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345 SE 5th, Madras, OR 97741 | 541.475.2275
By John Bowler
CRR Correspondent
Old-timers used to liken community turmoil to "a fox let loose in the hen house." It conjures up a word picture of a lot of noise with random commotion of bodies flying around in all directions but without any discernible pattern.
That description could be applied to what has transpired on Crooked River Ranch dating back to Nov. 1, when the Community Development Organization announced its "concept" for a Ranch community center.
The concept, including a master plan for the development of a tract of land consisting of roughly 140 acres owned by the Macpherson family, was presented by CDO founder and board member Frank Wood. The plan was accompanied by various charts and maps passed around the assembly and collected again when it ended.
Basically, the plan proposed a swap of 10 acres of land south of the CRR Fire Hall at the confluence of Mustang and Quail roads. The concept is further described on the CDO website at www.crrcdo.org under two tabs "Community Center" and "Questions and Answers."
The subject was also addressed at the CRR Club and Maintenance Association workshop on Jan. 9, and again at the monthly board meeting on Jan. 23.
In the meantime, CDO President Hope Johnson distributed a seven-page response to questions submitted by individual board members about various aspects of the concept and master plan.
The nub of the issue is that currently, the zoning of the MacPherson tract of land is rangeland. For it to be developed as envisioned by the concept, it would need to be rezoned so it can be developed for private homes, an elementary school, shopping mall, retirement community and park as outlined on the master plan.
Despite some obvious advantages of the master plan to many Ranchers, the board just as obviously has some reservations about it.
At its monthly meeting in January, the board decided to tap the sentiments about it from Ranch property owners. President Ben Johnson composed a description of the concept accompanied by a two-question response that has to be returned to the board by Feb. 15, approving support of it or not.
Requests this past week for comments about the status of the concept to Hope Johnson and Frank Wood went unanswered at press time, as did a query to Marilynn Keyser, chairwoman of the Ranch Audit Budget Committee, about its potential impact on future ranch income.
Economic Development of Central Oregon's Jefferson County representative, Wayne Pearson, responded that a community center to enhance the quality of living on the Ranch for employees of any business considering installing a facility there would surely impact favorably on any company considering the Ranch as a place to conduct its business.
Neither the two key negotiators, Frank Wood of the CDO, nor Ben Johnson of the homeowners association, added anything pertinent beyond the debate at the January board meeting and the survey being distributed. The latter begs the question of whether the available facts about the concept are sufficient to inform Ranchers enough to judge its merits.
In a conversation Monday with MacPherson family counsel Paul Sumner of Madras, he said more specific details about the master plan needed definition and that no one on the HOA board had asked him for that, or about his position regarding the overall plan.
The MacPherson family is excited to be working on it and is intent on moving forward on the concept, he said, as long as it is supported by a majority of the Ranch community.
Sumner declined to amplify on where he thought things stand on this issue in general but did not deny more details about the master plan had to be nailed down before any deeds could be issued.
