Commissioners report on local projects: family justice center talks, Crabtree Park and digital permitting award

During announcements March 6, Yamhill County commissioners reported on a range of community projects and interagency coordination, including preliminary talks about a family justice center, continued review of the Crabtree Park/Sanders Estate project in Dundee, and a regional digital permitting project that won an award.

Chair Johnston said she convened a roundtable with victim-advocacy groups including Juliet House, Casa and Henderson House to discuss the concept of a family justice center located near the courthouse to co-locate services for victims. The talks are exploratory and no property acquisition or funding decisions were made at the meeting.

Commissioner Starett said the Crabtree Park item was continued by the local park district to evaluate maintenance costs and regulatory requirements. She said the Sanders Estate property in Dundee faces "22 regulations and conditions of approval" that have delayed development and noted the donor is elderly; city and park leaders are pursuing intergovernmental agreements to move the project forward.

Commissioners also highlighted a regional cooperative project that digitized permitting and land records; according to the meeting, the program digitized over 41,000 tax lots and was presented with a Regional Cooperative Project Award. Commissioner updates noted significant participation from cities, nonprofit partners and county staff on the multi-jurisdictional effort.

No formal votes were taken on the family justice center or Sanders Estate at the meeting; commissioners said they will continue coordination with city and nonprofit partners.