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About Appeal tribune. (Silverton, Or.) 1999-current | View Entire Issue (March 8, 2017)
S ERVING THE S ILVERTON A REA S INCE 1880 50 C ENTS ● A U NIQUE E DITION OF THE S TATESMAN J OURNAL V OL . 136, N O . 12 W EDNESDAY , M ARCH 8, 2017 SILVERTONAPPEAL.COM CREEKSIDE CHAT Rich offerings from local grange Gus Frederick, who will have the perfect backdrop to deliver his talk on “The His- tory and Future of the Grange in Transi- tion.” That presentation is coming up 5 to 7 p.m. Sunday, March 12, and we’ll hear more about it below. The following week- end “Seedy Saturday” from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., March 18, presents a great opportu- nity for green thumbs, semi-green thumbs and/or aspiring green thumbs. While grange activities primarily cater to a grown-up set, Silverton’s After School Activities Program continues to provide ample undertakings for 7th and 8th graders during the core hours of the week. With spring break coming up soon, volunteers are refreshing programs through the break and into the spring. The biggest kid in the group (a.k.a. JUSTIN MUCH A lot of activity sur- faced last week around the Creekside Chat hour. Mixed into the fold were grange-hosted gardening tips, history, after-school planning, and even some athletes trotting from school to school, geared for intrastate travel. Among the visitors to the Silver Creek Coffee House on Wednesday, March 1, were Jan McCorkle, secretary at Silver- ton Grange #748, a busy Josh Burgeson and his After School Activities Program cohort Emalie Radocchia. The local grange has some rich offer- ings on the March calendar, including a presentation from Silverton historian Josh) knows a bit about precious spring- break activity as he’s working toward finishing his degree at Oregon State Uni- versity this year, on track to do that sum- mer term. Josh advised us that the ASAP pro- gram’s original Tuesday and Thursday schedule has been augmented by a new partnership. ASAP now has Wednesday hours, but at a different location. So cur- rently there are nine after-school hours for kids to partake each week: 3 to 6 p.m. Tuesday and Thursdays at Emmanuel Lutheran Church, 303 N. Church St.; 3 to 6 p.m. Wednesday at Assembly of God, 427 N. James St. “We can never say thank you enough to the individuals and community who See MUCH, Page 2A Palmer appointed Silverton mayor JUSTIN MUCH/APPEAL TRIBUNE Jan McCorkle at the Silver Creek Coffee House for a Creekside Chat. Silverton Fire District honors commitment APPEAL TRIBUNE STAFF Silverton Mayor Kyle Palmer takes the oath of office after his appointment to the position by a unanimous City Council vote. Palmer will serve out the term of Rick Lewis, who resigned after being appointed to the Oregon House District 18 seat. Former Mayor Lewis leaves post after being named to state legislative seat CHRISTENA BROOKS SPECIAL TO THE APPEAL TRIBUNE Silverton’s new mayor, Kyle Palmer, is so quick to say he’s “nothing special,” you might actu- ally believe him. Until you learn he’s been a city councilor for more than a decade, coached baseball for two, helped plan the new high school, and is the outgoing Rotary Club president. He also works full-time managing a veterinary practice and has four part-time jobs. A healthy dose of self-deprecat- ing humor makes Palmer, 50, a pol- itician whom his fellow councilors say has “zero ego,” is “a fabulous listener,” and “believes that di- verse opinions are better than a single group opinion on any issue.” Thus, they unanimously voted on Feb. 27 to make their council presi- dent Silverton’s new mayor follow- ing Rick Lewis’ resignation. “Being mayor is surreal – I do not take it for granted,” Palmer said. “There’s nothing special about me. We could’ve picked any one of us (councilors), and they would’ve done a good job.” Lewis resigned from his mayor- PHOTOS BY JUSTIN MUCH/APPEAL TRIBUNE Kyle Palmer was appointed as Silverton’s mayor by a vote of the city council. al post last month after being ap- pointed to Rep. Vic Gilliam’s seat in the Oregon State Legislature and learning that serving in both posi- tions could cause conflicts of inter- est. Gilliam stepped down from the District 18 seat earlier this year due to having Lou Gehrig’s dis- ease. Lewis’ appointment and resig- nation came suddenly for Silver- ton residents, who’d just elected him to a term in office that ends in 2018. The former mayor said it all happened suddenly for him, too. “My decision to file for the House seat started in February, just a few weeks ago. I had no con- sideration to do so before then,” he said. “Even after reaching that de- cision, I had planned to continue serving as mayor through the re- mainder of this term.” One of Lewis’ last acts in office was to help vote Palmer in as Sil- verton’s new mayor, although Councilor Dana Smith said Palm- er’s selection was a group decision. “I’m as happy as I could be to have Kyle as our next mayor,” she said. “I think it’s long overdue.” In the past, Palmer ran for ma- jor twice, once in 2010 and again in 2012, losing first to Stu Rasmussen and then to Lewis. Palmer recalls his pride taking a beating, but he accepted the losses and looked for other ways to be involved in local politics, including sitting on the budget committee and pool task force. He’s since been reelected to the council. “A lot of people would’ve See MAYOR, Page 2A Silverton Fire District held their annual Awards Banquet on Feb. 18th. The evening celebrated commit- ment to the Silverton Fire District and recognized a few outstanding members of the organization. Firefighter Keith Veit was named Firefighter of the Year. Veit volunteers and responds to calls from the Dis- trict’s Main Station. He is known for participating in the annual food drive for Silverton Area Community Aid as well as his numerous responses to calls. According to a press release, Veit “is an outstanding firefighter who we count on to help day and night for anything we need. Volunteer personnel are our number one resource and Keith is a dedicated member who puts the community first.” Captain Jesse Hulett was named Officer of the Year. Hulett volunteers and responds out of the District’s Main Station. He has been a volunteer with Silverton Fire since January 2004 and since that time his efforts include responding to calls, training and overseeing the Rescue and Aerial Division of the Fire District. Firefighter and Paramedic Tyler Smith was named Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) of the Year. Smith has been a volunteer with the Fire District since 2011 and started in the Fire District’s youth Ex- plorer Post. He recently achieved the paramedic level of certifi- cation and spends countless volunteer hours going on calls, helping with public education events and assist- ing with training. Firefighter James Ruks was named Rookie of the year. Ruks is assigned to the District’s Main Station. He started with the Fire District with no fire experience but excelled in the District’s training program. Accord- ing to the release, Ruka “is also very active in our annu- al food and toy drive. James is also a full time member of the military but still finds time to volunteer to for his community.” With 25 years of service, Firefighter Dennis Mess- man was presented with the lifetime membership award. Outstanding Service awards were given to Assistant Chief Gordy Jensen, Captain Ed Grambusch, Lt. Ray Dandeneau, Firefighter Keith Veit and Firefighter Danielle Bowman. This award is given to members who go above and beyond the call of duty to support their community. Keith Veit Jesse Hulett Silverr ton B usiiness of t he Y ear 2 016 Top Listing Agents – February 2017 #1 Joe & Dana Giegerich 503-931-7824 Victor Point Farm! 120.06 Acres – 4 miles from Downtown Silverton! 3bd/2ba ~ 1512 SqFt ~ 120.06 Acres MLS#704672 Silverton Y AD ! RE ING AL ND E P $189,000 Online at SilvertonAppeal.com NEWS UPDATES PHOTOS » Breaking news » Get updates from the Silverton area » Photo galleries $1,280,000 #2 Rosie Wilgus 503-409-8779 Charming Cottage! 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