City Council, July 9th - The Ravine

Council meets on Monday, and though there are a few small interesting local issues, the most important item is Councilor Andersen's resolution against family separation at the border and detention facilities for children. It also affirms Salem's approach as an "inclusive city."

Much less urgently, but interesting historically, the Mayor has also a proclamation commemorating the establishment in Astoria at the Finnish Socialist Hall of the Sikh Ghadar Party, which advocated for independence from British rule in India.

About it the Oregon Encyclopedia says

In the spring of 1913, East Indians formed the radical nationalist Ghadar Party in Astoria. The meeting was held in the Finnish Socialist Hall, reflecting the important ties and comradery East Indian activists had, in Astoria and elsewhere, with socialists, radical labor organizers, and Irish, Finnish, Mexican, and Chinese nationalists....

The word ghadar translates as mutiny or revolution, and it indicates its adherents’ strategy. With the outbreak of World War I, four to five thousand men left the West Coast for India. Joined by men from the Philippines, Singapore, and beyond, they aimed to persuade the long-serving Sikhs of the British military to mutiny and thereby spark an armed general insurrection to end British rule.

"Finnish Socialist Hall" is not a phrase I ever expected to see celebrated at Salem City Council!

What's next? Songs to fan the flames of discontent?! Holy smokes!

(And this at the same time the City's taking a hard line as they negotiate a new labor contract. During the Strategic Planning process, and again affirmed during the latest budget cycle, there was talk about the structural imbalance between revenue and expense for the City. To contain costs is understandable. Still, when we are celebrating meetings at the "Finnish Socialist Hall," maybe there are some disconnects or irony in all of this.)

Culvert where path crosses the Ravine at Bush's Pasture Park

There's a Memorandum of Understanding "with the Mission Street Parks Conservancy to enhance and manage certain defined landscape areas of Bush’s Pasture Park." This Conservancy is a successor to Friends of Bush Gardens in order to widen the scope a little to embrace Lord & Schryver's Gaiety Hollow home and garden, Deepwood, and Pringle Park. Focus areas like the Rhododendron and Rose gardens are known outside of the volunteers and gardening circle, but one area that's not widely known is "the Ravine."

the Ravine is actually a small depression that channels an intermittent spring from its origin near the upper pasture 200’ downhill to an informal amphitheater. It marks the southern end of the more cultivated garden areas of the historic park. This miniature “valley” holds a great deal of promise. The Conservancy, along with landscape designer Ron Miner, is working to enhance this area.

This is just at the south end of the playground by the barn and gallery. There is also a second seep a little south of that. Both are partially marked with bark mulch, and the second one also has a couple of rocks and a drain grate on the east side. The main one has this culvert the path crosses. The bowl formed by the pasture along High Street and the underlying geology that leads to the spring is all very interesting, and it will be nice to see what is done with the Ravine.

Theres also an intergovernmental agreement with ODOT on reimbursements for commercial truck inspections.

Otherwise, the big item is next week on the 16th, when the City holds a Public Hearing on the State Street Corridor Plan.

Addendum, October 25th

Hey look! It's a plan for The Ravine. The path is at the top margin, running to the soap box track off the bottom.

via Mission Street Parks Conservancy
(click to enlarge)