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 . 20
W EDNESDAY , M AY 3, 2017
SILVERTONAPPEAL.COM
Silverton, Mt. Angel get seismic grants
Fire districts are among 47 emergency
services facilities receiving the funding
JUSTIN MUCH
STAYTON MAIL
Both Silverton and Mt. Angel fire dis-
tricts were among the recipients of seis-
mic grants issued in late April by the
committee overseeing Oregon’s Seismic
Rehabilitation Grant Program.
The committee announced that 47
emergency services facilities statewide
would be receiving the funds in addition
to 100 schools, grants aimed at construc-
tion projects deemed critical to enable
the facilities to withstand serious dam-
age in the event of a major earthquake.
In an announcement issued by Gov.
Kate Brown’s Office, Press Secretary
Bryan Hockaday noted that the biparti-
san effort to invest in these facility up-
grades stems in part from the realization
that Oregon’s risk for a Cascadia Sub-
duction Zone earthquake is significant,
and these construction projects are
proactive measures against catastroph-
ic consequences to community pre-
paredness.
The local piece of the pie was just shy
of $800k: Mt. Angel Fire District-Fire
Station $60,000; Silverton Fire District-
Main Station $736,875.
Silverton Fire Chief Bill Miles called
the announcement “very good news,”
while Mt. Angel Chief Jim Trierweiler
echoed that thought, but added “Mt An-
See GRANTS, Page 2A
SILVERTON FIRE DISTRICT
Both Silverton and Mt. Angel fire districts were among the recipients of seismic grants issued in
late April by the committee overseeing Oregon’s Seismic Rehabilitation Grant Program.
Schools
slated for
seismic
upgrades
They’ll get millions
in state grant funds
NATALIE PATE
STATESMAN JOURNAL
DETROIT LAKE LEVEL
HIGHEST SINCE 2009
Officials optimistic for recreation season
ZACH URNESS
STATESMAN JOURNAL
Detroit Lake reached its highest
water level since 2009 last week and
hit what’s considered its “full” water
level for the first time in two years.
A system of heavy rain — follow-
ing what’s been one of the wettest
seasons on record — pushed the res-
ervoir to 1,565.29 feet on Wednesday.
That’s the highest mark since May
4, 2009, when the reservoir’s eleva-
tion hit 1,566.64 feet. It was also the
first time the reservoir reached the
level considered “full” for summer,
1,563.5 feet, since 2014.
The past two years, historic
drought and limited spring rain kept
the reservoir’s level lower than nor-
mal, impacting tourism and recrea-
tion.
PHOTOS BY ANNA REED / STATESMAN JOURNAL
Above: Docks float at the Detroit Lake Marina in Detroit on Saturday. Main: Detroit
Lake as seen from the N. Santiam Highway bridge in Detroit.
See LAKE, Page 3A
Schools across Oregon will receive
millions of dollars to make seismic up-
grades.
The committee overseeing Oregon’s
Seismic Rehabilitation Grant Program
announced last Friday that 100 schools
and 47 emergency services facilities
will receive $153.6 million in state grant
funds, according to a press release.
The program provides funding for
construction work on schools and other
critical public buildings to better pre-
pare the structures to withstand a ma-
jor earthquake.
“Ensuring every community in the
state, particularly in rural regions, has
safe community gathering places and
emergency response infrastructure
will be key to Oregon’s recovery from a
significant seismic event,” Governor
Brown said in a statement. “While this
may seem to be a daunting task, we’re
making steady progress, through a con-
certed and coordinated effort by com-
munities, individuals, businesses, and
as a state, toward building more resil-
ient Oregon.”
This is the second round of funding
released through the program this bi-
ennium, according to the release.
Schools throughout Oregon received
$50 million for 41 retrofit projects last
April, the first phase of $205 million in
program funding established in this bi-
ennium’s budget.
Before Friday’s awards, the pro-
gram has made 118 awards totaling
$108 million.
“In the last year, we have more than
tripled Oregon’s investment in the seis-
mic safety of our schools,” Senate
President Peter Courtney, D-Salem,
said in a statement. “It’s taken 15 years
to get here ... We can’t lose our momen-
tum.”
State Senator Ted Ferrioli, R-John
Day, said many people have become
complacent and “grown tone-deaf” af-
ter hearing about “The Big One” for so
many years.
“But our emergency planners are
telling us ‘It’s real, and it’s coming!’” he
said in a statement. “Communities need
See SCHOOLS, Page 2A
Silverton schools stave off rain damage
JUSTIN MUCH
STAYTON MAIL
It’s been a wet spring
for sure, but when the
skies opened up over Sil-
verton on Monday, April
24, this season’s persis-
tent precipitation moved
from mere inconvenience
to a borderline crisis situ-
ation at a couple of local
schools.
Silver Falls School Dis-
trict was spurred into
alert mode at both Silver-
ton Middle School and
Mark Twain Elementary
School as the cloud burst
consequences ultimately
streamed
into
some
school facilities and left
lakeside playground fea-
tures immediately around
the campuses.
District Superinten-
dent Andy Bellando said
both schools incurred
high water.
“The very heavy rain-
fall lasted for about 20
minutes and was one of
the heaviest and longest
soakings I’ve ever seen in
this area,” Bellando said.
At Silverton Middle,
the flooding occurred
in front of the school on
Schlador St. where an
overloaded city drain
contributed to the over-
flow.
“That flooding did
not result in water en-
try into the school at
that location,” Bellan-
Silverr ton B usiiness of t he Y ear 2 016
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