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About Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (April 19, 2017)
Polk County News DEADLINES NEWS DEADLINES For inclusion in the Wednesday edition of the Itemizer-Observer: Social news (weddings, engagements, anniver- saries, births, milestones) — 5 p.m. on Thursday. Community events — Noon on Friday for both the Community Notebook and Community Calendar. Letters to the editor — 10 a.m. on Monday. Obituaries — 4 p.m. on Monday. ADVERTISING DEADLINES Retail display ads — 3 p.m. Friday. Classified display ads — 11 a.m. on Monday. Classified line ads — Noon on Monday. Classified ads are updated daily on www.polkio.com. Public notices — Noon on Friday. CORRECTIONS The Polk County Itemizer- Observer is committed to pub- lishing accurate news, feature and sports reports. If you see anything that requires a cor- rection or clarification, call the newsroom at 503-623-2373 or send an email to ementzer@polkio.com. WEBSITE The Polk County Itemizer- Observer website, www.polkio.com, is updat- ed each week by Wednes- day afternoon. There, you will find nearly every story that appears in the print version of the newspaper, as well as some items, in- cluding additional photos, that do not appear in print due to space limitations. The Itemizer-Observer is also on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Watch for breaking news, links to sto- ries, sports scores updates and more. WEATHER RECORDED HIGH LOW April 11............. 54 April 12............. 62 April 13............. 54 April 14............. 55 April 15............. 60 April 16............. 65 April 17............. 60 37 44 43 41 34 39 46 RAIN .33 .13 .10 .05 .00 .15 .33 Polk County Itemizer-Observer • April 19, 2017 3A Proposed budget would add more staff By Jolene Guzman The Itemizer-Observer DALLAS — The proposed 2017-18 budget for the city of Dallas adds more staff and reflects a belief that un- employment will remain low and housing growth strong. “We do have a lot of activ- ity going on, and the budget is generally up from last year,” said City Manager Ron Foggin Monday during his message to the Dallas Budg- et Committee. The general fund is pro- posed at $12.2 million, with the overall budget coming in at about $41 million. A new position, economic development director, is of- ficially added in the budget. AJ Foscoli, the newly hired economic development di- rector, started the job on Monday. “We are really excited. We had enough money in this year’s budget to bring that person on, and AJ started today. It was his first day and he is busy already,” Foggin said. “We are adding this po- sition in an effort to address the council’s priority on eco- nomic development.” Dallas Emergency Med- ical Services or EMS is slated to add three full-time para- medic positions. “These positions will re- place a whole bunch of part- time positions,” Foggin said “We’ve had just an absolute terror of a time, churning By Jolene Guzman The Itemizer-Observer DALLAS — Results of tests for radon found that Dallas School District schools found amounts below Envi- ronmental Protection Agency’s recommended “ac- tion level” in all locations measured. The EPA recommends mitigation in areas with radon levels above 4.0 pic- ocuries per liter of air (pCi/L), said Kevin Mon- tague, the district’s facilities director. Readings between 2.0 pCi/L and 4.0 pCi/L may require adjustments, he said. Measurements of less than 2.0 are about the same as outdoor air. According to district’s testing plan, radon is color- less and odorless radioac- Radon testing • Dallas High School: 118 rooms tested with the highest reading of 2.2 pCi/L. • LaCreole Middle School: 74 rooms tested with the highest reading of 3.5 pCi/L. • Whitworth Elementary School: 38 rooms tested with the highest reading of 3.8 pCi/L. • Lyle Elementary School: 38 rooms tested with the highest reading of 1.2 pCi/L. • Oakdale Heights Elementary School: 45 rooms tested with the highest reading of 1.0 pCi/L. • Morrison Campus: 14 rooms tested with the highest read- ing of 1.9 pCi/L. • Post High School: Five rooms tested with the highest read- ing of .6 pCi/L. • District Office: 18 rooms tested with the highest reading of 1.1 pCi/L. SEEKING BIDS FROM INTERESTED BUYERS The City of Monmouth is seeking bids from interested buyers for the city’s property at 238 Jackson St. E. Bid Deadline: May 19, 2017 at 4:00 p.m. and city funding is $8,000 to help pay for a second year of Dallas Downtown Associa- tion’s RARE program man- ager, an expenditure com- mittee member and Coun- cilor Jackie Lawson ques- tioned. Not included in the budg- et is a recreation coordina- tor, a position that was left unfilled earlier this year. Committee member and Councilor Jennie Rummell suggested the committee discuss adding it back at its next meeting. The budget committee meets Monday at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall to discuss gener- al fund department budgets and the inspection depart- ment. tive gas that forms from the decay of radioactive ele- ments found in rock and soil. It can move into the air and water and is the second-leading cause of lung cancer. Testing took place be- tween Feb. 27 and March 23, with individual testing units placed in rooms for three days. EPA guidelines require testing to take place between Nov. 1 and March 31 with the HVAC system operating normally and normal activities tak- ing place. TRC Environmental Cor- poration, of Milwaukie, con- ducted the tests and ana- lyzed the results. The highest level reported was 3.8 pCi/L at Whitworth Elementary School, while in several locations no radon was detected. While no tests revealed the need for mitigation, the district made changes for areas with higher readings. “The classrooms that we do have that came back be- tween 2 and 4, we’ve already made adjustments to the HVAC system to increase the outside air,” Montague said. He said the results didn’t reveal anything surprising based on tests taken in other places in the Dallas ZIP code reported to the federal gov- ernment. He said the average result was 2.1 with 11 percent of tests at or above 4.0. “Overall, I would say we are doing exceptionally well in our buildings with the levels that we see back,” Montague said. For results from each s c h o o l : w w w. d a l l a s . - k12.or.us/radon-informa- tion. It’s time to... Explore POLK COUNTY Inquiries should be directed to Phyllis Bolman, 503-751-0145 or pbolman@ci.monmouth.or.us SEEKING BIDS FROM INTERESTED BUYERS ...for local news, sports and community events. Follow us on permit tech. “Building construction is back in full swing, so with the two folks we have now, they are really super busy with field work, and a permit tech would really help us process plans faster,” Foggin said. The proposal also moves the part-time utility and court clerk to full time. Foggin said the budget proposes rate changes at the Dallas Aquatic Center. “For the purposes of the budget, we are recommend- ing and have in the budget a 10 percent increase in ad- mission and annual mem- bership fees,” he said. Through a combination of Urban Renewal Agency DSD radon levels below EPA ‘action level’ Rainfall during April — 1.92 in. Rain through April 17 — 28.42 in. Visit our website, www.polkio.com through a whole bunch part-time folks, and it’s been an admin nightmare trying to hire and replace people. The three paramedic posi- tions will really stabilize our three ambulance shifts.” An administrative assis- tant and two seasonal fire- fighters have been added to the fire department budget. The seasonal firefighters will work the day shift during the four busiest months of the year. They will join two full- time firefighters being paid for with a two-year federal grant. “That would give us four during that shift,” Foggin said. The building inspection department has added a The City of Monmouth is seeking bids from interested buyers for the city’s property at 152 Warren St. N. Bid Deadline: May 19, 2017 at 4:00 p.m. Inquiries should be directed to Phyllis Bolman, 503-751-0145 or pbolman@ci.monmouth.or.us • Boulders & Wall Rock • Rainbow & Beech Cobble • Patio Stone • Crushed Rock • Plant Materials • Compost • Bark • Soil Blends Next to Cafe 22W Restaurant • Potting Soil 5192 Salem-Dallas Hwy Salem, Oregon 97304 503-391-2833 Biggest and most celebrated section guiding Residents and Visitors to all the best place in and around Polk County! M-F 7:30 - 5:30 • Sat 8 - 6 • Sun 10 - 4 FREE Local Delivery One time with a $90 or more purchase. Coupons cannot be combined with any other offer or discounted items. Expires 5/31/17 Solution on Page 6A Deadline: May 4 Publishes: May 24 Call 503-623-2373 Heidi x115, Rachel x110 or Karen x118 Itemizer-Observer 147 SE Court Street, Dallas, OR 97338 www.polkio.com