The Marion Forks Hatchery and Oregon Highway 22 as seen on Oct. 14 following massive wildfires (Ron Cooper/Salem Reporter)
Marion County Commissioners voted Oct. 14 to waive building and septic permitting fees for homeowners rebuilding following wildfires in the Santiam Canyon.
The announcement comes after a similar decision by Linn County last week.
Marion County expects the waiver to save those rebuilding a total of $1.2 million in fees, or about $2,000 for a typical home. About 800 homes in the Santiam Canyon were destroyed in the fire, including 470 primary residences.
The move comes as the Oregon Department of Transportation reopened Highway 22 to through traffic the evening of Oct. 13 after clearing an estimated 30,000 hazard trees from the highway.
Photographer Ron Cooper captured some of the destruction in newly opened areas using a drone.
-Rachel Alexander
Wildfire damage along the Little North Fork River on Oct. 14 (Ron Cooper/Salem Reporter)
Wildfire damage along the Little North Fork River on Oct. 14 (Ron Cooper/Salem Reporter)
Wildfire damage along the Little North Fork River on Oct. 14 (Ron Cooper/Salem Reporter)
Photographer Ron Cooper and his wife Penny moved to Salem in 1969 to take a job as photographer at the Oregon Statesman (later the Statesman Journal). Their three children, Monica, Kimberly, and Christopher, attended and graduated from Salem public schools. Cooper retired from the Statesman Journal in 2001 but, has continued his passion for photography in many ways, including as a photographer for the Salem Reporter.
