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About Keizertimes. (Salem, Or.) 1979-current | View Entire Issue (June 5, 2015)
SINCE 1979 • VOLUME 37, NO. 27 SECTION A JUNE 5, 2015 $1.00 Big Toy pesticide concerns muted By CRAIG MURPHY Of the Keizertimes When the orchard site was discussed as a possible location for the Big Toy play structure last year, most of the concern was the timing of getting the land within city limits. A less verbalized concern was the spraying of pesticides in the orchards where the fi lberts are harvested and the potential impact that would have on the health of those using the play structure. The Big Toy is being con- structed by an army of volun- teers starting next Wednesday, June 10. The fi ve-day build is expected to conclude with a soft opening of the play struc- ture at 5 p.m. Sunday, June 14. For the most part, concerns of the pesticides are muted. Not entirely, however. In March 2012, Tony Weathers with Willamette Mission Farm, Inc. entered into a fi ve-year contract with the city of Keizer to lease the fi lbert orchards for $10,000 a year. Weathers keeps all the profi t he makes by harvesting the fi lberts. As part of the harvesting, Weathers sprays pesticides on the orchards three times a year. Since the Big Toy is being built in part of the orchards used for farming, a concern has been expressed about the possibility of those pesticides spreading to the play structure. The person apparently most concerned? Weathers. But despite repeated messages, Weathers only briefl y talked to the Keizertimes last week about what his concerns are. “My concern is my ass be- ing sued,” Weathers said be- fore heading into a meeting. “My concern is someone us- ing the toy when the park is closed, get fl u and found out I sprayed. I have too much to lose. I informed the city I would like to get out of the lease.” City attorney Shannon Johnson avoided questions of whether Weathers would be able to get out of the lease, or if he’s already been released from the lease. Others aren’t as concerned. Bill Lawyer, Public Works director for Keizer, showed the Keizertimes a June 2010 environmental site assessment report from BB&A Environ- mental that focused on condi- Sidebar: Big Toy build dates are here PAGE A2 KEIZERTIMES fi le/Craig Murphy Some concerns have been expressed about pesticides sprayed on trees in the orchards around the Big Toy site at Keizer Rapids Park, but the project is still taking place next week. tions of the 28 acre property before it was purchased by the city. Samples were collected on May 21, 2010 and analyzed for any recognized environ- mental conditions (REC). “It did not identify any ob- vious contamination,” Lawyer said. The analysis looked pri- marily at how much DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloro- ethane), DDE (dichlorodi- phenyldichloroethylene) and DDD (dichlorodiphenyldi- chloroethane) were in the soil. Small amounts of each were found in three of the four sec- tions, but all well below De- partment of Environmental Quality (DEQ) standards. One area, the west portion, was labeled as non-detected. That’s the area where the Big Toy is being built. Please see BIG TOY, Page A14 Probation only for Grad moves ahead, no excuses attempted kidnapper called into question KEIZERTIMES/Eric A. Howald Payton Williams had a longer road to Friday's McNary High School graduation than most: he was diagnosed with cancer last July but was declared cancer-free in May. By ERIC A. HOWALD Of the Keizertimes Many of the McNary High School graduates who will receive their diplomas Friday, June 5, will have overcome all sorts of challenges to make that walk across the stage. Fewer would measure up to what Payton Williams has overcome in the past 12 months. In July 2014, Payton was diagnosed with differ- entiated soft-tissue sarcoma and two large tumors, one in his back and the other in his stomach. Not long after, he began chemotherapy treat- ments and went under the knife twice to remove the tu- mors. He was declared cancer- free in early May. “I didn’t really know what to expect. I knew it wasn’t going to be fun, but I didn’t expect to be so sore for so long. My back surgery was four months ago and I didn’t expect it to still be hurting,” Payton said. The tumor in Payton’s back was so large that a signifi cant chunk of muscle also needed to be removed. It was replaced with muscle from his shoulder and is part of the reason be- hind his long healing process. Throughout his battle, Wil- liams was surrounded by loved ones, friends and the Keizer community as a whole. A go- fundme.com campaign raised nearly $9,000 and that didn’t include separate fundraisers held by McNary’s choir, vol- leyball, basketball and softball teams alongside T-shirt and bracelet sales launched by the school and relatives. Please see PAYTON, Page A14 Moles owner pushing to improve city sign codes By CRAIG MURPHY Of the Keizertimes The props in front of city hall and the dryer in front of his store may have been eye- catching, but Nigel Guisinger insists it’s not about his busi- ness. Guisinger, who bought Moles Appliance at 3800 River Road in 2013, said he’s fi ghting to make Keizer – River Road in particular – more business friendly. But it was a battle between Guisinger and city offi cials that got things going last week. Both sides agree Ben Cros- by, the new code enforcement offi cer for Keizer, took a sand- wich board sign May 27 from the sidewalk in front of Moles. KEIZERTIMES/Craig Murphy Moles Appliance owner Nigel Guisinger used creative tactics to draw attention to issues with city sign code issues. Nate Brown, director of Community Development for Keizer, said Guisinger was warned the day before. Please see MOLES, Page A11 By ERIC A. HOWALD Of the Keizertimes Even the presiding judge seemed displeased with a plea deal in the attempted kidnap- pings of two Keizer teens in April. Judge Don- ald Abar told Cody Black- man, 31, of Keizer, that he did not under- Blackman stand the dis- trict attorney’s decision to let Blackman off with 60 months of probation and registration as a sex of- fender in Marion County. “He sounds like a predator to me,” said Abar to the attor- neys present, before addressing Blackman himself. “If you are around minors, sir, you will be picked up and taken to prison.” Deputy District Attorney Doug Hanson, who helped negotiate the plea deal, said that probation was the best possible outcome given Black- man’s lack of criminal history. “Our guidelines are pro- vided by the state legislature, but since there was a period of time between the fi rst and second incidents we are now able to start from the point of him going to prison should Mr. Blackman reoffend,” Han- son said. Blackman pled guilty to two felony charges of attempt- ed kidnapping stemming from two separate incidents on April 16, within hours of each other. Blackman admitted to stalk- ing two McNary High School students, one 16 and the other 15, along Verda Lane North- east and on streets behind the Keizer Quality Suites on Wit- tenberg Lane NE, respectively. Blackman was arrested the following day and told inves- tigators that he had rented a Council approves budget PAGE A3 Golden Onions awards PAGE A6 Please see KIDNAP, Page A11 Black bear cub seen in Keizer A young black bear spot- ted in Salem last weekend was seen in Keizer Monday morn- ing. At around 10 a.m. on June 1, offi cers with the Keizer Po- lice Department responded to a call on the 3200 block of Mayfi eld Place North about a black bear being seen in the yard of a densely populated residential neighborhood at the south end of city limits. Three KPD offi cers re- sponded, but none could lo- cate the bear. According to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wild- life (ODFW), there are 25,000 to 30,000 black bears in Or- egon. Usually black, the bears can also be brown, cinnamon or blond in color. They are known for being fast and agile, as well as good swimmers and climbers. Previously, fi ve West Salem residents called Salem Police Department about seeing a bear in the vicinity of Walker Middle School. One witness Submitted This bear was spotted in Keizer on Monday, June 1. took a cell phone video of the young bear eating pet food from a bucket on a porch. Based on the video, biolo- gists believe the bear to be a yearling, weighing 30 to 60 pounds. A live trap was set out on Monday to capture and re- move the bear, but was moved after calls indicated the bear was roving north. If a bear poses a threat, ODFW recommends calling 911, giving the bear a way to escape, steering clear of the cubs, staying calm and not making sudden movements, backing away slowly while facing the bear, talking to the animal in a fi rm voice, avoid- ing direct eye contact and fi ghting back if attacked. Baseball, softball lose at state PAGE A12 We see what’s on the inside So you get back in the game 1165 Union St. NE #100 – Salem www.salemimaging.com/keizer.php 503-588-2674 •