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About Keizertimes. (Salem, Or.) 1979-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 18, 2020)
VOLUME 42, NO. 9 DECEMBER 18, 2020 SECTION A Future plans expected by end of year $1.00 VOLCANOES By MATT RAWLINGS Of the Keizertimes F or just over a year, the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes organization found them- selves in limbo, wondering if they would lose their Major League Baseball (MLB) affi l- iation with the San Francisco Giants. On Wednesday, Dec. 9, the Volcanoes discovered that they had been offi cially axed from the Northwest League (NWL), ending their 26-year “ It was unfortunate news to say the least. It was heartbreaking.” MLB AFFILIATION Rios heading to Ivy League PAGE A12 TEAM ACHIEVEMENTS NO. PLAYER ACHIEVEMENTS NO. “ Our ability to bring up or even entertain an alternative point of view was completely stifled” — Mickey Walker, CEO, Volcanoes AWARDS relationship with the Giants and Minor League Baseball (MiLB). The Boise Hawks were the other team that was eliminated from the NWL. The Volcanoes have been affi liated with the Giants since their inception in 1997 — the organization began in Bellingham in 1994, but was moved to Salem-Keizer in 1997. Volcanoes CEO Mickey Walker said that the Giants never contacted the Volcanoes about the change. The organization found out via Twitter that the Eugene Emeralds will be the Giants new Single-A affi liate. “It was unfortunate news to say the least. It was heartbreaking,” Walker said. “We are extremely disappointed that it’s ending.” Despite the loss of MLB affi liation, Walker promises that there will be baseball at Volcanoes Stadium next season. “No matter what, we’re going to be playing baseball in 2021,” Walker said. “We are excited for what the future may hold.” After nearly a week of silence, MLB contacted the Volcanoes organization on Monday to discuss the possibility of a partnership moving forward. Earlier this month, MLB announced Please see FUTURE, Page A7 938- PAGE A2 KEIZERTIMES/Andrew Jackson The Volcanoes contract with Keizer By ERIC A. HOWALD Of the Keizertimes Eight hours and 22 minutes. That’s how long the members of the Keizer City Council took to approve its fi rst contract with the Bellingham Giants, the team that would become the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes and affi liate of the San Francisco. The council spent the fi rst hour of the meeting scrutinizing the fi rst two paragraphs of the 38-page contract. Shortly after 3 a.m. on Oct. 15, 1996, the council voted 6-1 to approve a 29- year contract with owner Jerry Walker. The only holdout at the time was Councilor Jerry McGee, who disagreed with the $2.995 million investment it would take on the part of the city. Then-mayor Dennis Koho, a lifelong baseball fan, had courted both city councilors and residents to support the deal. McGee remained unconvinced. One of the more contentious aspects of the contract was naming rights. Members of the council in addition to Koho wanted the entire property named “Keizer Stadium.” Walker wanted to be able to sell naming rights that would appear THEN &NOW Schrader checks in with Chamber KEIZERTIMES/File By ERIC A. HOWALD Of the Keizertimes Three days before the U.S. Congress headed home for the holidays, U. S. Rep. Kurt Schrader was hopeful he and his colleagues would approve a new wave of pandemic relief. “We got another couple of days and a lot can happen in a couple of days in Washington, D.C.,” Schrader said. Schrader was the guest of honor at a Zoom meeting held by the Keizer Chamber of Congress Tuesday, Dec. 15. Schrader voted against a roughly $3 trillion stimu- lus package and defended that vote to Keizer Chamber members. Please see REP, Page A9 on top of the sign near Interstate 5. The council was the one to soften its position, but a deal for naming rights never materialized. Despite the lack of unanimity and hurt feelings over the stadium name, the city sold bonds to pay for extending water and sewer lines to the 30-acre property alongside constructing a parking lot. In return, Keizer got 50 cents for every car parked and 5% of every ticket sold for all events. Walker footed the bill to construct the $2.6 million stadium on six acres of the property. The amount translates to roughly $4.1 million in 2020 dollars. Please see CONTRACT, Page A7 Pandemic expected to boost parks plan redux By ERIC A. HOWALD Of the Keizertimes The coronavirus pan- demic will keep people from meeting in-person to provide input on future im- provements to Keizer parks, but renewed interest in open spaces might work to the city’s advantage. Cindy Mendoza, direc- tor of parks and recreation at MIG, a Portland-based fi rm consulting a revision of Keizer’s parks master plan, said public participation in the fi rm’s recent parks proj- ects has skyrocketed because more people have been us- ing public spaces for safe rec- reation. “Our responses during the past year have gone above and beyond any we have seen before,” Mendoza said. The City of Keizer kicked off a revision of the parks master plan with a presen- tation at the meeting of the Keizer Parks and Recreation Advisory Board Dec. 8. The effort will update a parks master plan created in 2008. Please see PARKS, Page A9 Putting a bow on community’s kindness PAGE A3 Looking back on Volcanoes Sergio Romo PAGE A12