The Marion County Board of Commissioners on Wednesday approved additional funding for a consultant to design a new sanitary sewer system in the Santiam Canyon.
Commissioners unanimously approved adding $4.16 million of federal Covid relief money to a contract with engineering firm Keller Associates to design the sewer infrastructure ahead of construction. The new contract totals about $7.4 million.
The sewer system would serve the cities of Idanha, Detroit, Gates and Mill City, according to the agenda item.
Commissioners unanimously approved paying Carson Oil Company an additional $50,000 to fuel county vehicles. “Secondary fueling locations (ie: Pacific Pride) allow county employees to fill county vehicles in areas where county fueling stations are not readily available,” according to the agenda. The new purchase order totals $150,000.
The board unanimously appointed Heather Daugherty to the Marion County Local Alcohol and Drug Planning Committee, which advises the county’s health and human services administrator and the board of commissioners.
They also heard a presentation of the 2023 Volunteer Annual Report, which includes data from county departments that use volunteers. Last year, 1,363 people volunteered a total 59,966 hours for the county, according to the agenda. The volunteering included work with Marion County’s dog services, county fair, victim services, justice court, law library, environmental services, emergency management and sheriff’s office.
The board unanimously approved or advanced all other agenda items, including a mass gathering permit for a July 20-21 and 27-28 renaissance faire in Silverton. That permit application was approved after a public hearing.
Contact reporter Ardeshir Tabrizian: [email protected] or 503-929-3053.
SUPPORT OUR WORK – We depend on subscribers for resources to report on Salem with care and depth, fairness and accuracy. Subscribe today to get our daily newsletters and more. Click I want to subscribe!
Ardeshir Tabrizian has covered criminal justice and housing for Salem Reporter since September 2021. As an Oregon native, his award-winning watchdog journalism has traversed the state. He has done reporting for The Oregonian, Eugene Weekly and Malheur Enterprise.
