovery ready Clackamas County. On September 16th, the CCA, in partnership with 4D Recovery, will host a networking and resource event to celebrate Recovery Month. The event will feature stories of recovery, a drumming ceremony, and a chance to learn more about the people and organizations supporting recovery throughout Clackamas County, and we invite you to join us. Recovery Month affirms that recovery is possible when people have access to treatment, support, resources, and community conditions that help them heal and thrive. This month, we remind our communities that behavioral health is essential, treatment is effective, and recovery is possible. Staff respectfully requests that the Board of County Commissioners declare September 2026 as Recovery Month and authorize Chair Roberts or his designee to sign on behalf of Clackamas County. We are happy to answer any questions before I ask that Catherine read the proclamation.

All right, thank you. Questions? Commissioner West has his hand raised. Yes, go ahead Commissioner West. Can you guys hear me okay? Yes.

Yes. Yes. Terrific. This is really exciting, Mary. Great presentation. In 2023, the Board of County Commissioners made a bold step and we implemented a recovery-oriented system of care. Anybody can go to the website and they can see what a recovery-oriented system of care looks like in Clackamas County. They can find the original resolution that we passed to make sure that our interventions as a county fit this policy prescription. And over the last few years, we have been wildly successful. And for those in the public that are new to understanding what a recovery-oriented system of care is, it is a coordinated network of community-based services and supports that is structured to help individuals with substance use and behavioral health challenges build sustained long-term recovery. In this, we emphasize patient-centered or person-centered approaches. It's strengths-based, it's self-directed, and there's many pathways to recovery. We focus on long-term recovery, not just acute treatment or just different aspects within someone's recovery process, but we fill the gaps in the care continuum. The services that we want, need to offer in Clackamas and are offering are holistic. We are addressing health, housing, employment, relationships, community involvement, and all of the important pillars in an individual's lives. We support and use peer recovery support systems and involvement with people through their lived experience. We believe in multiple pathways. There's no wrong way to get into recovery. And we respect that individual journey for each person and the routes that they need to take to find sustained support to be healthy and whole. we we have strong community partnerships we haven't done this alone as a county but i could see the camera showing me that in the in the audience today many of our partners that make this possible across health care social services even the criminal justice system education and different civic organizations uh thank you to all of you i see i saw a loved one hoodie or t-shirt in the audience today on the camera Thank you for all the work you do. Special shout out to father's heart and loved one and anyone else in the audience that cares deeply about this and does that work. We do it innovatively. We do it better than most. We have lots to be proud of. Just three and a half years ago, we had no infrastructure on how to help this population. We walked in a little rudderless as we tried to address this big issue and Clackamas County really rose to the occasion and Mary I think even just spoke to some of the big things. We just broke ground on the recovery campus, a multi-acreage recovery campus that brings holistic patient-centered care at one co-located area. It's the crown jewel of our entire system and that's exciting. We just did that groundbreaking. I can't wait for the ribbon cutting in the near future. So thank you to everybody that cares about this issue, that is passionate about it. And this is a great thing to celebrate. And I look forward to getting to vote on this and, of course, supporting it. But thank you to everybody who helped make what we're doing possible here in Clackamas County and the results speak for themselves. So kudos to all of you. And this is a really great effort that we've taken. So thank you.

Commissioner Salvas?

Yeah, I just want to thank everyone here today and others that are out there that have, in particular, dedicated their lives after recovery to this cause and helping others. And I think those personal experiences are powerful, and I think that is something I've learned over my years of service here, is meeting people, seeing people who dedicated their lives to helping others and are the walking, living example of success, of recovery. I just wanted to say thank you to everyone here and others out there that are doing that work every day.

So I understand Catherine would like to read the proclamation. Are you ready to do that?

I think so. Yes, thank you. Hi, my name is Catherine Caruso. I am a social worker and a drug and alcohol counselor. I currently am the program director of LifeWorks Northwest for outpatient substance treatment in Clackamas and Multnomah. I worked for Clackamas County for many years building our addiction medicine program within health centers. Clackamas is very important to me. And today I am representing as the chair of the Clackamas Community Alliance. The September 2026 recovery proclamation is as follows. Whereas substance use disorders and mental health conditions affect individuals, families, and communities across our nation, and recovery is possible through prevention, treatment, support, and sustained community involvement. Whereas millions of Americans are living healthy and productive lives in recovery, demonstrating recovery from substance use and mental health conditions is real and achievable. Whereas recovery support services, healthcare professionals, peer specialists, family members, faith communities, employers and community organizations play an essential role in helping individuals achieve and maintain recovery. Whereas increasing awareness and reducing stigma surrounding substance use and mental health conditions encourages individuals to seek help and support long-term recovery outcomes. Whereas communities benefit when individuals in recovery have opportunities for stable housing, meaningful employment, education, health care, and social support. And whereas Recovery Month is observed each September to celebrate the gains made by those in recovery, recognize the contributions of treatment and recovery service providers, and promote the message that recovery is possible for everyone. We request that you proclaim September as Recovery Month and encourage all residents to recognize the importance of prevention, treatment, recovery support services, and the strength and resilience of individuals and families affected by substance use and mental health conditions.

All right. Colleague, is there a motion?

I move we adopt the proclamation declaring September 2026 as recovery month.

Second. All right, Commissioner Schrader has moved to adopt the proclamation declaring September 2026 as recovery month. It's been seconded by Commissioner Salvas. Is there any other further discussion? I think I'd just like to make a short comment and... that I kind of come from a different world of public safety, right, and really got to see firsthand, really, the impact of addiction and mental health. And unfortunately saw folks cycling through the system, really. completely thrilled to see the recovery campus and as a step that for non-justice involved people, which is really important to kind of address it earlier on. We ended up, obviously, after they were in the criminal justice system. I did see, over 16 years of doing that, really a holistic approach. And I was so thrilled to hear you talk about all those elements. It is a holistic approach about mentors, jobs, clean and sober living. And I think the one thing I would just say And that is having folks understand that, unfortunately, relapse is a part of recovery. And to not give up on people. To make sure that, hey, we're here, we're ready. You're always welcome back. And to encourage them to get back on track. And that is something I think public safety had a hard time adjusting to. We used to, like, okay, you use drugs, we'd send you back to prison. We finally adjusted to see that you're an investment. And when we did that investment, those same people gave back to the community tenfold in helping others. And personally, I would get energized by just sitting down and talking to somebody about their history, how they got to where they were, and really how they're helping other people. So for Clackamas County having the recovery campus, justice involved ones, medicated assisted treatment, I couldn't be more thrilled. And it really does touch so many of us in the community. And so thank you for coming today. I'm just pleased by the work the county has done in this effort. So thank you very much. I think we're at a point then to call a poll. Commissioner West.

Aye. Commissioner Schrader.

Aye.

Commissioner Helm?

Aye.

Commissioner Salas? Aye. Chair Roberts? Aye.

Motion passes 5-0, Mr. Chair. All right. Thank you both very much.

Gary, what's next? Thank you. Final presentation today is the next Business Spotlight presentation. Today it's Bridgetown Mushrooms. Presenting is Laura Edmonds, our Economic Development Manager, and Trevor Hubert, who is the founder of Bridgetown Mushrooms, who's here today. Welcome, and go ahead.

Good morning, Chair Roberts, commissioners. I'm Laura Edmonds, manager of the Office of Economic Development. And joining me today, as Gary said, is Trevor Hebert, the founder of Bridgetown Mushrooms. So we are excited to be able to present to you the final video business spotlight in this series. And then, of course, we're working on the next. So very excited. They're pretty fun. But we're just excited about this series to showcase the businesses in the region and the grants, the business development grants that you have approved to invest in business retention and expansion efforts. So we're really excited about it's being very successful. And we just want to say thank you again for that. So, as you know, May 13th, 25, you approved this series, and we put these together in collaboration with Public Government Affairs. The proceeds that pay for these videos are lottery funds from the Office of Economic Development, as well as county general funds from the Public and Government Affairs team, department. So... We are, the videos are posted on the county website as well as numerous other social media outlets. And that way they become very visible. The businesses themselves are able to use them on their website should they choose. So it really does provide a lot of visibility for the organizations. So Bridgetown Mushroom, founded in 2018 in Tigard, Oregon. is a USDA organic culinary mushroom farm that cultivates fresh specialty mushrooms for distribution throughout the West Coast. Bridgetown is a 2024 grant recipient that received $90,000 to support their relocation into unincorporated Clackamas County, Canby to be exact, and capital investments in equipment for the new space that they are redeveloping. So let's go ahead and do the video, Tony.

Here at Bridgetown Mushrooms, we celebrate and cultivate organic, fresh mushrooms for our community. Genuinely, we start right behind me here, and this is where we mix our substrate that exists in our fruiting blocks that the mycelium will eventually colonize on. and then they're ready to go into our fruiting chambers where we cut the bags open and they grow in our humidity chambers. After that, the mushrooms take about seven to 12 days to mature. And at that point, that's where we go in with our team and harvest the mushrooms. You can just wiggle them right off the block. And then we take them to our station where we trim the substrate off the bottom of the mushrooms and pack them up for our wonderful wholesalers. And they also go out to our farmers markets as well.

Bridgetown Mushrooms sought out a grant because we have an astronomical amount of needs for money to progress the business. The process was pretty straightforward. We just wrote a really honest dialogue about what the money would be used for. The real kind of catalyst that brought us here was the building itself. It was almost perfectly bespoke for what we needed. There's a really beautiful linear flow here. There's a great amount of power available to us. When we got this building, there was no lighting in it. The roof had probably 10 to 15 leaks and there was water coming into the building and there was trash all over the place. There was holes in the walls. And there was a major pest issue here as well. We've added lighting so we can see now. We've had a full remodel of the bathrooms and the front office and hallway space. So we got a brand new roof on the building. The grant money really helped us get to that place because the grant money really sent in a vote of confidence to the investment group that was able to help us get the roof. And the building just represents our ability to scale and grow for a long time into the future, and even to have some other peripheral lines of income through agro-tourism potentially in the future, farm-to-table dinners, things that are more in alignment with our broader dream as a company. We've hired three new people since the grant has occurred, and we're in a process of kind of developing the building right now. And once we get through that, we'll be able to hire probably another three people on top of that. So it's been a significant lift for us as a company on our staffing. I think out of all the grants that we've applied for, this was probably the nicest experience we've had. We really like the community that we've worked with on this and just feel really supportive throughout the whole process.

Go ahead. Oh, no, it's just Trevor's here.

Fantastic. Again, great video. And I guess, Trevor, I'd love to hear from you. And boy, how did you get into this? Very innovative. So love to hear from you.

Sure. Yeah. So first and foremost, I'd just like to express my gratitude for your graciousness in offering us the grant. It was a true dream come true for me. I think at the inception of the company, I had dreamt of having this equipment for our production line. And it was an absolute monumental milestone for me personally. As to how I got into the business, I've always kind of had a curiosity for the natural world. I always felt that soil was actually kind of a microcosm for the universe above us. And there's a lot of like reflection that can happen there. And I've always been really interested in those things. And I was studying soil science, trying to understand where soil came from, which led me to the fungal kingdom. And then I learned that it was the least documented area of natural science. And it already had touched on so many things that could impact society and the problems that we have in society. the list goes on and on, but such as Alzheimer's mitigation, plastic issues, there's a lot of really big issues that exist in the world that could be greatly impacted by the fungal kingdom. And I kind of made a decision at that point to dedicate my life to expanding awareness around this kingdom, especially the youth and trying to inspire curiosity within the youth in hopes that they would further the research around this kingdom and bring it to light in the public eye.

Yeah, fantastic. And you got my curiosity up as I'm watching this grow in seven days or whatever, and very impressive work. Any other comments from my colleagues? Go ahead, Commissioner Hill.

Well, first of all, when I saw the heading, I kind of wondered what kind of mushrooms you were growing. Then it said culinary, which I love mushrooms of all kinds. I just am one of those. The stranger, the better. I will say that you just brought up educational and I'm hoping that maybe one of your agritourism or you can probably have, hopefully it's allowed, to have school tours and stuff through your plant because I think you have a lot to offer children who are learning about this. And then one more question, it mentioned farmers markets and I recently had a friend who bought a block at a farmer's market that was ready to take home and grow. Do you do that as well?

We do.

Okay. Okay. Very cool. Yeah. So you can buy a block and take it home and put, you missed it. I think she said you missed it and then you put it in the garage or something. And then in seven to 12 days you have your own mushrooms. So very cool. And tell me where farmer's markets you might be at.

Currently at Tigard Farmers Market, Lake Oswego, and the South Waterfront. Wow.

Cool. Thank you. I've seen you at Lake Oswego. All right.

Sounds like a field trip.

It does. I know. I know. Very good. Thank you.

All right. Commissioner Salvas.

Yeah, just curiosity about two things. Number one is your availability. You probably don't use a lot of water, probably. That's one question.

We use a very measured amount of water, whereas other traditional crops may use kind of an undetermined amount of water based on whether we know exactly how much water we're going to be using, which does ultimately result in us using not very much water comparatively.

Yeah. And the other question I have is on the air quality side. I mean, is there a humidity factor, a temperature? I'm sure that's ideal.

that is correct we have to have certain atmospheric conditions to for the mushrooms to to grow which is why mushrooms tend to be seasonal typically in nature but because we're able to control those those metrics within a a grow chamber, we can actually provide a year-round product at that point.

Are mushrooms light sensitive as far as timing? You know, the long days, short days, typical crops, you know, grow and harvest a certain time. Do mushrooms have that same kind of sensitivity to light as far as timing and harvesting?

They sense light. They don't photosynthesize like other plants do, but they do sense light, specifically blue spectrum light. So when a A beam of light comes through a forest, it's getting filtered out by the forest canopy, and what typically makes it to the ground floor is a blue spectrum of light. So mushrooms are particularly sensitive to this spectrum of light, and it just makes them aware that it's time for them to pin, which is a term we would use for the growth of a baby mushroom, basically.

Well, thanks for that. Appreciate you investing in Clackamas County as well. Thanks. Yeah.

One last question before we move on. Where'd you go to school?

I went to school in Kansas at Kansas University.

Yeah. I can tell you're very bright. I was curious where you went to school. So thank you very much and all our best to you and your business and glad to have you in Clackamas County. Thank you very much.

If I could just add one comment. Sure. We do have our production equipment, but we are currently unable to utilize it. We have had some hurdles with the permitting office. that have caused us to not be able to install the equipment currently. So if there is anything that you could do to help that along, that would be greatly appreciated.

I think you're talking to the right people here. So if we can help us follow up on that, would you?

So we've already followed up on that. Matt Rozelle in permitting was very helpful in providing us a complete update. And at this point in time, there's a couple of the permits we're waiting for the plumber to complete his plan, unfortunately. So there's a couple stages that we are waiting for. And so we have the list of everything that's pending, and we have all the dates and when they started. So we have had a complete conversation, a thorough conversation over this. So we've sent feedback to the prop, because there's a property owner that owns it, and then to the, and he's working directly with the architect So as of September 9th, that was our most recent conversation around the permitting.

Okay. All right. Great. You're on it, right, Laura?

I'm on it. Okay. I'm all over it. All right. Thank you both very much. Thank you so much.

All right, Gary, what's next? Thank you. Next, you have two public hearings. The first is approval of a board order transferring jurisdiction over a portion of Ivy Street, which is Market Road number 10, Transportation and Development number 61012 from Clackamas County to the City of Oregon City. There is no fiscal impact. There are no county general funds involved. Mike Besner, is the Assistant Director of Transportation and Development. Go ahead, please.

Thank you. And yes, this is Ivy Street with the City of Cambie. This is a project that has been going on for several years, dates back a ways. We made an agreement with the city way back. They wanted to do basically a complete street kind of improvement on Ivy, south of 99E, pretty much to 13th. They wanted us, it was a county road, still is, and they wanted us to manage the project and we agreed to and as part of the agreement and we spent money on our staff and the agreement was when the project was over they would take jurisdiction of Ivey over. And here we are a few years later and the project is substantially complete and it is time. Canby already passed a resolution requesting the road. We've advertised it per requirements and law in the Canby newspaper. for a few weeks, and so we are definitely looking for permission from the board to transfer jurisdiction of Ivey, and it's from 1990 all the way to the city limits, which is pretty much where the bridge over the Malala River, and it becomes Camby-Markham Road on the other side. I'm happy to take questions if you have any.

All right, any questions?

No chair just a comment. I you know I got way back on the council wanting to transfer some of their roads over the city can be City Council, so It just goes to show that progress sometimes is inches along, but we eventually get there, so thanks for all the great work All right, I'll now open the public hearing on this item and clerk you want to help us moderate that

Good morning. If you're in person and would like to testify, please fill out a blue card and I will call you in the order received. Seeing none, I will turn to online testimony. If you would like to speak on this matter, please use the raise hand feature and I will call on you in the order received. Mr. Chair, do not see any hands raised.

All right, I'll close the public hearing and check with the commissioners. Anything else? Seeing none, is there a motion?

I move we adopt the board order transferring jurisdiction of Ivy Street to the city of Oregon City.

I apologize, commissioners, there's a typo in your script. It's to the city of Canby. There's also an error on the public agenda. I apologize. This is the city of Canby. The next item is to the city of Oregon City.

Okay. So then I will amend my motion to... move this to jurisdiction of Ivy Street to the City of Canby, or? Second.

All right. Commissioner Schrader has moved to adopt the board order transferring jurisdiction of Ivy Street to the City of Canby. And then Commissioner Helm is second to that. Any further discussion? Seeing none, clerk, could you please call the poll? Commissioner Sadas?

Aye. Commissioner West? Aye. Commissioner Helm?

Aye.

Commissioner Schrader?

Aye.

Chair Roberts? Aye. Motion passes 5-0, Mr. Chair. All right.

Thank you. Gary, what do you have next? Thank you. The next public hearing is, this is correct now, approval of a board order transferring jurisdiction of a portion of Old 82nd Avenue, Market Road number 38, Transportation and Development Number 22308 from Clackamas County to the City of Oregon City. Indefinitely, no fiscal impact, no county general funds are involved. Mike will present again.

Thank you. This one's really different. This one just came to our attention. It's basically a patch of dirt, but it happens to have a county road designation over it. We think it's a remnant from I-205 construction way back in Oregon City recently came across it, and they want it. and we think it's a good idea for them to take it. And so, again, they passed a resolution requesting it. We advertise it in the Oregon City newspaper the required number of times, and we're looking for your approval to transfer it. All right, thank you. Questions, comments? Go ahead, Commissioner.

Why was the word indefinitely added to this one instead of not the other one?

I don't know the answer to that question. It could be the way the actual original easement was worded. They're all very different. And so when the surveyors drew this up, it could be they felt like they had to add that word. But I don't think there's a lot of meaning attached to it.

All right. Just wondering. Thank you.

All right. I'll open the public hearing on this item. And clerk, do you want to help us moderate that?

If you would like to testify on this matter, please fill out a blue card, and I will call on the order received. Seeing none, I will turn to online testimony. If you would like to testify, please use the raise hand feature, and I will call on you on the order received. Mr. Chair, do not see any hands raised.

All right, I'll now close the public hearing. Check with our commissioner, see if there are any other comments. Seeing none, I'll ask for a motion.

Chair, I move we adopt the board order transferring jurisdiction of the designated portion of Old 82nd Avenue to the City of Oregon City. Second.

All right, Commissioner Elm is moved to adopt the board order transferring jurisdiction of the designated portion of Old 82nd Avenue to the City of Oregon City. Commissioner Schrader has seconded that. Any further discussion? Seeing none, clerk, will you please call the poll? Commissioner West.

Aye. Commissioner Savas? Aye. Commissioner Schroeder? Aye. Commissioner Helm?

Aye.

Chair Roberts? Aye.

Motion passes 5-0, Mr. Chair. Thanks. Gary, what's next? Thank you. Next is the consent agenda for the Board of County Commissioners. It's a long one. And Tony, would you please read the consent agenda?

Good morning, Commissioners. The Clackamas County Consent Agenda. Elected officials. Item 1, approval of previous business meeting minutes for the Board of County Commissioners. Item 2, approval of a board order with Northwest Bend Boats LLC doing business as North River Boats for two Sheriff's Patrol boats. Total agreement value is $280,000. $250.04 for one year. Funding is through the Oregon State Marine Board funding. No county general funds are involved for the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office. Item 3. Approval to apply for the Stop Violence Against Women Act Fund. Oregon Department of Justice Crime Victim and Survivor Services Special Projects 2027. Stop Violence Against Women Act. Competitive request for... Apologies, I'm not sure what the RFA stands for for law enforcement prosecution and courts Anticipate a grant award is two hundred two thousand eight hundred and fifty seven dollars funding is through the Oregon Department of Justice and they stop violence against women act federal funds no County general funds are involved the district attorney's office and Item 4, approval to apply for the Stop Violence Against Women Act Fund, Oregon Department of Justice Crime Victim and Survivor Services two-year 2027 VAWA competitive RFA for law enforcement, prosecution, and courts. Anticipated grant value is up to $1,199,597, but likely $400,000 over two years. Funding through the Oregon Department of Justice and Stop Violence Against Women Act. No county general funds are involved for the district attorney's office. Disaster Management Item 1, approval to apply for fiscal year 2026 Emergency Management Performance Grant. Estimated value is $166,900 for one year. Funding is through Federal Emergency Management Performance Grant and matching funds of $166,900 of budgeted county general funds. Item 2, approval of a grant agreement amendment with the state of Oregon for flood mitigation assistance. Total value is $570,046.23 for three years. Funding through federal flood mitigation assistance grant program. No county general funds are involved. County Council, item 1, adoption of a correction to ordinance ZDO-293. No fiscal impact. No county general funds are involved. transportation and development item 1 approval of an annual intergovernmental agreement with Metro to implement the FY fiscal year 2026-2027 annual waste reduction and recycle at work program total revenue is $508,656 fiscal year 2026-2027. Funding through the regional system fees collected on tons of waste disposed in the Metro service district No County general funds are involved item to approval of a good and services contract one eight six eight with Pacific landscape services incorporated for landscape services total contract value one million four hundred and sixty three thousand eight hundred and eighty dollars for five years funding through County Road funds no County general funds are involved and Item 3, approval of a public improvement contract with Wickwire Contracting, LLC, for the Leland-Beaver Creek Intersection Improvements Project. Total contract value $213,570.50 until project completion. Funding through county road funds. No county general funds are involved. Item 4, authorization to purchase one 2027 auto car ACMD 42 chassis with easy liner model TSALCO500 paint striping truck using source well contract and identified total contract value $788,101 funding through the county road fund. No county general funds are involved. Item 5, approval of a professional services contract with Kittleson and Associates for the shared street implementation project. Total contract values $249,960 for 15 months. Funding through the county road fund. No county general funds are involved. Health, housing, human services. Item 1, approval of amendment number 2 to a local subrecipient agreement with Northwest Family Services for the operation of of a food pantry program in the city of Gladstone. Amendment value is $90,173. Total agreement value is $177,720 for two years. Funding through Metro Supportive Housing Services measure funds. No county general funds are involved. item two approval of amendment number two to a personal services contract with love one for homeless outreach engagement and support services amendment value is three million forty five thousand five hundred and fifty two dollars and forty two cents for one year total agreement value is six million seven hundred seventy five thousand $309.42 for two years. Funding is through Metro Supportive Housing Services measure funds. No county general funds are involved. Item three, approval of amendment number 12 to the Revenue Intergovernmental Agreement with the Oregon Health Authority for the financing of public health services. Total amendment value is $6,040,214.20 for one year. Total agreement value is $13,386,907.81 For two years, funding is through the Oregon Health Authority federal and state grants. No county general funds are involved. Item number four, approval of amendment number one to a personal services contract with the Father's Heart Street Ministry for a homeless medical respite housing pilot program. Amendment valued $925,303.25. Total agreement value is $1,208,836.25 for two years. Funding is through Metro Supportive Housing Services measure funds. No county general funds are involved. Item number five. Approval of Amendment Number 11 with Clackamas Women's Services. For supportive housing services, amendment value is $6,639,871.41 for one year. Total agreement value $29,721,011.95 for five years, funded through State of Oregon grants. 9234 and 9238 funds and Metro Supportive Housing Services measure funds and $88,836 of budgeted county general funds. Item number six, approval of an intergovernmental agreement of Washington and Multnomah counties for a Get Trained to Help mental health promotion and suicide prevention. Total agreement value is $18,600 for one year. Funding is through Oregon Health Authority federal and state grants. No county general funds are involved. Item number seven, approval of amendment number nine to a personal services contract with Impact Northwest for resource navigation, supportive housing case management. Services for Hillside Park residents. Amendment value is $1,266,244 for one year. Total agreement value $5,185,538.28 for four years. Funding is through Metro Supportive Housing Services measure funds. No county general funds are involved. Approval of Amendment No. 7 to a personal services contract with immigrant and refugee community organization for supportive housing case management services. Amendment value is $414,289 for one year. Total agreement value is $2,840,854.41 for four years. Funding is through Metro Supportive Housing Services Measure Fund. No county general funds are involved. Item number nine, approval of three revenue grant agreements with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for a continuum of care programs and administration. Total value of agreements is $866,313 for one year. Funding is through U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and $37,953 of budgeted county general funds. Item number 10, approval of amendment number 6 with Do Good Northwest for support services at Clackamas County Veterans Village. Amendment value is $676,039.33 for one year. Total agreement value, $2,763,578.82. Funding through Metro Supportive Housing Services measure funds. No county general funds are involved. Item number 11 approval of amendment number five with do good Northwest for supportive housing case management services at Clayton Moore Commons Amendment value three hundred and thirty three thousand seven hundred and eighty three dollars for one year total agreement value is one million two hundred seventy one thousand seven hundred and sixty four dollars and forty three cents Funding is through his metro supportive housing services measure funds. No County general funds are involved and Item number 12, approval of a life cycle form in agreement with the Oregon Department of Veterans Affairs for funds to operate the County Veterans Services Office. Total agreement value is $1,147,863 for one year. Funding is through Oregon Department of Veterans Affairs and $663,474 of budgeted county general funds. Item number 13, approval of a personal services contract in Northwest Family Services for operation of the Coordinated Housing Access Rental Assistance Screening and Referral Services. Agreement value, $335,247 for three years. Funding is through Metro Supportive Housing Services measure funds. No county general funds are involved. Item number 14, approval of amendment number one to a revenue grant agreement with the Oregon Department of Transportation for planning operations and capital funding of the Mount Hood Express. Amendment value, $142,139 for three months. Total agreement value is... $950,454 for two years. Funding is through the Oregon Department of Transportation federal pass-through funds. No county general funds are involved. Item number 15, approval of amendment number one to a contract with UCERV Holdings to provide microtransit for transportation reaching people. Amendment value is $150,000 for six months. Total agreement value is $200,000 for one year and six months. Funding is through TriMet federal pass-through funds. No county general funds are involved. Mr. Chair, that concludes the list.

Good job there, young man. All right, any colleagues wish to remove any item from the consent agenda?

I don't want to remove anything, but just a clarification, Tony. Under E10, you said Do Good Northwest, and our packet says Do Good Multnomah. Is it one and the same?

The error is mine. It should be Do Good Multnomah for both.

Okay, thank you. I just wanted a clarification.

All right. All right, is there a motion then? Move to approve the consent agenda.

Second.

Excuse me. Commissioner Savas has moved to approve the consent agenda. Commissioner Helm has seconded that. Any further discussion? Clerk, please call the poll.

Commissioner West. Aye. Commissioner Schroeder?

Aye.

Commissioner Helm?

Aye.

Commissioner Salvas? Aye. Chair Roberts?

Aye. Motion passes 5-0, Mr. Chair. Thank you again, Tony. I'll now recess as the Board of Commissioners convenes the Water Environment Services Board of Directors.

Thank you. Next is the Consent Agenda for Water Environment Services. Tony, would you please read the Consent Agenda?

another lengthy consent agenda one item approval of an agreement with this portland general electric company for income qualified bill discount program estimated agreement value is a maximum of $250,000 for 12 months funding is through water environment services sanitary sewer and surface water funds no county general funds are involved.

Right anyone wish to remove anything from the consent agenda. Seeing none, may I have a motion?

I move we approve the West Consent Agenda. I'll second.

Director Helm has moved to approve the West Consent Agenda. It's been seconded by Director Schroeder. Is there any further discussion?

Yes, Chair. I just want to make a comment on this effort. We have been very deliberate in trying to encourage our partner agencies, as well as our own WES in this case, to develop and support low-income programs for rate relief. And that's what this is about. And this partnership with Portland General Electric, as they are agents so to speak to do that billing directly through PGE. So I just want to just acknowledge that partnership and our deliberate efforts to try to in these very difficult times to for low-income families and households to offer that discount program and also take this opportunity to let people know that are watching that it is available and look into it if you are a Number one, a customer that has waste, your garbage service and or WES and other programs as well. Sunrise too. Yep, sunrise water. A lot of water agencies do that. So we're doing our best to make sure that we're encouraging our utilities to reduce the rates where possible. So that's all I have, Chair.

All right. Clerk, will you please call the poll?

Commissioner West. Aye. Commissioner Helm?

Aye.

Commissioner Schroeder?

Aye.

Commissioner Salvas? Aye.

Chair Roberts? Aye. Motion passes 5-0, Mr. Chair. Thank you. I'll adjourn as the Water Environment Services Board of Directors reconvenes the Board of County Commissioners. Gary.

Thank you. Next is County Administrator Update. That is me. I like to recognize our county employees during my updates. Today, I want to recognize Health, Housing, and Human Services Case Manager Libby Struthers. Not for what she did during her work time, but what she did off her work time. She was recently at a local restaurant during her lunch break, having lunch when an eight-year-old boy right next to her started choking on his food. And the adult with the child panicked and said, help, help. He's choking. I don't know what to do. Libby did know what to do. And again, this is a complete stranger. She calmly stood up, walked over to the little boy, performed the Heimlich maneuver, and dislodged the food and saved his life. And the little boy, after he stopped panicking, gave a high five to Libby. And the adult was so effusive by saying, thank you so much. Libby literally saved a person's life on her lunch break during the county work time. Now, Libby came back to the office and continued her day and didn't say a word to anyone until a few days later. And that person told me. So I don't even think Libby knows I'm saying this. But Libby, wow. phenomenal service of helping someone in need and i think that's a model an example of every county employee who when they see someone who needs help they serve and they be of help whether they're on the clock or not and related to that chair roberts did the very same thing a few months ago he was at a restaurant at dinner time outside work hours personal time and someone at the table next to him started choking And the chair performed the Heimlich maneuver and saved that person's life. And Craig is humble. He told me about this months ago and said, don't say anything, Gary, don't say anything. But I'm saying something, chair, because again, you didn't have to do that, but you knew what to do. You intervened and you saved a person's life. So Libby and Chair Roberts, thank you for all you do every day to help people, whether you're on the clock or not. That is my update for today. Thank you, commissioners.

All right. Thank you, Gary. So we'll move on to Commissioner communication and I'll start with Commissioner Schrader.

Yeah well Congratulate that was remarkable Craig. It was an Italian restaurant Probably when I go to I'm glad you were there In any case, I'm going to do one of my favorite things today. I think Paul and I, I think some of us are going to the Jennings Lodge Park. And it's always great to have a new park in our system. And this is important because we are trying to move with our North Clackamas Parks and Rec District into a phase where we're really going to make an effort to serve the underserved areas in the unincorporated area, and that is, you know, for a long time, when I was first here, we were really concentrating on the larger regional kinds of parks, but now it's time to make sure that the folks in our unincorporated area get the open space they need, and this is at least one small step. I wish years earlier we had the opportunity for a bigger park. We didn't have the votes at that time to move that one forward, but now I'm glad that we're at least trying to accomplish serving an underserved area. So I think everybody's nodding their head. I think we all may be there this afternoon. Next thing I want to mention is I know tomorrow is the 25th anniversary of 9-11. I think all of us remember where we were. I actually was in eastern Oregon at a leadership conference and had no idea that the Twin Towers had been attacked and got up in the morning. And I don't tend to listen to news in the morning at all. I save that for the evening. and found out that the towers, and it was somewhat personal to me because I think some people know that I grew up outside of New York City in poor Chester, New York, and spent a great deal of time in New York City. We could hop on the train and be in Grand Central within a half an hour or so, and so it was devastating for me as someone who had grown up there, and also I had a dear friend who was in the vicinity of it, and luckily she got out okay. But I just want to remind everybody, I imagine that there's going to be a number of things tomorrow to really remember that day and remember the people that lost their lives as well as the first responders who lost their lives and actually worked so hard to save people. So that's all I have. All right.

Thank you, Commissioner. Commissioner Salvas.

On a similar note, as far as 9-11, I was in my elected position in 2001 on the Oak Lodge Water Board. I had signed up for the AWWA conference in Washington, D.C. It was a pre-conference class that I had also signed up for. on domestic and international terrorism. And it was quite the weekend, actually. It was a two-day pre-conference. And the whole theme there was, we know something's going to happen. We just don't know what and where it's going to be. And they had a lot of the, you name it, anyone involved in the national security or security services around the country and abroad was in that room. It was a very powerful, a very powerful setting of people. And the theme there was for utilities to be prepared, do vulnerability assessments where possible. And there were some grant monies that were distributed out to anyone who wished to apply for doing a vulnerability assessment for your utilities and so as the as the Northwest Region representative and also the Oregon representative on special districts at that time I reported back to my colleagues in all different areas of the region and you know it was I think it was kind of dismissed as nothing's gonna happen nothing's gonna happen and there it was a couple three months after those reports 9-11 happened I was at my place of business listening to the radio while I was working and I heard you know a plane had Small plane had struck one of the towers or something like that, and it was bigger. And then when I heard about the second one, I knew that something was up. It was not an accident. But, yeah, I mean, I think in remembrance of all those folks and that period of time is something that will have an impact, an impression upon many of us who lived through that time. And thank you, Martha, for mentioning the groundbreaking at Jennings Lodge. It is going to be an emotional day. I think a number of things that are happening in the parks world have really drawn my attention to our state of conditions, whether it's county parks or North Clackamas. I attended two events this summer at Barton Park, and I was... Well, I mean, the change, the change, we need more resources to take care of our parks. And it was quite the contrast from my last visit at Barton Park to two events this summer. So, you know, the resources are tight for county parks. And it's I'm I shared this with Commissioner Schrader this morning. I think I shared that with some of you. As Metro's parks bond continually acquires properties around the region, but in this case, Clackamas County, I asked our staff a few months ago to look at, well, if that property was not acquired by Metro, what was our loss of revenue that the Clackamas County, let alone the districts, but Clackamas County alone, what's our loss of revenue from lost AV? Because once it's acquired by Metro, it's exempt from property taxes. And that number was around three, four million dollars, I believe, somewhere in that range. You know, I think three to four million dollars would be a great gift for some of the parks, whether it's in our county parks portfolio or whether it's in the parks in North Clackamas. But anywhere those dollars are applied, I'll have to do some more research and find out if that apply to also the cities if there's any park land that was acquired and break that out. But I do intend on talking to Metro counselors about this and say, hey, if you're going to put this back on the voters renewal for renewal, Could you can you do a carve out that kind of compensates renumerates us for that and we'll commit those to those dollars for park purposes it seemed like a Responsible thing to do and a mindful thing to do so I just want to let you know I'm working on that and I also want to Reflect I'm gonna hand this out Martha. I know that Commissioner Helm read this yesterday But I'm gonna make I'm gonna say this publicly so people know I I was pleased to hear that Virginia Foster's around. I wasn't sure. It's been so long, I haven't seen or talked to her in a very long time. But we all received a letter from her, and it tells a little story about North Clackamas Parks and Recreation District. But I'm gonna hand this letter out to all of you. Diana, Commissioner Helm, thank you for reading it yesterday. Chair Roberts. I'm not going to expand on it right now at this moment, but there's a lot of history here that is really important to know. If I get choked up this afternoon... It's because of the pain and the lost opportunity that this community experienced over these years. So it's time to right the ship. And I will always stand up for people that are taken advantage of. And I think deprived of opportunities and investments at their expense, dollars have been politically motivated and directed elsewhere into more affluent areas, if you will. And I think it's our job to make sure that our dollars are invested where they're needed the most, and that level of service is done fairly across this county, regardless what that is. And I take that really personal and seriously. So, Chair, I yield back.

All right. Commissioner West.

Thank you, Chair. Sorry I cannot be there today, but I am grateful to be here in the meeting virtually. 9 11 is uh always a difficult time of year for me and some of my friends i had a high school buddy a friend of mine in my younger years who was in the second plane that hit the second tower um and every year we we take time to remember eric um and so it's very sombering and you know my son and many young people today don't have that same familiarity about what that event was like and how it not just rocked the entire country and galvanized us together in a very unified way, but it really impacted the world. And I'll be remembering Eric tomorrow. And it's a tough time every year. And I'm probably going to have a drink with a couple of my friends and just talk about Eric. And The impact that that day had on all of us. And so we're all not that far removed from somebody who had a direct impact from 9-11. And it is important to not forget and to remember that was attack on our country. And our way of life and our value system. So I want to make sure that I'm telling my son and other people about the importance of 9-11 and what had happened. So with that, I won't belabor the issue any longer and take much more time, but I take a minute to have a time of remembrance for those that were lost in the attack on our country a few decades ago. Thank you.

First of all, I want to thank Steve and Betty Bates for sticking around, and I want to address your request that we sign this letter, and I'm hoping the Board is on board with that as well. Supporting the Boring-Oringan Foundation I think is really important, and thank you for coming before us today with your letter. Virginia, if you're listening, your letter really hit home yesterday. I did read this in full. And you warned us, it's long. It's full of a lot of really great information. Thank you for the history lesson. It explains a lot. It explains where we're at today and why it is pretty messed up. And why... the pressure is on us as a board to do the right thing for the district as a whole. So I want to thank you. I'm going to reread it. I read it yesterday at my desk with my door closed so I can have a little bit of quiet and between that and some other emails we've received regarding the disparity with NCPRD and It really is time to address, I don't even want to call them park deficient. They were just park-less areas in, you know, unappropriated Clackamas County. So thank you for that. And you know, one of the things as we get closer to the 9-11 anniversary every year, there's a lot of stories that come out and I do read a lot of these stories. Heroism, we have heroes here on our own board. I had a situation in a restaurant where my son at five years old was choking. And somebody got up and gave him a Heimlich maneuver and saved his life too. Sat back down in his booth. And it's amazing where people just come out and help each other. And that's one of the things about this 9-11 thing every time it comes up is... We came together as a country. It really brought everyone. It united us in a way that I don't think I've ever seen or ever will see again. So hoping we can do that again. Our country really, really needs it.

Back to you. Thank you. So a follow up on the note of the 25th anniversary of 9-11. And I think many of us know exactly where we were standing, what we were doing when that hit. I can just tell you, I was getting ready for work. I was a detective. I actually had the television on, and I saw it. And I thought, wow, immediately we're under attack. And it was shortly after that, actually, A longtime friend of mine, he had worked for the NTSB. He was air traffic controller. He was since retired and called me and said, listen, whoever was in that plane, it was not a pilot that would ever intentionally fly into a building. And whoever did had to go through a simulator training. And at that time, he told me there's two in the world. One's in Seattle and one I think was in Florida. And he said, so whoever was operating that plane had to go through that. And he goes, you have some connections. Maybe you can pass that information on. And I thought it kind of gave me chills when he had told me that. And anyway, I called the local FBI. And they had no idea. And immediately, that's where they started pulling all the list of who went. And they actually did go through that school. And so I think what was, I had the chance to go back to the Pentagon and really kind of see the damage of where that had happened and the number of lives that were lost there. And if you've ever had a chance to go back there, it's pretty somber. And so I kind of wanted to recap just to kind of, help us all remind everyone kind of how many lives were lost. So there was a total of 2,606 people had died. There were 343 firefighters. There were 60 police officers. At the Pentagon, there were 125 people that were killed actually in that building. And then I think it's often, you can't forget the passengers on those planes. So there was a total of 246 passengers on the plane that were killed that particular day. And as you remember, there were some heroes on that plane that prevented it from hitting another target. really sacrificed their life to try and save others. So countless heroes. And I will echo what Commissioner Helms said. I think it really did unite all of us. And I think that's really what we all want. You know, it is time to come together and to look forward to how we can benefit our community. I think it's important that we all work together, that we be good examples for others, and I think that, and really to never forget. I think one of those things. So as a reminder of helping everyone remember that, this year, because it is the 25th, the City of West Lens hosting a memorial at the Bernard Landing at Willamette Park, and they're partnering with the VFW, law enforcement, sheriff's office, Clark Fire, Twelton Valley Fire, and many others to make sure that that we don't forget everyone's invited. So I want to pass that information on. On to a lighter note, I will tell you something probably nobody else is excited about, but I wanted to warn folks that an upcoming road closure, ODOT, it will be closing I-5 southbound between I-405 and 84 for five weeks, beginning at 10 p.m. this Friday, September 11th. I've talked to several businesses that are actually please not in that area, and they're not looking forward to it, but The closure will include all southbound lanes of I-5 near the Rose Quarter And it will be closed 24 hours a day for five weeks so And travelers and freight will be encouraged to take I-205, which will be significant impact to commuters. It's going to cause delays. And most importantly, just I think it's when that happens, just asking for everybody's patience, because I know tensions can be high. So with that, I had one other exciting announcement, and that is to... recognize a volunteer and I hope we have that picture up there if we do Tony. This is Nancy Martin is a volunteer with Fido Pet Food Bank and Fido supplies and distributes dog and cat food to those experiencing homelessness, veterans and low-income seniors in Clackamas County. This amazing lady, Nancy, is currently the president, and in 2025, under her leadership, Fido served 20,013 pets, provided over 207,000 pounds of dry dog food, and 63,228 cans of cat food. And just an amazing lady. We all love our pets. I just want to extend our thanks to her service and what she does to Clackamas County and extend a big thanks to her. And then one last thing before we wrap up today's meeting. I think that, and this kind of comes back to what Commissioner Helms said, and that is... trying to work out our differences and I yesterday Paul I know you made some comments about where we over promise and under delivered on some of the public safety levy issues and I think that you know I have one view and you have another and that's okay I think that What I would hope is, I know you've brought this up before and you've talked about spreadsheets that you have. What I think would help us all, just to provide clarity, if you could bring that to the board where we can have a conversation because perhaps I'm missing something and would really try and like to understand kind of how we kind of have different views on that because I think it's important we kind of find some common ground and resolution as we kind of move forward. So I'd look forward to seeing that, further conversations about, yeah, go ahead.

I'm sorry, I'm having a hearing challenge. I'm working on it. What'd you say? What part were you anxious to hear?

About the numbers were to include the public safety levy where we over-promised and under-delivered. We didn't ask for enough. You've talked about some other numbers that you have. NOT CHARGING THE CONTRACT CITY'S APPROPRIATE NUMBERS. SO WHAT I'D LIKE TO DO IS PERHAPS JUST BRING SOME OF THAT INFORMATION FORWARD SO I THINK WE CAN KIND OF COME TOGETHER. YOU'VE TALKED ABOUT THAT AND THE MORE I THOUGHT ABOUT THAT I THOUGHT, WELL, HEY, LET'S TRY AND FIGURE THIS OUT, RIGHT? SO IF YOU CAN BRING THAT FORWARD TO THE BOARD THAT WOULD BE FANTASTIC AND THEN MAYBE WE CAN KIND OF IDENTIFY WHAT MAYBE WE'RE MISSING OR NOT.

Yeah, well, I'm happy to, and it'd be actually even better maybe to even have a small work session and bring Patrick from CCSO Finance and bring whoever might want to be, whether it's Cindy Becker or others from County Finance or who help with that. We did discussions at the work group. There was consensus on that, understanding. So it was no disagreement on the staff side of this. Math is math. I love math. And dollars are math. So it all reconciles. And I think the... In hindsight, maybe if that work group was public and everyone could have participated, then yourself and others and Sheriff Brandenburg at the time could have participated in that because it was... You know, we found... The principle was, the idea was, the goal was to have a mutual understanding of what the facts are. And again, what I love about numbers, they tell the truth. There's no ifs, ands, buts. I think your comments about you know, the labor contract. Yeah, there's some truth to that, but it's a portion of that, right? And, you know, I know that we recently extended that contract for another year, so we added another six million on top of the 18. So, you know, we all did that with a mutual vote. So, happy to lay out those numbers, and I think the goal is, for us, and if you be united on messaging, I think we can convey to the public we're doing the right things, and I wanna see the levee be successful, and we keep Clackamas County the safest county in the metro region, and I think that's our goal. But I think it's silly for us to argue or disagree about facts that are number based because I find security in math.

Likewise. So that's why I think if you can bring that forward, it'll help us, right? So look forward to seeing that. I think we can move ahead. And I think that it's be a great opportunity. So sounds like Gary will help work on bringing that information forward. And it's been a long day. And with that, I'll go ahead and adjourn this group. And thank you and have a great rest of your day.