WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2018 ❚ SILVERTONAPPEAL.COM
PART OF THE USA TODAY NETWORK
Silverton handles new smoking bans
Council approves one, while at the
same time shooting down another
Justin Much Salem Statesman Journal
USA TODAY NETWORK
Silverton City Council had two smoking bans to ad-
dress: one was approved, the other was not.
During its Jan. 8 meeting, the council unanimously
approved a ban on smoking in city parks, similar to re-
strictions enacted in many Oregon municipalities, in-
cluding Salem, Eugene, Portland and Pendleton.
But a second ban – one that would have banned
smoking downtown – elicited considerable discussion
and ultimately failed to get traction as a split panel
leaned toward finding other, more “creative” ap-
proaches.
During the public hearing on the proposed down-
town ban, several non-smoking community members,
as well as one downtown watering-hole owner, urged
the council to examine the issue at depth.
Among them was Silverton Chamber of Commerce
Director Stacy Palmer who spoke about additional
signs affecting the downtown’s character and how the
ban would affect businesses, such as bars, where
smokers often frequent.
“My concern is the additional signage downtown,”
Palmer said. “We have such an abundance of clutter in
what is traditionally or supposed to be such a charm-
ing downtown.”
She said sign requirements stipulated in the ordi-
nance could result in a sign in every parking lot, cre-
ating a cluttering collage.
She also advised that while it may be that only 30
percent of the population smokes, that 30 percent
could be the difference in a downtown pub owner's
ability to make rent.
See SMOKING, Page 2A
Silverton City Council banned smoking in the city's
parks, but passed on a similar ban downtown.
JUSTIN MUCH/APPEAL TRIBUNE
Detroit Lake dry?
Project could empty location for months or years
Silverton
remembers
volunteer
firefighter
Christena Brooks Special to Salem Statesman Journal
USA TODAY NETWORK
Detroit Lake Marina owner Scott Lunski stands at the end of his dock on Jan. 12. If the proposed project
advances, with such little water held in the lake, there would be almost no water recreation.
MOLLY J. SMITH/STATESMAN JOURNAL
Zach Urness Salem Statesman Journal
USA TODAY NETWORK
How to comment
A project intended to improve conditions for en-
dangered fish could mean essentially emptying De-
troit Lake for one or two years.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is planning to
build a 300-foot tower and floating screen at Detroit
Dam to improve water temperature and fish passage
for salmon and steelhead in the North Santiam River.
But the $100 to $250 million project has sparked
alarm over the potential impact to water supply in Sa-
lem and Stayton, for farmland irrigation, and to the
economies of Detroit and the Santiam Canyon from
the loss of recreation at the popular reservoir.
“In the long-term, this project has a lot of positives,
from a healthier environment for fish to better opera-
tion of the dam,” Marion County commissioner Kevin
Cameron said. “But there is a huge risk in the short-
term.”
At its core, the project represents the latest chapter
in the struggle to preserve native fish while maintain-
ing the benefits of dams and reservoirs.
The Corps is taking public comment on the project
until January 23. A meeting on the topic is scheduled
for 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 17 at Gates Fire Hall.
Comments can be emailed to: detroit.fish.pas-
sage@usace.army.mil.
It can be mailed to:
Kelly Janes, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Attn: PM-E, PO Box 2946 Portland, OR 97208-
2946
Meeting on project
Corps officials will be in attendance at a meeting
scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 17 at Gates Fire
Hall.
The project still needs to go through multiple plan-
ning phases — including additional public comment
periods — before construction is scheduled for 2021.
“The big decisions have not yet been determined —
this is a first step,” Corps spokesman Tom Conning
See LAKE, Page 3A
With lights flashing but sirens silenced, a 1935
Chevrolet pumper and other fire vehicles led a pro-
cession through town on Saturday, honoring Silver-
ton’s longest-serving volunteer firefighter one last
time.
Capt. Bob Klaus served the Silverton Fire District
for 55 years, only withdrawing from service 14
months before his death from brain cancer on Jan. 6.
He was 75.
In thanks, firefighters took him on one final ride
from Unger Funeral Chapel to Valley View Cemetery
on Jan. 13 and spoke warmly about him at a following
memorial service.
“At the fire district, he was a teacher, an adviser
and the voice of reason,” said Chief Bill Miles. “ He is
going to be sorely missed.”
Klaus was captain of Silverton’s tender division, a
job entailing the oversight of three tanker-style
trucks, related water transportation issues, and the
training of new drivers.
While his job as a dump truck driver for Silverton
Sand & Gravel made it harder to respond to calls over
the last decade, he went whenever possible, attend-
ed weekly drills and trained younger firefighters,
Miles said.
He was a faithful volunteer who even scheduled
his vacations around fire district business, called
ahead if he couldn’t attend drill, and helped solve an
untold number of mechanical problems over the
years.
Somehow he always managed to slip a funny story
or joke into every occasion, from meetings to inter-
view panels.
“He was a great storyteller and a hard worker,” said
Bob Qualey, his friend, boss, and former owner of Sil-
verton Sand & Gravel. “He liked to do things right.
When he worked for me, he took care of everything.”
Silverton Sand & Gravel’s new owners, Ivan
Schmidgall and Dan Schächer, said they’ve met
scores of customers who just assumed Klaus was
both driver and owner because of the high-quality
level of service he gave them.
“He was an amazing guy,” Schmidgall said. “You
would not believe how many people thought he
owned the company because of how he took care of
them. You can’t find employees like that anymore.”
Klaus’ service to Silverton Fire began in 1962, two
years after he graduated from Silverton High School.
His friends couldn’t say exactly what attracted him to
the work, but they suspect it had to do with the com-
pany he was keeping.
See KLAUS, Page 2A
Oregon wildfire cost skyrockets
Zach Urness Salem Statesman Journal
USA TODAY NETWORK
The cost of fighting wildfires in Oregon skyrocket-
ed to $454 million in 2017, the most so far this century,
according to data from Northwest Interagency Coor-
dination Center.
The high cost was fueled by multiple large wildfires
— and more than 2,000 total fires — that burned
665,000 acres statewide.
Between 2010 and 2015, federal and state agencies
spent an average of $146 million on Oregon wildfires.
That number more than tripled in 2017.
“At one point, we had more than 10,300 firefighting
resources assigned in the Pacific Northwest. Many
of the regional air tanker bases also had
record-breaking seasons.”
Stephen Baker, U.S. Forest Service spokesman
“The 2017 fire season was particularly long and ar-
duous in the Pacific Northwest,” U.S. Forest Service
spokesman Stephen Baker said. “Many of the large
fires this year were long-duration fires that required a
See FIRES, Page 2A
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Capt. Bob Klaus served the Silverton Fire District
for 55 years. PHOTO COURTESY OF SILVERTON FIRE DISTRICT