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About Appeal tribune. (Silverton, Or.) 1999-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 28, 2018)
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2018 ❚ SILVERTONAPPEAL.COM PART OF THE USA TODAY NETWORK Silver Falls librarian brings passion Christy Davis ‘grateful’ for past director Marlys Swalboski’s upkeep of library, its staff Christy Davis, 49, has been named the new Silver Falls Library Director after resigning from her previous job at the Klamath County Library. Christena Brooks Special to Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK A silent parade of literary characters decorates the cheerful corner office of new Silver Falls Library Direc- tor Christy Davis. Perched on shelves lining the walls, stuffed ani- mals, ceramic figures and plastic toys are standing still, obeying the library’s code of conduct. Children would recognize many of them, including George and Martha, the pair of friendly hippos that’s delighted young readers for more than 40 years. Adults might know NPR commentator and librarian Nancy Pearl, whose tiny action figure – with “amazing shushing action” – peers down from inside its packag- ing on a high shelf. After six weeks on the job, Davis is beginning to put her personal touch on Silver Falls Library but is quick to praise its recently retired director, Marlys Swalbos- ki, for leaving behind a ”sound budget, trained staff and good facility.” “She left this place better than she found it,” Davis said. “I’m really grateful.” Davis, 49, resigned from her job at Klamath County Library at year’s end with the same goal, of leaving her patrons and successor, Nathalie Johnston, with a bet- ter environment than when she started. She was li- brary director from 2013 to 2017 and worked there for a total of 23 years. “Christy is very, very smart,” Johnston said. “She’s always looking forward. She doesn’t wait for things to happen; she makes them happen. You are lucky to have her.” Davis learned about Silverton when her oldest sis- ter mentioned it as one of her own retirement choices. Davis’ in-laws live in Milwaukee, and her husband’s job as a freelance video editor means he can work al- most anywhere. A few visits and the library’s job post- ing last year convinced the couple to move north. “I didn’t leave Klamath Falls because I wasn’t hap- py,” she said. “I did feel, after working in the same building for 23 years, I was at a turning point. I could finish my career there or I could take a leap.” For Davis, taking this leap brings to mind another leap she took many years ago, as a young woman in her See LIBRARIAN, Page 3A Vandalism strikes Silverton church Sights set on ‘Garden City’ gateways Worship community forced to vacate for time being Justin Much Salem Statesman Journal Silverton Community Seventh-day Adventist Church was rendered temporarily unusable by vandalism this month. PHOTOS BY JUSTIN MUCH/APPEAL TRIBUNE Justin Much Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK Vandalism rendered a Silverton church unusable this month, forcing parishioners to worship else- where. Silverton Police Chief Jeff Fossholm said a suspect or suspects broke into the Silverton Seventh-day Ad- ventist Church through a classroom window and emptied several fire extinguishers throughout several rooms and a hallway. “The Sanctuary was not actually damaged, but the white chemical powder from the fire extinguishers down the hall drifted throughout the building leaving a coating of the caustic chemical all over the place which needs to be cleaned up prior to letting people back in,” Fossholm said. “My guess is that the timeline as to when they can get back in the building relates more to when a clean- up company can get a team on the project to do the work.” Silverton Assistant Fire Chief Ed Grambusch said the two primary chemical ingredients in dry chemical extinguishers are sodium bicarbonate and calcium carbonate. The former, when used in fire extinguish- ers, is a highly refined chemical which makes for very small particulate matter. It may also contain trace ele- ments of lead or other foreign materials. "The high velocity in which the extinguishing agent's fine particulate matter is expelled from the ex- tinguisher allows it to free flow within a building and its duct work," Grambusch said. Grambusch said most people exposed have severe coughing and sneezing, and larger doses can cause gastrointestinal problems. It can also degrade fabrics in clothes and furniture, and it can be severely irritat- ing to the skin. USA TODAY NETWORK A town described as a “garden city” should present an appealing impression from the get go. Silverton's entries don't. Silverton City Councilor Jim Sears presented that point to his council cohorts during a recent goal-set- ting session, and they agreed. “Is there any interest in looking at the gateways into Silverton?” Sears posed."It would be nice if we had an objective that we maintain them, maybe change them. I mean, we are the garden city and it just seems like they are not maintained very well,” Sears said. Councilor Laurie Carter noted that Highway 214 is the highest volume entry and the least attractive, suggesting that more trees may help. “It just seems like you’ve got to get downtown to really feel any of the Silverton quaintness,” Sears said. “We come in on all these other roads and there’s no feel like it’s a garden city.” That thought has not escaped the Chamber of Commerce, which has already initiated beautifica- tion steps. “We are working with students from the high school to find times to pressure-wash the monu- ments and assess what exactly needs to be done to bring them back to their original glory," Chamber Ex- ecutive Director Stacy Palmer said. "We targeted this spring for the project, since, obviously, the weather can be an issue to deal with. “We are also in contact with the Silverton Garden Club to see if there are ways to help them maintain the plantings around the signs. They currently take on that responsibility.” City Manager Christy Wurster said the gateway beautification has been added to the city council and Silverton Urban Renewal Agency’s list of goals, which will be officially adopted in April. jmuch@StatesmanJournal.com or cell 503-508- 8157 or follow at twitter.com/justinmuch Sprucing up the “Garden City’s” gateways has become an aim of the city council, chamber of commerce, urban renewal agency and other civic groups in Silverton. JUSTIN MUCH/APPEAL TRIBUNE Cones block off the entrance to the parking lot of Silverton Community Seventh-day Adventist Church after the vandalism. “The Sanctuary was not actually damaged, but the white chemical powder from the fire extinguishers down the hall drifted throughout the building leaving a coating of the caustic chemical all over the place which needs to be cleaned up prior to letting people back in.” Silverton Police Chief Jeff Fossholm, on the vandalism See CHURCH, Page 3A Online at SilvertonAppeal.com Vol. 137, No. 10 News updates: ❚ Breaking news ❚ Get updates from the Silverton area Photos: ❚ Photo galleries Serving the Silverton Area Since 1880 A Unique Edition of the Statesman Journal 50 cents ©2018 Printed on recycled paper Silverton series to discuss suicide Christena Brooks Special to Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK A “trauma stewardship” author, a police officer, a school administrator and a suicide prevention coor- dinator are giving talks facilitated by the Silver Falls School District in the coming days and weeks. A four-part lecture series aimed at supporting parents and children, comes one month after a Sil- verton High School student died by suicide, the sec- ond such death among local students in less than a year. Author Laura van Dernoot Lipski spoke first, on Monday, Feb. 26, at the high school auditorium. Au- thor of “Trauma Stewardship: An Everyday Guide to Caring for Self While Caring for Others,” van Dernoot Lipski has spoken to groups locally, nationally and See SERIES, Page 3A