S ERVING THE S ILVERTON A REA S INCE 1880
50 C ENTS
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A U NIQUE E DITION OF THE S TATESMAN J OURNAL
V OL . 136, N O . 14
W EDNESDAY , M ARCH 22, 2017
SILVERTONAPPEAL.COM
CREEKSIDE CHAT
Seeing to students, seniors, visitors
JUSTIN MUCH
The timing may be
about perfect for a mem-
bership and services ex-
pansion at Silverton Sen-
ior Center.
That’s the kernel with-
in the criteria shed by the
center recently and shared at the Creek-
side Chat by Silverton Area Seniors Ex-
ecutive Director Dodie Brockamp and
Silverton’s Administrative Services Di-
rector Dianne Hunt.
Dodie and Dianne joined others at Sil-
ver Creek Coffee House on Wednesday,
March 15, to share ideas, aspirations and
projects, including Silver Falls School
District Board Zone 5 candidate Shelly
Nealon, and American Discovery Pro-
gram Coordinator Heather Prince.
Dodie visited for a chat Feb. 1 to talk
about a number of upcoming activities
with Silverton Area Seniors, and at that
time she mentioned possible changes
considered at the center, including low-
ering age restrictions, currently 60, and
availing the center's facilities to a broad-
er range of groups and adding comple-
menting activities, classes and pro-
grams.
Dianne apprised Dodie – with accom-
panying documents to the fact – that the
community development block grant
that stipulates the current age require-
ments has been released; the center’s
time obligations with that grant have run
course and are no long requisite.
The means Silverton Area Seniors
can alter its age stipulation. But it also
means the group needs to plan more ac-
tivities.
“This releases us from everything-
…now we will wait for the membership
to vote on it,” she said of changing age
requirements. “It also means that we
have to be more self-sufficient."
Dodie said conversations about lower-
ing the age requirements seem to favor
50ish, but a clearer picture will come
into view in April when membership,
roughly 560 in number, votes on board
selection as well as issues such as the age
change.
“We just need to be cautious that we
don’t turn us into a community center,”
she added, stressing that senior-citizen
status is paramount to the process.
Issues instrumental to a younger
set were at the forefront with Shelly,
who just that morning filed her paper-
work at the Marion County Courthouse
in Salem to run for the school board.
Shelly and her husband, local surgeon
James Nealon, share membership as
Creighton University Blue Jays alums as
well as 14-year-denizen status in Silver-
ton. Jim and Shelly, who reside in Abiqua
Heights, called Silverton home from
2001 to 2011, at which time they returned
to Jim’s native (and Creighton environs)
Omaha.
Two years later Silverton lured them
back.
With three school-age kids, a solid
background in education and an un-
quenchable thirst for learning, Shelly
determined that directing her energy to-
ward the local school district and its
causes seemed most appropriate. That
spearheaded her desire to run.
She holds a degree in education and
See MUCH, Page 3A
ST. PAUL CATHOLIC CHURCH
DANIELLE PETERSON/STATESMAN JOURNAL
Andrea Ponce, from left, Magaly Nino, Maria Mendez, Aliyah Romualdo, Remedios Ortiz, Executive Director of Somos Hispanas Unidas Susana Ghio and Gabriela Rodriguez stand in front of
the Saint Paul Catholic Church in Silverton.
Concern over future
of Hispanic Ministry
Church attendees fear Spanish class cuts
LAUREN E HERNANDEZ
STATESMAN JOURNAL
For more than 20 years, St. Paul Catholic Church in
Silverton has offered Masses and religious education
classes in Spanish -- a nod to the growing Latino com-
munity.
Latino members make up a majority of the church’s
attendees, accounting for at least two-thirds of the 600
members.
That community is in an uproar, worried that St.
Paul’s new priest is planning to eliminate the Spanish
religious education classes.
About 100 members sent hand-written letters to
the church and Father Basil Lawrence, each ex-
pressing a message of shared fear of their culture
See CHURCH, Page 3A
Crews help clean oil spill in Silverton
JUSTIN MUCH
STAYTON MAIL
Fortunately, a hazardous-ma-
terial spill is not a frequent occur-
rence that Silverton Fire District
confronts. But when one does oc-
cur having the right means to han-
dle it is vital.
The district was reminded of
that at around 5:20 p.m. Monday
when a call came in from the 800
block of N. First St., Highway 214
near Roth’s Market.
Officials said a semi-truck and
trailer crash on the major thor-
oughfare spilled a “large amount”
of motor oil into the gutter, and that
oil was heading for a waterway
catch basin. Firefighters arriving
at the scene discovered a heavily
damaged semi-truck and roughly
fifteen gallons of the heavy black
oil oozing down the gutter.
Silverton Fire spokesman Cpt.
Ed Grambusch said fire crews
were joined by Silverton Police,
Oregon Department of Transpor-
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tation and the Department of Envi-
ronmental Quality and worked on
the scene for about 3 1 ⁄ 2 hours.
Silverton Police Sgt. Josh Bar-
nett said public safety crews in-
stalled a detour and had First
Street closed for that entire time as
well.
Heavy rains complicated the
project as crews deployed several
absorbent materials and devices,
including granules, pads and
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