Corvallis e-News | October 2022
In this issue: Ranked choice voting, Fire Station 3 temporary closure, and a new playground for Porter Park!)
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Ranked Choice Voting in November
The City of Corvallis will be using ranked choice voting for the first time for the November 8, 2022 municipal general election.
Ranked choice voting is a system that gives voters the ability to rank candidates in order of preference – 1st choice, 2nd choice, and 3rd choice. Ranked choice voting was first implemented in Benton County for the County Commissioner race during the November 2020 general election. The City Council adopted ranked choice voting for municipal elections earlier this year.
In the 2022 election, ranked choice voting will apply for the two local races that feature three or more candidates: the Corvallis Mayor and Ward 9 City Councilor seat. For all other Corvallis City races, voters will select one candidate.
Using ranked choice voting, the candidate with a majority of first-choice votes wins. If no candidate receives more than fifty percent of the first choice votes, then the candidate who receives the fewest first choice votes is eliminated from the race. Votes for the eliminated candidate are instantly recast to the voters’ next-choice candidate. This process repeats itself until one candidate receives more than fifty percent of the votes or there are only two candidates left.
Learn more about ranked choice voting in this short video.
For more information, including a list of frequently asked questions about ranked choice voting, go to www.corvallisoregon.gov/elections.
Paving on Van Buren Starts October 3
Paving of Van Buren Avenue between 17th and 4th Street is planned to begin Monday, October 3. Expect congestion and traffic delays in the area. Travel on Van Buren Avenue and on 9th Street and 5th Street near Van Buren Avenue will be slow as a result of lane reductions and traffic control changes associated with this construction activity. We encourage you to use alternate routes if possible.
The construction schedule for the week of October 3 is as follows. Construction hours will be from 7 a.m. until 6 p.m. There is a potential for work after 6 p.m. to accommodate paving.
• Monday, Oct 3 – Grinding of Van Buren will begin. Travel on Van Buren will be maintained, but expect lane reductions and lane shifts throughout the work zone.
• Tuesday, Oct 4 – Grinding is expected to be completed by the end of the day. Paving will begin for the south lane on Van Buren, starting at 17th Street and will progress toward 9th Street. Detours will be in place as work progresses through the intersection of 9th Street.
• Wednesday, Oct 5 – Paving will continue for the southern lanes on Van Buren and will end at 4th Street. Detours will be in place as work progresses through the intersection of 5th Street.
• Thursday, Oct 6 – Paving will begin for the north lane on Van Buren, starting at 17th Street and will progress toward 9th Street. Detours will again be in place as work progresses through the intersection of 9th Street.
• Friday, Oct 7 – Paving will continue for the northern lanes on Van Buren and will end at 4th Street. Again a detour will be in place for work progressing through the intersection of 5th Street. Paving is expected to be completed by the end of the day on Friday, Oct 7.
Thank you for your patience as we work toward completing this project.
Citywide Facilities Project Begins with Fire Station 3 Rehab
The Corvallis Fire Department will be closing Fire Station 3 later this month for a major renovation. The station, located at 1310 NW Circle Blvd., will be closed for approximately 11 months.
During the closure, staff and equipment will be reassigned to other fire stations in Corvallis, although they will continue to respond to calls in the area of the community served by Fire Station 3.
The fire engine, water tender, brush truck, and backup ambulance, together with the staff assigned to those units, will be temporarily reassigned to Fire Station 5, 4950 NW Fair Oaks Dr. which has been closed since 2012.
The primary ambulance and its staff will be reassigned to Fire Station 1, 400 NW Harrison Blvd.
The renovation project is the first in a series of planned City facility improvements designed to address longstanding building deficiencies that have accumulated over decades. At Fire Station 3, the focus will be on creating efficient, equitable, and safe indoor work areas, as well as adding an additional apparatus bay.
The new apparatus bay will allow CFD’s brush truck, which is currently stored outdoors in an unprotected parking lot, to be moved indoors and to remain at the station year round, rather than being stored off site during the winter months.
Revamping the interior accommodations of Fire Station 3 will address longstanding issues of equity among staff. Most of the interior layout was created decades ago, when most firefighters were men, and women rarely entered the field. Dormitories, showers, and other indoor facilities will be upgraded to provide equitable workplace access.
The $3.5 million project was fully funded by the City Council through the use of federal funding from the American Rescue Plan (ARPA). Future projects aim to address civic and administrative facility needs, including public meeting spaces, staff offices, and court facilities.
For more information about the citywide facilities strategy, please visit www.corvallisoregon.gov/facilities.
FREE Street Trees to Qualifying Neighbors
The Parks & Recreation Department has set a goal of planting 200 trees in the public right-of-way this fiscal year. This means there are plenty of opportunities for you to request a FREE tree to be planted in the median, parkway, or planter strip on your block.
The first step is to request an inspection from the Parks & Recreation Urban Forester, who will help analyze the available space, identify any underground utilities, and account for proximity to other infrastructure. If the location fits the criteria, you can help choose the tree from a list of pre-approved species that have been selected based on their appropriateness for right-of-way planting.
To get started, email Jennifer Killian at jennifer.killian@corvallisoregon.gov or call 541-754-172.
Get There Challenge Starts in October
The 2022 Get There Challenge gets underway in October, with plenty of chances for you to win prizes for exploring alternative transportation in your daily commute.
Tell us your challenge story, download the RideAmigos Commute Tracker app, or improve your home office set up. There are many ways to earn points for weekly and grand prize drawings this year! Complete as many 2022 Get There Challenge achievements as you can and earn points for a chance to win weekly and grand prizes in this statewide competition, including:
- Two $500 Visa Cash Cards
- $1,500 toward a custom Bike Friday folding bike
- One $100 Black Star Bags gift card per week
- Six $25 Café Yumm gift cards per week
- One $100 Columbia Sportswear gift card per week
- One $100 Portland Design Works gift cards per week
- One Portland Design Works swag bag per week
- Five $50 Ruffwear gift cards per week
- Three $50 Made in Oregon gift cards per week
- Three $50 Fred Meyer gift cards per week
- One Chrome Industries commuter bag per week
- One Bob’s Red Mill prize pack per week
Plus, if you unlock all 10 achievements, you’ll get 10 bonus points!
Create an account in Get There Connect and complete achievements through Oct. 16. Earn 10 or more points each week for a chance to win weekly prizes. Earn 20 or more points to be entered to win one of the grand prizes. The more points you earn after 20, the greater your chances of winning the grand prize!
Need help? Check out this how-to video for step-by-step instructions on how to participate and unlock achievements.
Learn more at GetThereOregon.org/Challenge.
The Get There challenge is proudly sponsored by the City of Corvallis Public Works Department. For questions or more information, contact Josh Capps at josh.capps@corvallisoregon.gov or 541-754-1730.
New Playground on the Way for Porter Park
The children’s playground at Porter Park, located at 1895 NW Hayes Ave., is closed for construction so it can receive much-needed replacement playground equipment. The closure is expected to last for approximately eight weeks, wrapping up in October.
Named after Fred J. Porter, the great-grandson of Benton County pioneer, Johnson Mulkey, Porter Park was purchased in 1969, and opened to the public in 1971. The playground equipment is more than four decades old and no longer meets today’s safety and accessibility requirements.
The new playground will have two separate structures with shade toppers geared towards different age groups: a smaller one for tots ages 2-5 and a larger structure for kids ages 5-12. New swings will also be installed, along with new surfacing of engineered wood fiber that meets current safety and accessibility standards. The design plans and project status updates can be viewed on the Parks & Recreation Department website.
Read more about the playground project on the Parks & Recreation website.
October is Cybersecurity Month
The City of Corvallis is championing cybersecurity during October. We use many different digital services to conduct business and deliver City services. We will never ask you for your password to access your account - please be vigilant and stay safe online.
More helpful cybersecurity tips include:
- Download a password manager
- Turn on multi-factor authentication
- Know how to spot a phishing attempt
- Update your web browser
Read more about online safety and privacy security at the National Cybersecurity Alliance.
What's New at the Library this Month?
There's a lot going on at the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library. Check out any of the events below to learn more!
- Saturday Stories, 10:30am October 1, Main Meeting Room Saturday Stories, a Family Storytime for all ages is back on the first Saturday of the Month this fall. Drop-in in the Main Meeting Room.
- Storytime: 10:30am, Main Meeting Room, drop-in. Tuesdays: Infants, Wednesdays: Toddlers, Thursdays: Preschool. See all dates here
- Why Visit This Fish Lake? (There are 10 in Oregon): October 1, 2pm, Main Meeting Room. Authors David Turner and Rolf Anderson will discuss their book about this historic site.
- Tech Help Lab: October 5, 3-4pm, 2nd floor Classroom. Drop in for free, basic, one-on-one tech help from a library staff member. Bring your computer or device or use one of ours
- Woodworking Exhibition: October 15-16, Main Meeting Room. Mid-Willamette Woodworkers Guild presents their 39th Annual exhibition of Fine Woodworking.
- Model Train Show: October 8 and 9, Main Meeting Room. The Oregon Electric O Gaugers Train Club presents their annual show.
- Random Review (Virtual): October 12 , noon. Sarah Henderson Reviews Putin’s People by Catherine Belton Register Here
- Science Saturday: October 29, 10:00am, Main Meeting Room. A special themed storytime followed by hands-on activities designed for preschool-aged children
- Get a Library Card: Sign up for an All-Access e-card to get access to all services and materials including placing holds on materials, downloadable books, audiobooks, magazines, streaming movies and more!
- Home Delivery Service: Get your holds delivered to you! Delivery is available to patrons with current library cards who live within the library service district.
- Books & More from Home: Read ebooks, download audiobooks and magazines, or watch streaming video all from the comfort of your home with your library card!
- Library Newsletter: Want to get monthly updates, upcoming events, and other library news straight to your inbox? Sign up for our email newsletter!
