DEAR READERS: Do you have a legal question you would
like to ask, but hesitate to go to or call an attorney? If you have
a question regarding a general legal topic, send it to: Attorney
Stephen Abbott c/o the Coquille Valley Sentinel. Email your
question to coquillevalleysentinel@mycomspan.com or call
396-3191. Your name and information will remain confidential.
This Q & A Legal Column is intended as community service to
discuss general legal principles and does not create an attorneyclient
relationship.
QUESTION: We own 20 acres of land east of Myrtle Point
which we bought 8 years ago and, until recently, we have not
spent much time there. After clearing blackberries over a wide
area between us and our neighbor, we discovered that there was
an old fence in disrepair that seems to follow a straight line
which divides our properties. My neighbor now says that the
fence is the boundary line, and I am not sure how to proceed.
What do you suggest?
ANSWER: Of course you will need to confirm your boundary
line with the help of a licensed surveyor and get a legal description
of that line. Then you can discuss that with your neighbor.
It could well be that the old fence basically follows the line; if
so, you can just agree to both maintain it. However, if you find
that the survey places the line considerably further away, and
you cannot agree to a boundary line, then time is not on your
side and you need to act promptly. Under Oregon Law of
“Adverse Possession,” the period of time to file suit to contest
the boundary line is ten years, but the key is when the period of
“adverse possession” started and ended, and was it done in a
continuous and open and notorious fashion? You had better contact
your other neighbors and the people you bought the property
from as to the history of the old fence and determine if it was
ever understood to be the boundary. Thank you for your question.
Let us know what you find out.

by Attorney Steve Abbott

Efforts to restore Coquille to its former position as the cultural and commercial center of Southwest Oregon are moving forward. A collaborative committee involving the Coquille Chamber of Commerce, the Coquille Merchants Association and Operation Coquille is working on a program of comprehensive cultural events and commercial developments designed to achieve that goal.

Bill Marino says he would like to see at least two major cultural events in Coquille each month. The Merchants Association has just completed a survey designed to pinpoint the deficiencies in commercial goods and services currently being offered in Coquille. Work has been progressing for several years on restoring core area buildings, but much remains to be done. The job of populating these buildings with commercial and residential tenants is now underway. A number of these locations now house culturally oriented tenants. The entire area has been enhanced by beautification projects under Operation Coquille to recreate an atmosphere conducive to fostering the 1890's genteel lifestyle theme being used to guide its restoration. In the earlier days of Coquille the area now occupied by Highway 42 was the home of an array of waterfront oriented buildings and activities.

The bend in the Coquille river once was the docking area for a variety of boats that transported people and goods to and from the city. When restoration efforts began this area was not even visible from the highway. Efforts by the group of volunteers headed by Dennis Graham to create a water front recreational trail have restored our ability to see this portion of the river from the core area. Providing for the recreational needs of area residents has long been an important part of the city’s culture. Some of the earlier (red light district type establishments) formerly located in the old waterfront area are now deemed socially unacceptable and are not included in restoration plans. Restoration and expansion of the community center complex is in phase 2 of a four phase project. Design efforts have been accomplished and fundraising is progressing towards replacing the community pool.

The library, an important facility involved in the city’s culture, has outgrown its space in the community center. Efforts are actively underway to find new and larger quarters to house an expanded facility capable of meeting the community’s needs for its services. Its reading tables and public access computer stations are very heavily used by persons of all ages to satisfy their needs for finding a vast variety of information. Through this facility residents now have access to any information sources contained in “big city” facilities without having to travel to the big city to get it. It allows our residents to continue being “up-todate” without having to endure the non-genteel lifestyle stresses of big city life to do so.

 The ultimate plan for the community center complex is for a facility that houses recreational and cultural activities needed by area residents to live a genteel, low stress lifestyle. Since Coquille is a small city, population wise, the economics of providing all the facilities and activities to foster its desired genteel lifestyle depend on its attracting enough visitors from the entire southwest Oregon region (and beyond) to help provide the financial base needed. To this end the collaborative committee mentioned earlier is preparing a comprehensive campaign to inform and entice residents from throughout southwestern Oregon to participate in the cultural and commercial activities provided here. Operation Coquille, Inc. exists to enhance the quality of life in Coquille, providing a tax exempt umbrella for volunteer manned projects.

 Anyone having a new project idea that would help improve local quality of life is invited to bring their prospective project to our desk at The Sentinel office, or send a letter to us at PO Box 525, Coquille, OR 97423.

Autumn is certainly here, now that Halloween is passed. I spent this beautiful autumn Sunday pressing apple cider and hunting wild mushrooms in the forest. These 2 activities perhaps symbolize the end of summer better than anything for me. Apples are just about the last fruits to be harvested and processed before winter sets in.

 Some raspberries and strawberries are still setting berries, some huckleberries and the occasional blueberry are still hanging on the bushes. Amidst the stunning array of colors of the fuchsia flowers I still encounter a berry here and there (yes, some fuchsias make edible berries!). Fuzzy kiwis and Asian pears, and maybe the last of the grapes are all getting harvested before frost. The fruiting season is at its end. Making apple cider from all the apples still left on the trees is usually the last of my harvesting routine, before the leaves drop, and winter sets in.

Apple cider making coincides beautifully with the onset of the cold, as nothing warms me up better than a hot steaming mug of spiced apple cider, with cinnamon and cayenne pepper in it. My favorite way of making cider is with good friends and good laughs, especially right under the trees from which the apples came. At least once a year I try to get silly enough to actually go bobbing for apples out of the barrel they get washed in.

The refreshment of the head dunking in the cold water is indescribable. After pressing more cider than we know what to do with, we set out into the depths of the forest seeking wild mushrooms to harvest. We were specifically looking for Chanterelles, as this is their prime time of year. Along with Chanterelles, other delicious mushrooms we found were Shrimp Russula, Lobster and Honey mushrooms. In the midst of mushroom searching, I found the most out of place object I could have imagined on the forest floor – a dollar bill! Interestingly it did not show the slightest decomposition. Fungi are amazingly interesting life forms.

 Mushrooms are actually just the fruiting bodies of these mysterious organisms. The actual body of the fungus is a network of cell strands, most often either growing throughout rotting wood or within tree roots. These can live for years, even decades, and only send up their mushrooms when moisture and temperature conditions are just right, often just during one particular season. The mushrooms are the fungus’ way of reproducing, much like how plants make fruits with seeds in them. Mushrooms each contain thousands of spores, which are released into the air as they mature. Some fungi rely on animals eating their mushrooms to disperse their spores farther away, which explains why some mushrooms are so tasty. Fungi are generally divided into two groups.

 The first group is the decomposers. Most common mushrooms we eat, such as buttons, shiitakes, portabella, and oyster mushrooms are decomposers. These all feed off of decomposing material such as wood, sawdust or straw or such. These kinds of mushrooms are fairly easy to cultivate, as all thats needed is providing material for the fungi to decompose, and as it feeds on this material it produces mushrooms. However, most mushrooms in the forest are not decomposers, they belong to the other group of fungi, which are called Mycorrhizal. These mushrooms live in association with tree roots, both feeding and being fed by the trees. Many trees cannot live without these fungal associates. These kinds of mushrooms are much more difficult to cultivate, as they need living trees to grow with.

 These include Chanterelles, Morels and all the various Truffles. Thus these kinds of mushrooms are the most valuable to harvest in the forest, as that is usually the only way to obtain them. For much great info about fungi and mushrooms, a fantastic book is “Mycelium Running” by Paul Stamets. Both Coos Bay and Myrtle Point libraries have it.

November To-Do’s

 Weed. Slug and snail hunt. Autumn leaves mixed through your compost pile provide some great nutrients, or consider that they mat nicely and will mulch out weeds on paths, even if they do provide hiding spots for the slugs you want to eliminate. It is not so cold here that you cannot grow a nice selection of edibles year round. Spinach, onion, and garlic grow nicely this time of year.

 Drainage and some frost protection are considerations in the winter food garden. It's still a good time of year to plant flower bulbs, and if you began chilling your bulbs in the refrigerator for indoor forcing, now’s the time to get them out to grow. Is your greenhouse clean? Take down hanging plants like fuchsias, and trim them back, setting them under a porch or something for next year. Move planted pots into covered areas, and clean empty containers in preparation for the early spring seedling plantings.

 As the rains start in earnest, two things you ought to be watching for are where water accumulates and where water rushes off into streams and storm drains. We’ll talk more about this in future articles. Don’t forget that many plants don’t like sitting in puddles any more than you do. Mulch plants that could be frost susceptible, and clean debris from plants where debris creates problems, like around fruit trees.

 Many trees will need their first "winter" spraying for pests and disease this month. Remove dead fruit and leaves from around fruit trees. Keep in mind that some types of debris in various garden spots are good as shelters for predators of snails, like some types of beetles. Prune anything that will whip and be damaged by winds, and look around to see what evergreens you’ll bring in next month. Feed the birds. Go for walks. Enjoy the remnant of autumn.

SOLD OUT!

It felt good putting those words on the "Marriage is Murder" posters here at Old City Hall and around town. Opening night was great fun and the audience loved the show. During intermission, HV Cellars, formerly Hawks View, a local award winning winery, poured their Pinot Gris, and a lovely blend of Cabernet and Merlot, called Donna Rosa. Abba's Farms served organic savories -- Italian flavored Sconini's to go with red wine and Sconettes, for the white, and shortbread cookies for those with a sweet tooth.

 Old City Hall Presents "Marriage is Murder" opened to a full and appreciative house on Friday, October 23rd and ran to full houses on October 24th and 25th. This was the culmination of two years of work to restore the former Coquille Public Library, and recent City Council Chambers, to a more illustrious time in the history of this building. It has been a challenging task for a senior citizen, but then I try to emphasize the "citizen" aspect of those two words. Christopher Alexander, the architect and author who has guided my process through his book "The Timeless Way of Building," says that "when a building is 'alive,' it lets our inner forces loose, and sets us free." He urges us to find "the quality without a name," for it is that quality that is the "root criterion of life and spirit in a man, a town, a building that is objective and precise, but cannot be named." It is made from the activities and patterns in a building. "The more living patterns there are in a place -- the more it comes to life ... the more it glows, the more it has that selfmaintaining fire which is the quality without a name." Old City Hall was recently blessed by Friar Robert of the order of St. Francis, visited by Bigfoot, sparked to life by the brilliant comedic acting of Michael Fox and Victoria Weller, assisted technically by Dale Giottonini, of FoxWell Productions.

 This Halloween eve, we will be visited by the "Ghosties." They are a college club from SWOCC who have uncovered many ghosts in Coos County buildings, and they will be here to seek and communicate with spirits from Old City Hall's political and bureaucratic past. Spooktacular! I'm so grateful to those who have worked with us, especially to Lyn and Allen Jones of Double Force Construction, Mary Daniels, and to the restaurants who generously offered 10% discounts to ticket holders: Yu's Dynasty, Figaro's, Coquille Broiler and El Tapatio. And I am most grateful to my husband and the Abbott Law Offices, who have supported both me and my very active muse by sponsoring this kick-off event. 10% of our profits are going to Police Chief Mark Dannel's program for children called "Shopping with Heroes." If you were unable to get tickets to our show, I hope you were able to attend several other events taking place in Old Town Coquille this weekend. Walking around this morning, talking to fellow event creators and promoters, I realized that Coquille is well on its way to becoming, once again, the active, lively, convivial city it once was.

CAEEC TALENT SHOW continued from page 1 by Nancy Keller

Coquille sure has had some strange visitors this month. Last Saturday, Bigfoot lurked the streets of Coquille at the Coquille Community Celebration.This Saturday, Scooby Doo and Daphne were seen at the Coquille Community Building. They were just two of many characters that roamed the building during the Harvest Festival Talent Show and Costume Party put on by the Coquille Art and Education Enhancement Center (CAEEC.) The day started with a Spooky Treat Decorating Workshop at the Downtown Studio with Jeri Ramsey.

 They made witches fingers, cupcake graveyards, cupcake eyeballs and mummified twinkies that were very popular at the following bake sale for the activities at the Community Building and will be available at the Downtown Studio for a few days. Local businesses put on a carnival for costumed children. Video Hut put on a cake walk, Kids Closet had bowling, Coquille karate had swimming noodles for combat, United Valley Christian Academy had scented pencils and a bean bag toss, Coquille Library had free bookmarks, E&J plumbing entertained kids with balloon helicopters, Downtown Studio painted many faces and Scentsy Wickless Candles showed samples of their wares. Coquille Karate had their belt ceremony with a demonstration of their forms and techniques. The 5:00 Dance Recital and Talent Show displayed the impressive talents of the Coquille Valley.

 Costumed dancers tapped across the stage. The Hip Hop class delighted the audience with their "Thriller" dance, and the cute toddlers were enchanting. Guitar students showed how much they learned in their short time of lessons and Kaitlyn Davidson played the piano in scary black robes, a contrast to her music of "Ode to Joy." There were singers which included rising star Alexius Harris, who is already a You Tube star. Talent even included a Cockatoo who was a true ham! Afterwards, the chairs were cleared for a night of dance and the costume contest. Angie Jones taught line dancing (which is taught at the Downtown Studio at 5 p.m on Mondays), and Lynn taught ballroom dancing (which the Downtown studio needs 16 people to sign up for.)

Then Arago Sound Productions supplied music for a late evening of fun. Prizes were given out for costumes with a few of the memorable costumes being Star Wars Princess Amidala, the baby costume and adorable Piglet.The Dance Floor Raffle winners were announced, and the Coquille Art Education Center thanks the donating businesses for their support even during the current recession and all the people who helped pay for the new dance floor. It is being put to good use with Angie Jones dance classes on Mondays. Sign up for belly dancing and ballroom dancing classes at the Downtown Studio or via e-mail at drnancykeller@yahoo.com. If there are enough people signed up, these classes may begin in the near future.