May 2023                                               View as Webpage

Solid Waste Process workgroup talks trash at community open house

Watch a video of the Benton County “Talks Trash” Solid Waste Process Workgroup' community open house on April 4 at the Kalapuya Building in Corvallis.

Community members who volunteered thousands of hours working with County staff and key stakeholders to provide recommendations about the future of sustainable materials management, solid waste, and disposal in Benton County supported the event.

The workgroup delivered a final report to the Benton County Board of Commissioners on Apr. 11 that provided recommendations to the Board about specific solid waste topics.

Community members can still provide feedback through May 26. Take the short survey today.

Learn more about the process or review the project website.

Benton County continues seeking community input into regional Community Health Improvement Plan

The Partnership for Community Health, along with Benton County Health Department and Casa Latinos Unidos invites you to join us for conversations about our community’s health! Help us discover health priorities for Linn, Benton, and Lincoln counties. Your voice leads the goals of our Regional Community Health Improvement Plan.

Attend one of our sessions! Individuals and families of all ages are welcome. Food and drinks will be provided.

• Monroe (English session):
• Thursday, May 4, 5:30 - 7:00 p.m.
• Monroe Community Library, 380 N 5th Street, Monroe
• Monroe (Spanish session):
• Wednesday, May 17, 6:30 – 8:00 p.m.
• 650 Orchard Street, Monroe
• Corvallis (Spanish session)
• Saturday, May 6, 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
• Garfield Elementary School, 1205 NW Garfield Avenue, Corvallis

You can also review the data and vote on priority areas by accessing the following links:

• Review the Regional Community Health Assessment
• Review the data presentation and briefs
• Take the survey

Learn more and get involved.

Kalapuya open house and pARTy

On April 20 Benton County celebrated with community members, elected officials, staff, builders and architects, and Corvallis School District students and parents at our Kalapuya Open House Event and art celebration! 

While viewing the art from students, the Corvallis Art Guild, and the Fall Festival, community members toured the repurposed Kalapuya Building, learned about the sustainable facility, and talked with department experts and leaders from the County.

Watch a video of the celebration. 

It's National Historic Preservation Month

Benton County’s and Albany’s Historic Preservation Month 2023 Theme for celebrating history in May is “Windows into the Past – Views to the Future,” and invites you to peer into history for life lessons and appreciation of how things were to see how we can build upon and create what’s coming next.

Enjoy walks down memory lanes with guided tours of historic sections of town. Take in the fresh outdoors with a memorial garden or hikes in natural areas while learning their past stories. Make learning about historical places and events an adventure with a specially created clue hunt! This game offers puzzles and mysteries as told by ghosts in the 3rd season of “Spectres.” New chapters will premier each Saturday in May. All events are free and operated by volunteers, but some will require prior sign up.

The first three events include:

• May 3, Rayburn Addition Neighborhood Tour (Corvallis) at 4:00 p.m.
• May 6, Adair Living History Camp Adair Memorial Garden at E.E. Wilson 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
• May 6, Historic Window Repair Workshop (Albany) from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. 
• May 6 and 7, Historic Albany Airport Hanger Open House 10:00 a.m. to 2 p.m.

View the details and full list of events on the Historic Resources Commission's website to find the latest information. Events will also be posted to VisitCorvallis.com and AlbanyVisitors.com.

Crisis Center update

The Benton County Crisis Center project has moved from the design phase into the permitting process. Construction is expected to begin this spring and the center is projected to open for services in the summer of 2024.

The Crisis Center will be a voluntary walk-in treatment-centered facility which provides stabilization for those experiencing a mental health crisis, along with referrals and support for ongoing services. The Crisis Center is also a project of Benton County’s Justice System Improvement Program (JSIP), a multi-year effort to improve outcomes in our communities.

Review the project timeline, design renderings of the building, and more.

While the new Crisis Center won't be operational until next summer, community members can access crisis services NOW at 557 NW Monroe Ave. in Corvallis, between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. A 24-hour Benton County Crisis Hotline is also available at 1-888-232-7192.

Learn more about crisis services. 

Community grant success at Jackson Street Youth Services

For many youth, fun core memories are few and far between due to growing up in unstable or unsafe living situations. Jackson Street Youth Services offers activity programming that gives youth a chance to form fond memories of fun, classic Oregonian youth experiences with peers and safe adults. Through outings with staff, youth have opportunities to hike, visit hatcheries, river snorkel, play at the pool on a hot summer day, and experience Oregon’s natural and community resources in many other ways.

Thanks to the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding allocated by Benton County, youth at Jackson Street are provided with opportunities to grow and take steps toward stable, independent living despite challenges they face. In addition to enabling positive youth development outings, funding has allowed Jackson Street to offer more robust programming for youth with additional staff who build mental health infrastructure into the program. These key aspects have helped address issues including COVID-19 impacts on youth mental health, allowing youth to be young and play while learning skills they will need someday to be stable, productive members of the community.

Drug Take Back Event results

The Benton County Sheriff’s Office hosted their annual Drug Take Back event on April 22. They collected 601 pounds of medication in one day! Thank you to everyone who participated in this event, helping to keep prescriptions and other medications off the street and out of the environment!

The Sheriff's Office would like to thank the Drug Enforcement Administration, Covanta, Philomath Police Department, Benton County, Benton County Community Emergency Response Team, and the Oregon State College of Pharmacy for their help with this event. 

[Photo: Benton County Sheriff’s Office Reserves and Patrol assisted with traffic and collection]

Submit your feedback on the West Hills Corridor Plan

A section of West Hills Road from SW 53rd Street to Western Boulevard is currently owned and maintained by Benton County but is anticipated to be improved and transferred to the City of Corvallis at some point in the future. Neither the County nor City have secured funding for construction.

West Hills Road has some unique constraints that challenge installation of standard road improvements so the City and County are partnering to identify what the future urban section will look like as development occurs along the corridor.

Recognizing the importance of this plan to existing and future road users, City and County staff are incorporating a robust public engagement process to inform plan development. Also, as a part of the corridor study the jurisdictions collected current traffic data as of October 2022. View the project information sheet about the corridor plan.

Be a part of the process and take the online survey (open until May 5) or view the interactive mapping tool.

Benton County ranks #2 in Oregon for Health Outcomes in 2023!

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation recently published it’s 2023 County Health Rankings, with Benton coming in at #2 in Oregon this year.

Although Benton has continued in the top three over the past years, we are constantly reminded of how important it is to ensure that all communities have access to services and the opportunity for a healthy life. As our regional health assessment has shown, we have a lot to work on to improve health equity in our community. A big thank you to our dedicated leaders, staff, partners, and community members for helping keep Benton County healthy. We know that together, we can continue to grow and improve our ability to serve those most in need.

Learn more about how County health outcomes are ranked.

National Crime Victims' Rights Week Ceremony

On April 24 at the Benton County Court House, several members of the public and County staff attended the Crime Victims’ Rights Week Ceremony. The ceremony had several notable speakers, including Stephanie Rath, Victims’ Assistance Program Manager, John Haroldson, Benton County’s District Attorney, Xan Augerot, County Commissioner, and most notably, a guest speaker by the name of Laurie Linn.

Linn shared an incredibly powerful story about the loss of her 29 year-old daughter due to a drunk driver, and the impact this crime left on her and her family. Fighting through tears, and bravely retelling a story she’s told over and over again, Linn recounted the ways her family has struggled, persevered, and continues to be impacted by the loss of her beloved daughter. Laurie shared the ways she and her family have been irreparably changed, and through her honesty, provided every guest in the room with a heartfelt message about the oftentimes permanent impacts crimes can have on survivors and their loved ones.

This year’s theme for Crime Victim’s Rights Week Ceremony is Survivor Voices: Elevate, Engage, Effect Change. It was an honor to listen to Linn share her experience, and a privilege to support victims and survivors by elevating their voices and listening to their lived experiences and stories.

Board of Commissioners' meeting summaries

Meeting summaries list each agenda item and provide a brief description of the item. They are not the formal meeting record and do not replace Board meeting minutes.

• View the April 4, 2023 Board meeting summary.
• View the April 18, 2023 Board meeting summary.

Visit the Board of Commissioners meeting page to find links to meetings, meeting summaries, meeting materials, and other details.

Benton County is hiring!

Our featured position this month is: County Administrator

Benton County is seeking a future-oriented County Administrator to serve as a trusted advisor and organizational leader.

View additional vacancies

Benton County is an Equal Opportunity-Affirmative Action employer and does not discriminate on the basis of disability in admission or access to our programs, services, activities, hiring and employment practices. 

This document is available in alternative formats and languages upon request.