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About Appeal tribune. (Silverton, Or.) 1999-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 9, 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 . 34 W EDNESDAY , A UGUST 9, 2017 SILVERTONAPPEAL.COM Creekside Chat SHS alumni, Rep. Lewis, and a shindig! JUSTIN MUCH Gregg Sheesley in- voked the appropriate quote: “Music has charms to soothe a savage breast, to soften rocks or bend a knotted oak,” – Britan- nica.com cites British playwright/poet William Congreve as the author, from “The Mourning Bride,” 1697. Gregg was merely imparting a piece of the spirit behind the Silverton Side- walk Shindig. He and Greg Hart of Mol- alla stopped into Silver Creek Coffee House on Wednesday, Aug. 2, to provide a glimpse of this year’s shindig poster and get us up to speed on planning for the Saturday, Oct. 7, event. This year, organizers are preparing for the sixth annual shindig, and once again they will have dozens of musicians — from a wide variety of genres — lined up to immerse the city in music that day. The organizers are buoyant about the lineup, but they are also amenable to hearing from any street musicians who would be interested in chiming in for the purpose of exposure or experience. The idea is to weave a nice early au- tumn event into the town’s fabric, and it has succeeded in doing just that these past five years. “Silverton is art- and music-inclined,” Greg intoned, “and we want to nourish this.” Beyond the music of that day, shindig planners like to see the exposure of the various genres and their influence, espe- cially with the youth. Last year, they pro- vided a kids’ element to the mix with a music theory workshop in Town Square Park. It’s never too early to expose the younger set to music, Gregg observed, nor is there ever an age or time when mu- sic should not be a part of the day. The event’s coordinators, like Gregg, Greg and the ever-handy Ron Nelson, could use some help on the day of the event, and would like to hear from like- minded music lovers or those who appre- ciate the event and may have a few hours to chip in. Tasks are varied, from setup to take-down to simply being on hand to di- rect visitors to the varied gigs. To volunteer, contact the Shindig’s chairman, Nicholas Coffey, at Astonish- ing Adventures, 503-874-1919. See MUCH, Page 2A JUSTIN MUCH | APPEAL TRIBUNE Stopping in to Silver Creek Coffee House for a Creekside Chat to discuss plans for the upcoming Silverton Sidewalk Shindig are Gregg Sheesley, left, and Greg Hart. Silverton eyes site for new City Hall Whitewater Fire forces major closures CHRISTENA BROOKS SPECIAL TO THE APPEAL TRIBUNE MARCUS KAUFFMAN / ODF Scooper planes fly down over Detroit Lake on Saturday, picking up water to drop on the Whitewater Fire. Detroit Lake, Pacific Crest Trail, Jefferson Wilderness affected ZACH URNESS STATESMAN JOURNAL DETROIT — As the Whitewater Fire continued to expand, fire officials took their biggest steps yet to limit en- try to the Mount Jefferson Wilder- ness. Almost half of the 111,177-acre wil- derness and 30 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail is now closed, officials an- nounced late Saturday. At the same time, a large swath of Detroit Lake was also closed to allow large “scooper planes” to pick up wa- ter to fight a blaze now 5,421 acres. The fire crossed the South Fork Breitenbush River and is expected to expand north and south in the coming days. The blaze is zero percent con- tained and remains mostly in the wil- derness area. The flames remain three to four miles from State High- way 22. A total of 257 people are working the fire including 10 ground teams and 7 helicopters. A meeting to update the public on operations was planned for 3 p.m. Sunday at Detroit City Hall (160 De- troit Avenue N). Here are details on the closures: Detroit Lake To allow scooper planes to safely pick water up from the reservoir, offi- cials closed the southern half of the lake to boat traffic beginning Satur- day. The official closure runs from De- troit Dam to Mongold, and south of Pi- ety island. The area open to boats is from Mongold to the upper arm, north of Pi- ety, and up Hoover arm. The planes won't fly every day — they shifted to the Rebel Fire on Sun- day — but will be dipping when condi- tions allow on Detroit Lake. It's unclear how long the closure will remain, but it could last five to six days, incident spokesman Marcus Kauffman said. Fourteen months after shuttered Eugene Field School hit the market, it has engaged a fourth potential buyer, the City of Silverton. The 3.46-acre property at the heart of downtown Silverton would be a fa- vorable spot for a new police station and City Hall, the City Council indicat- ed with its decision on July 17 to move toward buying it for $1 million. “There is a desire among councilors to keep City Hall in the downtown core, if possible,” said City Manager Christy Wurster. Before the sale goes through, the city has more than a month to scruti- nize the empty 35,000-square-foot building and five lots comprising the school grounds. Its second-position bid to buy for $50,000 above the Silver Falls School District’s asking price of $950,000 rose to first position when an- other buyer’s offer fell through last month. “The city and school district have a long history of great relationships, in- cluding the sale of school district prop- erty to the city in the past,” said Silver Falls Superintendent Andy Bellando. In the 95-year-old school building, lead paint and asbestos are among the hazards expected by both parties to be found. Anticipating this, the city has agreed to pay up to $400,000 toward cleanup. If abatement bids come in higher, the sale agreement could be ter- minated or the school district could help pay, Wurster said. “The future of the building is yet to be determined,” she said. “We really have to assess it from all standpoints, to see if we can reuse the building or if it will have to be razed.” A new police station would bring un- der one roof the officers, staff, sup- plies, evidence and archives now crammed into about 4,800 square feet at City Hall, the Public Works shops, the Fisher Building and the community center. An outside study done in 2007 showed the department needed 18,000 square feet by 2015, said Chief Jeff Fossholm. The Eugene Field property is to his See FIRE, Page 2A See PROPERTY, Page 3A Silverton pool tax renewal on ballot APPEAL TRIBUNE An extra tax paid by Silverton residents has been funding the Sil- verton Pool’s operation and main- tenance for the last four years. The City Council will ask voters in the upcoming November election to approve a renewal that would keep the pool running for five more years. The owner of a home assessed at $200,000 is currently paying about $90 per year – that’s $7.50 per month – toward pool operations. The cost of the new levy would go down to about $73 per year – or $6 per month. The proposed rate is roughly 37 cents per $1,000 of assessed value, for a total collection of $275,000 per year. If the levy passes, the city plans to replace the cover that allows the pool to operate outside of summer, said Public Works Director Chris- tian Saxe. It would also pay for rec- ommended maintenance and oper- ations. Silver Falls YMCA has the contract for day-to-day operations. A recent evaluation of the pool left the city “pleasantly surprised” with its condition, Saxe said. Its most recent problem has been a collection of leaks that lost 4,000 gallons of water per day. Fixes re- duced losses to 1,000 gallons per day, and the city continues to work on the problem, Saxe said. Silverr ton B usiiness of t he Y ear 2 016 2nd Quarter Harcourts USA NW Region Awards Rising Star Nick Ayhan In the Top 10!* Dean Oster Joe & Dana Giegerich Ginni Stensland Agent Awards Online at SilvertonAppeal.com NEWS UPDATES PHOTOS » Breaking news » Get updates from the Silverton area » Photo galleries • BRONZE: Michael Kemry, Nick Ayhan, Robin Kuhn • SILVER: Cynthia Johnson, Donna Paradis, Valerie Boen • GOLD: Rosie Wilgus, Ginni Stensland, Dean Oster, Joe & Dana Giegerich INSIDE Life..........................................4A Obituaries.............................2A Sports......................................1B Offi ce Awards Platinum – Production ©2017 *Top 10 Agents in Harcourts NW Region for 2nd Quarter 2017 Printed on recycled paper 119 N. Water St. Silverton, OR 97381 • 503.873.8600 • www.nworg.com OR-0000392663
