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40 °F Forecast | Road Cams Friday, November 26, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend November 23, 2004 Church will undo unauthorized construction By DAMIAN MANN Mail Tribune A seven-year controversy over the Applegate Christian Fellowship’s expansion into flood-prone areas could be nearing a conclusion. The church, citing a flood engineering study it conducted recently, has agreed to remove fill dirt and rock that restrict the natural channel of Forest Creek. "We’ve been cited with putting fill in the floodway, and we’ve agreed to remove that," said Curt Weaver, a retired planning consultant and church member. A public hearing on the engineering report and the plans to rehabilitate Forest Creek will be held at 1:30 p.m. Feb. 7 at the Jackson County auditorium, 10 S. Oakdale Ave., Medford. A county hearings officer will make a determination on the church’s restoration plan at a later date. "Let’s hope that this time, finally, we’re going to have some resolution," said Jack Duggan, chairman of the Applegate Valley Community Forum, a watchdog group that filed a complaint with the county last year over the position of church buildings. "When we look at flood plain videos (from) ’97, we wonder why anybody would build there." Advertisement Under the proposal, the church would remove a children’s amphitheater and fill used for the north side of a parking lot, allowing the creek to return to its previous channel. The church already has removed several other structures, many built without permits.County officials worry that structures could be washed away during a flood like one in 1997 that damaged the church’s parking lot and children’s play and instruction area and caused erosion in an area of the main amphitheater. The church also will remove bridges across the creek that are in the 100-year flood plain. Weaver said the church has already moved a bus barn. The church said it was inadvertently built on neighboring property. But removal of the other structures and fill hinges on the county’s approval of the church’s study and plans for restoration of the channel. "If the county disagrees, then, well, what do you want us to do?" he said. Weaver said everything that the county said has been done wrong at the church is addressed in the proposal. Mike Mattson, flood plain coordinator for the county Planning Department, said a hearings officer will look at the engineering study and the church’s proposed mitigation measures for the creek. "I think they are trying to do the right thing," said county planner Mike Mattson. But the county will have to determine whether the measures are sufficient so that there are no downstream or upstream flooding problems. A resolution to this ongoing problem is something all sides want, but it is not a foregone conclusion. "That’s what were hoping for, but it may not happen," cautioned Mattson. The church is ready to start removing the fill as soon as it gets the green light from the county. To avoid running into problems with fish and game officials, Weaver said the church would like to start no later than April. "We want to get the flood (plain) back to what it used to be before the parking lot was put in," he said. Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities