Document text
New GPID chairman hopes to save dam The Associated Press GRANTS PASS -- The new chairman of the Grants Pass Irrigation District, Don Greenwood, said Wednesday he would continue the course set by his predecessor, who fought environmentalists and government agencies trying to remove Savage Rapids Dam. Meanwhile, 6,700 ballots were mailed out to district patrons, who are voting on whether to approve conditions set by the board for going along with demands by the Oregon Water Resources Council and the National Marine Fisheries Service to remove the dam to improve conditions for Rogue River salmon. Ballots will be counted Jan. 18. Greenwood, a longtime supporter of keeping the 77-year-old irrigation dam on the Rogue River, was unanimously voted in as chairman Tuesday night, replacing Dennis Becklin, whose two-year term was finished. "My imprint will be somewhat different than Dennis's, but in general we're going to follow the same direction," Greenwood said. "It makes a lot of sense and we've accomplished an awful lot. 18. Judy Gove, a vocal opponent of Becklin and Greenwood, also was installed for her first three-year term on the board. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA